Sun Valley Steadfast offers a therapeutic healing intensive designed for women survivors of sexual abuse.
This intensive program spans four days and incorporates experiential interventions involving equine-assisted psychotherapy, art therapy, psychoeducation, nature-based therapeutics, individual sessions, and gentle yoga/movement.
The foundation of the intensive is based on cutting-edge neuroscience, the integration of highly effective trauma therapies, and includes expert-trained & experienced trauma therapists.
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To support those who may not have the financial means to attend, private donations are gratefully accepted to provide scholarships for participants. Your generosity can help change lives by offering survivors access to this transformative healing experience.
Our Staff
Laurie Strand, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Idaho and serves as Director of Sun Valley Steadfast. This is Laurie’s fifth year with Steadfast and her third year as Director. She trained and mentored under Steadfast founder Melissa Boley in both therapeutic approach and program development, and is honored to continue offering this deeply supportive healing experience for women in the Wood River Valley.
With over 15 years of experience in school- and community-based mental health, Laurie has worked extensively with children, adolescents, and adults across school systems, university settings, and experiential therapeutic environments. Her clinical work integrates somatic and nervous system–based approaches including EMDR, and parts-informed therapy to support the healing journey.
Laurie is a certified Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM) clinician and incorporates the evidence-based Community Resiliency Model (CRM) throughout her work, helping individuals build practical skills for nervous system regulation and resilience. She is the founder of Resiliency Rising, where she leads a trauma-informed group practice and provides trainings and workshops for organizations, schools, first responders, and communities.
Laurie serves as Senior Faculty with the Trauma Resource Institute, where she teaches TRM and CRM nationally and internationally. She is also a Certified Mental Health & Nutrition Clinical Specialist and is actively involved in her local community through TogetherWe and the St. Luke’s Wood River Valley Community Board.
Lydia Missal is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), supervisor and Certified Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapist and EMDRIA Approved Consultant. Over the past 18 years she practiced as a therapist and teacher in outpatient behavioral healthcare, wilderness therapy, school-based and community mental health, women’s advocacy and, most recently, private practice. She has worked with individuals of all ages from 12-82. She is the founder and owner of Flow State Psychotherapy, LLC where she delivers ground-breaking interventions by using the concept of flow theory to support individuals and groups by redefining how they process and integrate traumatic and stressful experiences in order to live a meaningful life. She is trained as a Community Resiliency Model (CRM) teacher, Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM) therapist, Ceremony and Rites of Passage Guide.
Additionally, she weaves in mindfulness practices, nature-based interventions, experiential and adventure therapy, cognitive behavioral, and somatic psychology. She is also a yoga teacher and Reiki master. In the wider counseling community Lydia is past president of the Idaho Counseling Association and participates in several local community organizations. For more information, please visit www.flowstatepsychotherapy.com. Lydia is delighted to participate in this year’s Steadfast Intensive for the 3rd year.
Jordyn Dooley, MS, LMHC (FL), LCPC (ID), ATR, is a licensed psychotherapist and registered art therapist with a Master of Science in Art Therapy. Her clinical work is grounded in a person-centered philosophy and enriched by an integrative approach that includes trauma-informed care, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness, and expressive arts modalities. Jordyn’s private practice began in Sun Valley, Idaho, where she worked with individuals, couples, and families. It has since expanded to Miami, Florida, where she now offers in-person sessions while continuing to provide telehealth to clients in Idaho. Drawing from years of experience across community mental health, hospitals, trauma-focused programs, and memory care, she brings depth, creativity, and compassion to her work. She supports and works alongside clients in navigating life transitions, cultivating inner alignment, and connecting with their most authentic selves. This will be Jordyn’s second year facilitating art therapy as a part of steadfast. She is honored to be a part of another year with such an incredible workshop.
Melissa is a board certified and trained Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and a trained EMDR clinician, who works with a holistic model of treatment, examining eating, sleep patterns, exercise and movement, as well as stillness, mindfulness and meditation practices; exploring lifestyle choices, and concentrating on negative self-talk that can lead us to be stuck and nonproductive. Also, exploring past traumatic experiences, which can be part of not moving forward or a contributor to depression and/or anxiety. She draws upon neuroscience and meditation/mindfulness insights to help clients release self-defeating patterns and lifestyles.
Melissa’s style is warm, compassionate and collaborative, with a little humor thrown in, because sometimes we need to laugh. She likes to look through a strengths-based perspective and at the client’s innate wisdom, and believes that the mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, and relational health of each person is intertwined.
Lindsey Jameson has dedicated her life to helping people to heal through partnering with horses. She is an Advanced Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor (CTRI) and Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning (ESMHL) through the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship Intl. (PATH Intl.). She has over twenty years of experience teaching therapeutic riding and facilitating equine-assisted activities. She currently owns and operates Pure Balance Horsemanship, a riding lesson program for people of all abilities. She is thrilled to be involved in Sun Valley Steadfast for the fifth year.
Mimi Crocker achieved certification as a therapeutic riding instructor (CTRI) in 2011 through PATH Int’l and later as an Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning (ESMHL). A lifelong equestrian, Mimi recognizes the incredible benefits that arise from the bond between humans and horses. In 2016, Mimi opened her small private stable, The BARN, in Idaho to summer camps for kids, private lessons, and Equine Facilitated Activities and Learning opportunities. This will be Mimi’s fifth season with Sun Valley Steadfast.
For over 16 years, Sarah has taught various styles of yoga, incorporating a blend of slow flow, balance, strength, and flexibility. Her open and honest delivery is accessible and doable by individuals at any fitness level. Sarah’s classes offer a connected experience that encourages self-expression, presence, and inquiry to foster a deeper connection with oneself.
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Questions?
FAQ
What is the Sun Valley Steadfast Intensive?
Steadfast is a 4-day trauma-informed healing retreat designed to support adult women survivors of sexual trauma. It blends somatic practices, psychoeducation, equine therapy, movement, expressive arts, and individual and group therapy. The retreat offers a nurturing environment focused on regulation, connection, and reclaiming strength and belonging.
We take a trauma-informed approach. We understand group settings can be intimidating and work with each participant to support their comfort and capacity. We also ask about reservations and needed accommodations during screening.
Who is this retreat best suited for?
Women (23+) who:
- Have experienced sexual trauma (regardless of when it occurred)
- Are not currently in acute crisis
- Have stability in daily functioning
- Are open to exploring healing in a group setting
- Are not actively suicidal or at risk of harming themselves or others
- Do not have unmanaged substance use or acute psychiatric needs
- Have some experience with or openness to therapy and self-reflection
Who should not be referred at this time?
Participants currently experiencing any of the following would not be appropriate for this round of Steadfast:
- Acute crisis or recent psychiatric hospitalization
- Active suicidality or recent suicide attempt without stabilization
- Significant self-harming behaviors
- Unmanaged Substance Use Disorder or currently detoxing
- Current safety concerns (domestic violence, unsafe housing, etc.)
- Inability to regulate in group settings (e.g. dissociation, aggression)
- Needs that would require a higher level of care or 24/7 support
Is this retreat a replacement for individual therapy?
No. Steadfast is designed to complement individual therapy. All participants must either be:
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- Currently working with a therapist who supports their participation in the retreat
OR - Open to arranging a post-retreat therapist connection prior to attending
- Currently working with a therapist who supports their participation in the retreat
What questions are included in the screening process?
As part of our final-stage vetting, we’ll ask participants about:
- Their current therapeutic support
- Past experiences with group therapy
- Timing and context of their trauma history
- Safety and stability (mental health, substance use, current risks)
- Healing tools they’ve found helpful
- Accessibility and logistical needs (transportation, accommodations)
- Diversity factors and psychological safety in group settings
- What brings them joy or calm — to get a sense of their current resources
We take a trauma-informed approach. We understand group settings can be intimidating and work with each participant to support their comfort and capacity. We also ask about reservations and needed accommodations during screening.
Are accommodations available?
We aim to provide a physically and emotionally accessible retreat. We’ll ask each participant what would help them feel safer or more comfortable and do our best to accommodate those needs, within the scope of the program.
Is lodging included in the cost of the retreat?
Yes! Lodging is included in the cost of the retreat. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided as well as snacks, coffee and tea. Participants will be asked to do light kitchen work for dinner and breakfast as no staff will be on-site to clean up during these two meals.
Because privacy and emotional safety are important components of the retreat experience, the specific retreat location is shared only with participants who have completed the application and screening process and have been accepted into the program. This helps protect the confidentiality of all participants and team members.
What happens during the 4 days?
Each day of the Steadfast retreat is thoughtfully structured to support a comprehensive therapeutic experience:
- Morning body-based movement: Gentle, accessible yoga for all bodies to help participants safely reconnect with their bodies from the start of each day. Movement is invitational and focuses on grounding and nervous system awareness. No prior experience with yoga is necessary.
- Community Resiliency Model (CRM)® education: Participants will learn practical, body-based tools to track sensations and build nervous system regulation, self-awareness and attunement. CRM offers a simple framework for understanding stress responses and restoring balance in daily life. These skills can then be used in therapy for supportive and safe trauma reprocessing.
- Art therapy: Creative expression sessions that help translate and reinforce cognitive learning into embodied understanding. These non-verbal approaches allow participants to process and express experiences that may be difficult to put into words.
- Individual therapy: One-on-one sessions with trauma-informed clinicians using evidence-based modalities (e.g., EMDR, IFS, SE) to support personalized integration and deeper healing.
- Healthy lunches and reflection time for rest, reflection, or connection with others.
- Equine-assisted psychotherapy: In the afternoons, participants will engage in therapeutic activities with horses—grounded in relationship, attunement, and nonverbal communication. All the work with horses is done on the ground, no prior experience with horses is necessary. Horses offer powerful opportunities for regulation, insight, and relational healing.
- To learn more about the staff that support the participants experience and lead the different therapeutic experiences please visit www.resiliency-rising.com/steadfast
How should I refer someone to the retreat?
- Share this flyer!
- Direct them to website for more information: www.resiliency-rising.com/steadfast
- Reach out to Laurie Strand: info@resiliency-rising.com