Moral Reconation Therapy MRT®

One of the most succesful programs offered by YES is Moral Reconation Therapy .  This program has been available to youth involved with the 9th District Youth Court, as well as youth referred to YES by schools and parents.  Although this program was originally developed for substance abuse offenders it has been highly successful in other types of programs. Schools have used this as an alternative to school suspension.  It is a 12 to 16 step program designed to enhance social, moral and postive behavioral growth.  Goals focus on confrontation of beliefs, attitudes and identitiy formation, enhancement of self-concept, decrease in hedonism and development of frustration tolerance, assessment of current relationships, reinforcement of positive behavior and habits, and an understanding of moral reasoning.  This cognitive behavioral approach is suited for anyone needing direction in their life or wanting to better their life.   YES coordinators, Leslie Kesler and Todd Mellinger, have the training to facilitate all MRT programs.  Ideally a particpant will be able to complete a step each week, but it is unrealistic to believe that will happen with each step.  Some steps are very difficult for some particpants and it takes several times for them to succesfully complete it.  The amount of time it will take a particpant to complete MRT varies depending on their issues and their compliance to do the work.  The particpants must complete the goal of each step to pass on to the next step.   Particpants that get well into their steps have all stated how much they have learned about themselves by doing this program.   Many participants have been required by youth court to attend this program so come in rather reluctantly.  After particpating in several classes the facilitators notice a change of acceptance to the program. A change of behavior is often recognized by the probation officer, parents and school administration.  Because MRT is open ended particpants may come in to the class at any given time.  Group members that have been attending are very effective to the acceptance of new particpants.  For more information go to www.ccimrt.com

Anger Management

Coping with Anger is designed to be used in groups or individually where clients could complete the program in eight sessions. There are eight modules. The program is cognitive-behavioral, in that it confronts the clients’ thinking patterns, irrational beliefs, and inappropriate behaviors in response to feelings of anger. The focus is not on the clients’ anger feelings but their thinking and behavior as it relates to anger. The program is task oriented and requires clients to complete homework assignments between sessions.

Clients that meet the criteria for Anger Management are; clients that become angry at the slightest provocation, make verbal threats, yell at others, intimidate others, argue incessantly, and engage in physical confrontations and fights. Such clients are easily identifiable through the observable behaviors of arguing with authority figures and others, disciplinary infractions, acts of aggression (either verbal or physical), and by self-referral.

Coping with Anger can be used concurrently with almost every other programmatic intervention. For example, using the anger management group format with clients in drug and alcohol treatment programs, rehabilitation programs, or vocational and educational training programs.

Parenting Classes – Both individual parenting classes and group classes are offered through YES.

Parenting is not an easy job for anyone!  But then, children don’t come with instruction manuals.  Every parent tries to do their best to raise their children to be good adult members of society.  Few ever receive formal training in parenting skills.  It’s not surprising that parents often feel frustrated when their best efforts to discipline and teaching their children good behavior result in family disagreements or are ineffective.

“Parenting Wisely: Young Children” are for parents of young children.  These are the best years for establishing positive, consistent and effective parenting.

“Parenting Wisely: Teens” are for parents of adolescents in the pre-teen and teen years. These are the years that parents find to be the most frustrating.

“Parenting Wisely” was designed by experts to answer the common questions:  Why do children sometimes act the way they do?  How can you encourage cooperation from your children?  And what will improve relationships among family members?   Participants will meet with other parents with similar questions and concerns.  With the help of the “Parenting Wisely” program, the facilitator, and other group members participants will feel more confident with their parenting skills.

Character Education – YES has many resources to individualize the Character Education Programs.  Some topics include: Self-Esteem, Bullying, Leadership, Respect, Sharing and many others.

The Virtues ProjectTM                                                                 Virtues – The Gift of Character

YES implemented the The Virtues ProjectTM in almost all of our programs.  YES has found the Virtues Project to be extremely successful at building self-esteem in the youth particpating in our programs.

Taken from The Virtues ProjectTM website

The mission of The Virtues Project is to provide empowering strategies that inspire the practice of virtues in everyday life.

The Five Strategies of The Virtues ProjectTM help us to live more reverent, purposeful lives, to raise children of integrity and compassion, develop a culture of character in our schools, and inspire excellence and service in the workplace. These strategies build foundations for safe and caring communities.

Strategy 1: Speak the Language of the Virtues

Language shapes character. The way we speak, and the words we use, have great power to discourage or to inspire. The language of virtues helps us to replace shaming and blaming with personal responsibility and respect. It is a frame of reference for bringing out the best in children and ourselves. It helps us to become the kind of people we want to be.

Strategy 2: Recognize Teachable Moments

Recognizing the gifts and life lessons in our daily challenges helps us to cultivate character in ourselves and others. When we have the humility and confidence to learn from our mistakes, every stumbling block becomes a stepping stone.

Strategy 3: Set Clear Boundaries

Virtues-based boundaries focus on respect, restorative justice and reparation to create a climate of peace and safety. Personal boundaries help us to build healthy relationships and protect our time, our energy and our health.

Strategy 4: Honor the Spirit

This strategy begins with respect for the dignity of each person and encourages us to make time for reflection, reverence, and beauty. It is expressing what is meaningful in our lives by participating in the arts, honoring special life events, and sharing our stories. Creating Vision Statements increases unity and morale in our homes, schools and workplaces.

Strategy 5: Offer Spiritual CompanioningTM

By being deeply present and listening with compassion and detachment, we help others ‘to empty their cup’. This counseling approach empowers others to define teachable moments and to reflect on their virtues. It supports moral choice, intimacy in relationships, and peaceful conflict resolution. This process is a powerful tool for healing grief, anger, and trauma.