Hopewell

Hopewell Hopewell is a therapeutic farm community for adults with mental illness located in Mesopotamia, Ohio.

In addition to work crews, residents work with their clinical manager to select from a wide range of other therapeutic and interest groups such as:

Anger management Dual diagnosis issues

Equine Assisted Psy- Music - Instruction & per-
chotherapy formance opportunities

Dialectical Behavior Independent

living skills
Therapy (shopping, cooking, etc)

Money management Creative expression

Meditation and Spirituality

High school diploma and other educational programs

Please join us next year for Summer Solstice on June 26, 2026 at The Chagrin Valley Hunt Club! Reach out the Developmen...
08/21/2025

Please join us next year for Summer Solstice on June 26, 2026 at The Chagrin Valley Hunt Club! Reach out the Development Office if you would like to be a part of the planning process or be a sponsor 440-247-0912.

Gould Farm is coming in strong with amazingly cute Axayl! Be sure to visit all the therapeutic farms pages to see all th...
08/20/2025

Gould Farm is coming in strong with amazingly cute Axayl! Be sure to visit all the therapeutic farms pages to see all the puppies that bring joy to our campuses! You can visit all the farms by going to American Residential Treatment Association's website to see the services the farm's provide!

Puppy wars 2025 is the best Friendly Competition to date! Spring Lake Ranch Therapeutic Community You have some extremel...
08/20/2025

Puppy wars 2025 is the best Friendly Competition to date! Spring Lake Ranch Therapeutic Community You have some extremely adorable contenders!

🐾 Puppy Wars 2025 is officially on between the Therapeutic Farms🐾 After we shared Coupe with everyone, CooperRiis raised...
08/18/2025

🐾 Puppy Wars 2025 is officially on between the Therapeutic Farms🐾

After we shared Coupe with everyone, CooperRiis raised us an adorable snapshot of their very own Hercules & Tuck playing in the river. (See Below 🫶) The competition is fierce to say the least but Hopewell counters with our gentle & affectionate Scout! Scout is a 1-year-old Cavapoo, family to our very own Clinical Services coordinator Sarah Turner.

These puppies are stealing the show one wag at a time—how are we ever supposed to pick a favorite? 🐶 💚

We now call on Rose Hill Center, Spring Lake Ranch Therapeutic Community, & Gould Farm to share with our communities the four-legged friends that bring joy & healing to their farms.

Thank you, Eric Levine, for sharing Herc & Tuck with us!

✨ Meet a Hopewell Team Member Monday ✨ Welcome Jodi Dobos, Hopewell’s new music therapist, who holds a music degree in v...
08/18/2025

✨ Meet a Hopewell Team Member Monday ✨

Welcome Jodi Dobos, Hopewell’s new music therapist, who holds a music degree in voice performance from Baldwin Wallace Conservatory and a degree in psychology and post-bacc music therapy certification from Cleveland State University. Prior to coming to Hopewell this summer, she held positions in hospice and behavioral health facilities.

Though Hopewell had both music performance and education programs, this is the first time we have had a music therapist on staff. Jodi explained, “Music therapy uses music for non-musical goals. Maybe you want to express yourself with an instrument, learn a particular piece, or perform, but there is more going on here. Music engagement allows individuals to develop coping skills, improve communication and improve emotional regulation. Music therapy is effective because it stimulates various regions of the brain Engaging in a music activity requires focus and coordination. It also can distract us from negative thoughts, and it encourages mindfulness and being in the moment.

She continued, “Music can help people relax, reduce symptoms of anxiety, and depression, reduce stress, explore and process emotions and regulate mood. Music can help someone communicate nonverbally and work on socialization skills such as maintaining eye contact. We reinforce positive behaviors and build self-esteem. Music brings isolated people together to learn a song, sing or perform together. We’re creating positive experiences.”

Jodi had an upbringing full of classical music (piano and violin) but her “instrument” of choice is her voice. She performs jazz, pop, and soul tunes, and has a residency at The Standard Restaurant twice a month. She loves to hear live and choral music. “I have found a community with my music people,” she said.

Welcome to Hopewell, Jodi, and thank you for everything you do! 🎶

Thank you to Cleveland's Historic League Park and Baseball Museum for supporting Hopewell with a donation to our Summer ...
08/14/2025

Thank you to Cleveland's Historic League Park and Baseball Museum for supporting Hopewell with a donation to our Summer Solstice live auction this year. Walt Wirth and Joan Pistone served picnic food and the auction winners treated their friends to an afternoon in the park! https://baseballheritagemuseum.org/

🐕 Meet Coupe! 🐕 Coupe, a gentle and friendly golden retriever, recently joined staff and residents for our daily group w...
08/11/2025

🐕 Meet Coupe! 🐕

Coupe, a gentle and friendly golden retriever, recently joined staff and residents for our daily group walk through the trails. With his wagging tail and warm, soulful eyes, Coupe brought an extra layer of joy and connection to the group. His calm presence encouraged conversation, laughter, and moments of pure comfort, helping to reduce stress and create a sense of ease among participants. Whether offering a friendly paw, accepting a well-earned pat, or simply walking alongside us in the fresh air, Coupe reminded us of the healing power of animals—lifting spirits, fostering connection, and making our walk feel just a little brighter. Thank you to our very own Tiffany Murphy for sharing Coupe with the community!

Summer Solstice Highlights, Exploring Mental Health Series registration, and so much more! https://www.hopewellcommunity...
08/01/2025

Summer Solstice Highlights, Exploring Mental Health Series registration, and so much more!

https://www.hopewellcommunity.org/files/news/2601compasspointssummer25final.pdf

Last week, Hopewell and Newport Healthcare had the privilege of partnering with a truly inspiring organization during th...
07/24/2025

Last week, Hopewell and Newport Healthcare had the privilege of partnering with a truly inspiring organization during the July Pittsburgh GCR Luncheon. The afternoon concluded with one of the most impactful and meaningful workshops we’ve experienced—led by The Positive Painting Project
This incredible organization shared the heartbreaking story of their daughter, Katie, a gifted young artist who tragically died by su***de at the forever age of 15. Through their vulnerability and strength, they offered our group not only sobering statistics, but also a powerful message of hope, healing, and stigma reduction. Their ability to transform unimaginable loss into a mission of meaning left a lasting impression on all of us.

As a community, we had the opportunity to engage in creative self-care activities—painting heartfelt messages on cardstock and designing buttons to help carry Katie’s story forward. We are deeply grateful to The Positive Painting Project for sharing their time, their story, and their mission with us.

We proudly have them displayed as a Katie's wall in our community center at Hopewell to remind our residents & staff that You Matter. Huge thank you to all our community partners for your art contributions to our "Hot Air Balloon of Hope". If you would like to bring The Positive Painting Projects mission to your program or community, please visit them at https://www.paintpositive.org/ or email Alisa & Todd at thepositivepaintingproject@gmail.com.

🪘Drum Circle🪘Your favorite song comes on while you’re tensely driving through traffic. Suddenly you can’t help pounding ...
07/24/2025

🪘Drum Circle🪘

Your favorite song comes on while you’re tensely driving through traffic. Suddenly you can’t help pounding out the beat on your steering wheel for a few minutes. . . and you feel better. Is this magic. . . or a therapeutic intervention? Maybe a little bit of both, as I recently experienced at Hopewell.

Six residents and a couple of staff, including Jodi Dobos, new music therapist, gathered on Tuesday and chose from a plethora of African drums and hand percussion instruments. Currently led by a resident, the drum circle began with exercises as we got to know our instruments. Soft or hard slaps on the djembe, tippy taps on a bongo, long slow bass beats of the buffalo drum, the shh-shh of maracas, the ting of a triangle and more emerged as we engaged in rhythms guided by our inner selves.

Hands were pink and tingly. At different times as we played, we seemed to meld into one rhythm, leaderless yet led. We also found songs online and drummed to our favorites, each in their own way.

Drumming has been shown to boost mood, reduce stress, enhance self-expression and mindfulness, and release pent-up emotions. The drum circle was a welcome break on a long day, and I left the circle feeling happier and calmer. Magic or therapy? Who knows, but it worked for me.

🐴Equine Assisted Learning at Hopewell🐴Meet Annie Melinz, LPC, a clinician who runs Hopewell’s Equine Assisted Learning p...
07/18/2025

🐴Equine Assisted Learning at Hopewell🐴

Meet Annie Melinz, LPC, a clinician who runs Hopewell’s Equine Assisted Learning program. “Using animals as a healing factor is part of Hopewell’s approach to Eco-therapy. I think Equine Assisted Learning is a particularly helpful approach for individuals who struggle with confidence, self-esteem, or those who don’t respond well to traditional talk therapy", Annie says. Above she leads our new horse, Shiloh, through the in-hand trail obstacle course. (Note: This is not riding therapy, as both residents and therapists stay on the ground.)

Some people find it difficult to sit in an office face to face with a therapist. To overcome this barrier, Hopewell therapists are creative and personalized in their approaches, offering to bring residents on a walk where they can focus on our beautiful, serene setting. Equine Assisted Learning is another way to reach those who are isolating or even uncommunicative. How does it work?

Annie and Theresa Merten, Hopewell’s Animal Farm Manager, bring a group of residents into contact with Shiloh, Boomer, Brandie, and Zoey, in a variety of ways. “We give them baths, groom them, braid their manes and tails, all the while gently encouraging residents to talk about the experience. We ask, ‘How do you think the horse is feeling right now? What kind of day is he having?’ The answers often reflect how residents are feeling. Residents may describe a horse as anxious, sleepy, lonely, or homesick — reflections that may reveal their own emotional state.”

The in-hand trail allows the therapist, resident handler, and the horse to walk through an obstacle course requiring them to navigate unusual objects such as baby pools, wander between stumps and narrow paths, and step between two large candy canes “Horses are powerful and graceful animals. Working with a horse can boost confidence in both the horse and the resident as they try new things,” Annie says. “We also help residents set boundaries with the horse such as when to speed up and when to stand still, or learn horse manners and respect through showmanship. Sometimes we take the mini horses for a trot, which makes people feel free and empowered. The horse gives feedback through body language. Some group members have been teaching their peers horse tricks – another means of empowerment. It’s a joy to work with residents as they gain confidence and begin communicating.”

Thank you, Annie and Theresa, for everything you do for Hopewell!

Address

9637 State Route 534
Middlefield, OH
44062

Telephone

+14404262000

Website

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