“Before I came to camp I felt broken and alone. After camp, I found hope that I can heal.” – C.T. 2016
Our Mission
The mission of the Center for Earth-Based Healing is to provide trauma-informed ecotherapy programs that promote holistic healing — psychological, physical, emotional, and spiritual — for trauma survivors.
The Center for Earth-Based Healing is a 501(c)3 Charitable Organization located in Nelson County, Virginia. Due to the unexpected loss of our primary funding source in 2019, the Center for Earth-Based Healing is not currently offering programs as we are undergoing a revisioning process for all of 2020.
The Center for Earth-Based Healing is a 501(c)3 Charitable Organization located in Nelson County, Virginia. Due to the unexpected loss of our primary funding source in 2019, the Center for Earth-Based Healing is not currently offering programs as we are undergoing a revisioning process for all of 2020.
What is Ecotherapy?
Ecotherapy is an umbrella term that includes a wide array of nature-based healing modalities — both clinical and non-clinical — such as outdoor meditations, gardening therapy, and any type of approach that connects an individual to the healing resources in the natural environment.
Ecotherapy supports a holistic approach to healing and recognizes that mind, body, and spirit are all part of an interconnected “ecological system” that we call the human being, and that human beings are not separate, but rather part of the natural world.
Ecotherapy supports a holistic approach to healing and recognizes that mind, body, and spirit are all part of an interconnected “ecological system” that we call the human being, and that human beings are not separate, but rather part of the natural world.
What does Trauma-Informed Mean?
Trauma-informed programming acknowledges that our participants are individuals with trauma histories. Our staff members are trained and prepared to recognize the presence of trauma symptoms, honor the role that trauma has played in our participants’ lives, and provide appropriate non-clinical support in the event that a participant gets triggered.
Our program design and operation is grounded in the following six principles outlined by the National Center for Trauma-Informed Care:
Our program design and operation is grounded in the following six principles outlined by the National Center for Trauma-Informed Care:
- Safety
- Trustworthiness and Transparency
- Peer Support
- Collaboration and Mutuality
- Empowerment, Voice, and Choice
- Cultural, Historical, and Gender Sensitivity
About the Executive Director
Michele Zehr
Executive Director
Email: michelezehr@earthbasedhealing.org
Office: 434-277-5001
MICHELE ZEHR, M.Ed., M.A., is the founder of the Center for Earth-Based Healing. She has worked as an advocate for survivors of sexual and domestic violence in various capacities since 2009. As a Sexual Assault Response Team coordinator, she provided crisis intervention and support services for survivors at a sexual violence advocacy agency in Charlottesville, VA, and as a staff member at the Virginia Victim Assistance Academy, she taught the cultural competency module and mentored new professionals entering the field. Michele currently works as the Creative Counselor at a domestic violence shelter in Lexington, VA, where she utilizes ecotherapy, music, painting, weaving, and other creative modalities to support adults and children healing from interpersonal violence.
Michele has worked with ecotherapy modalities over the past decade, attending programs at the School of Lost Borders, Tracker School, and the Ecology of Awakening program, and has received training in Somatic Experiencing through Dr. Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute.
Her academic credentials include training in instructional design and two Master’s degrees in adult education and social justice education, focused on women’s and gender studies. Michele has been a certified R.A.D. self-defense instructor for women since 2009, is a former U.S. Marine, backpacked the entire Appalachian Trail (2,175 miles), and in her downtime, loves connecting with nature, reading, and composing music.
Executive Director
Email: michelezehr@earthbasedhealing.org
Office: 434-277-5001
MICHELE ZEHR, M.Ed., M.A., is the founder of the Center for Earth-Based Healing. She has worked as an advocate for survivors of sexual and domestic violence in various capacities since 2009. As a Sexual Assault Response Team coordinator, she provided crisis intervention and support services for survivors at a sexual violence advocacy agency in Charlottesville, VA, and as a staff member at the Virginia Victim Assistance Academy, she taught the cultural competency module and mentored new professionals entering the field. Michele currently works as the Creative Counselor at a domestic violence shelter in Lexington, VA, where she utilizes ecotherapy, music, painting, weaving, and other creative modalities to support adults and children healing from interpersonal violence.
Michele has worked with ecotherapy modalities over the past decade, attending programs at the School of Lost Borders, Tracker School, and the Ecology of Awakening program, and has received training in Somatic Experiencing through Dr. Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute.
Her academic credentials include training in instructional design and two Master’s degrees in adult education and social justice education, focused on women’s and gender studies. Michele has been a certified R.A.D. self-defense instructor for women since 2009, is a former U.S. Marine, backpacked the entire Appalachian Trail (2,175 miles), and in her downtime, loves connecting with nature, reading, and composing music.