TigerNews | Reports

We are pleased to say that since piloting the SE Clinic at COTS Center for Homeless Children and their Families last summer, the clinic has now expanded to two afternoons a week. This was possible through support from the center's dedicated staff and committed core of SE volunteers. While the current number of volunteers seems to be meeting the needs of this population, we continue to welcome those who may feel "called" to work with the homeless and ask them to consider volunteering with us as our program continues to grow and evolve. We are all very pleased with the enthusiastic response the clinic has received and cannot wait to see how the program matures.   

Another avenue we are using to develop the project is a nearby site in Petaluma. As we expand the SE Clinic to this second center, there will be many new volunteer opportunities available. This clinic will be located in COTS’ second and larger shelter, the Mary Isaak Center, which houses up to 134 single adults. This spring, we offered the Mary Isaak Center staff a special orientation to SE and our SE Clinic at the family shelter, and they were very excited about the possibility of bringing SE to their adult facility and its residents. Planning for the new SE Clinic is currently underway and the hope is to open this fall.   

 Also in the fall, we will be offering a 4-week SE workshop series to residents of the Mary Isaak Center as part of their “At Home Within” Program. This will introduce residents to transformational life skills and practices such as meditation, Qi Gong, yoga, and movement.  We will teach very basic SE principles and skills that they can practice during the week and in between sessions.  We are hopeful that the series will support residents in building resources and enhancing somatic awareness and resiliency through the practice of very basic SE "self-help" skills. The series will also help to increase awareness and interest in receiving SE sessions through the SE clinic. This will build a base of support for the Clinic among residents already living at the Mary Isaak Center.

As the SE Clinic at COTS continues to evolve, we would welcome those who have interest in joining our efforts and in working within the COTS system, a very integral and comprehensive model of providing services to people who are homeless. Our expansion will include an even larger population of homeless adults and so new help is much appreciated. If interested about volunteer opportunities within the COTS SE Clinic contact us at pmeadowsca@aol.com.

    Finally, on our "wish list" is a qualified person who would be interested in coordinating the design and implementation of a research project to determine the effectiveness of SE in shifting symptoms within this population. Thank you to all who have helped in the running of this project and to all that will continue to help it grow.