Community Care and Wellness Facilitation:
What I Do
As a Community Care and Wellness Facilitator, I support organizations that host creative programming, residencies, and retreats. I help leadership plan, implement, and maintain emotionally supportive environments where creativity can be held with care and encouraged to expand.
My Approach
I provide personalized emotional wellness strategy and onsite support to address the unique challenges creative processes can bring to the surface. Engaging in creative work often evokes unexpected emotions, and those organizing programs typically have full plates and do not have specialized training in emotional care.
In addition to pre-event planning and psychoeducational resources, I come alongside your community during the event to bolster and expand connection and communication. I help ensure both staff and participants feel supported and connected throughout their entire experience.
Services Can Include:
Pre-event consultation with leadership to understand specific needs, goals, and community values
Review of program materials to ensure alignment with stated values and inclusive practices
Assessment and recommendations for increasing accessibility for participants and staff
Customized psychoeducational resources designed to support wellbeing before, during, and after the program
On-site presence during programming for real-time support and intervention
Post-event debrief and integration support
How This Work Came About
In 2022, I participated as a writer at The New Harmony Project, a national arts organization whose mission is to care for writers while they develop new work that "interrogates the complexity of hope." I deeply appreciated the immense care staff showed all participants. I also saw an opportunity that might strengthen the experience: a staff role specifically focused on supporting the emotional wellbeing of both individual participants and the entire community.
A few months later, I approached the Artistic Director with my proposal. She was intrigued and invited me on board! In 2023, I created and implemented the emotional wellness role. The team integrated me throughout the entire residency process— I participated in planning sessions, was onsite throughout the entire conference, and participated in the event debrief to review lessons learned for the following year. When participant feedback forms came through, the response was overwhelmingly positive; participants specifically referenced how my role and specific support directly enhanced their program experience.
By 2025, we had solidified, improved, and expanded the program significantly. The New Harmony Project now employs multiple Community Care Facilitators, and we continue to deepen our understanding of how to foster creative communities where people genuinely care for each other and themselves.
** Please not that Community Care services are supportive and educational in nature and are not therapy or mental health treatment.
Something else?
Want to hire me, collaborate, or share something else exciting? Feel free to contact me.