Groundswell Community Project 2025 Impact Report
Ground•swell
/’groun(d)ˌ swell/
1. a broad deep undulation of the ocean caused by an often distant gale or seismic disturbance.
2. a rapid spontaneous growth, a groundswell of support.
Dear Groundswell Community,
As we look back on 2025 we are reflecting on a year full of transitions, new beginnings, and a refreshed perspective on what it means to heal—together.
If there is one feeling that rises to the surface when we look back, it’s this: we have been deeply held. Held by the community. Held by new and familiar faces. Held by partners who show up again and again. Held by donors who believe that healthcare access should never be a privilege. In a world that can feel increasingly unsteady, this kind of support is crucial.
This year also made something crystal clear: mental health needs are growing, and access is not keeping pace. More individuals and communities reached out for support—women, youth, and young adults navigating trauma, grief, stress, and isolation. We heard the same message in many forms: people are longing for spaces that feel safe, embodied, and human. Spaces where they can return to their breath, their body, and a sense of belonging.
In 2025, Groundswell responded by doing what we do best—building trauma-informed circles by the water and inviting people back into connection. Across our programs, trainings, and community gatherings, we served 223 individuals and delivered 1,444 hours of healing, learning, and community care. Our multi-week programs alone accounted for over a quarter of those hours—reminding us that deep healing takes time, consistency, and relationship.
Another theme we felt in our bones this year was stretching. Like paddling into a new lineup, we learned to reach a little beyond what’s familiar while staying grounded in what’s safe and sustainable. This steady expansion has not only widened our circle of impact but also strengthened the foundation we are building for the decade ahead.
And now, we turn our eyes toward what’s ahead: 2026 marks our 10th official year as a nonprofit. Ten years of learning what it looks like to create a model of care that honors the intersection of mental health, ocean health, and collective healing. We are proud of what we’ve built — and even more proud of who has built it with us.
To every participant who trusted us with your story, every volunteer who arrived early and stayed late, every partner who opened doors, and every donor who made access possible: thank you. Your support creates spaces where people can come back to themselves. It turns “I’m not okay” into “I’m not alone.” It makes the ocean feel like home again.
Waves of gratitude,
“Time spent near water is never wasted. It’s a source of creativity and insight, and a place where we come alive.”
- Wallace J Nichols, Blue Mind
MISSION STATEMENT
We are a global surf therapy organization harnessing the healing power of the ocean to create transformative spaces for individuals and organizations to reconnect with their bodies, nature, and one another.
VISION STATEMENT
We envision a world where the ocean’s healing power reaches all—where surf therapy enhances individual wellbeing, strengthens community connection, and ignites collective healing.
Our Commitments
01: Expanding Access
Expanding access to surf therapy through free community-led events, structured programs, and scholarships for underserved and marginalized communities.
03: Advancing Research
Advancing research and advocacy to integrate surf therapy into mainstream mental health care while uplifting diverse, community-based healing models.
02: Empowering Leaders
Empowering a global network of leaders—including community organizers, facilitators, and organizations—who bring this healing practice to their local beaches.
04: Intersectional Health
Honoring the intersection of mental health, ocean health, and collective healing by fostering deep connections between people, water, and environmental stewardship.
Navigating the Mental Health Crisis
Mental health challenges are widespread — but access to care is not.
1 in 4 women in the U.S. experiences a mental illness. (NAMI)
Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression, PTSD, suicidal ideation, and anxiety. (APA)
Over 70% of people globally with mental health conditions receive no treatment. (WHO)
Low-income women are twice as likely to report needing mental health services, yet nearly half never receive care. (KFF)
Systemic barriers — including cost, stigma, and lack of culturally responsive care — prevent immigrant, minority, and marginalized women from accessing treatment.
As a result, countless women remain trapped in cycles of trauma, grief, poverty, and isolation.
Navigating the Ocean Health Crisis
Ocean health challenges are growing — and access to safe, clean coastal waters is not evenly shared.
Coastal pollution, climate change, and aging infrastructure increasingly threaten nearshore water quality, especially in urban and border regions.
In 2024 alone, pollution associated with runoff and cross-border sewage resulted in 2,087 beach-mile days of closures along San Diego County beaches (USD).
Untreated sewage, industrial waste, and urban runoff from the Tijuana River watershed have contaminated San Diego's coastal waters for decades — repeatedly closing the beaches where Groundswell runs surf therapy programs (San Diego Coastkeeper).
As ocean conditions become more unpredictable, access to the sea — a source of regulation, resilience, and healing — becomes increasingly fragile for the communities who need it most.
What is Groundswell Surf Therapy™?
Reclaiming power, joy, and belonging.
Groundswell Surf Therapy™ creates trauma-informed, somatic-based spaces for self-identifying women and nonbinary individuals to heal through surfing, community, and connection with the ocean. Rooted in decades of clinical experience, lived wisdom, and global research, our programs honor the powerful intersections of mental health, women’s health, and ocean health.
We believe that the sea holds medicine — and everyone deserves access to it.
Led by licensed clinicians and facilitators, our programs offer:
Body & Mind Integration
Reconnecting to physical and emotional resilience
Group & Individual
Fostering belonging, trust, & connection
Culturally Responsive
Care for marginalized and global communities
How a session works
2/3
of the time is spent on land utilizing expressive arts therapy, land based surf and ocean safety, and reflection.
1/3
of time is spent in the waves with the support of a trauma trained surf coach.
Groundswell’s Unique Approach
We welcome the whole body into healing through nature, movement, and mind-body practices.
Holistic
Healing happens in community. We bring people together to strengthen collective care.
Community Centered
The health of our communities is inseparable from the health of the ocean and Earth. Environmental stewardship is part of the healing journey.
Earth Centered
At the core of this work is love — for self, community, and the ocean. Love guides everything we do.
Waves of Love
The ocean is inherently feminine — and so is our work. We exist to support women, and all those they love and care for.
Woman Centered
We meet each participant with curiosity, respect, and deep attention to individual needs, pace, and voice.
Person Centered
We understand trauma's impact on the nervous system and body. Our programs prioritize safety, regulation, and choice.
Trauma Informed
We create spaces where play is welcome, because joy is contagious, sustaining, and transformational.
Joy Centered
2025
At-a-Glance
SURF THERAPY PROGRAMS
80
COMMUNITY EVENTS
108
TOTAL PARTICIPANTS
223
TOTAL VOLUNTEERS
53
TOTAL PARTICIPANT HOURS
1,444
TRAINING
35
COMMUNITY EVENTS HOSTED
13
TOTAL VOLUNTEER HOURS
998
Participation Breakdown
9.6 Average Hours
Per surf program participant engagement, ensuring deep, relational impact over time.
770 Program Hours
Focused specifically on multi-week surf therapy containers, excluding community and training hours.
Data was collected from 2023–2025 across San Diego, Hawaii, and Scotland, including 43 pre-course surveys, 36 post-course surveys, and 19 matched pre/post comparisons. Statistical significance was tested using a paired (repeated measures) t-test comparing pre- and post-programme scores. This research was delivered in partnership with Groundswell Scotland and Queen Margaret University, led by Shane Padamada and Dr. Rosie Arthur.
Diving Into the Data
79%
INCREASED MENTAL WELLBEING
68%
IMPROVED PTSD SYMPTOMS
65%
IMPROVED CONNECTION TO BODY
79%
IMPROVED SOCIAL CONNECTION (BELONGINGNESS)
73%
IMPROVED HOPE
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We asked surf therapy participants to complete questionnaires before and after taking part in the programme, measuring:
Mental well-being (feeling and thinking positively about one's life)
PTSD-related symptoms (intrusive thoughts, avoidance, hyperarousal)
Dissociation and body awareness
Sense of belonging and connection to others
Data was collected through pre- and post-programme quantitative questionnaires and participant written reflections gathered after the programme. This data was collected between 2023 and 2024, with a small amount gathered in 2025.
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Participants described:
✔ Reconnecting with parts of themselves they felt they had lost
✔ Feeling safe again after trauma
✔ Increased confidence and bravery
✔ Greater emotional steadiness in the present moment
✔ Stronger sense of belonging and being understood
✔ Renewed joy and play
The strongest changes were observed in mental wellbeing, PTSD symptoms, body disconnection, hope, and belonging — suggesting that trauma-informed surf therapy supports both symptom reduction and relational healing.
Participant Voices
"PTSD from health/respiratory hospitalizations over the last five years made me feel weak and vulnerable. Now I feel safe to try things again thanks to the safety and support and community of my surf sisters in the ocean."
~ Healing Vulnerability
"I was reminded that I have community, I matter. My voice matters. I can take up space, and I am capable and lovable."
~ Belonging & Agency
"Surf therapy made a huge impact on my life because it helped me to break outside of my shell and connect with the community as well as develop a relationship with the ocean. I found grounding and myself in this program because it reinforced a lot of the practices I offer others as a healthcare provider, but helped me to prioritize myself. It gave me a confidence and ease to surf again and helped me work through challenges I am facing including grief and trauma."
~ Healthcare Provider Journey
Programs Delivered
San Diego Surf Therapy Programs
In partnership with Casa de Amistad and Changing Tides Foundation
Together, we provided teenage girls from the Casa de Amistad community with a program that wove together body-awareness practices, menstrual health education, ocean and nature education, and one-on-one surf mentorship.
In partnership with Slavics.org and Shoulder 2 Shoulder
We welcomed teens to the beach for a day centered on connection to self, to nature, and to community. Through trauma-informed facilitation and supportive surf instruction, participants experienced the ocean as a place of safety, play, and belonging.
“Our surfing class for girls was an absolutely amazing experience! The instructors created such a supportive and empowering environment—everyone felt encouraged, confident, and had so much fun. It was more than just a lesson in surfing; it was a boost in confidence and community. We’re so grateful for this opportunity!”
- Krystsina Shchelkunova, Executive Director, Slavic Refugee and Immigrant Service Org
In partnership with Shoulder 2 Shoulder
We brought 12 teenagers to Ocean Beach for a three-day surf therapy program designed to foster leadership, resilience, and embodied connection. Students and educators consistently described the experience as transformative and life-changing.
Groundswell’s attention to detail, paired with their passionate vision, makes them the ideal partner for Students Shoulder-to-Shoulder. Natalie and her team not only bring reliability and professionalism—they model the kind of ethical leadership we strive to instill in our students. The sincerity and care they bring to every interaction is palpable.
— Robert A. Bandoni, Executive Director, Students Shoulder-to-Shoulder
In partnership with Monarch School and Changing Tides Foundation
Monarch School Project has been dedicated to providing a sense of belonging for thousands of unhoused youth and their families. Together with Changing Tides Foundation, we created a six-week surf therapy program for teenage girls focused on building confidence, emotional regulation, and community connection. Through consistent mentorship and a trauma-informed approach, participants learned not only how to navigate waves, but how to trust their bodies, experience joy, and reconnect with a sense of possibility.
In partnership with Pain Trauma Institute
In partnership with the Pain Trauma Institute, Groundswell supported individuals living with chronic pain through weekly trauma-informed surf therapy sessions. Grounded in research linking pain, trauma, and nervous system regulation, the program emphasized safety, gentle embodiment, and reconnecting with the body through supportive ocean experience.
Learn about new research into chronic pain relief through surf therapy here.
“Surfing taught me to meet my body with curiosity instead of judgment. The ocean doesn’t ask for perfection — only presence.”
-Program participant
In partnership with Generate Hope
For nearly 10 years, Groundswell has partnered with GenerateHope to offer surf therapy as part of holistic support for survivors of sex trafficking. This multi-week program provides a safe, empowering space for participants to reconnect with their bodies, cultivate trust, and experience healing through nature and community.
“Groundswell’s partnership has offered our clients a positive and empowering community—one that encourages deep self-discovery, body connection, and healing through nature. Their unique approach to surf therapy brings energy, affirmation, and real opportunities for growth. It’s been an honor to co-create programs that uplift women alongside Natalie and the Groundswell team.”
— Susan Munsey, Founder, Generate Hope
Community Drop-ins / Sand & Sea circles
In 2025, Groundswell hosted 13 free community events, including Sand & Sea gatherings, yoga at local studios, and creative arts-based healing programs.
Sand & Sea Circles are free, trauma-informed, land- and ocean-based community spaces that offer consistent, welcoming opportunities for connection, reflection, creativity, and gentle embodiment. These gatherings serve as accessible entry points to ocean-based healing and collective care.
Stories of Impact
Behind every statistic is a human story.
Here are three.
Empowering A Global Network Of Leaders
From California to Scotland, Peru to Australia, our Groundswell community and partners are sharing the healing power of the ocean in so many corners of the world.
What makes someone part of this network?
They’ve completed the Groundswell Trauma-Informed Surf Therapy Facilitator Training. This reflects their commitment to holding trauma-informed spaces for their communities, engaging with Blue Mind medicines, and honoring the interconnected health of ocean, mind, and community.
247 Attendees
DIGITAL TRAININGS
Participants accessed Groundswell’s digital trainings and community platform in 2025, representing regions including California, Australia, Mexico, Chile, Florida, Peru, and Pakistan.
35 Attendees
IN-PERSON TRAINING
Attendees completed the Surf Therapy for Trauma Recovery (Level 1) training.
About Our Training Program
Our Groundswell Surf Therapy™ trainings provide tangible tools, curriculums, resources, and support for those looking to hold trauma-informed surf therapy spaces for their unique communities.
Facilitated by licensed mental health professionals, Groundswell is honored to be the first surf therapy training accredited by California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) to provide Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for therapists in the field of Surf Therapy.
Each training is facilitated by licensed clinical practitioners and experts in the field. We are accountable to holding the highest standard of physical and psychological care in our programs and trainings.
Waves of Gratitude
Thank you to our staff, facilitators, and board of directors for showing up with steadiness and love.
Jessica Lin
Creative Lead
Shannon Boselli
Natalie Small
Founder & Clinical Supervisor
Executive Director
Clinicians
Ari
Sarah
Mo
Natalie
Karen
Ally
Brooke
Emily
Board of Directors
Chelsea
Jenn
Shannon
Lexii
Whitney
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Surfline is grateful for the incredible work Groundswell is doing to make surf therapy accessible and inclusive. It’s inspiring to see the real impact you’re creating in the community, and It’s an honor to support your team and help share the positive energy you’re putting into
the world.
~ Lauren S
CORPORATE PARTNERS
I’m honored to support Groundswell Community Project. I truly believe in the healing power of the ocean and in the transformation that happens through community. When we show up for ourselves and each other—tending to our grief, trauma, and growth—we create ripples of change that extend far beyond the shoreline. a is doing this work beautifully, one woman, one gathering, one connection at a time, and I’m grateful to play even a small role in supporting their mission.
~ Kassia
Financial Snapshot
What It Costs to Make Healing AccessibleAVERAGE COST PER PARTICIPANT (2025)
Looking Ahead
2026: Marking 10 Years
As we mark 10 years of Groundswell, we are focused on strengthening our foundation so we can continue to operate with consistency, care, and integrity as we enter our second decade.
