Posts Tagged ‘tc program’

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TC Challenges in the New Millennium


2010
02.21

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By: MARTIN R. INFANTE

President, SELF

December 2006

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is an excerpt of the paper Martin presented at the 23rd World Federation of Therapeutic Communities (WFTC) conference held in New York on September 1-5, 2006. It discusses the challenges TC’s face regarding the preservation of Professional Integrity in the work place. Martin is the Vice-Chairman of the Standards & Goals Committee of the WFTC Executive Council.

Professional Integrity

…In today’s world of drug rehabilitation and treatment, there exist numerous modes of intervention that have been developed over time and have provided hope to thousands of drug users worldwide. Perhaps the most important challenge that centers face is how to sustain professional integrity in the administration of their rehab program.

As with many other TC programs worldwide, we at SELF have become accustomed to training residents to run the program and eventually hiring those who demonstrate the requisite willingness and potential to become staff. As it has been said that the “addict knows the addict best”, he/she would be the best teacher and role model. We do know that TCs around the world have practiced this for years and, for all practical purposes, it has worked well for some time.
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Systems That Check Systems


2010
02.21

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How to prevent your TC from falling apart

By: MARTIN R. INFANTE

President, SELF

May 2008

It just dawned on me the other day that this coming June, I will have achieved 17 solid years of sobriety. With all these years spent in Therapeutic Community (TC) development, I felt it was time that I contributed some of my experience towards the cause of the TC. This article is dedicated to all my colleagues who are either starting a TC program or have been running one for some time now. I hope that you will be able to relate to some of my experiences and I trust that it will help validate your noble endeavors.

The TC Phenomenon

Establishing a new TC program is the easy part. Sustaining its culture through the years, however, is another story. During its initial years, the program structure can get refined and systems undergo improvement. Within the first few years, one can claim that a program’s culture is finally working well. The trouble is, down the road, things can change radically if you’re not careful.

If you’ve been running your TC program for some time now and you’re noticing that it doesn’t feel like the one you’ve set up a long time ago, you might want to look into some of the areas described below.

Over time, TC systems and rules have a way of getting altered without you knowing about it when you don’t have a systems check program. When this happens, you can lose the very heart of your TC and the integrity of your program could be put in question. The thing is these developments have a way of creeping up on you without warning and one day, you’ll just wake up and wonder what happened.

This retrogressive process is something you’ll notice you can’t hang on anybody. By the time you discover this, you’ll find out it’s been there for months or even years. Its so ghostly that I’ve decided to call it a TC phenomenon.

We at SELF have had to face this predicament at least three times over the last 16 years. We have had to review our organization’s culture repeatedly to maintain the goodness of the program. Though our efforts were rewarding, they were time consuming and we decided it was time to develop a system that checks systems.
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The Tables have been Turned


2010
02.21

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Posted in FAM Testimonies | 1 Comment »

By: BABY BALINGHASAY

FAM Member

December 2006

When my husband and I took our son Peejo to SELF in August 2004, we were determined to have him undergo the complete program. Strengthened by our faith, we set our minds to accept whatever process we would have to face and never wavered about it. I never thought that our family would ever be plagued by a problem like drugs. I have to admit that I felt lost and devastated during the first few months of Peejo’s confinement. At the monthly Family Association Meetings (FAM), I would share my grief with other family members. It was truly a relief to know that my husband and I were not alone.

Through the succeeding months, as Peejo progressed through the program and went through the various ups and downs associated with the recovery process, we learned to take any news we heard about him — good or bad — with a grain of salt. We used the regular input from the FAM as our support and we comforted ourselves with the belief that we were on our way to recovery.
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Turning Points and Milestones


2010
02.21

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Clinical Case Study III

By: LEA TUMBADO CSW

Program Manager, SELF

May 2008

Victor is a 23 year old male who was diagnosed to be both drug and alcohol dependent. His drugs of choice were shabu (methamphetamine) and marijuana, but he had tried other drugs such as downers, cocaine, ecstasy, cough syrups, Valiums and Ketamine. He would also mix these drugs with beer or gin.

A child out of wedlock, Victor refused to have anything to do with his father. He grew up with his mother and 40-year-old brother. His family had long planned to put him in rehab but never had the courage to do so.

Victor had a major car accident and almost died. He fractured his hips, left leg and pelvic socket. After this, he managed to finish his high school at International School Manila. He went to Canada for college, but dropped out due to continued drug use. He was eventually confined in a medical ward for two months due to hallucinations and was diagnosed as having Drug-Induced Psychosis.
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Integrating Dual-Diagnosed Clients


2010
02.21

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By: LIZA T. SINGIAN RN

Former VP Programs & Marketing, SELF

December 2006

In 1993, when I first trained in the TC process, SELF was firm in implementing this policy of being a drug free community. This meant that treatment success was to be achieved not only without illegal drugs but also without administering any prescription drugs or psychiatric medication. We were fast to discharge any prospect whose profile presented any mental illness or other disorders. We were reluctant to admit clients who manifested any form of psychosis or personality disorder, fearful of disrupting the recovery process of the general drug dependent population. I was taught that residents under medication would not be able to internalize the TC process and arrive at the insights required to achieve recovery.

Well, all of this has changed. Many respected psychiatrists who address addiction issues now say that clients who need medication to cope with psychiatric or personality disorders will also benefit a lot from enrolment in a TC program, especially for the acquisition of life skills. They also note that the number of clients diagnosed with disorders other than their substance dependency is fast growing. Thus, more and more TC practitioners, SELF included, have modified their views regarding the maintenance of a strictly drug free community.
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