Reflection of Directed Independent Study at Pathways for Change
The Organization and My Role
Pathways for Change is a nonprofit organization based in Pensacola, Florida working to service disadvantaged members of the community. The Pathways for Change organization is an off-shoot of a Baptist Hospital program initiated in 1996 to provide psychotherapy to those seeking mental health care, insured and uninsured alike. Four years after becoming Executive Director of the program, then called the Christian Counseling Center, Connie Bookman, L.C.S.W developed a program for the Escambia Sheriff’s Office that would continue to shape the direction of Pathways for Change. This program delivered therapeutic treatment in conjunction with a faith-based curriculum to the women in Central Booking and Detention. Mrs. Bookman and her colleague, Dr. Janice Crenshaw, enlisted fifty local female professionals to mentor the participants of the program for a full year. The conclusion of these efforts lead Ms. Bookman to believe that therapy, mentorship, and training were not enough to change the lives of the majority of the participants. The realization that a more intensive program was needed to effectively break the cycle of recidivism became the push to create Pathways for Change’s first therapeutic community. Women participating in the program were then to be housed away from the general population in a psychotherapeutic setting where they would all progress through a rigorous addictions treatment program with daily psycho-educational curriculum. The therapy programs were facilitated by a team of licensed therapists, clinical social workers, graduate and postgraduate interns. The growing organization teamed with UWF’s Dr. Julie Kunselman and Dr. Diane Scott to devise a case management database which would be used to track information relevant for outcome studies. Interns were instrumental in this effort, filling roles in data entry and recidivism monitoring. Pathways for Change continued to work with community resources by teaming with professionals in the community agreed to test, tutor and administer the educational and vocational skills needed for the PFC participants. The Pathways for Change program today is composed of three primary locations. Men's Residential Treatment Program is a facility that houses court-ordered inmates, providing them treatment and education in the place of incarceration. The Clinton Cox Residence (CCR) is a halfway home for men who have graduated from a program such as MRT. The men from CCR receive their therapy and case management at The Family Center (TFC). The Family Center is an over-all community resource, providing a selection of services to improve the lives of low-income families. The Men's Residential Treatment Program (MRT) began its development when the program began accepting men in 2005. Adapting to organizational growth and to the needs of the clients, Pathways for Change moved the men’s program to the County Work Release Center. Men entering the program agree to be court ordered there for the length …show more content…
Staff and interns provide feedback to the men in with “push-ups” and “pull-ups”. Push-ups are a form of positive feedback while pull-ups raise awareness of negative behaviors. Staff and interns may assign a “Learning Experience” if the negative behaviors persist. Learning Experiences often last a full week; they are daily reminders of the behavior that needs reflection. One example of a learning experience would be wearing a sign that details the behavior, “Help me family, I am not aware of my manipulative behavior”. Silent contemplation is another example of a possible Learning Experience. This means prohibiting an inmate from speaking to others while also forbidding his peers to speak to him. I spent very little time at MRT and the only involvement I had with the proceedings there was to write up a calendar of their events to communicate to graduate and post-graduate interns. Most of what I learned about MRT came to me from second-hand accounts during Supervisions and …show more content…
The mission of TFC is to battle poverty and substance abuse by providing services regardless of the ability to pay. It is the belief of TFC that education is the greatest tool people can have against poverty so services here include GED prep courses, basic computer skills classes, life skills, courses in nutrition, parenting, health and wellness, and Post-Secondary classes in Office Assistant. Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Adult Children of Alcoholics, and Alcoholics Anonymous groups provide support for those who are seeking to overcome addictions and maintain their sobriety. Interns take on clients for individual, couples, and family
The Organization and My Role
Pathways for Change is a nonprofit organization based in Pensacola, Florida working to service disadvantaged members of the community. The Pathways for Change organization is an off-shoot of a Baptist Hospital program initiated in 1996 to provide psychotherapy to those seeking mental health care, insured and uninsured alike. Four years after becoming Executive Director of the program, then called the Christian Counseling Center, Connie Bookman, L.C.S.W developed a program for the Escambia Sheriff’s Office that would continue to shape the direction of Pathways for Change. This program delivered therapeutic treatment in conjunction with a faith-based curriculum to the women in Central Booking and Detention. Mrs. Bookman and her colleague, Dr. Janice Crenshaw, enlisted fifty local female professionals to mentor the participants of the program for a full year. The conclusion of these efforts lead Ms. Bookman to believe that therapy, mentorship, and training were not enough to change the lives of the majority of the participants. The realization that a more intensive program was needed to effectively break the cycle of recidivism became the push to create Pathways for Change’s first therapeutic community. Women participating in the program were then to be housed away from the general population in a psychotherapeutic setting where they would all progress through a rigorous addictions treatment program with daily psycho-educational curriculum. The therapy programs were facilitated by a team of licensed therapists, clinical social workers, graduate and postgraduate interns. The growing organization teamed with UWF’s Dr. Julie Kunselman and Dr. Diane Scott to devise a case management database which would be used to track information relevant for outcome studies. Interns were instrumental in this effort, filling roles in data entry and recidivism monitoring. Pathways for Change continued to work with community resources by teaming with professionals in the community agreed to test, tutor and administer the educational and vocational skills needed for the PFC participants. The Pathways for Change program today is composed of three primary locations. Men's Residential Treatment Program is a facility that houses court-ordered inmates, providing them treatment and education in the place of incarceration. The Clinton Cox Residence (CCR) is a halfway home for men who have graduated from a program such as MRT. The men from CCR receive their therapy and case management at The Family Center (TFC). The Family Center is an over-all community resource, providing a selection of services to improve the lives of low-income families. The Men's Residential Treatment Program (MRT) began its development when the program began accepting men in 2005. Adapting to organizational growth and to the needs of the clients, Pathways for Change moved the men’s program to the County Work Release Center. Men entering the program agree to be court ordered there for the length …show more content…
Staff and interns provide feedback to the men in with “push-ups” and “pull-ups”. Push-ups are a form of positive feedback while pull-ups raise awareness of negative behaviors. Staff and interns may assign a “Learning Experience” if the negative behaviors persist. Learning Experiences often last a full week; they are daily reminders of the behavior that needs reflection. One example of a learning experience would be wearing a sign that details the behavior, “Help me family, I am not aware of my manipulative behavior”. Silent contemplation is another example of a possible Learning Experience. This means prohibiting an inmate from speaking to others while also forbidding his peers to speak to him. I spent very little time at MRT and the only involvement I had with the proceedings there was to write up a calendar of their events to communicate to graduate and post-graduate interns. Most of what I learned about MRT came to me from second-hand accounts during Supervisions and …show more content…
The mission of TFC is to battle poverty and substance abuse by providing services regardless of the ability to pay. It is the belief of TFC that education is the greatest tool people can have against poverty so services here include GED prep courses, basic computer skills classes, life skills, courses in nutrition, parenting, health and wellness, and Post-Secondary classes in Office Assistant. Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Adult Children of Alcoholics, and Alcoholics Anonymous groups provide support for those who are seeking to overcome addictions and maintain their sobriety. Interns take on clients for individual, couples, and family