George DeLeon, PhD., Author of The Therapeutic Community, director of NDRI's Center for Therapeutic Community Research, writes:
"The Amity/Extensions curriculum is an extraordinary offering that reflects a profound understanding of the therapeutic community as a sophisticated social psychological approach and of the troubled clients it serves.
Simple stated, it is a TC curriculum which connects theory to practice. It teaches staff to implement the 8 essential elements of the TC into clear, definable, measurable practices. The array of creative exercises and modules address the complex and challenging clinical issues of motivation, engagement and healing among socially marginalized individuals who are psychologically shielded from connecting to self and others. It expands the concept of safety to include sanctuary, a place, a community, perceived by traumatized individuals as protective and accepting. Some specific attributes of the curriculum are:
- Provides a common language, experience, and approach for TC staff---insures all staff (from whatever background) are congruent in principles, language, and practice
- Recognizes a variety of learning styles
- Enables measurement of staff competency and student achievement
- Provides an internal Quality Assurance System
Curriculum development involved intensive and continual study and work with TC clients—learning from them about current issues, subcultures, and learning styles & needs. A key feature of the development was 64 seven day intensive workshops/retreats with over 100 clients and TC staff in each event.
The curriculum was created primarily by Naya Arbiter and her associates. She is internationally acknowledged as one of the most talented and effective trainers and hands-on practitioners working with high risk, the difficult and ignored populations. I have known Ms. Arbiter for more than 30 years as a courageous teacher, a compassionate and brilliant innovator. This curriculum is a fine example of her work. Although grounded in the TC.s unique approach, community as method, the scope and depth of the material has relevance for workers and clients being served outside of TCs."
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To purchase Mr. DeLeon's Book, click below:
For further information on the Center for Therapeutic Community Research:
http://www.ndri.org/ctrs/ctcr.html
Junko Fujioka, PhD, of Japan's Ministry of Justice, Director of Japan's Shimane Asahi, the first rehabilitational correctional facility of its kind writes: [translation]
"Dear Sirs,
I am Junko Fujioka, a clinical psychologist, professor at Osaka University, and had worked for Japanese Ministry of Justice for 20 years.
When I was asked to organize education programs for one of 4 new private finance initiative prisons, named Shimane-Asahi Rehabilitation Program Center, I had a dream that we would have a new prison which could make recidivism rate decrease.
I have known that Amity’s programs had made recidivism rate down. However, almost all Japanese people said it was impossible to implement Amity’s programs into Japan because they were too different. So, in March 2006, I have visited the Circle Tree Ranch in Tucson with my friends to decide if it was possible to implement Amity’s programs into Japan or not. And I understood they had systematic ways and tools to have therapeutic community in which people could be grown and changed. One of the tools was their textbooks.
When I had read the textbooks first, I thought it was excellent to motivate inmates or students to be involved to the program. I know Japanese inmates very well since I had lead many CBT groups in Japanese Prisons, and I had convinced that Japanese inmates would like these textbooks. The textbooks could show the inmates understanding, ways to be changed, and hope to get better life. My friends and I, ourselves, have got hope to change Japanese Prison and come back to Japan.
However, it was very hard to translate the textbooks into Japanese. We have made a first circle by ourselves and had many group sessions using the translated textbooks and learned the concept and philosophy. At first, Japanese Ministry people doubt the program and textbooks. They said that Japanese inmates would not understand American-made concept since they were quite different, and/or the textbooks were too abstract. We insisted that this ambiguity was one of the outstanding qualities because these textbooks did not show the correct answers but made inmates think by themselves.
In October 2008, Shimane-Asahi Rehabilitation Program Center was open and all new coming inmates are learning using Extension's textbook, Thresholds of Change, vol.1. Actually, one third of them love the textbook and eager to learn, another one third of them say it is OK, and the rest of them say I don’t like it. But anyway, we are using it and I think it helps our inmates to start prison lives having more meaning.
And we also started Therapeutic Community Unit for 60 inmates in February 2009. This is the first TC Unit in Japanese Prisons and has possibility to give impact to change Japanese Prisons in future. Inmates in TC Unit work and learn very hard using Extension’s textbooks. Inmates who stay longer in TC Unit are teaching new comers using textbooks. I think it is great we have these textbooks and have therapeutic community in which they can learn from each other. The textbooks are indispensable for our education programs.
Sincerely,
Junko Fujioka, PhD"
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For more information on Shimane Asahi:
http://www.shimaneasahi-rpc.go.jp/english/first/index.html
Harry K. Wexler, PhD., Principal Investigator for NDRI's Center for the Integration of Research & Practice, Director of Research at The Heroic Imagination Project, writes:
"The Extensions curriculum is an important contribution to the field of addictions field and especially for the training of therapeutic Community (TC) staff and clients. The TC is a widely utilized and well-respected treatment modality for substance abuse and co-occurring disorders in corrections and in the general community. To appreciate the unique contribution of the TC curriculum requires an understanding of the TC model that is a residential (e.g. emersion) approach where individuals with histories of substance abuse and related character disorders are treated through interactions with staff and peers. Over the years the experientially based treatment depended on the knowledge and clinical acumen of recovering staff that had gone through the TC to achieve sobriety and embark on socially productive lives. Today the TC is a mix of recovering staff, only some of which have TC experience, and professionals from many different disciplines---few of whom had any training in TC theory and practice as part of their academic education. The Extensions curriculum is expertly designed to fill this gap.
While there are numerous TC manuals that describe program structures (e.g. program phases, job functions, rules, privileges and sanctions, etc.) and activities (e.g., morning and other house meetings, encounters, seminars, and other specialized groups, etc.) and an excellent book by Dr. George De Leon that discusses the TC theoretical underpinnings, there is a lack of curriculum that combines both the theory and guidance for a full course of informed experiential training. In a highly creative and engaging way the curriculum provides a comprehensive TC education that aligns with the principles (essential elements) of the TC explicated by DeLeon and provides an elegant and rich array of well-organized material that engages staff and residents in memorable learning experiences.
I have known the leader of the team that created the curriculum, Naya Arbiter, for over 25 years of the 40 years she has been involved in the therapeutic community field. During her long distinguished career has made many significant contributions to the field as a Therapeutic Community (TC) practitioner, national and international speaker, trainer, and consultant. Naya is especially well known for her dedication to treating the most difficult and challenging residents and developing teachings from these experiences. She developed the curriculum material from many intensive workshops with Amity residents and staff over the years and has created an extraordinary set of material that creates the TC learning experiences for successful rehabilitation and sustaining a positive sober lifestyle."
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For more information on the Heroic Imagination Project:
For more information on the Center for the Integration of Research & Practice:
http://www.ndri.org/ctrs/cirp.html
