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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.

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.

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.