Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacqueline Metcalfe and Ashley Ramstead.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My name is Jacqueline Metcalfe, and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Registered Art Therapist and co-owner/founder of Revitalizing Minds Project alongside my colleague and close friend, Ashley Ramstead.
Hi, my name is Ashley, and I am a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, specializing in clinical art therapy, co-owner, and founder of Revitalizing Minds Project. My dear friend, Jackie and I started this as a passion project doing what we love.
The two of us met back in 2010 while attending grad school at Loyola Marymount’s Clinical Art Therapy Marriage and Family Therapy program. After figuring out, we had similar commutes we decided to start carpooling together. Being stuck in the lovely Los Angeles traffic gave us nearly 3 hours each day to chat and learn more about each other.
Over time our friendship grew strong, and we hit several milestones together. Not only did we graduate from our master’s program together, but we were there for each other on our wedding days, when we first became mothers (still guilty of swapping mom stories on the daily), and countless other special occasions as well as many ups and downs.
We spent much of our time talking about our ideas on how to connect to people, how to instill hope, encourage positive change, and help others grow. It became clear that this was truly something we were both passionate about.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
After the recent Woolsey Fire burned through Malibu and the surrounding areas, Revitalizing Minds Project experienced some setbacks.
To provide a little more background, Saddlerock Ranch was built by Ashley’s father, Ron Semler. First purchased in 1978 after a fire had burned from the valley all the way to the ocean he acquired a plot of land and began to build his legacy. Ronnie was a true rags to riches story in LA and built everything he had on that ranch.
Sadly, in a matter of minutes, he also lost it all in the Woolsey Fire. After discovering that roughly 95% of the ranch had been burned and most of the structures were no longer standing somehow miraculously the building that we had been working on getting open was still (relatively) intact.
While we are believers in the universe and ‘seeing a sign’ if you will we decided that we needed to open our doors as soon as possible and provide services for our community and those around us who had also suffered a great deal of devastation. We felt that it was a sign to share our skills and give back to the community.
Prior to the fire (and for several years after we had graduated our master’s program) we had always dreamed about opening our private practice together. A short time before the devastation we began construction and opening our doors for services with various programming/curriculum for specific demographics in the works.
While the fire was a setback, we miraculously had our building still standing and after some minor (comparatively speaking) fire damage repairs we were able to open our doors to provide free therapeutic services for anyone affected by the fires/recent devastation.
Revitalizing Minds Project – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We started Revitalizing Minds Project to bring the arts and creative/alternative approaches to therapy for those in need. With a mixed background of experience, we each focus on a variety of different areas and are working on building a program to meet many individuals’, families,’ couples,’ and various other group needs. We specialize in clinical art therapy, which is a treatment modality that has been around for some time.
It is a form of psychotherapy involving self-expression through painting, drawing, or modeling – really any kind of art! It’s not about what the art looks like as much as it is about experiencing the process of making art. Our dream was to create a space to give others the possibility to embrace this and conquer their goals as well as their overall wellness. Wellness includes mental health, physical health, nutrition, and being provided with a communal support system.
At Revitalizing Minds Project, we work with each client to help them build on their strengths to identify and achieve those life goals. We are excited to announce several new programs (some still in development) such as Mommy and Me Classes, Wellness Day Retreats, support for First Responders and families, Equine Therapy and more. We are blessed with an incredible location nestled in the beautiful Santa Monica Mountains of Malibu at Saddlerock Ranch.
Saddlerock Ranch is a working farm with several amazing elements that we are not just a traditional form of therapy in an office building. We are able to provide services outdoors in an organically grown garden, as well as other areas on the ranch with some of the most incredible views overlooking the valleys. We are passionate about bringing art, nature and alternative therapies to assist in the journey of healing and are incredibly blessed to do such a thing in our beautiful space.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
We opened Revitalizing Minds Project despite all the setbacks to give to the community something we believed was a big necessity.
We immediately recognized the need for processing the loss in Malibu and the surrounding areas. One of the groups we provided was a families’ groups that included young children/siblings with the parents. One of our clients was a child who struggled with sleep and separation anxiety after the fires. They were displaced and in a hotel.
Upon finding more stability, the child was found restless and sleeping during school hours. One of our interventions was to create worry dolls, a Guatemalan tradition where children can whisper their worries and place these dolls under their pillow, which then make their worries disappear through the night.
The very next day we received a message from the parent saying the child finally had slept through the night without any anxious symptoms. We felt so proud and excited about our services making a difference.
Contact Info:
- Address: 31727 Mulholland Hwy., Malibu, California 90265
- Website: www.revitalizingmindsproject.com
- Phone: 310-896-5233
- Email: info@revitalizingmindsproject.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revitalizingmindsproject/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/revitalizingmindsproject
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/revitalizing-minds-project-malibu?osq=revitalizing+minds+project
Image Credit:
Valerie Tabor-Smith
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