For Parents, Children, Teens & Young Adults
with IFS Trained Therapists from Mindful Child & Family as well as Mount Madonna School Staff:
Jalene Salus, Jaclyn Long, Justin Gillespie, Katie Yvanovich, Travis Shubeck & Karla Philips
May 9-11, 2025 (Mother's Day Weekend)
Mount Madonna Retreat Center, Watsonville, CA
Cost: $350 per person + lodging. Full payment due by April 9.
Discount: $50 discount pp if you pay the $100 per person deposit by March 9.
Registration: To reserve your spot, please pay $100 deposit per person.
Please contact sioux@mcaft.com with questions.
Katie Yvanovich, AMFT
(Kids 5-9)
IFS Therapist
Karla Philips
(Preschoolers 3-5)
Mount Madonna Preschool Teacher
Join us for a nourishing & transformative family retreat at the beautiful Mount Madonna Retreat Center in California. This inspiring weekend workshop has been carefully crafted to guide you and your children (from preschool to college) on a journey of Self-Leadership. Our team of facilitators will lead you and your family members through experiential exercises to support all of you on your path together ahead.
You’ll learn tools such as the “You-Turn”, “Parts Mapping” and “Speaking for your parts instead of from your parts”. This can be helpful when you find yourself getting activated during challenging interactions. These “un-blending” tools can help you move into a deeper relationship with these parts of yourself, so you can more effectively communicate your needs and truly listen - with a deep sense of calm, curiosity and compassion - to your loved ones when their parts get activated. By exploring these tools experientially, we’ll help you create opportunities for greater connection, harmony, and joy within your family. Our intention is to provide more than tools – we aim to provide experiences that can truly transform you, your loved ones and the dynamic between you.
How do I introduce this retreat to my teens?
We encourage you to connect with at least 3 other families your teen knows, and invite them to join you for the retreat. If your teen knows a few other teens who will be coming, it can make it more appealing to them. Perhaps the teens can camp in a tent together, while the parents stay in the lodge or a cabin. This not only cuts the cost for you, it also offers a sense of adventure and autonomy for the teenagers.
We’ll have facilitators leading different sub-groups for parents, preschoolers (3-5), elementary schoolers (5-9), pre-teens (10-13), teens (13-16) and young adults (17-23+). Please note that these groups can be adjusted a little bit, depending on the ages of those who attend. We’ll do our best to keep friends in the same group together.
Parents are more than welcome to come alone, without your children, for any reason, including 1) if you have very young children but are interested in learning about parenting with Self- Leadership, 2) your teen / adult children are not interested in attending, or 3) your young adults are in college or live too far away to attend, but you would still like to come. We warmly welcome you attending on your own! Great benefit can still come from attending this family retreat by yourself, as a parent. There will be single parents without children attending!
In addition to experiential learning through group / family activities and separate sub-group exercises, you’ll get a chance to explore optional morning / evening movement opportunities. You can choose between hiking in the redwoods, dance, or gentle yoga.
For those interested in gentle yoga, the yoga mats and props will be provided. No previous yoga experience is necessary.
Nourish your nervous system, move through stuck emotions, and become more embodied as you connect with parts of you that have been seeking your compassionate presence with trauma-informed, restorative, and yin yoga led by Jaclyn Long, MFT, Certified Yoga Teacher.
When not engaged in the workshop or enjoying the delicious, healthy food, we invite you to explore the gorgeous hiking trails lined with redwood trees in the surrounding area, sit in the hot tub or book a massage at the spa. The vegetarian meals are lovingly prepared by the Mount Madonna staff with delicious vegan and gluten free options. The staff cares about your dietary needs, and we encourage you to make your needs and/or preferences known when you fill out the lodging form. Email sioux@mcaft.com with accommodation questions.
Accommodations rates will be available soon, including options for private or shared rooms, cabins, campsites and yurts. Family spaces will be available, and kids 12 and under will receive special rates.
Kids 2-4: Free food & lodging (preschool group)
Kids 5-12: $25/night food & accommodations for tent, own van or commuting
Kids 5-12: $50/night food & accommodations for all other accommodations
13+: regular food & accommodations rates apply. Email sioux@mcaft.com for more information.
Schedule:
Friday:
- 3:00 - 5:00pm: Check-in at Community Building
- 5:15 - 6:15pm: Dinner
- 6:30 - 8:30 pm: Opening Circle in Conference Center (Inside Out movie for kids ages 5-9 in Ram Cottage 1)
- 8:30 - 9:30pm: Optional Restorative Yoga
Sunday:
- 7:30-8:30am: Mother’s Day Yoga | Hike | Art
- 8:30-9:30am: Breakfast
- 9:30-10:30am: Understanding Self-Leadership
- 10:30-12pm: Integration
- 12pm-12:30pm Goodbyes, Clean up & Set Up
- 12:30-1:30pm Lunch
Saturday:
- 9:00 - 10:00am: Intro to Self & Parts
- 10:00 - 11:00am: Breakfast
- 11:15am - 1pm: Parts Mapping
- 1:00 - 2:00pm: Light snack / break
- 2:00 - 3:30pm: The “You-Turn”
- 3:30 - 4:20pm: Speaking for not from parts
- 4:20 - 4:30pm: Short break
- 4:30 - 5:00pm: Q&A
- 5:15 - 6:15pm: Dinner
- 6:30 - 8:30pm: Reflections (Young Kids movie)
- 8:30 – 9:30pm: Restorative Yoga | Night Walk | Kids movie
Don't miss this opportunity to help your family heal and transform as you all learn the great benefits that come from getting to know your parts and cultivating
Self-Leadership!
FAQs
What’s the minimum age?
My child / teen is reluctant to attend, but I would like to attend. What do you suggest?
Please see the section on “How do I introduce this retreat to my teens?”
How do I introduce this retreat to my teens?
We highly recommend inviting a few of your children’s friends to help make the retreat more fun and engaging for your kids, and also to help create more community around Self-discovery - both during and also after the retreat. Also, it might be helpful for your teens to know that teens 13+ and older will be given freedom of choice to participate in activities or not. Please note that pre-teens 10-12 will be required to stay in their small groups, but will always have the option to “pass” or to “choose to not participate” if they prefer. Every activity will be of choice - it’s just the level of choice that will be determined by the age group.
Is there wifi?
There is wifi in most guest rooms (not cabins), meeting spaces, and in the community building and cafe. Cell phone reception can be spotty, though texting works well. Verizon works best, AT&T is decent, and Sprint and T-Mobile are limited.
Will our dietary needs / restrictions be accommodated?
Yes indeed! The food is vegetarian with vegan and gluten free options readily available. You will have an opportunity to state your dietary restrictions when you pay for your meals & accommodations. Mount Madonna Meal Info
What do you recommend I bring?
Bring your own water bottles / coffee / tea mugs. Mount Madonna Center will provide cups but they are small. Towels are provided. Bring bathing suits for the hot tub, and maybe games for your cabin.
Is massage & bodywork available?
Yes - visit Mount Madonna's Wellness Center webpage here, be sure to book in advance.
Are there any rules or guidelines that I need to be aware of?
Quiet hours are 9:00pm to 8:00am. We do not allow alcohol, marijuana, illegal drugs, or pets. We do not allow smoking, except in the designated area. Please do not bring food of any kind to the Center. Please do not wear or use scented products or essential oils as many people are allergic and/or sensitive.
Our family is very connected. Do we need to have any problems to come on this retreat?
This family retreat is an opportunity to learn & grow together. There doesn't need to be any "issues" at all! Many of the families who are attending have great relationships with each other, and simply want to learn more about the Internal Family Systems of Self-Leadership, which is a helpful model of self-growth and self-discovery. This model also offers some helpful tools for navigating challenges that inevitably arise in even the healthiest and most functional relationships. So we hope you and your close-knit family will join us. We look forward to learning and growing together!
Who are the other families attending...in what configurations?
These are the families currently expressing interest:
Mom with 3 young adults ages 15, 17 and 20
Mom & Dad with a pre-teen and a teen (x2)
Mom with pre-teen (x 3)