Evan and Jenny Owens founded REBOOT Recovery, a global nonprofit that helps people overcome trauma and embrace a brighter future.
Evan and Jenny have managed to work together and stay happily married for over ten years without killing each other thanks to frequent date nights, The Office reruns and dreaming about their favorite place on earth, Jekyll Island, GA. They have three blonde boys and live outside Nashville, TN.
Trauma is our personal intersection with the brokenness of the world. Recovery is our personal intersection with the redemptive heart of God.
Jenny and I sat in our living room in 2010, listening to a good friend share the struggles he was having coping with the trauma he had experienced. He wasn’t quite able to articulate all the ways he had been wounded. He searched for words to describe the inner pain, isolation, anger, and guilt he felt because of what he’d been through. He had tried all the traditional therapies, but nothing seemed to be helping. After several hours, he hugged us and told us that this was the first time in a very long time that something had helped him. He said he felt better.
We met again the following week. The conversation went even deeper.
It was as if each word spoken was loosening the grip that the trauma had on his life.
Simultaneously, we were having similar conversations with others who were going through similar struggles. So, we asked him if we could invite others into our conversations. He agreed.
We started meeting every week, asking questions, and doing a lot of listening. The themes of guilt, grief, identity, and forgiveness resounded through every story of trauma as they openly shared their darkest and most painful memories.
And we quickly realized that, while we were hearing repeats of the same struggles, the trauma survivors thought they were the only ones going through them. We wanted to do more but weren’t sure what. We prayed for God to do something so big it was destined to fail without Him.
And God moved.
An idea was born: We would invite people who had experienced trauma and their families to our home, provide childcare and a home-cooked meal, and sit down together to engage the topics of faith and trauma head-on. We said, “You don’t have to be a Christian. You don’t have to agree with us. We just want to love on you and give you a safe space to be real and raw.” It was a “come-as-you-are-even-if-you-wear-a-hat-and-sunglasses-and-sit-in-the-corner-with-your-arms-crossed-the-whole-time” kind of vibe. And that’s exactly what some of them did.
What we started in our living room quickly began to grow. We called it REBOOT Recovery and were given a vision to build the largest peer-led response to trauma and suicide ever built. In the next few years, we saw miraculous healing as well as miraculous provision.
But somehow, it worked.
Serving Military Veterans Who Have Experienced Trauma
First, we focused all our energy on serving military veterans who had experienced trauma through war. Then in 2018, we designed a new program exclusively serving First Responders and their families.
But it seemed like everywhere we went we encountered people outside of these professions who were hurting, frustrated, and unable to get the help they needed. Many complained of being unable to get an appointment with a professional counselor and asked if they could “audit” one of our military or first responders courses. So, by 2020, it became clear that a broader, more inclusive program was necessary. And once again, God moved. From inmates on death row and war-weary refugees in Ukraine to exhausted healthcare providers and compassion-fatigued child services workers, God has opened doors for REBOOT to bring healing in some of the world's most challenging environments.
Today, REBOOT groups meet in over 400 cities around the world and nearly 20,000 people have completed one of our programs!
Here’s how the groups work:
Our peer-led communities meet once per week for 12 weeks. Rather than an informal support group structure, REBOOT groups utilize a standardized curriculum that strategically leads participants through topics such as
overcoming guilt, shame, and regret, the role of childhood trauma, grieving well, making wise decisions, and finding our true identity.
Each course is led by a small team of peer leaders who live and work in the community they are serving. All courses are offered at no cost or extremely low cost to participants every week to remove barriers to entry. Spouses, caregivers, and supporting family members are highly encouraged to attend. Courses are delivered in 2-hour sessions over 12 weeks. Most courses meet in person in locations while others meet online using video conferencing technology. The course meeting in person opens with a family-style meal to build friendships, and then childcare activities begin for the youth present. Adults start the curricular portion of the session using video, lecture, and discussion techniques while attendees follow along using a field guide workbook.
Our nation is experiencing a dangerous imbalance.
Over one-third of Americans live in areas lacking mental health professionals and experts estimate there will be a shortage of over 15,000 providers by 2025.
(1) This shortage comes as the number of adults in the US reporting symptoms of anxiety or depression has climbed from 11% in 2019 to 38% in 2020. (2) There simply aren’t enough providers to meet the demand. Peer-led programs are the future of mental health.
That’s why our goal is to have more than 50,000 people complete a REBOOT course by the end of 2025. For this to happen we are focused on partnering with other nonprofit organizations, clinics, churches, and government agencies who can use our course as an extension of their programming. We are training new peer leaders every day to reach their local communities.
If they see a need, we are equipping them to respond to it!
Will you join us?
Or if you are hurting, frustrated, and feeling stuck in trauma, we want to help. New course locations are opening every day and we would love to meet you.
Please visit rebootrecovery.com to learn more and connect with us. We would love to be a part of your story!
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1. Over one-third of Americans live in areas lacking mental health professionals.USA Facts. June 9, 2021. Accessed June 3, 2022.
2. Holland KM, Jones C, Vivolo-Kantor AM. Trends in US emergency department visits for mental health, overdose, and violence outcomes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA Psychiatry. 2021;78(4):372-379.
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Each month Serving USA publishes a newsletter featuring our amazing ministry partners. We are so blessed by them as they work to make an impact with veterans, women in recovery and individuals who have been incarcerated.
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