HOLIDAY 2026–2027 COHORT
The After
Leaving service changes more than your schedule.
Virtual + New Braunfels + San Antonio · Multiple dates · See format comparison below
After years of structure, responsibility, urgency and being needed, the transition out can feel disorienting, even when leaving was the right decision.
The holidays can make that transition more noticeable. Familiar routines change. There may be more unstructured time, more gatherings, more memories and more questions about what comes next.
The After is a six-week therapy group for veterans and former or transitioning first responders finding their footing after the role changes.
THE PART PEOPLE DO NOT ALWAYS EXPECT
You may not have expected this part
Leaving the role does not always feel like relief. You may recognize some of these experiences:
- Your calendar is quieter, but your body is still waiting for the next call
- You have more freedom but less structure
- You are home more without feeling fully settled there
- You miss the team, clarity or intensity without necessarily wanting the job back
- Ordinary decisions feel strangely difficult or unimportant
- People ask what comes next, and you do not have an answer
- Holiday gatherings feel louder, longer or more exhausting than they used to
- Traditions bring up memories of people, places or earlier versions of yourself
- You feel relief, grief, pride, anger and uncertainty at the same time
- You know how to be useful in a crisis but feel less certain about how to build an ordinary life
You do not need a PTSD diagnosis or a dramatic breaking point. The role changed, and you may need somewhere to understand what changed with it.
BEFORE THE SEASON CHANGES
Why meet before the holidays?
The holidays often bring changes in routine, increased social expectations, reminders of past experiences and more time to notice what has been missing.
This group is not about forcing holiday cheer. It is a place to prepare for the season with more awareness, choice, connection and support.
CHOOSE YOUR FORMAT
Choose the format that works for you
The After is one program with three ways to participate. Each is a distinct format covering related clinical territory. Choose the format that fits your location and preference.
Virtual 6-Week Group
Meets online from wherever you are.
- Meets online
- TX, OR, WA & CO during sessions
- Maximum 8 participants
- Six 90-minute sessions
- Mondays, Nov. 30 – Jan. 11
- No session Dec. 28
- 6:00–7:30 p.m. CT
- $750 PIF / 3 × $250
New Braunfels Weekend
In person at Sparrows Collective.
- In person in New Braunfels, TX
- 4–8 participants
- 3-hour experiential + 1-hour integration
- Fri. Dec. 4 · 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
- Sat. Dec. 5 · 10–11 a.m. integration
- $350 ($40 consult credited)
San Antonio Weekend
In person at Sasha's San Antonio office.
- In person in San Antonio, TX
- 4–8 participants
- 3-hour experiential + 1-hour integration
- Sat. Dec. 12 · 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
- Sun. Dec. 13 · 10–11 a.m. integration
- $350 ($40 consult credited)
Dates and times
The After is offered in three formats with different schedules:
- Virtual 6-Week Group: Mondays, Nov. 30 – Jan. 11 · 6:00–7:30 p.m. CT · No session Dec. 28
- New Braunfels Weekend: Fri. Dec. 4 (10 a.m.–1 p.m.) + Sat. Dec. 5 (10–11 a.m. integration)
- San Antonio Weekend: Sat. Dec. 12 (10 a.m.–1 p.m.) + Sun. Dec. 13 (10–11 a.m. integration)
WHAT MEETINGS ARE LIKE
Structure without another performance
Each meeting combines a short teaching, gentle chair-based movement, grounding and reflection exercises, and facilitated conversation with others navigating life after service.
The group is structured enough to feel steady without expecting you to perform, have the right answer or tell a polished version of what happened.
You will not be required to describe traumatic events from your career. Movement and personal sharing are always invitational.
- Brief, practical teaching
- Gentle chair yoga and grounding
- Private reflection
- Facilitated group conversation
- Real-life application
- A deliberate closing each week
Chair yoga, optional and adaptable
No yoga experience or flexibility is needed. Chair-based movement is gentle, optional and focused on awareness and grounding rather than physical performance. Most movements can be completed while seated and adapted for pain, injuries, mobility differences or personal preference.
OVER SIX WEEKS
Finding your footing after the role changes
- 01
Week 1: When the Role Changes
Exploring what happens to identity, structure, purpose and belonging when the role that organized your life begins to change. - 02
Week 2: When Your Body Is Still on Duty
Noticing readiness, irritability, restlessness, shutdown and difficulty relaxing when there is no longer a mission demanding your attention. - 03
Week 3: Home Is Not Another Mission
Recognizing when leadership, control, problem-solving or emotional containment follows you into everyday life. - 04
Week 4: Being Around the People You Love
Exploring connection, personal space, receiving support and remaining present when closeness feels unfamiliar or overwhelming. - 05
Week 5: Family, Conflict and Repair
Recognizing what happens when you feel crowded, criticized, unnecessary or misunderstood, and practicing ways to pause, communicate and return after conflict. - 06
Week 6: Coming Home for the Holidays
Preparing for disrupted routines, family gatherings, grief, overstimulation, isolation and expectations about how the holidays are supposed to feel. Participants create a personal grounding and connection plan for the season ahead.
Group connection and continuity
Because this is a closed group, the same people are invited to return each week. Familiarity grows over time, and changes in the group are not simply ignored. If someone needs to leave, Sasha will protect their privacy while helping the group acknowledge that something has changed.
How enrollment works
- 01
Join the Interest List
The first step. It does not enroll you or require payment. - 02
Complete a Brief Fit Consultation
A 30-minute conversation with Sasha about what is bringing you to the group and whether the format appears to fit. - 03
Receive an Invitation if the Group Is Appropriate
If the group seems like a fit, you will receive an invitation to continue. - 04
Complete an Individual Preparation Session
Up to 90 minutes to clarify goals, identify a grounding resource and prepare for participating. - 05
Complete Enrollment and Payment
Review the consent and enrollment paperwork and confirm your spot. - 06
Begin the Six-Week Group
Six sessions, November 30, 2026–January 11, 2027 (no session December 28).
BEFORE WE BEGIN
A chance to prepare individually
The first step is a brief 30-minute consultation with Sasha to talk about what is bringing you to the group and whether the format appears to fit what you need.
If you are invited to enroll and decide to move forward, you will then meet individually with Sasha for a preparation session of up to 90 minutes. This gives you time to clarify your goals, identify a personal grounding resource, discuss movement adaptations and prepare for participating in the group without having to provide a detailed trauma history.
Detailed fit criteria, emergency procedures, fixed-fee terms and cancellation policies are kept in the private consent and enrollment paperwork.
YOUR PARTICIPANT MATERIALS
A companion for the six weeks
Your investment includes a private companion workbook created for the six-week group. It offers space to reflect on identity, structure, belonging, the body remaining “on duty,” connection at home, and the ordinary life you are beginning to build after the role changes.
The workbook also includes grounding and resourcing tools, optional chair-based practices, and space to create a personal connection and support plan for the holiday season.
This resource is here to support your experience, not to measure your progress. Nothing is submitted, graded, or required to be shared with the group.
Investment
The pathway has three parts: a $40 consultation, an individual preparation session, and the six-week group. The $40 consultation is paid separately and is not credited toward enrollment.
Tuition for the preparation session and the six-week group is $750, paid in full or in three payments of $250. Total cost: $790.
- Paid in Full: $750 tuition, plus the $40 consultation you have already paid. If you are invited to enroll, the $750 tuition is completed through a private checkout link. Eligible payment or financing options may appear at checkout.
- Payment Plan: Three payments of $250 ($750 total), plus the $40 consultation you have already paid. There is no additional payment-plan fee. This option is arranged directly with Sasha after enrollment is approved, and your payment schedule and due dates are confirmed in writing with Sasha when the plan is arranged.
No additional payment is required if the brief consultation indicates that the group is not an appropriate fit or you decide not to continue. Complete financial and cancellation terms are reviewed before enrollment and payment.
This group requires a minimum of four and a maximum of eight confirmed participants. If fewer than four participants are confirmed, Sasha reviews enrollment viability before the first session and contacts each participant directly. No cohort is cancelled or activated automatically.
Meet Your Facilitator
Sasha Flores
LCSW-S · PMH-C · RYT-200
Sasha Flores, LCSW-S, PMH-C, RYT-200, is a trauma therapist licensed in Texas, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado. Her work is compassionately direct, experiential, body-aware, and grounded in both consent and accountability. She is the lead facilitator for all formats of The After.
Sasha Flores, LCSW-S, is the lead facilitator for The After. The After is psychotherapy, and participation does not establish a therapy relationship with any other provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
You do not have to have “after” figured out before the holidays arrive.
Choose the format that works for you and join the interest list for the holiday cohort. Sasha will reach out personally to schedule a brief consultation and help you decide whether the group feels like the right next step.