Our programs utilize a group therapy model implemented in settings such as after-school programs and juvenile justice facilities, and incorporate both group process as well as the collaborative creation of original music.
While our groups are not psychotherapy in a traditional sense, our curriculum is designed to integrate a variety of therapeutic modalities including narrative, solution focused, somatic, humanistic, DBT, and transpersonal. Our model utilizes elements of evidenced based practices such as mindfulness, art/music therapy, motivational interviewing, and the use of rhythm in the regulation of trauma. Our groups/workshops focus on skill-building as a means to identify and expand internal and external resources. This combination of approaches engages the mind, body and spirit, facilitating a holistic process of healing and integration.
Our Flagship Model
Our strength based process groups provide the youth we serve with a forum to engage in in-depth self exploration within a group context. This exploration facilitates emotional catharsis, enhanced self-awareness, and a shared experience of support and authentic connection.
The cornerstone of the lyric writing component is the exploration of personal narratives. A personal narrative is the story of who we are in relationship to the world; it’s environments, institutions, and people.
The beat production aspect of our programs is rooted in the therapeutic benefits of non-verbal expression. The tactile sensory input and creation of repetitive rhythmic patterns involved in beat making have been shown to be highly effective in the regulation of trauma symptoms.
Our Freestyle Therapy Cypher
Our Freestyle Therapy Cyphers (FTC’s) were developed from a process of thoroughly unpacking the many therapeutic benefits inherent in the activity of freestyling (unplanned, spontaneous rapping). These workshops allow us to serve a greater number of youth at once, in a highly accessible and less intensive fashion than our flagship program model. The FTC’s allow youth to experience some of the benefits of Hip Hop Therapy without the level of commitment and engagement required in our flagship programs. The fundamental basis of these therapeutic benefits is the rhythmic engagement inherent in the activity.