The Canyon at Peace Park was created out of the passion and commitment of two individuals, Michael Cartwright and Fred Segal. Each had a vision of creating a world class, state of the art healing center in a beautiful natural setting.
Michael Cartwright, through his personal journey with dual recovery, saw firsthand how traditional single systems of care addressed either only mental health conditions or substance abuse, and did not address the needs of people struggling with the combined symptoms of dual diagnoses. Shortly thereafter, Michael made a life decision to modify his professional direction to address this gap in treatment.
In 1995 Foundations Associates, was co-founded by Michael to serve and improve the lives of individuals experiencing difficulties with both substance abuse and mental health issues and to assist their families in understanding how to cope with their loved one's struggles. The goal was to fully meet the needs of persons with co-occurring conditions. Foundations mission is to provide integrated treatment services that are staffed by professionals with expertise and skill in mental health and chemical dependency. Michael adds, "Foundations continues to change the lives of hundreds of people just like me. Our dual recovery programs give people hope that the life they've always wanted can be possible."
Fred Segal is a highly successful retailer and business man from Los Angeles California. Fred has always had a commitment to the highest potential of humanity. He has been actively involved in the world peace movement, charitable philanthropic work and environmental preservation work for decades. To this end he created Peace Park, a 240 acre natural campus in the Santa Monica Mountains in Malibu California. Peace Park is recognized for its amazing natural beauty and as a center for healing and spiritual gatherings, having hosted such notable luminaries as His Holiness The Dali Lama as well as other recognized spiritual leaders and teachers.
In the fall of 2003, these two men were introduced to each other and the idea was born for Michael Cartwright to create an exclusive world class treatment center for individuals suffering from co-occurring disorders in this beautiful sanctuary created by Fred Segal.
The concept behind The Canyon's treatment program was to provide the best clinical practices for integrative treatment of co-occurring disorders and blending those treatment practices with the best of a holistic mind, body and spirit approach. These areas included the best in healthy organic foods and diet, physical activities and exercise, and spiritual teachings from not only the 12 step tradition but also the core truths from other powerful spiritual teachings and practices found in Buddhism, Zen, Toltec wisdom and Native American spirituality. To this end, the treatment professionals who were recruited to The Canyon were people who had a breadth of experience not only in traditional western treatment approaches, but had also explored and practiced the holistic approaches both personally and professionally.
The Canyon opened its doors and began accepting its first clients in June of 2004, a short 9 months after Michael and Fred's first meeting. The treatment approach was a success from the beginning. Clients who had struggled with multiple relapses and treatment episodes remarked upon completing The Canyon's program that they had received the missing pieces they had needed in order to feel healed, happy and maintain their recovery.
Since our opening, The Canyon has continued to expand and refine its program. We regularly host events for professionals and the recovery community by respected speakers and authors on spirituality and healing. We have an active alumni program and regular gatherings where alumni return to The Canyon and share their stories and encouragement with clients in treatment.
The vision that the two founders originally shared has become a reality. Much hard work and effort has been put into its realization by many individuals who have been inspired by the idea of what a healing center could be. Perhaps the greatest compliment paid Michael and Fred's vision, is the statement heard over and over again, from clients and visitors alike, that they instinctively feel "this is a very special place, where people really care."
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