It's a New Day: The Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Launches Therapeutic Environment Training Initiative
The Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention launched the Therapeutic Training (TET) initiative during a two-day meeting in Butner in mid January. Youth development center directors, area administrators, and central office staff were in attendance.
“It's a new day for this Department,” commented Secretary George Sweat. “TET is the interim step from the Department's past to the Department's future.”
TET will transition current youth development center operations to therapeutic environments for all committed youth and result in the implementation of an environment in which youth receive education and treatment in ways that allow for the development of skill competency and behavior and life changes.
A therapeutic environment involves time, space, and resources which are totally structured so as to provide a constant and consistent therapeutic experience. The environment is the treatment; therefore, every part of every day is planned and implemented to support treatment and development.
The treatment model emphasizes therapeutic interactions between staff and youth and offers a blended education-treatment model to differentiate a youth's progress. The model also encourages family involvement and the building of community connections.
The first quarter of 2006 involves planning for TET and some initial training efforts. The Department plans to have all five youth development centers working with therapeutic environments by early 2007. Discussions about expanding the therapeutic environment philosophy throughout the Department are now taking place with a meeting involving court services on the horizon.
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