Media Kit

Boulder Crest Foundation is the home of Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) and the global leader in the development, delivery, study, and scale of PTG-based programs. Boulder Crest is a nationally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on ensuring the military, veteran, and first responder communities can live great lives in the aftermath of trauma. The need is great – traditional approaches to mental health are not working for these communities and a new and innovative approach is desperately required. In fact, an estimated 20 veterans die by suicide every day, and annually, more first responders die by suicide than in the line of duty.

Boulder Crest is pioneering training programs based on the science of PTG. These research-backed programs — offered at no cost to participants — train members of the military, veterans, and first responders to experience PTG and thrive in the aftermath of traumatic events.

Boulder Crest’s flagship PTG programs are called: Warrior PATHH (Progressive and Alternative Training for Helping Heroes) (PATHH) and Struggle Well. These programs are delivered at Boulder Crest’s beautiful facilities in Bluemont, Virginia and Sonoita, Arizona, across the nation through our two Warrior PATHH Mobile Training Teams and Struggle Well trainers, and in partnership with seven other nonprofit organizations, located in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Maine, South Carolina, Texas, and Washington State. In total, Boulder Crest’s PTG-based programs have been delivered in 21 states.

Since its founding in 2010, Boulder Crest consistently demonstrates a history of disruptive innovation. Boulder Crest is transforming society’s perception of mental health, trauma, and growth, by building the first, privately-funded wellness center for combat veterans and their families in 2013; creating the first-ever program based on the science of PTG in 2014 with Warrior PATHH; creating the first PTG-based think tank in 2018 with the Boulder Crest Institute for Posttraumatic Growth; establishing the first PTG-based network with the Avalon Action Alliance in 2019; and bringing PTG into the world of first responders for the first time in 2021 with Struggle Well training. Learn more at bouldercrest.org and connect on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Boulder Crest was founded in 2010 in Bluemont, VA, by Julia Falke and Ken Falke. Ken spent 21 years in the US Navy Special Operations Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) community and retired as a Master Chief Petty Officer, during which he experienced firsthand how military duty can affect mental health. Julia and Ken spent years visiting severely wounded warriors and their families at the military hospitals around the country and ultimately starting hosting them at their home in Bluemont, Virginia.  These visits inspired the Falke family to donate 37 acres of their estate and make a substantial financial contribution to launch Boulder Crest Foundation.

First responders: Active or retired police officers, sheriff’s deputies, fire fighters, EMS and federal law enforcement or intelligence agency personnel.

Military & Veterans: Combat veterans, former, active, and retired, to include, National Guard, and reservists.

Boulder Crest serves those who run toward danger.  Those who inspire strength and courage in others to do hard things. Those who — by definition — protect us all. It simply cannot be that the cost of service to communities across the nation is the quality of veterans, military, first responders, and their families’ happiness and lives.

More critically, suicide claims the lives of 20 veterans every day, and more first responders die annually by suicide than in the line of fire. It is estimated that 30-40% of our nation’s first responders are struggling with significant mental health challenges.  The vast majority of these men and women find traditional mental health approaches inaccessible or ineffective.  Most efforts focus on diminishment, disorder, dysfunction, and diagnosis, and there is little attention to reducing the stigma around seeking support in these communities.

In this world, the vast majority of those who find themselves struggling believe that it will never get better. These communities  desperately need and deserve a new and innovative approach. An approach that is comprehensive, founded in hope and possibility, and one that offers the possibility of growth after struggle in  a setting where stigma is addressed head on and owning your struggle and healing process is encouraged. For every 1 healthy military member or first responder, hundreds of people are exponentially impacted.

Through Training & Education: By  developing and delivering Posttraumatic Growth-based curriculum and programs that enable participants to thrive after trauma through research-supported, evidence-based methods.

Through Community & Technology:  By sustaining the impact of all training and education efforts for our participants, guides and partner locations with compelling content and the creation of communities connected both online (via apps) and offline.  These programs are not catch and release, but rather continuous and supportive.

Through Research & Evaluation: By measuring the impact of training programs through qualitative, quantitative, and anecdotal means including the well-validated Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI-X) in order to facilitate the evolution of PTG methodologies.

Through Social & Policy Change: By inspiring innovative and like-minded individuals, organizations, donors and policymakers to proliferate the science of PTG, and change our nation’s approach to mental health.

Boulder Crest Foundation owns and operates two facilities: Virginia and Arizona, as well as two Mobile Training Teams that conduct training sessions nationwide.

In addition, the Boulder Crest partner network delivers Warrior PATHH programs in Florida (GratitudeAmerica), Georgia (Camp Southern Ground), South Carolina (Big Red Barn Retreat), Maine (Travis Mills Foundation), Arkansas (Sheep Dog Impact Assistance), Texas (Eagle Oak Retreat) and Washington State (Permission to Start Dreaming Foundation).

Boulder Crest is integrating Struggle Well training and Posttraumatic Growth into the first responder agencies in Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, and Virginia, with expansion planned into Illinois, Tennessee, Michigan, and Kentucky.  Struggle Well training is made possible by the support of the FirstNet by AT&T, the Gary Sinise Foundation, and the Community-Police Relations Foundation.

Boulder Crest is the “home” of Posttraumatic Growth (PTG), an evidence-based framework that enables combat veterans, first responders, and their family members to transform struggle into strength and growth. The science of PTG suggests that it is during times of deep struggle people are likely to engage in reflection and introspection, and carefully consider what is truly valuable and significant in their lives. PTG describes the ways in which the struggle that follows traumatic events can often serve as a catalyst for growth and transformation. PTG is both a process that people go through to make sense of their life post-trauma and an outcome that is experienced in five areas of life: New Possibilities, Deeper Relationships, Personal Strength, Appreciation for Life, and Spiritual-Existential Change.

The term “Posttraumatic Growth” was coined by Dr. Richard Tedeschi and Dr. Lawrence Calhoun in 1995, after a decade of research and clinical work focused on trauma survivors. Their initial research and work included people who had suffered disabilities in adulthood, bereaved older adults, and bereaved parents, many of whom were able to describe ways that they had been transformed in the aftermath of their traumas. Working closely with people who traveled the road from struggle to strength, Dr. Tedeschi and Dr. Calhoun began to identify a framework and a process by which PTG occurs. No entity had tried to operationalize this process, until the Boulder Crest Foundation. Dr. Tedeschi serves as the Executive Director of the Boulder Crest Institute for Posttraumatic Growth, alongside Deputy Director Dr. Bret Moore.  The Institute operates as a think tank for research and development of PTG programs, an educational institution for training and disseminating accurate information about PTG, and a laboratory for developing the science of PTG. In addition, a Scientific Advisory Panel composed of experts in the field of PTG and related areas provides subject matter expertise as needed.

PTG features five phases built on Trust & Connection: Education; Regulation; Disclosure; Story; and Service.
Growth is often witnessed in some or all of five areas: new possibilities, deeper relationships; personal strength; appreciation for life; and spiritual & existential change. PTG is not a linear process—you don’t begin at phase one and end up at phase five. PTG is an iterative process that you will do throughout your life–the journey never ends.

Boulder Crest Foundation envisions a world where all members of the military and first responder communities have the training, skills and support they need to transform their mental health struggles into lifelong Posttraumatic Growth.  At Boulder Crest’s  two locations in Bluemont, Virginia and Sonoita, Arizona, and through mobile training and partnerships across the country, participants are provided, at no personal expense, travel, lodging, food, and services to learn about and achieve levels of Posttraumatic Growth. Programs include:

Warrior PATHH training 
PATHH stands for Progressive and Alternative Training for Helping Heroes. Boulder Crest’s Warrior PATHH program is a 90-day transformative training program for combat veterans and first responders who are struggling with the impacts of traumatic stress. Warrior PATHH begins with an intensive 7-day Initiation delivered in person by thirteen teams in nine states across the country (including at Boulder Crest’s PTG Academies in Arizona and Virginia, and through our Mobile Training Team). At the completion of the training, all have access to a proprietary Warrior PATHH app to stay connected with fellow participants. A comprehensive 18-month evaluation conducted on Warrior PATHH showed 54% sustained reductions in PTSD symptoms; 50% sustained reduction in depression and anxiety; 40% sustained reduction in overall stress and 31% sustained reduction in insomnia.

Struggle Well training
Boulder Crest Foundation brings Posttraumatic Growth into the military, veteran, and first responder communities through intensive 1, 2, and 5-day Struggle Well Training programs. Since 2019, Boulder Crest has trained more than 60,000 service members, veterans, and first responders through in person and virtually. At the completion of the training, all have access to the proprietary Struggle Well app to stay connected with fellow participants and continue learning.

Family Rest and Reconnection Stays
Boulder Crest Foundation knows firsthand the sacrifices and stresses of military and veteran families, which is why it dedicates nearly 50% of its calendar to Family Rest & Reconnection at the Arizona and Virginia locations. Families have the opportunity to rest and reconnect in idyllic settings.

Songwritingwith:Soldiers PATHH
Songwritingwith:Soldiers (SWS) PATHH is a three-day program that leverages the power of music to cultivate community, connection, and growth amongst combat veterans, as well as caregivers. Warrior PATHH alumnae can invite their partners back to do this program together.

A retreat or therapy
A temporary solution
A service that provides immediate medical attention
A healthcare facility
A for-profit entity
A training programs for civilians
A faith-based or religious program