Deep RootHealing Foundation

Program Model

Prepare. Experience. Integrate. Serve.

The experience is one day in a much longer process. Everything before and after it is what determines whether change holds.

Cohort composition

Every retreat is capped at eight participants: six to seven sponsored veterans and first responders attending on scholarship, plus one or two mission-sustaining participants who fund their own seat and, in doing so, fund someone else’s. Small cohorts keep the group cohesive and the clinical support high-touch. Screening, rules, and expectations are identical for every seat.

Phase 1

Preparation

4–6 weeks pre-retreat
  • Baseline assessments across PTSD, depression, anxiety, sleep, and substance use
  • Personal history and written statement of intentions
  • Group preparation sessions with peers from the same cohort
  • Development of healthy daily routines before the experience, not after
  • Assignment of an accountability partner
  • Full informed consent, including risks, limits, and the right to withdraw
Phase 2

Integration

0–90 days post-retreat
  • Weeks 1–2 — Stabilization: rest, nutrition, reduced stimulation, daily check-ins
  • Weeks 3–6 — Structure and accountability: daily integration inventory and partner contact
  • Weeks 7–12 — Reinforcement: routine consolidation, relationships, work and purpose
  • Day 60–90 — Reassessment against the same baseline instruments used in Phase 1
Phase 3

Service & Sponsorship

90+ days
  • Clear sponsorship readiness criteria before mentoring anyone else
  • Mentoring new participants through preparation and early integration
  • Participation in the alumni community and ongoing accountability
  • Optional service roles supporting outreach, advocacy, and cohort support

Program Principles

Structure over emotion

Consistency over intensity

Humility over ego

Accountability over isolation

Service completes recovery

Participation is voluntary at every stage. Screening exists to protect participants, and not everyone who applies will be a clinical fit. We would rather say no than put someone in a setting that is wrong for them.

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