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What is happening beyond the fenceline of the Farm, out in the wider mental health field? As the fall conference season gets underway, Gould Farm staff are packing their bags to take our work nationwide, sharing insights, presenting research, and engaging with colleagues, allies, and those with lived experience.

This summer was as busy and beautiful as any on the Farm! With many new staff joining the community and the usual number of projects and special activities (such as hosting an Artist in Residence and substantial improvements to Diane's Trail) taking place, there was also no shortage of peaceful beauty and quiet sunrises to soak in. With this post, staff share some of those moments, enjoying the land we get to call home.

From June 25–27, 2026, Gould Farm hosted the third annual Psychosis Care & Connection retreat, partnering with Ellenhorn and the Austen Riggs Center. Sponsored by various clinical organizations, the retreat aimed at improving care for adults with severe mental illness, especially those dealing with psychosis.

From seed to sandwich, the offerings at our Roadside Store and Cafe showcase the hard work of our teams behind the counter as well as the many hands that plant, tend,, weed, and harvest back on the Farm. Menu items like the spring breakfast sandwich, which includes our farm-grown spinach, as well as a weekly summer vegetable stand, are a few of the ways our garden team and Roadside overlap and enhance one another's work.

Gould Farm’s 12th annual 5k and staff reunion highlighted the power of place, connection, and mutuality in cultivating a truly therapeutic community.

On September 12th, from 8am to noon, the Food Politics and Metabolic Treatment for Mental Health Disorders: A Panel Discussion will be taking place in the community room of our Rev. Hampton E. Price Community Center at Gould Farm in Monterey, Massachusetts. The event is being organized and presented by Inspiring Nutritional Choices and will not have a remote option for participation.This panel discussion, organized by Carrie Sacco, RN, executive director of Inspiring Nutritio

Gathering for meals in the Main House dining room is central to our social fabric - it is when we slow down, talk about the day, and make important announcements. And this past May, it was also a time to learn about and celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month – through food!

The bitter and the sweet of our transitional community is that we’re always saying goodbye at the same time that we’re also always welcoming new folks into the fold. This past May, we said goodbye to Dinari, Rachel, and Charlotte as they graduated and moved on to new opportunities.

One of our newest REACH wellness offerings is a mindful birding group, co-led by local naturalist Dave Edson and staff member and birding enthusiast, Pauline Banducci.

An exciting new addition to our conference this year is a Lived Experience Panel, which will be moderated by Stacey Henson, LCSW, ACSW, our director of clinical outreach.

If you’ve been to our annual 5K Walk/Run at Gould Farm, you’ve probably seen Katie. She doesn’t make a big deal about what she does, but for the past several years, she’s been our top individual fundraiser. She shows up, she reaches out to people, and she asks them to give. And then she comes back and does it again the next year!

When Stacey Henson stepped into the role of director of clinical outreach a year ago, the position was evolving to work more closely with the admissions team and spend more time on the road, talking about the Farm with diverse audiences. Stacey reflects, “When I stepped into the role, I felt I could help get the word out about what we do, and as a clinician, also bring my clinical experience into multiple areas of the job.

After nearly 25 years at Gould Farm in various clinical roles, we are happy to announce that Nancy Masino Martin has accepted the position of clinical director, following a year serving as acting clinical director. Her tenure overlaps deeply with that of Jane Linsley, who led the clinical team for two decades and recently retired.

For over a century, Gould Farm has championed the idea that recovery happens through community and shared humanity. This summer, we are continuing that mission by hosting the third annual Psychosis Care and Connection: A Retreat on Humanistic Approaches from June 25-27, 2026.

Almost all of us have felt it or seen it in others: a moment when we lower our gaze and cannot look someone in the eye; it is as if a spotlight is shining on just us and we wish we could disappear. The feeling I am describing is shame – a heavy and challenging emotion to understand and navigate. Shame can also be a powerful, often overlooked, barrier to recovery.

On Sunday, May 31, 2026, we return to the loop! Our goal is to raise $60,000 for the Gould Farm Community Fund. This fund is the practical backbone of our mission; it provides the financial assistance that ensures our recovery programs remain accessible to guests regardless of their financial situation.

We spotlight a group in Ontario, Canada, is preparing to open Eli’s Place, a farm-based residential treatment program for young adults struggling with mental illness. It will be the first program of its kind in Canada. Co-founders David and Deborah Cooper were inspired to create Eli’s Place in memory of their son, Eli, whom they lost to suicide.

Prospective guests and family members often wonder if life at Gould Farm slows down in winter. Is there anything to do when it's so cold outside? Most people know that New England winters can be harsh and tend to picture spring, summer, or fall as our more active seasons – so it’s a fair question. We’re here to show you some of what we get up to in the colder months, staying just as active with our work program and activities as we do during the other three seasons!

The magazine “...seeks to fill the gap in the literary landscape of young people seeking to express their struggle with mental illness and trauma creatively but without the need to use traditional literary verbiage… Whether free falling through psychosis, or bedridden in a state of depression, we know what it feels like to be living life in a state of limbo. We want to hear the messy truth.”

Every Wednesday, our community gathers in a wide circle to share appreciations—words of gratitude for a helping hand, a good meal, or care for the Farm. These moments are especially meaningful when a guest prepares to take their next step, whether to Fellside, O’Connell House, or another path. Recently, as Spencer prepared to move to Fellside, they shared an appreciation with the Farm community—and have graciously allowed us to share it with you, our extended Gould Farm famil