BTS Holds Therapeutic Community Experiential Training

On Nov. 19, the Bureau of Treatment Services (BTS) conducted a Therapeutic Community Experiential (TCE) training. The four-day training, held at the DOC Training Academy, was facilitated by Mike Edmonds (SCI Pine Grove, Drug and Alcohol Treatment Specialist), Jennifer Kelly (SCI Pine Grove, Corrections Officer) and Jaime Rauch (Quehanna Boot Camp, DATS Supervisor). The training is mandatory for Drug and Alcohol Treatment Staff but is also open to security staff and other interested institutional staff. TCE training is an interactive and educational forum that provides the skills and information needed to operate a Therapeutic Community (TC).

Class participants are immersed in the roles and processes of the TC, which allows everyone to experience what it is like to be on the receiving end of TC treatment. The training also unifies treatment and security staff in a collaborative endeavor. Facilitators examine the significance of both roles in the mission of the TC and emphasize the importance of communication and cooperative efforts in the management of TCs. The training concludes with a TC graduation, for which participants play an active role in the preparation and ceremony—complete with the traditional pomp and circumstance commencement and certificates. The training yielded positive comments such as "I like how the training gave a different outlook for the COs," "Trainers were excellent," "Well organized and a good experience," "I enjoyed the interaction and teaching tactics used," and "I liked sharing ideas with treatment staff and learning new approaches". BTS values participant feedback, as it is vital to the content and structure of future training development.