Windhorse IMH

Mission: Non-profit organization that provides services and education with a whole-person approach to recovery from serious psychiatric distress.

From www.ic.org/directory/windhorse-imh/:

The Windhorse approach was created to address a number of issues commonly experienced in conventional mental health models.

The desire to become autonomous and re-enter the community can become shaky after long periods of separation from what becomes “the outside world.” The Windhorse approach was created to interrupt or prevent these patterns of recidivism by keeping people integrated within the larger community and surrounding them with a team that accompanies them through ordinary, daily activities, while modeling compassion and mindfulness. We begin our work with clients by creating a healing environment with the team members and a therapeutic housemate in the home.

Our team approach allows for “all voices heard” which builds a sense of belonging and empowered inclusion. We also practice mutual recovery, during which the client and team members share personal experiences and learn from each other through the clinicians’ skillful approach to conversations, activities, and life.

During the program, clients start to seek more engagement in the world. Changes are introduced when a sense of self and self-worth starts to emerge. Patience, tolerance for uncertainty, and belief in the client’s ability to recover are crucial to sustainable change.

We are proud of our active and growing Windhorse Communities. Alumni often stay in touch with their teams, staff, and peers. They keep us apprised of work they have found, projects they are collaborating on, an interaction with a loved one that would have seemed impossible the year before, and much more. Families also continue coming to our support groups to share and receive helpful stories and guidance.

Since we started Windhorse Integrative Mental Health (WIMH) in 1993, we have gained wisdom, insight, and best practices from experiential learning and from each other. We have also become skilled at incorporating best practices that complement our approach.

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