Retreat Policies

All participants in our healing retreats are required to adhere to the policies below. During your registration, you will be asked to acknowledge that you have read and agree to adhere to these policies. All applicants will be asked to sign an Informed Consent document. Applicants who are currently in therapy will also be asked to submit a Therapist Letter.

Safety For Participants

Screening for attendance on a Weekend of Recovery or Day of Recovery is required and will be conducted after a potential participant registers. The purpose of the screening interview is to help determine if a potential participant is ready to safely and productively participate in the weekend. If we determine a participant is not yet ready, we will suggest other activities he could engage in to prepare himself for participation in a future weekend.

Safety on the Weekend of Recovery or Day of Recovery is a priority. As a facilitator team, we emphasize personal safety for everyone in attendance at a Weekend of Recovery or Day of Recovery. To accomplish this goal, at the beginning of each day or weekend we engage in a collaborative process between facilitators and participants to define the safety guidelines for the weekend. The facilitator team is committed to working with the participants to provide structure and support to help protect individual and group safety and to promote opportunities for growth.

Another way we work to ensure safety is by having enough facilitators at each weekend so that individual attention is available whenever it is needed, along with encouraging participants to risk asking for help from each other as each participant brings a wealth of experience and skills with them.

To protect and promote an environment of safety, we do not allow the use of alcohol or any recreational or non-prescribed drugs. Sexual contact between participants during the weekend is not permitted. If a participant fails to adhere to these norms, or there are any other violations of safety guidelines, then the Weekend of Recovery or Day of Recovery Manager will meet with the participant to determine whether he will be allowed further participation in the weekend.

MANAGEMENT OF SMOKING, ALCOHOL, AND DRUGS

Weekend of Recovery and Day of Recovery policy also includes a requirement that all participants remain free of alcohol and other non-prescribed drugs or street drugs for the duration of the weekend. We require participants to be free of alcohol use 48 hours before the weekend and 72 hours free of the use of any non-prescribed drug or street drug.

We require all participants not to bring any alcohol or non-prescribed drugs to the weekend. For anyone who is considering attending a Weekend of Recovery and Day of Recovery but is still struggling with being able to meet these requirements, we recommend you choose to address these issues with a therapist prior to registering and attending a weekend or day.

The MenHealing policy regarding smoking and the use of alcohol or non-prescription drugs includes the following requirements:

  • We require participants to be free of alcohol use 48 hours and the use of any non-prescribed drug or street drug 72 hours before the DOR.
  • All participants remain free of alcohol and other non-prescribed drugs or street drugs for the duration of the event.
  • Participants should not bring any alcohol or non-prescribed drugs to the DOR event.
  • For anyone who is considering attending a Weekend or Day of Recovery but who is still struggling with being able to meet these requirements, it is recommend they choose to address these issues with a recovery provider prior to registering and attending the WOR/DOR.
  • The use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, and pipe-smoking should comply with the rules of the hosting facility. Prior attention should be given to locating where the use of these smoking options is allowed at the venue being used.

INCLUSION POLICY

MenHealing provides services for male survivors. This is inclusive of cisgender males, anyone who currently identifies as trans male, and anyone who is nonbinary and wants to heal in a male-defined environment.

We recognize that sexual violence impacts communities that are marginalized, including survivors of color, various sexual orientations and gender identities, ages, physical and mental abilities, etc.

It is important to realize that survivors may have a multiplicity of identities. This is an especially important consideration for survivors of color and those who are sexually and/or gender diverse.

We recognize that racial and ethnic identity must be included as an important aspect of a survivor’s experience. Factors of intersectionality are critical to the circumstances of victimization, as well as their process of healing.

We recognize that participants may identify their sexual orientation as straight, gay, bisexual, asexual, pansexual, queer, questioning, or any number of words to describe their identities and experiences. We welcome participants of all sexual orientations.

We recognize that gender exists on a continuum and that many survivors of sexual assault may identify anywhere on the gender continuum, including identifying as transgender, cis-gender, non-binary, or other genders. We want to honor this diversity as a space to heal in a community.

ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE POLICIES

An important factor in establishing safety for each Weekend or Day of Recovery event is for clear expectations that everyone begin the WOR/DOR at the designated start time, as well as remain in attendance until the designated end time. Planning for a WOR/DOR may need to consider transportation factors in determining the best time to start and to end. 

Arrival Policy

Participants should be expected to arrive at the venue in time for check in and to be available to begin at the designated start time for the WOR/DOR. Advance communication should clarify the variety of travel options to access the venue. Consideration should be given to include information about travel times to the venue, as well as predictable and unpredictable delays in accessing the site.

Prior communications should include designated procedures for contact – phone or text number, e-mail address, etc. – in the event that a participant is encountering travel confusion or delays.

A clear policy should be established about management of late arrivals. Our standard protocol is to not admit anyone to the WOR/DOR if they arrive more than 15 minutes after the designated starting time.

DEPARTURE POLICY

A clear departure policy is also enforced to respect the safety concerns of all participants to have adequate time for closure. Participants are expected to remain through the designated ending time for the WOR/DOR. Anyone who has an extraordinary circumstance that might require the special need for an early departure should discuss that in advance during the registration or interview process. Scheduling a transportation at a time that requires an early departure does not warrant an extraordinary circumstance. There will be no refunds for an early departure that has not been previously approved. Completing a WOR until the end is a requirement for attending an Advanced WOR.

TRANSPORTATION COORDINATION

After you have registered and been accepted for the weekend, your name and email address will be provided confidentially to our webmaster, who will provide you access to the MenHealing Transportation Board for your particular weekend. It is important that if you would like to participate in the transportation bulletin board, the email address you provide must be the same as the email address you indicate on your registration. On the board, you will then have access once you sign in to talk with others who are planning on attending so you can offer to share or give rides to those needing help in getting from the airport to the venue. To protect your confidentiality, this part of the bulletin board will only be able to be accessed by those registered for their specific weekend, and by the WOR Manager. If you share a ride, please be respectful and offer assistance with paying for gas.

SURVIVORS WITH A HISTORY OF SEXUAL OFFENDING

Safety for Weekend and Day of Recovery (WOR/DOR) events requires that all participants feel their boundaries will be respected and protected. We recognize that some survivors of sexual victimization may also have a history of sexual behavior towards others that might be considered non-consensual, coercive, or offending.

A pre-event interview is a prerequisite for final acceptance to attend a WOR/DOR. This interview includes screening questions about prior history of offending behavior. We expect honesty and transparency from each registrant during this screening process. Our intention with this screening is to evaluate the nature of any offending behaviors a registrant may report occurred previously during their life. the screening information helps us to address issues of safety and preparation for all participants.

We distinguish that some incidents of offending may be sexually reactive behaviors in childhood or adolescence; and that young adults sometimes engage in sexual behaviors that may be questionable or that may raise concerns about degree of consent. Registrants with such history should not automatically be excluded from a WOR/DOR.

Any registrant who indicates a prior history of engaging in offending, coercive, or non-consenting sexual behavior will be required to have a second-level interview for further screening to determine the appropriateness of their participation in the WOR/DOR. Additional screening will include second interview, obtaining feedback from a provider who has worked with registrant about these issues, and review by the Facilitators who will be staffing the WOR/DOR the registrant will be attending.

Any person who has been convicted of sexual perpetration and/or has been placed on a sexual offender registry as an adult is ineligible for participation in the WOR/DOR. The exception will be for a WOR/DOR that is specifically planned for inclusion of survivors who offend.

Staff who conduct second screening interviews will review information for any registrant with the following status: (a) who reports a history of sexually reactive behaviors, (b) who has engaged in prior treatment services and has received official clearance that they are not at risk for further offending behavior, and/or (c) who may have received prior legal conviction and their records have been expunged. For any of these circumstances, members of the Facilitator Team may determine that this registrant is safe for acceptance to attend the WOR/DOR.