To improve the lives, health, and wellbeing of young people living with chronic illness and their families by providing transformative integrative medicine education and experiences, group support in a community of similar peers, and empowerment with self-care skills.

To transform the experience of pediatric chronic illness for the patient and the family into an opportunity for health and quality-of-life enhancement, resilience-building, and positive personal growth.

We dream of a world in which illness and adversity connect people—rather than isolate them; where difficulties make people stronger, more resilient, and whole —rather than breaking them; and where meaning, purpose, insight can be found in coming together around life’s most challenging experiences.

Generally, our programs offer a nurturing community environment and experiential healing techniques paired with a small-group support program, based on The Center for Mind Body Medicine’s model. Mind-body medicine focuses on the bi-drectional interactions between mind and body and the ways in which emotional, mental, social and spiritual factors can directly affect health. The CMBM’s groups have been utilized in a number of settings, including groups for individuals with chronic and life-threatening illness, victims of war-related trauma, and with children in school systems. Their model has been found to significantly reduce depression, hopelessness, and PTSD symptoms in traumatized children.

We provide a few different types of programs for young people living with chronic illness and their families:

• Residential, 5-day/4-night retreats immersed in a natural setting. Currently, these retreats are taking place at the Commonweal Retreat Center in Bolinas, CA.
• A 7 to 10-session “urban-retreat” program that meets after school. This program is currently held at UCSF’s Osher Center for Integrative Medicine on the UCSF Mount Zion campus. Kids/teens and parents meet in separate groups. Check our calendar for upcoming programs.
• Online mind-body/resilience and group support programs.

What patients and their families can expect to learn and practice in the Communitas program:

• Meditation
• Breathwork
• Mindfulness practices
• Biofeedback
• Stress management
• Guided Imagery
• Self-Hypnosis
• Movement
• Positive reframing
• Group support
• Healthy nutritional principles
• Using art and writing to deal with emotions

Additional components included in retreats:

• Massage and healing touch
• Movement practices (yoga, qi gong)
• Acupressure or acupuncture
• Music and sound therapy
• Cooking classes
• Nature walks
• Creative workshops including writing, photography, or film

“Communitas” is an anthropological concept that refers to the bonding and spirit of community that develop when people are connected by a common liminal experiences, such as chronic illness. In these situations, a sense of shared purpose and community develops and new insights and priorities can be inspired with others who are sharing a similar experience. It gets to the core of what can blossom when the usual social structures are stripped away through a shared traumatic experience.