At Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN), trauma-informed care means meeting people where they are with respect for their culture, identity, experiences, strengths, and individual ways of connecting with the world.
We know that feeling safe, supported, and connected can look different from person to person. That’s why SPAN creates opportunities for healing and connection that reflect the people we serve, offering more than one way to engage, build resilience, and find support.
These pathways can take many forms: tending a garden, gathering as a family, or connecting through a culturally rooted tradition.
Making Space for Culture: A Summer Moon Gathering
A recent summer full-moon gathering brought adults and children together for connection, reflection, wellness, and community building.
When severe weather made the planned outdoor hike unsafe, the group adapted. The gathering continued indoors with conversation, tea and coffee, grounding and mindfulness activities, and limpia, a traditional ancestral cleansing practice facilitated by the SPAN counselor.
Participants were introduced to different herbs and plants and learned how they could be used as part of a culturally rooted practice of cleansing and intention-setting. Participants worked in pairs and offered one another a limpia, with intentions that could include emotional, spiritual, or physical well-being.
The group also participated in an essential-oil relaxation activity and a grounding meditation. These activities provided participants with opportunities to slow down, reconnect with themselves, and practice mindfulness in a supportive community environment.
One of the most meaningful aspects of the evening was the intergenerational participation. Children and adults actively engaged in the cleansing activity, with children offering limpias to adults and adults offering them to children. This created a powerful sense of connection across generations and allowed children to participate in and experience a culturally meaningful tradition.
As the sun began to set, participants went outside for a short nature walk. Although the original hike had to be canceled, the group was still able to experience elements of nature together. Participants observed bats and rabbits and listened to coyotes howling as the sun went down. Along the way, they learned interesting facts about the natural environment and the animals they encountered.
The evening concluded with a quiet mindfulness and listening exercise. Participants stood together in silence, intentionally listening to the sounds of nature while the moonlight reflected on their faces. This peaceful moment provided an opportunity for reflection and served as a meaningful closing to the gathering.
The evening highlighted resilience, adaptability, cultural connection, intergenerational engagement, and community support. Participants repeatedly expressed gratitude for the opportunity to be together and for the group’s willingness to adapt to the circumstances.
When the Garden Becomes a Pathway to Healing
Sometimes, healing begins with something as simple as a handful of soil.
This summer, SPAN’s seasonal Tending the Garden group invited youth ages 8–17 to slow down, get their hands dirty, and explore connection, creativity, and resilience through horticultural therapy.
For some youth, a garden may offer a more natural place to begin connecting than a traditional group setting. Working with plants and soil provides something tangible to focus on while leaving room to engage at their own pace.
That approach is supported by a growing body of research. A 2026 systematic review of horticulture-based interventions found potential benefits across emotional and psychological well-being, social connection, cognitive development, and physical health.
The garden offers more than a place to grow plants. It creates space for young people to explore their strengths, connect with others, and experience a different way of engaging in a supportive environment.
Supporting the Whole Family
SPAN’s Family Resilience workshops, beginning again this fall, take a family-centered approach to building connection and resilience.
Led by SPAN’s counselors, the workshops recognize that children and caregivers may experience stress and trauma differently, requiring varying types of support.
While children engage in art, nature, and play-based therapeutic activities, caregivers build emotional resilience and learn connection-based parenting strategies.
Together, families have opportunities to strengthen relationships, practice new skills, and build healthier ways of communicating—skills that can help prevent violence before it begins.
Abbie Lewis, SPAN’s Director of Education, has seen the impact of this approach.
“We’ve seen so much positivity come from bringing youth and their parents or caregivers together. Learning side by side strengthens their relationship, and that’s why we’ve expanded programs like our prevention curriculum, community nights, and Family Resilience Program.
Families tell us these programs are changing the way they connect with one another. Young people enjoy it, parents feel more confident having these conversations, and together they’re building healthier relationships. That’s what prevention is all about.”
Creating pathways to healing and prevention takes trained counselors, thoughtful program development, culturally responsive practices, community partnerships, safe spaces, and the flexibility to adapt to the people we serve.
Join us in continuing this work by supporting these programs.
Interested in participating? Learn more about our counseling services here.
