Teaching and Therapeutic Teaching and Therapeutic Community: Restoration, Community: Restoration, Authenticity, Sanctuary Authenticity, Sanctuary

Naya ArbiterNaya ArbiterJune 2007June 2007

EFTCEFTC Ljubljana, Slovenia Ljubljana, Slovenia

Three Organizational ModelsThree Organizational Models

Teaching and Therapeutic Community:Social and Policy Change

Drug Program:Symptom Orientation

“Drug Rehab”

Therapeutic Community:

Whole Person Education

Habilitation

Teaching and Therapeutic Teaching and Therapeutic CommunityCommunity

► Practitioners / Faculty rather than staffPractitioners / Faculty rather than staff► Students rather than clients/participantsStudents rather than clients/participants► Experience Trained and Academically Trained-rather Experience Trained and Academically Trained-rather

than professional and paraprofessionalthan professional and paraprofessional► Reciprocity Partnerships- with exercises Reciprocity Partnerships- with exercises ► Teaching Circles- Curriculum Circles Teaching Circles- Curriculum Circles ► Taught groups prior to participationTaught groups prior to participation► Curriculum Competency student/apprentice/entry Curriculum Competency student/apprentice/entry

level/masters level/masters ► Performance and compensation tied to retention Performance and compensation tied to retention

and curriculum competencyand curriculum competency► Clinical skills of “catching people doing right” Clinical skills of “catching people doing right”

Nothing is

Secondary in a

Totality

Nothing and no-one is Nothing and no-one is secondary…..secondary…..

Community Is…..Community Is…..

HOME HopeHumanity

Honor

Humor

Why Community?• Community is the matrix for human values

– We become “human” in the context of community

– We learn from others– We learn that our behavior affects others– We understand how others feel – We learn reciprocity in relationships– We learn to “do unto others as you would have

them do unto you.” (Golden Rule).

• Technology and wealth does not address these needs.

SanctuarySanctuary

► How do you make it safe enough for How do you make it safe enough for your students to take the risk to your students to take the risk to change?change?

► How can you expand your definition of How can you expand your definition of and ability to create sanctuary?and ability to create sanctuary?

“Home is the place where when you go there, they always take you in….it’s something that you shouldn’t have to deserve.”

Robert Frost

Sanctuary at its best helps people come home to their heart (be at home with themselves).

Sanctuary Vocabulary Sanctuary Vocabulary

► If there is real sanctuary, then it becomes If there is real sanctuary, then it becomes safe enough to express weakness, safe enough to express weakness, insecurity, and fear without ridicule. insecurity, and fear without ridicule.

► When there is real sanctuary, strength When there is real sanctuary, strength can grow out of weakness.can grow out of weakness.

► Real sanctuary decreases internal fear, Real sanctuary decreases internal fear, and increases internal safety.and increases internal safety. American society has a limited vocabulary American society has a limited vocabulary

for sanctuary.for sanctuary.► Sanctuary increases mutual respect.Sanctuary increases mutual respect.

““Entre naciones asi como Entre naciones asi como individuos,el respeto al derecho individuos,el respeto al derecho

ajeno es la paz.”ajeno es la paz.”

Benito JuarezBenito Juarez

“Between nations, as with individuals, respect for others rights is peace.”

INTERNALIZATION AND

INTEGRATIONMoral

DevelopmentSelf Help

Restorative Paradigms

Origins

Emotional Literacy

Curriculum

Curriculum Curriculum

► Four Domains/Lodges/Medicine wheel; Four Domains/Lodges/Medicine wheel; balance in a circle balance in a circle

► Each Lodge three or more booksEach Lodge three or more books► Each curriculum approximately 25 four hour Each curriculum approximately 25 four hour

lesson plans lesson plans ► Each lesson plan interactive exercises relate Each lesson plan interactive exercises relate

to a number of DeLeon Elementsto a number of DeLeon Elements► Defined Teaching methods; all learning Defined Teaching methods; all learning

styles: experiential, DVD's Games, styles: experiential, DVD's Games, presentations, roles, framing and closing presentations, roles, framing and closing each session, personal assignments etc.each session, personal assignments etc.

Self Help Restorative Self Help Restorative ParadigmsParadigms

► ResearchResearch► History of movement History of movement ► group process as community buildinggroup process as community building► Similarities between Oxford Group Similarities between Oxford Group

Movement/ 12-step /encounters Movement/ 12-step /encounters groupsgroups

► History of movementHistory of movement► Recovery as a personal paradigm shiftRecovery as a personal paradigm shift

Along with many other innovations, Synanon initiated Along with many other innovations, Synanon initiated the first prison TC at the Nevada State Penitentiary in the first prison TC at the Nevada State Penitentiary in 1961.1961.

ORIGINSORIGINS

► Beginnings – family of origin Beginnings – family of origin ► Bonding, social atoms, friendshipsBonding, social atoms, friendships► Chronology work: family, violence, Chronology work: family, violence,

affection, successes, trauma etc.affection, successes, trauma etc.► Alice Miller; Moreno; etc.Alice Miller; Moreno; etc.► Identification of messages received, Identification of messages received,

introjected, and antidotesintrojected, and antidotes

Alice Miller’s ParadigmAlice Miller’s Paradigm► To be hurt as a small child without To be hurt as a small child without

anyone recognizing the situation as anyone recognizing the situation as suchsuch

► To fail to react to the resulting suffering To fail to react to the resulting suffering with angerwith anger

► To show gratitude for what are To show gratitude for what are supposed to be good intentionssupposed to be good intentions

► To forget everythingTo forget everything► To discharge the stored up anger onto To discharge the stored up anger onto

others in adulthood or to direct it others in adulthood or to direct it against oneselfagainst oneself

TCs & Moral DevelopmentTCs & Moral Development

► TC is an “intentional community”---it TC is an “intentional community”---it happens by design, not accident or happens by design, not accident or tradition.tradition.

► When properly implemented the TC When properly implemented the TC creates all of the conditions necessary creates all of the conditions necessary for the moral growth of participants.for the moral growth of participants.

► The measurement of this can be seen The measurement of this can be seen both in reduced criminal behaviors and both in reduced criminal behaviors and increased pro-social behaviors.increased pro-social behaviors.

From grasping to giving...From grasping to giving...

► Another way to look at the stages are that as Another way to look at the stages are that as people grow, they move from be self-people grow, they move from be self-centered to being oriented towards otherscentered to being oriented towards others

► From “takers” to “givers”From “takers” to “givers”► From being completely absorbed and From being completely absorbed and

dominated by their “feelings” to being dominated by their “feelings” to being oriented towards the well-being of others oriented towards the well-being of others and towards making a contribution to others.and towards making a contribution to others.

► They become “more human.”They become “more human.”

Conditions for Moral GrowthConditions for Moral Growth

► Credible role models (to participant).Credible role models (to participant).► Teachers that teach ONE level above Teachers that teach ONE level above

current understanding.current understanding.► Conflict: realizing that the level you are Conflict: realizing that the level you are

at isn’t working (creating the “need to at isn’t working (creating the “need to know”).know”).

► Many roles to play, which help one’s Many roles to play, which help one’s ability to role-reverse.ability to role-reverse.

► Sustained responsibility for the welfare Sustained responsibility for the welfare of another.of another.

Emotional LiteracyEmotional Literacy

► InterpersonalInterpersonal Intelligence: The ability Intelligence: The ability to understand other people--what to understand other people--what motivates them, how they work, how motivates them, how they work, how to work cooperatively with them.to work cooperatively with them.

► IntrapersonalIntrapersonal Intelligence: The Intelligence: The capacity to access one’s own feelings capacity to access one’s own feelings and the ability to discriminate among and the ability to discriminate among them and draw upon them to guide them and draw upon them to guide behavior.behavior.

Amity Foundation of California 21

Who are the men in the Amity Who are the men in the Amity TC? TC?

► Reported 321 lifetime Reported 321 lifetime offenses, had been offenses, had been arrested average of 27 arrested average of 27 times, and incarcerated times, and incarcerated an average of 17 times. an average of 17 times.

► Spent an average of 4 Spent an average of 4 months in reform school, months in reform school, 16.9 months in jail, and 16.9 months in jail, and 75.4 months 75.4 months incarcerated.incarcerated.

► The average Amity The average Amity participant had spent participant had spent over half of his adult life over half of his adult life in prison.in prison.

Three Organizational ModelsThree Organizational Models

Teaching and Therapeutic Community:Social and Policy Change

Drug Program:Symptom Orientation

“Drug Rehab”

Therapeutic Community:

Whole Person Education

Habilitation

Dear Teacher...Dear Teacher...I am a survivor of a concentration camp.

My eyes saw what no man should witness:

Gas chambers designed by learned engineers,

Children poisoned by educated physicians,

Infants killed by trained nurses,

Women and babies shot and burned by high school and college graduates.

So I am suspicious of education.

My request is:

Help your students become human.

Your efforts must never produce learned monsters, skilled psychopaths, educated Eichmans .

Reading, writing, and arithmetic are important only if they

serve to make our children more human.

Chaim Ginot, from “Can it Happen Again: Chronicles of the Holocaust”