People often ask me how we started Kindred Spirits Care Farm.  For years I have told people about the process, how 3 friends spent a weekend trying to design the very best, most useful, most beneficial non-profit we could imagine. After a weekend of work, we came up with the sustainable care farm concept.  That is the HOW of the process, but it does not explain WHY we think sustainable care farms are the best response to the issues of our day.

What we saw and continue to see is the extraordinary disconnect that has happened to humanity.  In our search for safety, comfort and entertainment, we have lost our connections.  We have lost our connection with the earth, her cycles, her wonders, her ability to inspire.  We treat her like we treat everything, just another profit object to be leveraged for maximum benefit to a few humans.

We have lost our connection to the billions of other beings on this planet, the birds, bees, bugs, and animals.  Again, they are treated either as profit objects or pests to be destroyed.  We have lost the diversity of species that is so critical to survival of the entire biosphere.  We have lost respect for life in all her forms in the search to ensure that humanity can have everything we think we want.

And we have even lost our connection to ourselves.  We blindly accept ideas and practices that need us to kill off parts of ourselves.  When we accept that some animals are to be loved and cherished (cats, dogs, horses and pets) and some animals are food objects, we create a break in our internal integrity.  Who decided that pigs are food and not friends?  Why do we believe it?  Why don’t we question this idea?  Why do we kneejerk defend it?  We can only tolerate this bizarre system by dividing ourselves into two.  One side “loves animals” and we cuddle our companions, feed them, pet them, and mourn their deaths.  The other side eats animals and defends that practice as necessary.  Then there are the truly bizarre people who are happy to cuddle and care for animals and then eat them.

We have the internet, but it has become a huge marketplace and a place for posturing and fake everything.  Although it could be used for real connection, it seems to be used for the opposite.  Influencers posing and preening and selling junk.  Angry people venting nonsense and not dealing with their real problems.  Bots and trolls controlling conversations.  Human ego on steroids.

Value of care farms – why did we choose care farming as our life’s work?

Connection. Cooperation. Compassion

REAL – Our world is more and more artificial.  Intelligence is artificial (AI), food is artificial, relationships are artificial, etc.  This is killing the human soul.  Suicide is up.  Health is down.  Asthma, autism, auto immune diseases, ADHD, Drug abuse is up.  Grades and education are down.  Despair is rampant.  Trust is gone.

How do we turn this around?  How do we get back to REAL?  To trust? To connection? To confidence? We reintroduce people to animals, plants and nature in person. Create an environment where people can build wellness of body and mind.

We extend our compassion to all creatures and are 100% plant based. All our animals are in sanctuary and we believe that knowing these animals will be loved for the rest of their lives in peace and safety helps people connect with them and heal from that connection.

Farm Details

Year founded: 2013

Address: 11001 Farralone Ave. Chatsworth, CA 91311

Website: https://www.kindredspiritscarefarm.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KindredSpiritsCareFarm

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kindredspiritscarefarm/

Our healing mission is to improve the lives of individuals struggling with mental illness or other mental health challenges by helping them work towards achieving their highest levels of functioning and fulfillment.

CooperRiis is a residential treatment and healing community providing primary supports for those struggling with serious and persistent mental health diagnosis. CooperRiis is a co-ed program for adults age 18 and up. We are a voluntary program that focuses on the strengths of the individual, as well as their hopes and dreams. At CooperRiis we truly embrace the fact that we are a community, supporting holistic healing. Our philosophy and approach is grounded in our Seven Domains of Recovery: Community & Connectedness, Spirituality, Physical Wellness, Emotional & Psychological Health, Purpose & Productivity, Intellectual Learning and Creativity, Empowerment & Independence. We offer individualized care and recovery planning, clinical services, and community work and connectedness focused on the development of independent living skills.

At CooperRiis we believe in human potential and not defining people by a mental health diagnosis. We believe that mental health recovery is possible, that individuals can rise amid life’s struggles and find an empowered path toward healing and wellness. The Farm program offers support through an integrated system of individualized care planning with the resident and every member of the treatment team, including the programming around the Community Work and Service piece on the Farm as well as the clinical team. Our Farm campus is on 94 rolling acres in Mill Spring, NC. The campus has several buildings including the main house and three lodges where resident rooms are. Mill Spring is approximately 45 minutes south of Asheville, NC.

We have a two story “Art Barn” with pottery wheels, a kiln, sewing machines, a 100+ year old loom, and painting and drawing supplies and a full wood working shop! We also have a mushroom inoculation tent where we inoculate logs with fungi for our kitchen to cook with. We have a pond with gates strung across it so our President & CEO, Eric Levine can practice his kayaking maneuvering skills-or teach others (residents and staff).

The Dream Statement: Each resident writes or articulates a personal Dream Statement, laying out their hopes for the future. Throughout the recovery process, the Dream Statement serves as a roadmap for each resident as they work toward their valued goals.

Recovery Planning: Following the initial assessment phase and development of a Dream Statement, a person-centered plan is created in collaboration with each resident. These plans are designed to develop immediate treatment goals in line with each resident’s Dream Statement and values as well as serving to meet standards for individualized care set forth by state licensure and insurance requirements.

We offer several therapeutic modalities for individuals. We have a psychiatrist on-staff that does individualized assessments with every resident and is available to meet with residents a minimum of every three weeks and as often as needed throughout their say. Nursing staff for medication management, and therapists who provide both individual and group therapy. Every resident has a therapist they see one-on-one twice a week for an hour each. Residents have a recovery coordinator (RC), who works similar to a case manager coordinating the overall treatment experience. We provide various modalities of treatment including trauma-informed care, DBT (dialectical behavior therapy), CBT (cognitive behavior therapy), subtle yoga, art therapy, and dual diagnosis/substance use groups. We also provide individualized discharge planning for all residents. There is a virtual Family Educational Program piece that residents loved ones can participate in virtually while the resident is in our care. Family members can also participate in bi-weekly phone calls with the residents RC to provide recovery education, progress updates, and collaborate on aftercare planning. Wellness: As part of the overall integrative wellness and recovery approach we have a physical wellness component. This is a chance for individuals to address the importance of being active, being mindfully in tune with their bodies and receiving education about dietary needs, supports, and healthy habits. Our nutritionist, massage therapist, personal trainer and wellness coordinator collaborate to address the physical wellness aspects of our programming. Purpose: Additionally, we offer an opportunity for our residents to engage in purposeful and meaningful work through our “CWS” or “Community Work and Service” program, which matches teams of residents, or crews, with work that contributes to daily life at CooperRiis. This could be the gardening crew, the greenhouse crew, the animal crew, the woodworking crew, or the campus crew. This aspect of our recovery approach allows our residents to feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves, to connect with their peers and give back to their community, and to build transferable functional recovery living and vocational skills.

Aftercare Planning: We understand that recovery is a journey and extends well beyond the residential treatment experience. It is vital that our residents and their families have a clear understanding of our assessment of needs and recommendations for aftercare support. We work as a team to develop a comprehensive and individualized plan that addresses goals and needs in the various domains of one’s life including but not limited to reviewing living arrangements, setting up ongoing psychiatric and clinical support, maintaining physical wellness, establishing a social network, engaging in structured time through outpatient programs, work or volunteer opportunities or educational pursuits.

Year Founded: 2003
Website: https://www.cooperriis.org/
CooperRiis at Asheville 85 Zillicoa St Asheville, NC 28801
The Farm at Mill Spring 101 Healing Farm Lane Mill Spring, NC 28756
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