Acronyms/Mind States
The letters HOW stand for this in the TC community.
Honesty, Open-minded, and Willingness.
Coming up with possibilities and choices, instead of just one or two, for any problem or course of action.
Brainstorming
Controlling someone else by unfair or indirect means to entrap for one's own advantage.
Manipulation
Challenge and....
Admonish with respect.
Working out, eating right, attending medical/dental appointments are examples of this activity.
Physical
Take care of today and tomorrow will take care of itself.
One Day at a Time
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy when opposed to sick.
Always do your best.
Awareness in the current moment.
Mindfulness
How to make your first interactions with other people honest and positive.
Handshaking
Following healthy behavior expectations and norms of society. Following and living the guidelines of TC.
Pro-Social
Leadership by...
Elders, role models of the community.
Peer Accountability Group (PAG), steps of interactions, isolation, job loss, money problems, criminal behaviors, and death are examples of this activity.
Social Consequences
Recovery is about learning and learning is a process - what is learned at one point is a foundation for the next piece of learning.
Step by Step
To assume a role or attitude of positive behavior even though you are not comfortable to
Acting as if
This is what PROPS stands for in the TC.
Proper Respect of Other People Speaking.
Saying what is true. A positive truth about ourselves that we tell ourselves because we want to remember it.
Affirming
Members respectfully make each other aware of negative behaviors in an effort to bring about positive change in behaviors and attitudes.
Peer Accountability
Demonstrate...
living right by helping others.
Work crews, Structure Board, job training, resume building are examples of this activity.
Vocational/Survival Skills
The universe has a way of bringing things back around to us all. What we do not learn the first time will generally come back around for another learning opportunity.
What goes around, comes around
Speak with integrity, say only what you mean, avoid using the word to speak against yourself or gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.
Be impeccable with your word.
The letters WORTH stand for this in the TC.
Willingness, Open-mindedness, Respect, Truthfulness, and Humility.
Thinking through what is likely to happen as a result of what you might do.
Forecasting
Keep the environment of the community safe. Includes quality job performance, how community members address each other, standing if you get sleepy in a group activity, and appropriate use of phones.
House Rules
Be involved...
and accountable to the community.
Church, NA, AA, Hoop are examples of this activity.
Spiritual
This instruction directs the individual to go ahead and change the behavior even before they understand why the change is good for them.
Do it right, then you will understand why you have been doing it wrong.
The Expectations of the Therapeutic Community.
Performance, Responsibility, Self-Examination, Self-Sufficiency
This mind state is based on our beliefs and impulses in the moment.
Emotional Mind
Making an honest effort to understand another point of view about any situation you are considering.
View-switching
Careful thought or consideration. To think seriously or to ponder or consider. A thought, idea, or opinion formed or a remark made as a result made from meditation.
Reflection
Encouraging others...
To identify, develop, and practice positive behaviors.
Acting as if, structured day, TC meetings, process group, awarenesses and pushups are examples of this activity.
Behavior Management/Behavior Shaping
Remembering the problems, pains, and identity of the past helps one stay committed to the struggle in the present and the goals of the future.
Remember where you came from to know where you are going.
This is addressing someone's negative behaviors either verbally or written in a respectful way to help them acknowledge their self-destructive behaviors.
Awareness or raising someone's awareness.
This mind state deals with reality and seeing things as they really are.
Rational Mind
Communicating something that is important to you in a clear and constructive manner.
Asserting
Standards and boundaries. These are behavior expectations that govern how people will interact with each other and expectations about how they will go about their daily lives in the TC.
Major Rule
Satisfy personal...
Needs and desires through positive and responsible behavior.
It's the voice in your head that automatically says things about what you like or dislike or what you want to do.
What is Habit-self.
Recovery is viewed as a possession, earned with difficulty and also a gift to be given. Recovery is learned and maintained through helping and teaching others.
You can't keep it unless you give it away.
These are the Steps of Interaction in the TC.
2 Verbal Awareness, 3 Written Awareness, 1 Peer Accountability Group, 1 Clinical Intervention
This is where self-destructive/self-defeating behaviors are identified and brought to a Community member's attention in a formal manner. This is a formal Community function.
Peer Accountability Group (PAG).
Paying attention to your own thoughts and knowing whether they are coming from your habit-self or your inner self.
Self-Listening
Offering a person a description of his behavior and its effects on others with a request that they explain and/or change it without intimidation.
Confrontation
Learn new...
Skills that enable development of healthy relationships.
TC language, internal exploration, morals and values, and integrity are examples of this activity.
Intellectual/Ethical
One may learn more by listening to others then finding it important for others to listen to them.
It's better to understand than to be understood.
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama.
Don't make assumptions.
This mind state is focused on problem solving and solutions.
Wise Mind
Recognizing any situation or possible situations things that could simulate you to use drugs, act violently, commit crime, or do some other kinds of destructive actions.
Danger-spotting
An attempt to justify one's behavior by thinking up "good" reasons for it. It proves that this behavior is normal, justifiable, and worthy of approval. This removes responsibility from me.
Rationalization
Recognize...
Similarities and respect individual differences.
Coping skills, feelings, open-communication, mental health, and group processing are examples of this activity.
Emotional/Psychological
The ability to trust others is very important to personal and emotional growth.
Trust in your environment.
This interaction is used when Community members go out of their normal "old" behavior without being asked and assist another member or do something for the Community.
Push Up.
This is the philosophy of the Therapeutic Community.
We are willing to be led by the unknown, by doing the seemingly impossible, we are truly grateful for our opportunity.
Ability to recognize when a problem or conflict is developing.
Tension-sensing
When a person is struggling to balance their values (inner-self) and belief system with appropriate behavior.
Conflict
Appropriate disclosure...
Of acts, fears, hopes, and guilt.
Focusing on inner self, self-listening, impulse control, retraining your brain, brainstorming, and affirming are examples of this activity.
Cognitive (thinking process)
A false or "cool" impression will not help to make good relationships, for it does not indicate real feelings or attitudes and is not honest.
When you are looking good you are looking bad.
Nothing others do is because of you. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.
Don't take anything personally.
This is the mission statement of the Therapeutic Community.
To help individuals come together in adversity, to share knowledge and hope, in order to help rebuild their lives, in this community with a common unity.
Identifying the assistance you need and going after it. It could be information, training, or guidance.
Resourcing
Highest behavior expectation of the community which protects the structure, community members, and safety of the community.
Cardinal Rule
This is the primary goal of the Therapeutic Community.
To provide members with a sense of belonging, acceptance, and new skills for living without self destructive behavior patterns.
The part of you that thinks and reasons. It doesn't get triggered into aggression or defensiveness.
What is Inner Self.
Honesty in pursuing your own recovery and in relating to others is the path of least error.
Do your thing and everything will follow.
This is the proper line of communication in the TC community.
What is Crew member, crew lead, assistant coordinator, senior coordinator, Staff of Duty (SOD), and back down.