First Responders:

1. Law Enforcement Officers (Police, Corrections, Federal Agents, etc)

2. Firefighters

3. Ambulance Personnel

4. Emergency Dispatchers and Call Takers

5. Emergency Room Medical Personnel (Nurses, Doctors, etc)

Military:

1. Active Duty

2. National Guard

3. Reservists

4. Veterans

No, Stoke Therapy is not meant to take the place of traditional psychotherapy. The title of the organization is more in the mindset of helping you receive the holistic and intrinsic therapeutic benefits of being a part of a likeminded community and participating in adventure activities.

Much of what we offer with our 1 on 1 peer support and life coaching is intended to assist with mental health, but it does not and can not take the place of traditional mental health methods. Stoke Therapy activities and gatherings are supplemental options to help you get to a positive mental state. If in the process you feel you are at full mental health, we will be overjoyed to hear so, but we will never claim to be the best solution, or that we know better than professional practitioners.

In the future, Stoke hopes to build enough support to have our own in house licensed therapists but we do not have them at this time.

Stoke Therapy does not provide mental health or medical services. We are not a substitute for medical, psychological, or psychiatric diagnosis, treatment, or advice.

We try to keep Stoke as laid back as possible but there are some rules:

1. Respect the space. Stoke is meant to be a safe space; we harbor no judgments against anyone, no matter their experiences, how they identify themselves, or what they do. We will never discriminate against anyone for any reason, and will not tolerate anyone who does.

2. Respect the gear. The gear we use is generously provided by our donors and sponsors and it is precious to us. Please treat the equipment gently and with respect so we can get as much use out of it as possible.

3. Respect the staff. Stoke’s staff are all private individuals who devote large amounts of time, money, and energy to help our community out and get everyone stoked to be here. Many are combat veterans, active first responders, and have specialty training and years of experience in the skills they teach. We ask that you please accept any guidance given at Stoke events, especially in regards to safety as keeping everyone safe and partying on is our goal. Please, do not argue or fight with staff for any reason; everything we do or ask you to do has a purpose behind it.

4. Respect the mission. The field of mental health is very nuanced and you might not agree with everything discussed or done at Stoke events. Disagreeing is ok, but we ask that you please reserve your comments for a private discussion outside of group events so nothing is taken away from the potential benefit of others. It is always ok if you don’t want to do something or you think a concept or activity is dumb, but that doesn’t mean everyone else at the event is of the same opinion.

5. Respect each other. Stoke is for our entire community and we do not tolerate harassment or discrimination of any kind, in and outside of our events. Please, never insult, belittle, or target any staff or other participants for any reason. Additionally, please do not disclose anything about other participants to anyone else. What happens at Stoke, stays at Stoke.

   Another thing we ask is to please never compare your trauma to anyone else you might meet at a Stoke event. You might think your experiences are more impactful than those of others present; that does not give you the right to take away the possible benefit others may receive from talking about theirs. We have all been through trials, and we can all help each other overcome the aftermath as a team.

   Finally, please do not attempt anything romantic or otherwise with anyone you meet at a Stoke event. You can do as you please while outside of an event, but we want this to be a comfortable space for everyone. Stoke events are not the place to find a significant other.

6. Resolve issues at the lowest level. If you ever find yourself at odds with a staff member, activity, or other participant, please alert Stoke leadership as soon as possible and privately. We will work with you to overcome any obstacles you may be facing. Please, at all times, conduct yourself with solid character and be open and honest with everyone present. No one here is going to judge or resent you for doing what you think is right.

7. Alcohol and other substances. Stoke is staunchly anti-alcohol and most drugs. Please, never bring alcohol or any other substances to our events unless explicitly authorized. Alcohol goes against much of what we believe in and we are willing to talk with you about it if you have concerns. We do not tolerate intoxication of any kind at our events.

8. Please act in a safe manner at all times. Stoke will never operate in an unsafe manner at any time, and we ask you to do likewise. We will give fair warnings, but will not tolerate repeated offenses.

9. No politics. Stoke is a neutral organization in all matters and we ask you to please not make political statements or wear political clothing at our events. We aim to be as welcoming as possible; at this time, we view politics as nothing more than unnecessarily divisive. It is ok to have whatever opinions you want, but Stoke events are not the time or place to take a stand for them.

10. Have a good time. The final rule is to enjoy yourself and get stoked.

Stoke reserves the right to revoke privileges for anyone who fails to follow our rules for any reason at any time. Please, don’t make us go there.

Stoke’s official events will mostly be free of charge outside of rental fees for required gear or other facility fees, such as day passes at climbing gyms. Otherwise, hanging with the crew and getting some skill coaching won’t cost you a dime. If you RSVP an event and pay the reservation deposit (usually $20), this deposit will be returned to you once staff have verified your attendance.

Please respect and understand why we maintain the right to a reservation deposit. RSVP slots are for those who specifically need additional support (skill coaching, provided equipment, etc). The slots will vary by size depending on the amount of supporting staff we can get, but if only one staff can lead, we don’t allow more than six participants per one coach for most events. We ask for a deposit so those in need can make sure they’re able to get supported; if you reserve a spot without a deposit and do not attend, you are possibly taking the place of someone who would’ve been stoked to be there.

If you don’t attend an event or don’t give due notice of a withdrawal at least three days prior to an event, Stoke reserves the right to keep your deposit so we can continue to provide support to our other members.

If you have your own gear and do not need coaching or there aren’t other logistics involved, feel free to hang with us free of charge.

1 on 1 sessions will however have a personal cost since this is a scheduled time you are having with staff.

If you attend a Stoke group event such as a surf hang out, the emphasis is placed much more on simply having a good time with a solid crew and getting stoked. If you RSVP, you will receive free skill instruction and coaching throughout the day. Little bits of mental health concepts and ideas may be sprinkled in here and there, but that is not the entire emphasis.

Unless you are in dire need, please do not seek in depth 1 on 1 life coaching or peer support at group events. If needed, a staff member will take you to the side and help out where they can, but this is preferably not the place for that interaction outside of our support groups or scheduled 1 on 1’s.

Please at all times feel free to vent or talk about whatever is bothering you with the friends you meet at these sessions or staff if they have time, but overall our staff will be limited and can’t devote too much time at adventure events to give you your own coaching space.

We ask you to please respect that if too much time is devoted to you individually at a group event, it may take stoke away from others in the group who could be needing it.

No, Stoke Therapy has no ties to accredited agencies. We can and will however do our best to provide you with the resources to help you find a licensed counselor or whatever else you need.

This is also a double edged sword as any life coaching or peer support you receive from Stoke Therapy will remain confidential unless you pose a significant threat to yourself or others. Nothing you say or do at a Stoke Therapy session will find its way to your place of work or to anyone else in your life unless you want it to.

Some of our methods are based off of the current best practices and research of these higher level organizations but we will never claim to work on their behalf.

We will soon have our Confidentiality Policy free to view and download on our website as a stand alone document, but Stoke takes great pride in maintaining your full anonymity. Other than maintaining certain information for our own records, we will never disclose your information to any other parties unless you pose a threat to yourself or others.

If you come to a Stoke event, you can disclose whatever you want, but we will not disclose anything ourselves. You can come to an event and literally never say a word to staff or other participants the entire time. Stoke events are an open space to put work in the rearview and enjoy yourself in good company.

Stoke would like to ask that you please respect the boundaries of the company leadership and staff. Everyone involved are private individuals with their own lives to attend to and can’t provide assistance 24/7. We encourage you to build friendships and connections at events, but unless someone says otherwise, please only communicate with Stoke staff through email or other official channels.

If you have questions about an event or topic and we are able to provide answers, please send us an email or send a message in our official group chats; a staff member will get back to you.

Please, do not text or call our private numbers unless you are told it is ok to do so.

If you are in a crisis or if you or any other person may be in danger or experiencing a mental health emergency, immediately call 911 or your local emergency resources. Stoke Therapy is not a suicide hotline. If you are considering suicide, please call 988 to connect with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Additionally, please do not disclose specifics about what goes on at our events so we can help maintain everyone’s confidentiality. The password is five alarm. You may see coworkers or other people you know at an event; please, do not tell others about it unless they give you the ok.

What happens at Stoke, stays at Stoke.

All activities in life pose some inherent risk, many of which you undertake daily. You are much more in danger behind the wheel than you are on a surf board.

Stoke Therapy can never 100% guarantee your safety in any activity you do, but at all times you will be surrounded by staff who are extremely experienced and have a wide variety of specialty training to keep you safe.

We will never surf in unsafe conditions or expect you to climb the highest wall possible. You will never be forced to do anything you are uncomfortable with; Stoke is very aware that not every sport is for everyone. While we may attempt to encourage you to push yourself, we will never belittle or make fun of you for backing out of anything.

In every official Stoke gathering, you will never be in monster waves and you will never be without some kind of safety device or measure. There will at all times be trained medical professionals on scene and every event will start with a briefing of our emergency action plan.

Stoke asks you to please never bring children or pets (exceptions can be made for service animals) to our events unless we specifically say otherwise. Please think of Stoke meetups as your time to unwind and work on yourself so you can be better for anyone depending on you. We don’t want participants to be distracted and have anything taken away from the overall stoke of the group.

If you or any other friends want to attend a meet up but not participate, that is totally fine as long as you meet the military and/or first responder criteria. If it is for an official stoke outing, we request that you stay respectful of the instruction and do not interrupt for any non-emergency reason. Otherwise, Stoke is a private space for our community and we ask you to respect and help us preserve it.

Absolutely not. Stoke is open to all in our community.

This will vary from event to event so please make sure you read all event info. Your own personal water source will always be required.