Official: New philosophy a success at House of Good Shepherd - Observer-Dispatch |
| Official: New philosophy a success at House of Good Shepherd - Observer-Dispatch Posted: 07 Sep 2010 12:51 PM PDT Troubled youth are finding "Sanctuary" at The House of the Good Shepherd, where a new philosophy is changing the way staff approaches the treatment of such kids. The facility on Champlin Avenue provides treatment to children and their families who are struggling with serious emotional, social and behavioral problems. Executive Director Bill Holicky said children treated there were traditionally thought of in terms of the negative behaviors they displayed. "They would ask, 'What's wrong with this kid?'" he said. "The question that we ask with Sanctuary is, 'What happened to this child?'" Sanctuary is "a trauma-informed model of care," and is the only treatment model for children with evidence-based practices, facility officials said. The House of the Good Shepherd is one of about 100 Sanctuary agencies worldwide. "It's obviously very exciting," said Holicky, who said they started looking for a new model of care several years ago. "We were very excited, two years ago, to be chosen." Holicky said he expects that the organization should be accredited in about a year. Ultimately, Holicky said, the Sanctuary model of care focuses on teaching children to gain control over the outcome of situations by "self-regulating their emotions" and giving them the tools to become resilient. Therefore, he continued, "You have to recognize the trauma and start the healing process – otherwise you're just spinning wheels." Zig Malowicki, assistant executive director, said when he sees a child who exhibits a lot of negative behaviors, he "expects to see some pretty negative life experiences." Those negative life experiences can affect the way a child "thinks, feels (and) views the world," he said. Malowicki said rather than providing an excuse, the Sanctuary philosophy holds kids responsible in a way that doesn't focus on punishment for exhibiting negative behaviors. Though the organization is currently in transition, Holicky and Malowicki said the culture change is beginning. Holicky predicted that in three to five years, the Sanctuary model will be in full practice at The House of Good Shepherd. "I think at the start, it was like anything else," Holicky said. "There was some skepticism." But, he added, "I'm very encouraged by the way it's taking hold." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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