Hope & Healing Weekend Grief Workshop - 2023

NOMA, The Addiction Prevention Coalition and the Drug Education Council of Mobile would like to invite you to join us for a Grief Workshop for individuals/families who have lost a loved-one specifically to the disease of addiction. The workshop will be led by Maggie Banger, LPC-S, NCC, Jack Sykstus, LMFT from Washington DC and Matt Amick, LMFT from St. Louis, MO.  Maggie, Matt & Jack will work with the attendees to help them move beyond loss and learn new coping strategies to integrate their loss into their everyday lives.  Join us for a secluded retreat in nature to gain spiritual freedom from the losses you have been carrying.Maggie holds a certification as a Grief Recovery Specialist from the Grief Recovery Institute. She works in the field of addiction recovery as the owner of Restore Counseling Services.  Jack is a native of Huntsville and has spent the past ten years working in the addiction field in various capacities. As a Marriage and Family Therapist along with certification as a Grief Recovery Specialist from the Grief Recovery Institute, Jack works with individuals and families struggling with the effects of addiction, grief and loss. Matt is completing a PhD program in Medical Marraige and Family Therapy at St. Louis University.

The weekend workshop will be held at The Lodge at The Vision in south Huntsville. The Lodge is operated by the non-profit organization Vision Ministry, Inc. It is a sprawling retreat, conference and Christian ministry facility nestled in the foothills of Green Mountain. Overnight accommodations on-site are available while they last and enrollment is limited to 40 participants. Scholarships are available if finances are a barrier to attending the workshop.  Please email NOMA at mail@notonemorealabama if you need to discuss scholarship options.  We do not want anyone who would benefit from this workshop to miss it due to financial considerations. 

Upon registering for the conference, potential attendees will be asked to complete a brief application to let the leaders know about you and insure this workshop is appropriate at this time.  We suggest 2 months to have passed since your loss before you attend this workshop.  If your loss has been more recent than 2 months, one of the facilitators will be in touch to determine if this workshop is right for you at this time.  A full refund will be made if for any reason the workshop leaders determine that this workshop is not appropriate at this time for the potential attendee. 

FAQs

 Are there minimum age requirements to attend the Workshop?

Participants must be 18 years or older to participate in the Workshop

What are the lodging accommodations like?

The Lodge is set up like a hotel and has very nice accommodations.  It is clean and well-appointed.  Being a retreat center, many of the rooms are set up for groups.  The rooms all have either a King or 2 queen beds and several of the rooms also have additional bunk beds which would allow a family to sleep in the same room.  Most rooms have private bathrooms, however, there are 2 rooms that share a Jack and Jill bathroom that lock on both sides for privacy.  Those rooms are available for a lower cost.  When selecting a room, please try to sleep as many of your family members in one room to allow more families access to lodging at the facility.  If all of the rooms in the Lodge are full with workshop attendees, there is a bunkhouse that is new and very nice located on the campus.  If there is enough interest and it is available, we may be able to increase lodging at the Workshop using this facility.  This will be decided once all of the primary guest rooms at the Lodge are reserved. NOMA can also make recommendations on nearby hotels.  You can view photographs of the accommodations on the website for The Vision  

What are my transportation/parking options for getting to and from the event?

There is plenty of free parking space at the venue 

What can I bring into the event?

Please bring a light jacket or sweater as the room temperature may be variable.  You may bring a pillow or blanket.  You may bring a photo or mementos of your loved one to share in the group if you would like to but it is not required.

What should I wear?

This is a VERY casual event.  Please dress comfortably.  Please bring a light jacket or sweater as the room temperature may be variable.  This is a co-ed event and the venue is a Christian Retreat Center.  Please dress modestly.  

Is alcohol allowed?

Alcohol is not allowed on the campus of The Vision Ministries.

 How can I contact the organizer with any questions?

Please email NOMA at mail@notonemorealabama.org if you have any questions.

What's the refund policy?

Refunds are available with 7 days notice

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?

No, you do not need a ticket.  We will know you are registered!