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From the site:
Gould Farm is a compassionate, respectful family environment where people with mental illness learn to build more meaningful lives for themselves.
Many people with psychiatric disabilities struggle in frustration on the margins of society. Gould Farm invites them into the heart of our communities. Our services remain rooted in the belief that every person has something valuable to contribute to the community despite mental or emotional limitations.
"I feel a lot of gratitude and respect for Gould Farm and the unique service it provides in a crazy world." - Cindy, former Guest
In the year 1900, William J. Gould, a visionary and pioneer in social reform, conceived of a plan for emotional rehabilitation based on the principles of respectful discipline, wholesome work and unstinting kindness.Thirteen years later, Will and his wife Agnes purchased an unpromising farm in the Berkshire Hills, giving birth to America's oldest therapeutic community for people with mental illness.
As we approach our centennial, Gould Farm's continuum of care stands as a prototype for psychiatric rehabilitation that is internationally recognized and emulated.
There are many ways to learn about Gould Farm ... the best way is to live it. Thousands of mental health professionals have come to experience and study Gould Farm since its inception in 1913.
They spend a few days, a week or even a month living with us, following our patterns, becoming part of our community. While here, they learn common principles of living and working with people in recovery. And they learn that these principles are applicable in their own communities and work places.
Gould Farm offers an on-site program called "The Gould Farm Model," experiential training for professionals in mental health and related fields. Participants engage in ongoing workshops drawn from a broad training curriculum.
Please request a Gould Farm Model brochure for more information.
Gould Farm's most poignantly moving project is "Diane's Trail," its culmination being a three-year bridge-building project, begun in 1995, finished in 1998. Read the details below:
From the website:
The latest addition to Gould Farm's network of hiking trails is "Diane's Trail", a 1.5 mile loop trail through a number of habitats, featuring the Rawson Brook bottomland and a dramatic crossing of the Brook via "Diane's Bridge". This trail is particularly important to us as a demonstration of a collaboration between the Farm and friends in the surrounding towns.
When Diane Rausch died in 1992, members of the Gould Farm community, including her husband Bob, and friends in the South Berkshire area took up an idea of Diane's: to make a public hiking trail along the Farm's magnificent riverbottom. In particular, it was Great Barrington resident Jon Greene whose interest in the project infected others and enabled the notion to come to life. With Bob Rausch, Jon formed a plan for where the trail might be located, and how the obstacles of topography (most of them involving moving water!) could be overcome.
Within two months, work on the first portion of the trail began, and as the trail grew longer, the scope of the project evolved. The trail went through the riverbottom, up gradually into the woods and along the old stone wall marking a section of the Farm boundary. Laying out a route for the trail soon resulted in the realization that Rawson Brook would have to be crossed if the trail were to become a loop, and Jon designed a strong, graceful, and safe bridge which could be constructed by hand, on the site, with practically no environmental impact.
There followed an intense period of fundraising from friends and family, applying for and getting permits from the Conservation Commission, and gathering materials for construction. As the word spread about the trail and bridge, more and more members of the surrounding community offered assistance; many of the materials, and all of the labor, were donated (Bob Thieriot even felled great Hemlocks and sawed them into the custom beams necessary for the bridge spans).
Work on the footings for Diane's Bridge began in April 1994, and construction continued through the seasons under the supervision of Jon Greene and Bob Rausch, until the completed bridge was ready for dedication in June 1995.
At that point the bridge and the first half of the trail were complete. There was still a great deal to be done, as the second half of the trail would largely follow along the banks of Rawson Brook. State forester Ed Fuller suggested applying for a grant from a US Forest Service program for funds to complete the trail, and when the grant came through, the remaining materials and services were within reach. The work steadily got done: seven small bridges to span little rivulets, countless feet of "bog bridging", signs for the trail markings along the road, and White Oak posts set in place for the 28 stations of the Nature Trail. Local naturalist Bonner McAllester designed and wrote a trail guide, which is available at the trailhead. All the final steps were finished up in time for the July 11, 1998, dedication ceremony for the completed project.
Already hundreds
of visitors have enjoyed Diane's Trail, and the Farm is enjoying the
satisfaction of a true Community project.
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