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Psychosis Care and Connection 2025: Speaker Highlights



Psychosis Care and Connection: A Retreat on Humanistic Approaches June 26–28, 2025 | Gould Farm, Monterey, MA


Once again in partnership with Ellenhorn and other mission-aligned organizations, we’re thrilled to welcome back Psychosis Care and Connection: A Retreat on Humanistic Approaches—a special three-day gathering dedicated to transforming how we understand and care for people experiencing psychosis.


Set against the peaceful backdrop of the Berkshires, this retreat isn’t your typical clinical conference. Instead, it’s an immersive, dialogic, and relational space—bringing together clinicians, researchers, and care partners to co-create a more compassionate and human-centered future for mental health care.


Building on Last Year’s Momentum

Last year’s retreat, The Residential and Community Treatment of Psychosis, laid a powerful foundation. If you weren’t able to attend—or want to revisit the ideas that sparked your curiosity—we invite you to explore the full recordings available for free online.



Featured talks included:


  • Dr. Jeremy Ridenour on the pervasive role of loneliness in psychosis and how therapy can become a space of authentic connection.

  • Brett Thatcher on reimagining psychosis treatment through a humanistic and community-grounded lens, using Gould Farm as a living case study.

  • Ross Ellenhorn on the impact of social buffers, hope, and how psychiatric systems can unintentionally suppress motivation and recovery.


These sessions continue to resonate—and many of these speakers will return this year to build on those themes, introducing new ideas, provocations, and practices.


What to Expect This Year

The 2025 retreat brings fresh voices and formats designed to deepen connection and spark new ways of thinking.


Thought-Provoking Presentations

This year’s presenters invite us into conversations that challenge conventional thinking and deepen our capacity for care:


  • Ross Ellenhorn, PhD – Understanding the Dialogue in Open Dialogue. A compelling look at what it truly means to be in dialogue with one another—particularly when working with those experiencing acute estrangement from the world around them.


  • Brett Thatcher, LICSW – A Generative Unease: Thinking Psychosis with Queer Theories. Drawing from psychoanalytic and queer theory, Gould Farm’s own Brett Thatcher explores how inhabiting discomfort can help clinicians approach psychosis in radically humane ways.


  • Phoebe Walker, LMHC – “Crazy” Wisdom: Working with Clinical Challenges through Buddhist Psychology. A deeply personal and grounded exploration of how Buddhist principles offer support when familiar clinical tools fall short.


  • Dr. Jeremy Ridenour, PsyD – Shame and Stigma in the Psychotherapy for Psychosis. A vital conversation on the emotional weight of shame, the impact of stigma, and how to foster resilience and self-trust in the therapeutic relationship.


  • Michael Garrett, MD – Relationships Between Early Life Trauma and Psychosis. Reframing psychosis through a trauma-informed lens, Dr. Garrett challenges biological determinism and highlights the complex interplay of lived experience and psychological response.


  • Teri Bryant, LMFT & Elizabeth Miller, LICSW – Open Dialogue Workshop. This hands-on session introduces the principles and practices of dialogic care, inviting participants to learn tools that center collaboration, reflection, and shared understanding.



Experiential & Community Events

  • Open Dialogue Workshop with Teri Bryant and Elizabeth Miller

  • Guided tours of Gould Farm and the Austen Riggs Center

  • Facilitated roundtable discussions, where attendees can share insights in small groups

  • A scenic hike, shared meals, and unstructured time to connect with peers and nature


Retreat Highlights

Thursday, June 26

  • Windhorse Open House in Northampton

  • Welcome Reception at Gould Farm’s Roadside Café

Friday, June 27

  • Presentations, workshops, and farm tours

  • Evening reception at the Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge

Saturday, June 28

  • Keynotes, roundtables, and a closing hike

  • Final happy hour at the historic Red Lion Inn


Why It Matters

The psychosis experience is often pathologized, isolated, and stripped of meaning. At Psychosis Care and Connection, we take a different view—one that honors each person’s humanity, context, and capacity for healing through relationship.


This retreat offers a rare chance to step outside the clinical grind, connect with likeminded colleagues, and rediscover what drew you to this work in the first place. Whether you’re a clinician, advocate, care partner, or simply curious—you belong here.



Sponsored by: Ellenhorn, Gould Farm, Windhorse Integrative Mental Health, Austen Riggs Center, Help in the Home, PCH Treatment, and Lakewood Recovery.


Don’t forget to revisit the 2024 retreat recordings for powerful insights from last year.


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