Many of us hesitate to label our experiences as trauma and even sometimes dismiss and diminish their impact. We reserve this word for particular situations and struggle to apply it to ourselves. 

Today, Mickenzie and Christopher are joined by Milestones Alum Billy, who shares his Milestones journey and beyond. After living what Billy would describe as a successful, seemingly content life, he was overwhelmed when the impact of his past loss, hurt, and pain caught up with him. Like many of us, he would not have categorized what he experienced as trauma, but also, like many of us, Billy shares how accepting this made way for healing, self-love, and restoration.

We often have everything inside of us to heal, we just need the right tools and guide to discover it. At Milestones, our entire team works to empower our clients to own their healing while equipping them with the tools they need for sustained emotional and mental health.

Today, Christopher and Mickenzie are joined by Milestones Primary Therapist Mo Tedder to explore the final tenant of this series—Empowered Healing. Together, they discuss how our clinical team comes alongside guests to guide them in self-discovery and healing and empower them to regain a sense of agency in their journey.

For the McHugh family, life felt like too much for too long. They have faced more than their fair share of trauma and pain and eventually reached a point where they weren't sure they could take anymore. That's when Leith attended Milestones, followed shortly by her son Holden.  

Today, we're joined by Leith, Aaron, Holden, and Averi McHugh, who offer a glimpse into their family's journey to find individual and collective healing. In a vulnerable and beautiful conversation, they share the lessons they learned while prioritizing healing for every family member and how they've formed lives and connections beyond what they ever thought possible.

Every human is unique. Your treatment experience should be, too!

Today, Psychiatrist and Milestones VP of Medical Services Dr. Neil Bomar joins the show to share the importance of our holistic approach to healing. He explores how the entire team partners to create a customized, innovative plan for each and every client. We strive to create a complete picture of a client's unique circumstances to treat the whole person.

At Milestones, we firmly believe in the healing power of community. We often say that we're wounded in community, and therefore, our greatest level of healing happens in community.

Despite it being one of the most impactful aspects of their stay, most individuals are initially apprehensive about the community element of the Milestones experience. When you've experienced trauma, your sense of safety and trust within a community is often lost.

Today, Mickenzie and Christopher sit down with Milestones Alum Jennifer to explore the importance, difficulty, and power of healing in community. Jennifer shares how her expectations of community shifted, how she navigated the good, bad, and beautiful elements, and how her Milestones community has continued to impact her healing journey.

Watch Jennifer's Video Testimony
Learn more about the Milestones Experience

According to Eric Erickson, the first thing a trauma survivor loses is trust. And in a counter-intuitive way, the only way to begin to heal from trauma is to trust.

At Milestones, we know that the most effective way to rebuild trust and heal from trauma is within the context of a safe and connected community of people who understand. Today, Mickenzie and Christopher are joined by Milestones Family and Adventure Therapist Bobby Chapman.

Reflecting on over 40 years in the treatment industry, Bobby shares the differentiators that Milestones brings to the space and offers a beautiful exploration of the magic of the community forged amongst the guests and staff. He also shares how Milestones facilitates work for clients and their families through our Family Weekend programming to help individuals address larger systemic struggles and introduce healing within a larger community.

What happens when you're a trauma therapist who needs trauma therapy? 

When Meghan Riordan Jarvis lost her mom, as a trauma therapist, she recognized the signs of what was happening to her. She knew all the right things to do to help her traverse the trauma response she was experiencing. But despite knowing what to do conceptually, she quickly realized she couldn't find her way through alone. After having referred her own clients to Milestones for years, Meghan found her way to Milestones. 

Today on the Treating Trauma Podcast, Meghan joins Mickenzie and Chase, sharing her unique perspective as a trauma therapist and alum and how the Milestones experience transformed her understanding of herself, her grief, and her work. 

As we continue to explore the tenants of the Milestones experience, today we're joined by Clinical Supervisor Amanda Morrow to discuss our innovative trauma expertise.

Together, Mickenzie, Christopher, and Amanda share the "magic" behind the Milestones clinical approach and the innovative recovery that works. As Amanda shares, the differentiating factor amongst the team of highly skilled clinicians is the heart, compassion, and care they bring into everything they do.

She shares about different therapeutic modalities, how we approach trauma and addiction, and encouragement for people considering this work.

Learn More About our Clinical Program

Mentioned in this Episode:
2:02 - Amanda's role as Milestones' Clinical Supervisor 
5:35 - How Milestones approaches trauma 
8:00 - The difference between attachments and addictions 
12:27 - The importance of creating a predictable and supportive environment 
15:57 - The indescribable "magic" of Milestones 
19:33 - Milestones therapeutic modalities 
21:43 - How trauma impacts our bodies 
24:50 - How we unlearn our trauma 
27:54 - The most surprising things about the Milestones experience 
33:45 - Regulating the effect of trauma on our nervous systems
38:54 - Amanda's encouragement for those considering Milestones 

One of the most challenging barriers to overcome when contemplating attending Milestones is the priorities and responsibilities people leave at home. When you have people depending on you, it can feel selfish to walk away from your life for 30-90 days to focus on yourself and your healing.

Today on the Treating Trauma Podcast, we welcome Milestone's alum Shawnna, who candidly shares about the barriers she overcame as a mom of seven children to attend both Onsite and Milestones. Shawnna shares how the healing hospitality she experienced enveloped her and gave her the permission to do the most selfless thing she's ever done—prioritizing her healing in a season when she needed it most.

Mentioned in this Episode 

2:56 - Shawnna's Onsite and Milestones journey
4:21 - How growing up in a restrictive religious environment impacted Shawnna's view of therapy and herself
7:39 - Shawnna's first days at Milestones
9:59 - The importance of safety in trauma healing
11:10 - How somatic therapy impacted Shawnna's trauma healing
13:30 - Navigating faith through trauma therapy
15:29 - How Shawnna overcame her resistance to Milestone's healing hospitality and learned to ask for what she needed
21:33 - The ongoing lessons from Milestones that Shawnna takes into her work as an educator
24:04 - How Shawnna's community supported her journey
26:53 - Shawnna's biggest Milestones takeaways
28:59 - Shawnna's encouragement for someone considering Milestones

To kick off this new season of the Treating Trauma Podcast, which is all about the tenants of the Milestones experience, we're joined by Miles Adcox, the Onsite and Milestones Owner and Chairman.

Miles shares the heart behind one of our most important values, "Healing Hospitality." As Milestones celebrates 10 years, Miles also takes us back to the beginning days and how the idea of healing people back to wholeness is the foundation of everything we do at Milestones. From our clinical team to our culinary, hospitality, and client support, our team is committed to treating each and every guest with safety and care.

Learn more about Milestones Healing Hospitality.

Mentioned in this episode: 

2:58 - Where trauma and substance abuse treatment intersect 

16:50 - The origins of Milestones' Healing Hospitality and Miles' journey in residential treatment 

24:10 - Creating a supportive community for mental health treatment 

30:00 - Repairing through hospitality 

38:37 - Valuing guests and corrective experiences 

44:00 - Mental health, recovery, and support