Finding Solid Ground

When traditional therapy isn’t enough, there’s hope. Finding Solid Ground offers Central Ohio’s first evidence-based group program for complex trauma, helping participants move from crisis to stability.

Contact us to join our virtual skill-building group or in-person processing group!

In-Person Processing Group: Westerville Recreation Center (350 N Cleveland Road, Westerville, Ohio, 43082)
Start Date: September 17, 2025 at 4:30pm

Virtual FSG Skill-Building Group: Start Date TBD

Finding Solid Ground

Finding Solid Ground

When traditional therapy isn’t enough, there’s hope. Finding Solid Ground offers Central Ohio’s first evidence-based group program for complex trauma, helping participants move from crisis to stability.

What is Finding Solid Ground?

Finding Solid Ground (FSG) is a groundbreaking program specifically designed for adults managing complex trauma, PTSD, and dissociative symptoms. Through evidence-based approaches, participants learn skills to regain stability, reduce crisis episodes, and reclaim their lives. Unlike traditional therapy, FSG addresses trauma’s impact on both mind and body, teaching practical tools that participants retain long after program completion.

Both approaches create supportive communities where participants learn alongside others who truly understand their experiences. Whether you’re seeking skills for stability or ready to process deeper healing, FSG offers the breakthrough you’ve been searching for.

We offer two paths to healing:

Virtual FSG Skill-Building Group
Our foundational 31-week program focuses on learning essential trauma management skills through weekly 60-90 minute sessions. This educational approach emphasizes building your toolkit for stability, with minimal processing of traumatic experiences – discussions focus on applying skills when triggers arise.

In-Person Processing Group
For those who’ve completed FSG training, our therapeutic groups offer a safe space to process traumatic experiences while using FSG skills as your foundation. These ongoing groups meet at the Westerville Recreation Center with 12-week commitments.

Program Structure & Approach

Each FSG group is facilitated by two specially trained clinicians who guide participants through structured modules covering:

  • Understanding trauma responses and triggers
  • Developing personalized coping strategies
  • Building internal and external safety
  • Managing dissociative symptoms
  • Reducing self-harm and suicidal thoughts
  • Improving daily functioning and relationships

Virtual Skill-Building Groups meet weekly for approximately 9 months (31 sessions), focusing on education and skill development. The program uses validated assessment tools to track progress at intake, midpoint, and completion.

In-Person Processing Groups meet weekly at the Westerville Recreation Center in 12-week cycles, providing a structured environment for deeper therapeutic work while maintaining the safety principles learned in FSG.

Both formats create supportive communities where participants learn alongside others who truly understand their experiences.

Virtual FSG Skill-Building Group: Start Date TBD

Fall 2025 groups will meet at the Westerville Recreation Center (350 N Cleveland Road, Westerville, Ohio, 43082). Start Date Sept TBD. Contact us today to reserve your spot in this program.

Who Benefits from FSG?

FSG serves adults who have found limited success with traditional mental health treatment, including those experiencing:

  • Complex PTSD from childhood trauma or multiple traumatic events
  • Dissociative symptoms that interfere with daily life
  • Chronic suicidal thoughts or self-injury behaviors
  • Difficulty maintaining employment or relationships due to trauma symptoms
  • Repeated hospitalizations without lasting improvement

Many participants have been misdiagnosed with treatment-resistant depression or other conditions when trauma is actually the root cause.

Proven Outcomes

Research demonstrates FSG’s exceptional effectiveness:

  • Significant reduction in suicidal ideation and self-injury behaviors
  • Substantial improvements in daily functioning
  • Enhanced ability to maintain employment and relationships
  • Reduced need for crises services and hospitalizations
  • Improvements in anxiety and PTSD symptoms

Participants report finally having tools that work when traditional therapy hasn’t helped.

Investment & Accessibility

FSG sessions cost $40-50 each: less than a typical individual therapy session and far less than emergency room visits. The FSG Assessment fee is $75. Through grants and community support, we’re committed to ensuring cost doesn’t prevent anyone from accessing effective trauma treatment. Banyan Mental Health is also actively working toward insuring credentialing to make this life-changing program accessible to more Delaware County residents.

As Delaware County’s first provider of Finding Solid Ground, Banyan Mental Health is pioneering access to evidence-based treatment in Central Ohio. Our trained facilitators bring both clinical expertise and deep understanding of trauma’s impact. We’re creating a safe, supportive environment where healing happens in community.

Meet Your Facilitators

Aimee McCann
MSW, LISW-S

Ohio License # I.0005875

Aimee earned her Master of Science in Social Work from The Ohio State University and brings over three decades of experience with complex trauma. Her extensive clinical training and lived experience led her to establish Banyan Mental Health, addressing the lack of higher-level care for people facing chronic suicidal ideation, dissociation, and attachment trauma. As FSG Co-Leader for both virtual skill-building and in-person processing groups, Aimee has witnessed firsthand how non-traumatizing, body-oriented approaches can reduce suffering and reconnect individuals to their own strengths. Clients describe her presence as authentic, kind, and truthful; qualities she weaves into creating supportive, collaborative healing environments.

Emilie Rogers
CMHC, LPC

Ohio License # C.1700797

Emilie earned her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Ashland University in 2017 and has since become trained in EMDR, IFS and CBT approaches. Her work as a therapist in private practice has been influenced by personal experiences which taught her to prioritize her clients’ felt sense of being heard and understood. Emilie joins Banyan Mental Health as a Finding Solid Ground Co-Leader for the in-person processing group, to expand her practice by serving those with attachment trauma and dissociative symptoms. Her clients develop trust through her willingness to practice authenticity and measured disclosures.

Alexis Hansen
LCSW

Pennsylvania License # CW018335

Alexis Hansen received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006. Since, she has worked in several different settings as a mental health therapist, and over the course of her career, she developed a specialization in treating Complex-PTSD and Dissociative Disorders. Alexis has received training in several modalities of therapy, including EMDR, Hypnosis, and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. Alexis is highly motivated to provide the best care she can to her clients. She strives to provide a comfortable space for her clients to explore their inner world and their past and present experiences.

Getting Started

Getting Started

For FSG Skill-Building Groups (Virtual):

  • Must be an Ohio resident
  • Have a primary therapist and provide a signed Release of Information (ROI)
  • Complete a one-hour assessment with Aimee McCann ($75)
  • Commit to the 31-week program

For Therapeutic Processing Groups (In-Person):

  • Must be an Ohio resident
  • Must have completed FSG training (through group, inpatient, or individual therapy)
  • Commit to the 12-week program (payable in two installments)

Ready to break free from trauma’s grip? Contact Banyan Mental Health to schedule your assessment. With limited spots available and growing interest, we encourage you to reach out soon.

If you or someone you care about struggles with trauma’s ongoing impact, FSG may offer the breakthrough you’ve been seeking. Don’t wait for another crisis – take the first step toward finding your own solid ground today.