On Purpose
1609 Brookview Place
Bellingham, WA 98229
(360) 527-2796
(866) 285-0654
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Philosophical Foundation | Program Details
Everyone who needs help, regardless of the form of his distress, is attacking himself. These tendencies are often described as self-destructive and youth often regard themselves in that way.
What they do not realize, is that this "self," which can attack and be attacked, is a concept that they created. They see this self as being acted upon, and reacting to external forces as they demand. A sense of helplessness, isolation, hopelessness, and overwhelm pervades their daily experiences.
In the beginning, the staff will ask for permission to explore what the youth hold to be true. They must become willing to question every value they hold, reverse their thinking, and to understand that what they believe is being projected on them is actually what they are projecting on to the world.
Even this intial process take time, patience, and absolute non-judgment on the part of our staff. All staff has processed and released all judgments with a clear understanding that any judgment they have is ultimately directed at themselves.
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At the early stages the staff may be seen as the ones attacking the youth's most cherished possesion: their image of themselves. Since this image has become their 'security,' the staff may be perceived as a real source of danger. The staff will meet attack without attack or defense to demonstrate that defenses are not necessary and defenselessness is strength.
The youth will come to appreciate that all anger at the deepest level is a projection of some profoundly held belief in their own guilt. It is the release of guilt that makes the work of Youth on Purpose effective in transforming lives.
The youth learn tools to correct one fundamental error: that anger brings them something they really want, and by justifying attack they are protecting themselves.
Youth On Purpose utilizes the best methods of all alternative healing modalities available today, which includes Nonviolent Communication, “The Work” of Byron Katie, Abraham Hicks, Eckhart Tolle in his new book The New Earth, Emotional Freedom Technique(EFT), Psychodrama, Conscious Breathing (the work of Leonard Orr and Sondra Ray), Shakti Gawain in Creative Visualization, Louise Hay in the book You Can Heal Your Life, The Journey by Brandon Bays, and Marianne Williamson’s books.
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This psycho-spiritual model does not provide anger management in a traditional sense, but rather a re-interpretation of what anger actually stands for. This allows the youth to examine anger in all its forms without fear of judgment or retaliation.
The staff and youth enter into a joined purpose: peace of mind, and positive, productive, and loving relationships. The staff allows the youth to develop their own curriculum, and is aware that ultimately the youth's process is their own.
Essentially, all healing is release from the past and what the youth has made the past represent for them. Having released he past, they no longer feel compelled to project their past on to the future.
Each graduating youth has incorporated the follwing principles into their thinking:
- I am responsible for the world I see.
- I chose the feelings I experience.
- I decide the goal I will acheive
- I am the author of my experience.
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