We exist to bring people together to grow a culture of health and healing throughout the Greater Houston region and beyond.
We believe that mind-body medicine, self-awareness, and collective action that promote mutual well-being are vital to building thriving communities.
In response to Hurricane Beryl, the Institute and the Greater Houston Healing Collaborative are joining to provide support groups for those in need. If you are interested in joining a virtual or in-person support group, please fill out this form below, and we will contact you with more information.
Greater Houston Healing Collaborative (GHHC) programs and initiatives teach participants about the interconnectedness of body, spirit, and mind, providing tools to reduce chronic stress and address symptoms of the trauma response by sharing self-regulation techniques to enhance individual and community well-being. Our active network of trained and certified facilitators lead virtual and in-person mind-body skills groups and workshops, underscoring the Institute’s dedication to addressing the psycho-social needs of Greater Houston’s most at-risk and historically underserved communities, and faith communities in multiple languages with diverse cultures and traditions.
OUR APPROACH
The Greater Houston Healing Collaborative takes a public health approach to teaching evidence-based self-care skills. These empowering skills include soft-belly breathing, movement, drawing, writing, biofeedback, guided imagery, and more that anyone can learn, practice, and share. Through workshops, intensive 8-week groups, and one-on-one services, in partnership with over 100 organizations and faith homes across Greater Houston, the GHHC has served over 40,000 Houstonians.
MIND-BODY SKILLS GROUPS AND WORKSHOPS
Several factors and life circumstances can cause chronic anxiety and stress. Our support groups offer a safe space for social connection while teaching evidence-based skills that reduce stress and anxiety and support immunity, resiliency, and overall health and well-being. We invite you to participate regardless of your age, background, profession, or reason for joining.
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
We support communities around Houston to develop the tools they need to heal from trauma and stress and build resilience.
Join us for a conversation to explore how the Greater Houston Healing Collaborative can support your community's vitality.
OUR ORIGIN: RESPONDING TO HURRICANE HARVEY
On August 26-29, 2017, Hurricane Harvey devastated the Greater Houston area. As the flood waters receded, we knew that the emotional and psychological healing from Hurricane Harvey was just beginning. Local psychotherapist Gwen Brehm reached out to the Institute for Spirituality and Health, and together with six other regional organizations, we formed the Greater Houston Healing Collaborative to relieve the community-wide stress and trauma caused by the disaster. We partnered with The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM), which for 30 years has delivered population-wide healing programs worldwide.
Support from the Greater Houston Community Foundation, American Red Cross, Rotary District 5890, and the Feeding Souls Ryan Anderson Foundation enabled our collaboration to train 120 physicians, nurses, counselors, educators, and spiritual leaders in mind-body practices. These trained facilitators offered evidence-based psychological support services to over 12,000 traumatized children and adults across Houston in the first two years after Harvey.
“After Harvey, I was unable to cry; I was so afraid my tears would be overwhelming. Today I was able to cry - but they were tears of joy and relief for the compassion and support shared through this process.”
CONNECTEDNESS DURING COVID-19
During the pandemic, four in ten adults in the U.S. have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder - a 400% increase from early 2019.
In response to the anxiety and isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we rapidly mobilized to provide virtual groups and workshops for self-care and community connectedness. We launched an initial round of groups for healthcare providers, teachers, veterans, and teens and organized a series of collaborative workshops with the YMCA, Camp Shield, Peace Corps, and Rotary. One of our first groups to begin was our Open Group for Togetherness, which has met every Monday since March 2020, welcoming over 500 participants from Houston to New Zealand. To date, we have served over 2500 individuals with mind-body skills online.
“I am usually not so vulnerable. In this group, every Monday, I feel the freedom to be me and express myself in ways that I wouldn’t otherwise.”
SERVING VETERANS
Trained participants and certified leaders work daily with vets, and we have offered over 40 intensive 8-week mind-body skills groups for veterans, their families, and their caregivers. Partnering with the DeBakey VA Medical Center, the VA Conroe Community Based Outpatient Clinic, Easter Seals of Greater Houston, Catholic Charities, Impact a Hero, and Camp Shield, this program has thousands of service members to date. Our trained facilitators in these organizations continue to integrate mind-body skills with their fellow staff, peer support specialists, and the veterans they serve daily.
“Before the group, I would completely shut down. Now I have skills to help me move through it.”
“I waited my whole life for people to help me with this… Now I have the confidence. I can lean on myself.”
“Being in civilian life is not what I thought it would be. You get exactly what you put into this group. You can change within yourself. You don’t have to be afraid of change.”
HELPING IN HEALTHCARE
Self-care is the heart of health and vital to healthcare in the United States. At the Institute for Spirituality and Health, our work with healthcare professionals has impacted thousands of students and seasoned professionals. The Institute’s unparalleled educational conferences enhance patient outcomes and provider well-being by teaching practices for cultural competency, spiritual intelligence, and self-care.
Members of the GHHC have served the healthcare community in Houston with mind-body practices by providing direct services to patients, caregivers, clinicians, and learners across the Texas Medical Center (Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, UT Health, DeBakey, Memorial Hermann).
Click below to explore how we can support your organization's mission and, ultimately, the health of healthcare workers.
FOUNDING PARTNERS
Meet the organizations that launched the Greater Houston Healing Collaborative.
HELP SUPPORT THIS INITIATIVE
These groups are generously provided by our facilitators free of charge to the community. Please consider supporting this initiative to help us sustain and grow these services.
Please support us by donating now. Thank you!