Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ’s
The total cost of a 10-day STAR Retreat Workshop is $7500. Your tuition includes:
- Program Fee
- Materials
- Room & Board (Double Occupancy)
- Meals & Snacks
- Round-Trip Ground Transportation from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
Ten Percent is due at enrollment to reserve your space. Tuition balance is due no later than 30 days before the start of your retreat.
The STAR Foundation reserves its healing retreat accommodations from an established business in Arizona. We manage room assignments, dining needs, materials and facilitators based on the number of retreat participants. As such, it is important to have an accurate count of participants for any healing retreat for the process to run as smoothly as possible.
Cancellation Policy: the participant will receive 90 percent refund 60 days before the retreat and 50 percent 30 days before the retreat. Any cancellation will cost the participant an administrative fee of 10 percent.
Note: Therapeutic Bodywork will be available to you for an additional fee.
At STAR, the emphasis is on you and who you truly are. Our focus is to support you in taking responsibility for who you are rather than dependence on others for validation of who you are. Therefore, the name “STAR” speaks to the power of self.
STAR
Self- TransformingAwakeningRebuilding
Enrollment begins the moment you decide that STAR is the best fit for you. A member of our team will assist you throughout the process. Enrollment procedures include:
- Tuition Deposit: Ten Percent (due on receipt)
- Registration Form: Link is sent with enrollment email
- Clinical Intake: Interview with STAR Clinical Director, Ken Ball, PhD, LMFT (45-60 minutes conducted via Zoom/FaceTime)
- Written Assignment: Designed to begin preparing you for our process. Due no later than 3 weeks prior to the start of your retreat.
- Tuition Balance: Any remaining balances are due no later than 30 days prior to STAR.
- Cancellation Policy:The STAR Foundation is committed to providing the best experience possible for all our healing retreat participants. The STAR Foundation reserves its healing retreat accommodations from an established business in Arizona. We manage room assignments, dining needs, materials and facilitators based on the number of retreat participants. As such, it is important to have an accurate count of participants for any healing retreat for the process to run as smoothly as possible.
Therefore, the STAR Foundation requires a 10 percent deposit up front to guarantee a place at the retreat(s). Regarding the Cancellation Policy, the participant will receive 90 percent refund 60 days before the retreat and 50 percent 30 days before the retreat. Any cancellation will cost the participant an administrative fee of 10 percent.
Please note that we enroll on a first come, first served basis. Space at STAR is not guaranteed until you have paid your full tuition or have made payment arrangements with the STAR office.
STAR is unlike any similar program for a few key reasons. First, your individual process is our primary focus. We help you to find healing, not tell you how to heal. Secondly, ours is a ‘heart-centered’ approach, helping you to tap into your own inner knowing and emotional know-how. Thirdly, throughout the entire program, our experienced facilitators— all specially trained graduates of STAR— are available 24 hours a day. Furthermore, is our rich staffing pattern. A staff-to-participant ratio of nearly 1:2 ensures you will always receive the attention and care you deserve.
All in all, what we have found is during STAR people pause and look within to discover their own truth. What they often find is a spirit that they thought was lost to them forever. And once found, becomes too precious to risk losing once again.
A STAR retreat is classified as a personal growth workshop. Therefore, we do not accept insurance, nor do we provide documentation for reimbursement purposes.
It is recommended that you begin the enrollment process 2-3 months in advance of your intended workshop. Enrollment for any scheduled STAR retreat workshop:
- Begins no more than 1 year prior
- Ends no less than 48-hours prior
We always strive to meet the needs of late enrollees. Please call or email the STAR office to check retreat availability.
People of all ages and from all walks of life attend STAR retreat workshops. Our program is for anyone who wants to experience deep healing, renewal, and begin creating the life they deserve to live.
Are you:
- Tired of not feeling ‘well’?
- Experiencing a life transition?
- Seeking self-healing and renewal?
- Feeling stuck in unhealthy life patterns?
- Feeling a sense of emptiness or loss of perspective?
- Seeking deeper or accelerated personal or professional growth?
If so, please know that you are not alone. Independent of income, profession, culture, or spiritual beliefs, we all share a desire to live a fulfilling life. At STAR, you will be fully supported in your personal search for authenticity, and the deep sense of joy and freedom that reconnecting to your heart and soul provides.
At STAR you may find yourself lying, sitting, or standing any number of different ways. With this in mind, please pack clothing that allows both freedom of movement, and ensures what you want to keep covered stays covered.
Please avoid provocative dress anywhere on-site— including the pool area. Due to the group setting, we cannot predict nor dismiss individual levels of comfort. As such, we respectfully request that you keep this in mind while packing for STAR.
STAR uses both cognitive and experiential methods, involving all aspects of the human experience— physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual. With this purpose in mind, the process accesses and utilizes both conscious and unconscious avenues to self-knowledge and self-healing.
Processes and therapies incorporated into the STAR program include:
- Family of Origin Exploration
- Writing Assignments, Art Projects, & Psychodrama
- Emotional Processing & Expression
- Guided Imagery & Integrative Breathwork
We strive to make STAR retreat workshops accessible to all. In addition to keeping our program costs low, a limited amount of partial scholarships are available for each retreat. For an application, please contact the STAR office.
The intake interview serves to determine the appropriateness of the program for both you and STAR. Clinical Director, Ken Ball, PhD, LMFT will meet for a 30-60 minute phone or video conference to discuss the program. In addition to answering any additional questions you may have about the STAR process, the conversation will also include your:
- Reasons for attendance and relevant personal history
- Personal goals and desired outcome
Once approved, the STAR office will contact you to finalize enrollment.
At this time, tuition must be paid in full prior to attendance. However, many choose to break their tuition into smaller, more manageable payments made up until the time of their retreat. Please contact the STAR office and we will be happy to work out a billing arrangement that fits your needs.
A typical group consists of 15 – 20 participants and includes both men and women. Ages range from 18 years old into late adulthood.
STAR retreats take place in Carefree Arizona at the beautiful Spirit in the Desert retreat center. A place of peace and protection where one could have the time to explore their core issues with therapeutic support.
You may choose to pay your tuition online, or by phone via:
- Major Credit Card (Phone/Online)
- Funds Transfer from Checking or Savings Account (Online Only)
*Cardholder, if different from participant, must be present for phone transactions.
STAR has long maintained a rich staffing pattern of 1:2. Our large staff coupled with the intimate size of our participant groups, ensures you’ll receive a uniquely personal experience.
Participants may elect to transfer to another workshop under the following conditions:
- Transfers are subject to a $250 administrative fee
- Request must be made no less than 14 days prior to program start date
- Selection of new workshop must be made within 45 days
- Workshop must commence within one year of request
Traditional talk therapy focuses on the content of the story. Experiential therapy focuses on helping people get in touch with their core emotions. This modality can be especially effective for those who have experienced little change after long-term psychotherapy.
Although both types of therapy help you to recognize the thoughts in your head, experiential therapy aims to help you recognize the feelings associated with those thoughts. In order to heal the mind we need to experience the emotions brought on by the troubles we’ve faced.
STAR retreats do not take place in a hospital setting. Therefore, we are unable to accept individuals who are:
- In need of around the clock care
- Diagnosed with a severe psychiatric condition, such as schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder
In addition, STAR will not accept anyone with the following:
- History of violence
- Sexual offenses of any kind at any time
- [Exhibiting] blatant disregard for self, or others
For additional information on the appropriateness of a STAR retreat, please contact our office.
Workshop cancellations are subject to the following:
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STAR Foundation requires a 10 percent deposit up front to guarantee a place at the retreat(s). Regarding the Cancellation Policy, the participant will receive 90 percent refund 60 days before the retreat and 50 percent 30 days before the retreat. Any cancellation will cost the participant an administrative fee of 10 percent.
STAR does not refund tuition to participants who do not attend, leave the program early, or complete the program.
Our staff is as diverse as the participants who attend. Comprised both of individuals with and without clinical backgrounds, STAR facilitators are all graduates of the program. Many of whom, have been participating at STAR retreats for more than 20 years. The variation of backgrounds and unique personal histories that our staff bring with them only enrich the process further.
Beginning in 2019, STAR retreat workshops have been led by Clinical Director, Ken Ball, PhD, LMFT, a 1989 graduate of STAR himself. Ken oversees all clinical aspects of STAR, including the vetting and training of our staff members.
Your time at STAR is about you! It is important for you to have this time for yourself so that you are able to do your own work— without consideration for anyone else in your environment.
We do not allow family members to attend together, and we strongly recommend that friends nor members of the same social circle attend the same retreat.
Your tuition includes double occupancy room & board. Single rooms are subject to availability. When space is available, requests are first come, first served. Upon approval, a single room supplemental charge will be invoiced to you and is due on receipt to guarantee your room.
*Please note that those medically in need will be given priority.