Cheetah House Care Team: Pathways and Requirements

Cheetah House supports individuals experiencing difficulties from meditation or spiritual practices, altered states of consciousness, and spiritual/religious abuse and trauma. Because our work involves acute vulnerability, our standards for care delivery, ethics, and interpersonal fit are exceptionally high.

1. Educational Foundation

Prospective members must complete all 4 levels of the Cheetah House First Do No Harm Meditation Safety Training (50 hours didactics, 50 hours practicum). Completion is a prerequisite for eligibility, not a guarantee of selection.

2. Selection by Peer Nomination

Care Team membership is strictly invitation-only. Candidates who complete the training must be independently nominated by at least two current Care Team members and unanimously voted in by the remaining team.

3. How Candidates Become Known

Nomination requires deep, established trust, built through two pathways:

  • Lived Experience & Community (80% of team): Former Cheetah House clients who have recovered through individual sessions with Care Team members and attended 20–50+ support groups and events. Over an extended period (months-years), existing Care Team members observe their emotional maturity, capacity for peer support, and constructive, grounded interactions with fellow meditators.

  • Path 2: Collaborative Engagement via Advanced Training (Clinical & Allied Pathway): For clinicians and allies who did not experience a personal meditation crisis, deep familiarity is built directly through the advanced experiential tiers of the First Do No Harm training pathway:

    • Level 3 Practicum: Care Team members directly observe trainees during peer-to-peer skill labs, evaluating core competencies in reflective listening, scaffolding, and Socratic questioning.

    • Level 4 Applied Experience: Trainees observe live sessions with real Cheetah House clients, gradually progressing from passive observation to co-facilitation, and ultimately to direct facilitation under live supervision.

    • Level 4 Capstone Project: Trainees research, develop, and formally present a capstone project—conducting an in-depth exploration of a specific meditation-related symptom or topic in which they wish to specialize

  • Through this multi-tiered observational process, the Care Team gains extensive insight into a practitioner's clinical posture, interpersonal warmth, responsiveness to feedback, and alignment with our non-directive care ethos.

4. Core Qualities & Ethos

We look for individuals with high psychological flexibility and relational humility who:

  • Support client autonomy, helping meditators clarify their own values rather than imposing a spiritual framework or personal recovery template.

  • Demonstrate pluralistic capacity, engaging constructively with worldviews that may feel personally challenging or triggering without becoming reactive.

  • Prioritize the client, serving with quiet accompaniment and no desire for self-promotion, platforming, or status.

5. Alternative Pathway: Helper Directory

If the 100+ hour commitment is not feasible, we invite you to complete the Cheetah House Helper Survey. This allows us to list your credentials, lived experience, location, and rates to refer clients seeking external care.