SeekHealing

SeekHealing aims to shift social health by connecting the neuroscience understandings of substance abuse recovery and trauma management into an accessible, community-based platform of social interaction. By removing hierarchy from engagement (we refer to anyone in our program, whether participant or staff as 'Seekers', as we are all humans seeking connection), our program encourages an inviting and stable social environment for people to feel at home with themselves and each other. We provide consistent opportunities for participants to come together in community and empower them with the tools and resources to create healthy relational bonds and gain access to resources while working to bridge the gap of disconnect often felt between individuals in an ever evolving scope of societal expectations. To supplement this healing process we offer clinical and therapeutic services to those most at risk. Through this lens we provide peer support and resource accessibility, community service projects, and connection-fueled experiences of authentic human interaction . Our goal is to make place-based communities steeped in recovery and trauma-informed facilitation, that are available to anyone free-of-charge, creating individual and community resiliency through social healing.

SeekHealing's efforts center around human connection by providing community engagement, educational opportunities, and experiential offerings to anyone in the community, especially those who may not be able to access them otherwise (often financially-related or due to mobility issues). Our program focuses on exploring and integrating Seeker's intentions (whether substance use related or otherwise) with available community resources to create a clear trajectory for participation. A keystone program we offer is our 'Listening Training' series, which provides tools and exercises for social interaction that encourage connectivity and openness with fellow humans and allow for healthy relationships to be cultivated both within and outside the program. By developing these personal relationships and encouraging the community to do the same, we establish healthy social bonds and build trust through transparency, accountability, and friendliness. We also facilitate educational/instructional seminars on the use of naloxone, which in 2019 reversed nearly 2,000 opioid overdoses in the Buncombe County area alone. Through partnerships with governmental agencies, community-oriented organizations, and compassionate individuals we offer a variety of facilitated gatherings such as Connection Practice meetings (where Seekers gather to practice authentic relating exercises and be in community), body awareness modalities (like Yoga, acupuncture, or massage), clinical offerings such as psychotherapy, and therapeutic relief through herbal remedies and alternative therapies like sound healing meditation. This community synergy is paramount to our success and thankfully creates a positive feedback loop of community relations, which has allowed for continued, strategic expansion.

SeekHealing, through the Executive Directors stewardship and the Board of Directors collaboration, uses a variety of key staff, partnerships, facilitators, and tools to implement our program, but the key component is participation from our community. Our core staff includes a Community Engagement Lead who works directly with participants and facilitates social gatherings, an Outreach Coordinator who manages our external partnerships and handles media engagement, an Extra Care Program Lead who supports our most at risk participants, handles our court-approved diversion program, and manages analytics, and a Fundraising Coordinator who cultivates resource partnerships for project fulfillment through grant pursuits, donor relations, and community giving opportunities. SeekHealing also uses in-house technology (called Athene) for database and communications, encouraging connectivity between staff and participants while securely charting individuals intentions and needs during their program engagement. We partner with area agencies and non-profits who refer individuals to our program, and offer our programming at various community-centered venues to broaden our impact and outreach. Through this community building and integration SeekHealing is able to maintain our vision as an alternative approach to recovery (non-abstinence based) and trauma management (non-hierarchical), accessible through the lens of social health.

Our organization is working to save lives by applying the latest research in human psychology, neuroscience, and social interaction into an easily accessible healing platform that can be used almost anywhere by nearly everyone. When combined with 1-on-1 support in our court-approved diversion program (the Extra Care Program), participants who were at high-risk for an overdose were able to follow their recovery intentions with an 87% success rate, a truly remarkable number compared to an average 8% recovery rate for traditional 12-step programs. A long-term vision/project revolves around a permaculture driven recovery and communal living space where participants can experience an immersive approach to health and wellness. As a way to further our networking within the clinical world, we will be offering a clinicians deep-dive into our 'Listening Training' series as a CEU for practicing mental health providers. We also will continue to explore innovative ways to partner on projects with groups such as Authentic Relating International, who use the techniques of authentic relating as a tool for rehabilitation to those incarcerated, as a way to encourage our own growth and create resonance to the ideas we feel can shift longstanding issues of social duress.