Healing TREE

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Therapy is an evidence based, treatment modality for trauma. Healing TREE facilitates EMDRIA approved 52 hour trainings (including post-training supervision) done by an internationally recognized training team in this modality which is highly effective but often cost-prohibitive. Healing TREE currently provides these trainings for therapists working at social service agencies serving children in the foster care, child welfare, and juvenile justice systems, 95% of whom are below the poverty level. The EMDR Therapy Trainings are available for clinicians serving any community, anywhere in the country, with groups as small as 12. As of the end of 2022, Healing TREE has trained therapists who have treated an estimated 14,500 children with EMDR Therapy.

Healing TREE’s short film Silk, and accompanying workshop with guided discussion, illustrate, educate on and explore the most insidious forms of abuse and trauma. Silk stars mainstream talent and engages high schoolers, college students and community members to have an open conversation about these important but often undiscussed topics. The workshop’s pre and post engagement assessments ensure that folks walk away far better equipped to heal from the aftermath of what too many may have faced and to prevent themselves and others from being victimized by, or perpetrating, abusive situations in the future. These screenings and workshops have had incredibly positive results as evidenced by the pre and post surveys, showing a highly significant increase in understanding of the topic and a virtual equal number of survivor and perpetrator self-identification.

As part of its mission, Healing TREE produces films designed to educate and empower healing through entertainment. The film Silk (used in the Silk Screening + Workshop program) is a prime example of this. Their current project (working title: ACEs Short), filmed and went into post production in 2022, and is designed to help people recognize what is known in the clinical world as ACEs: “Adverse Childhood Experiences,” and educate viewers on how those who have lived through one or more of those experiences might be affected later in life.

Healing TREE recognizes the unique setbacks and systemic trauma that members of the BIPOC community, or People of the Global Majority, face. It is one of their core priorities to work to dismantle inequities that marginalized communities face in an effort to decrease trauma. Some examples of this are: Sponsoring trainings for BIPOC therapists in a particular treatment modality to increase equity in the mental health field, actively seeking BIPOC therapists for the Approved Care Network (ACN) to meet the unique needs of BIPOC clients, actively seeking therapists for the ACN who provide discounts for BIPOC clients to increase equity among trauma survivors, actively seeking BIPOC team members, actively seeking BIPOC artists to hire in arts projects and events in an industry that has historically lacked diversity, and facilitating anti-racism and EDI trainings for Board and Staff to continually grow in diversity, equity and inclusion internally and to further inform its programming.