Women’s Recovery Week with a Focus on Racial Trauma & Healing
This Recovery Week is a holistic experience designed to create a relational, healing space for survivors to explore and engage the present impact of their stories of past sexual abuse. This workshop is both designed for, and led by, Black, Indigenous, Latina, and Asian/Pacific Islander women.
Upcoming dates:
June 26-29, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio
How to apply for a Recovery Week:
Due to high demand and limited spots in our 2025 Recovery Weeks, we’re opening a waitlist for applications. If you’d like to apply to participate in this year’s Recovery Week, click below to add your name to the waitlist.
- Applicants will be invited to apply on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Invitations will be sent via email, so be sure to check your inbox!
- Once invited, you’ll have 10 days to complete your application before we move to the next group.
See 2025 Program Details, Costs, and Scholarship Information
Recovery Week fosters a nurturing environment, allowing you to engage in sacred healing work away from distractions and in the company of fellow survivors. Drawing from Dr. Dan Allender’s work in Healing the Wounded Heart, the workshop includes narrative-focused group sessions facilitated by trained experts, providing a space for participants to share and explore their stories.
This Women’s Recovery Week provides a focus on Racial Trauma and Healing as a lens through which to examine stories of harm through the unique cultural and societal perspectives of women who may hold shared experiences. This workshop is both designed for, and led by, Black, Indigenous, Latina, and Asian/Pacific Islander women. This Recovery Week is intentionally small, limited to 10 participants.
“Racial and sexual trauma, which are essentially identical, influence us physiologically and psychologically.”
-Linda Royster, LCHMC, The Implications for African American Women in Dr. Dan Allender’s book, Healing the Wounded Heart
This three-and-a-half-day intensive workshop includes teaching by Linda Royster, LCMHC, interactive small groups led by a skilled facilitator, and daily individual sessions. You will be invited to a deep engagement of the psychological, spiritual, biological, social, and racial aspects of both the personal and collective experience of trauma and abuse.
Recovery Weeks are a unique psycho-educational experience that allows your to engage your life stories specifically as they relates to narratives of sexual abuse. The sessions are designed to encourage you to engage your story in a holistic way by exploring psychological, spiritual, biological, and social aspects of the experience of trauma and abuse. Please note: this program is not therapy and does not act as a substitute for therapeutic engagement.
The issues considered are betrayal, powerlessness, ambivalence, and how the gospel frees us to trust, dream, and embrace life. You will be invited to engage the profound brokenness of your heartache all the while learning to love your own story.
If you’re wondering if this Recovery Week is for you, we invite you to download our free informational video where you’ll meet the incredible women who will be leading this transformative journey. They understand the barriers you may be facing and are here to offer you a pathway toward hope and healing.
Preparing for Recovery Week
Engaging the Healing the Wounded Heart online course is recommended before arriving at Recovery Week. Our hope is that the course will foster categories and a shared language among the group that will deepen your experience. Individuals accepted into a Recovery Week will receive a discount code to access the course at no additional cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is this workshop different from other Recovery Weeks?
- Highly specialized content focused on the particularity of issues related to the impact of sexual abuse and needs related to recovery for Women of Color.
- Attendance is limited to 10 participants to allow for a smaller, more focused and tailored setting.
- This workshop is 4 days rather than 6 days to make it more accessible and affordable.
- Additional care and time is taken in the application and acceptance discernment process, to ensure this is an experience that centers Black, Indigenous, Latina, and Asian/Pacific Islander people as the global majority of the world’s population.
Can I still apply if I have already attended a Recovery Week?
Yes! Attending a prior Recovery Week is welcome. We think you will find this to be a different experience.
Will Dan Allender be leading this Recovery Week?
No. This workshop is solely led by Linda Royster, LCMHC, along with Black, Indigenous, Latina, and Asian/Pacific Islander staff and facilitators from the Allender Center.
If you have more questions, we’d be glad to assist you. Please email us at programs@theallendercenter.org.