Gould Farm

Gould Farm is a residential therapeutic community located on a 700-acre working farm nestled in the Berkshires.

Hope and Recovery for Adults with Mental Illness

Founded in 1913, Gould Farm is America’s first farm-base residential treatment program for adults with mental illness. On our 700-acre working farm, we have created a therapeutic community dedicated to helping adults with psychiatric disorders move toward recovery, health, and greater independence through community living, meaningful work, and individual clinical care for their mental health issues.

In a supportive community environment made up of residents, staff and their families, we help adults with depression, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, and other psychiatric issues begin to restore their mental health and rebuild their lives.

Adults with mental health challenges, like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression, have found a healing community at Gould Farm for over 100 years. Our Residents are welcomed into an authentic, multi-generational community made up of peers, volunteers, and staff members and their families, who all live on the 700-acre property. Sharing meals, holidays, and farm traditions, community members are celebrated for their talents and appreciated for their strengths.

An Authentic Treatment Community Based on Meaningful Work

At Gould Farm, adults with mental illness can find stability as they care for animals, tend the gardens, bake breads and pastries, prepare meals, or help run a small store and cafe. As everyone works together to provide for the needs of the community, work team leaders help support residents in managing their psychiatric symptoms on the job, getting grounded in the work at hand, and forming relationships with co-workers. Living in our residential treatment community and working on our farm helps people build life and pre-vocational skills that support a successful transition to paid work and independent living.

Studies have shown that people with mental illness who engage in work, experience improved medication compliance, reduced symptoms and have fewer relapses.

Clinical Skills for Lifelong Recovery

Our on-site clinical staff provides psychiatric evaluations, individual and group counseling, medication monitoring, and coverage 24 hour a day, seven days a week. Each guest works with a clinician who will walk beside them through their stay at the Farm. Our clinical team provides individual therapy, case management, and coaching, from orientation to discharge planning.

Whole-person healing is a priority at Gould Farm.  Clinicians, Residential Advisors and Work team leaders work together in an integrated way to support each individual’s recovery. Our clinical team also supports wellness activities that promote lifelong physical health like hiking in our forest, yoga, meditation, nutrition counseling, smoking cessation. Gould Farm offers a continuum of services in the form of supported transition to independent living and ongoing community support both in the Berkshires and the Boston area. We are licensed with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health.

A Measurable Impact on Mental Health

Gould Farm has been tracking outcomes and measuring our impact since 1998 using standard psychiatric measurement tools like the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), Basis-24, and Quality of Life Scale.   As part of our research, we gather information on current residents and those who have left Gould Farm for a period up to 36 months after treatment.

Measurable improvements are experienced by most guests as they move through our residential treatment program and after they leave. Outcomes indicate that after discharge, guests experience improvement in social functioning and community integration, including securing employment, advancing their education, and building new social relationships.

Affordability as a Priority

Gould Farm places a high value on sustaining an authentic, diverse community. Affordability is a priority and central to our mission. We offer a sliding fee schedule, and we work with income eligible applicants to determine their expected family contribution rate. Over 50% of our guests receive some financial assistance to participate in the program. Many residents supplement private payment with benefits from Social Security, the Veterans’ Administration, and other third-party payers.

Our standard program fee is seldom covered by medical insurance. We do encourage you, however, to check with your provider for covered services, especially before you submit your claims for reimbursement. We are unable to directly bill your insurance company.

Recovery is a journey and we’re all traveling that road together. Please contact us to find out more about this alternative and effective mental health program.