Therapeutic Environment Training Continues at Youth Development Centers; Planning Starts for Court Services

The Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is now providing Therapeutic Environment Training (TET) for staff at all five youth development centers.  Meanwhile, court services staff are holding their first meeting on November 14, 2006, to begin planning for TET in court services.  Two court counselor representatives from each district will be attending the meeting and actively participating in the planning and design process. 

The TET training, a curriculum that delivers skills and knowledge and gives staff tools to create a therapeutic, teaching environment, 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.  The TET training within court services will incorporate these same tools as well as focus on developing a standardized service planning format with the training curriculum. 

Staff from the Eastern, Western, Central, and Piedmont areas have been trained to teach the therapeutic environment model.  Some of these participants were also identified as master trainers, presenting material for the instruction session as well as being part of their area training team.  These trainers are currently instructing staff at Dillon, Dobbs, Samarkand, Stonewall Jackson, and Swannanoa as well as selected court services and detention staff.  Each trainer delivers content through various activities as well as through lecture.

The Department plans to have all five youth development centers fully operating in a therapeutic environment by early 2007.