Who We Are:
The Spirit of Gheel Inc. is a private, non-profit, residential, psychiatric, therapeutic community located in Kimberton, Pennsylvania approximately 30 miles west of Philadelphia. Our two residential facilities, Gheel House and Buttonwood Farm, are within walking distance from each other and are surrounded by forest and several extraordinary horse farms.
Our therapeutic community was founded 25 years ago by followers of the Rudolph Steiner humanitarian philosophy to assist adults who struggle with the debilitating effects of serious and persistent mental illness. The community has no religious affiliation or orientation.
The Spirit of Gheel takes its’ name from the city of Geel, Belgium which has been providing compassionate care for the seriously mentally ill in the community for the last 700 years. The essence of our community reflects this commitment in leading with our humanity meeting those struggling with severe and persistent mental illness and their families with respect and compassion. This thread of leading with our humanity is consistently demonstrated in each of our programs and all that we do.
In our therapeutic community there is an ongoing effort to identify and build upon the personal strengths of each resident. This is crucial as we believe that you cannot assist those who are struggling with serious mental illness by focusing only on pathology or what is not working. We believe that it is essential to provide a safe and protective atmosphere where the residents can find their way to a path that enables them to find more of themselves in health and well being.
Our residents are referred to as “friends” and are accorded respect and a level of freedom that an unlocked facility provides. Each “friend” has his/her own private room with the understanding that we all need personal space. It is our belief that those living with issues of serious mental illness often have greater needs for space which affords them the opportunity to feel safe from the outside world. This is why the concept of private rooms of sufficient size is important as well as our rural setting which we believe is essential for the emotional well being of our residents.
Additionally we believe that a healthy diet which is nutritionally balanced and attuned to the personal well being of each friend is important. The friends participate in weekly menu planning and are encouraged to participate in the preparation of at least once evening meal per week. There are always menu options available for those who are vegetarian or who may require a special diet for health reasons.
Gheel House and Buttonwood Farm are located within walking distance of each other and offer many acres with hiking trails and places for private reflection and exercise. The importance of regular exercise and exposure to the outdoors is stressed through a variety of exercise programs and nature walks led by our staff. In addition to this we also have evening Yoga, Library and Music Programs.
Beyond our residential facilities we also offer a Transitional Living Program for residents who are capable of living independently in the community with supportive care available through the Spirit of Gheel, Inc, Case Management System. The level of case management services and involvement with the internal Gheel Programming is “menu” driven and determined by need.