Knox County Mary Davis Home Groups

Evening Education Class

This class is designed to focus on and examine several aspects of life affecting teens today such as personal responsibility, goal setting, relationships with others and making positive choices. Each session is run as an open forum. Clients are not only expected to answer the questions presented by staff but are encouraged to ask questions both to clients and staff alike that pertain to the daily topic. In addition to this, clients are given hypothetical situations in order to challenge their thinking process and the reasons they give for their choice of actions. Excuses are not allowed and confrontation over poor comments often comes from clients who are all too eager to catch someone other than themselves in a lie.

The purpose of Evening Education Class is two fold. First, the purpose is to challenge the clients' perception of themselves, their environment, and the negative choices that brought them to the Mary Davis Home. This class gives the clients the opportunity to see their thoughts, their feelings, and their choices from different points of view. Within this group setting, they also have the chance to discuss and evaluate alternative means to creating a life for them, one that is far less conflictive with their needs. Participating clients are assigned homework based on the discussions, and are required to turn in the work on a specified date. It is understood that they are responsible for their own work and failing to complete the assignment or put little effort into it can have consequences. The assignments are based on self-reflection and allow each client to look inside him or herself to discover the positive thinks they may not normally recognize.

Secondly, the Evening Education Class is designed to build upon or create new cognitive skills that can be readily applied on a daily basis in order to better their life and bolster their self-esteem. With this age group, obtaining a job is an excellent way to gain self-worth and independence in a socially acceptable manner. However, more often than not, the clients do not have the skills, both cognitively and behaviorally, to look for a job, pick up an application, have a successful interview, and maintain employment. Examining their thoughts and feelings is one part of this class; how to productively apply their new perceptions in a positive manner in order to better their lives is the second.

The groups are comprised of six to twelve clients each session, regardless of gender. For clients who are enrolled in the Mary Davis Home program the sessions are mandatory. All other clients are chosen by staff based on grades which are determined by the behavior in days and weeks before each group, the relevance of each group topic to that particular client, and the maturity of the client. Each group lasts about one and a half to two hours on Thursday evenings, two times each month.

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Young Mens Group

Young Men’s Group (Y.M.G.) was created to look at and to discuss topics that pertain to teenage males. In this ever-changing world, role expectations can be very confusing for young men. During each session, various aspects of growing up (Communication skills, Relationships, Job employment, etc.) are reviewed from the male perspective. Open, uninhibited discussion is encouraged. Due to the different cultural environments, ages, and economic backgrounds, the clients are subjected to a vast array of opinions on these topics. The clients may not agree with what others may say or believe but they’re expected to respect each other’s opinions. To allow clients to convey their thoughts openly, the group has established specific rules. The first rule states that what is said in the group stays in the group. This rule is to maintain the confidentiality of information shared by the clients. Secondly, we stress politeness by allowing only one person at a time to talk. Thirdly, if an individual is offended, he is to inform the offender in an appropriate manner. The fourth rule is for the purpose of setting boundaries in an atmosphere that encourages open discussion. It states that consequences will be given for any extremely poor behavior.

The main goal of Y.M.G. is to educate young men in how to resolve conflicts that may have occurred in their lives by assisting them in the development of their cognitive skills. The final outcome is the development and implementation of appropriate, socially acceptable behavior. Strategies are conveyed by clients in how to overcome certain problems then the pros and cons of their suggestions are discussed. Their perceptions, thoughts, and feelings regarding the various topics are challenged, while staff and their peers guide each male client to a more favorable outcome for every scenario given. Although this may lead to some heated debate, the group is constantly reminded that everyone’s best interest is the foremost concern. Not only do these conversations help the individuals with the problem but also educate the clients about this persons contrasting background. Everyone’s opinion is welcomed and encouraged.

The Mary Davis Home offers Girls’ Group to all female clients at the facility in order to address issues central to female adolescents. Our clients range in age from 10 to 16 years and come from diverse backgrounds, allowing for a wide range of opinions to be expressed when talking about certain topics. The group is under the supervision of two female counselors who both present the information and steer the conversation to a positive conclusion, stressing the impact each topic has on females in our society. The group meets on a weekly basis and the length of each meeting is determined by the group itself, not to exceed one to one and a half hours.

Our first goal for this group is to be a resource by educating females on topics such as violence, rape, relationships, jobs, etc. We ask of the girls that they share their opinions but do so in a manner that is not offensive to the other females present. It is made clear to everyone that using this chance to speak out as a means to take a quick “jab” at a peer who they are having trouble with will not be tolerated. Disagreements are acceptable but it is expected they be handled in a mature manner. The second goal for this group is to tie the topic in with their home environment so each girl can see the connection to where it is she came from. We locate information centers and resources in the girls’ home town or counties to make them aware of where to get help while at home if something should happen. When possible, we also offer them information of organizations that support positive choices for girls so they can find the support necessary to make better choices for themselves.

The information for each topic is presented in numerous styles: Skits, films, statistics, charts, etc. During the discussion or question/answer session of each meeting, the girls are allowed to “sound off” and express how they feel but must be respectful of the others in the group. This is one important aspect of this group. The second is these female clients learn each other’s boundaries, and have to be mindful of others thoughts and opinions, which is an important skill to develop. They also have the time to develop their listening and observation skills which can help them avoid possible problems with what they say of their opinion when discussing these topics. If some clients are willing to share personal experiences they are allowed and hopefully, by showing the girls that it can affect them on a personal level, they will come to understand the idea of empathy.

In almost every session, we discuss self respect and self-evaluation. We also address how some of the choices they have made in the past are not being respectful to themselves. We encourage the ladies to be open and honest, but participation is not mandatory. It is not easy for them to open up and share. They are often shy at first, but once we hit a topic they feel strongly about, conversation flows freely. In this forum, they have the opportunity to learn from one another.

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In the fall of 2005, spring of 2006, the Mary Davis Home will have created and begun a Home Economics Class (HEC). Whether it is the fault of their home life or their own choosing, our clients do not have the skills to meet such basic needs as feeding themselves nutritiously. Many will find themselves, for one reason or another, cooking for their families if not for themselves. Quite possibly, some of our clients will be living on their own shortly after being released from the program. This class was made for these clients. In addition to learning how to cook, we will have classes on budgeting, cleanliness and organization of their surroundings, and how to shop.

The counselors assigned to the HEC will teach clients the basic skills of cooking a meal. We will start small, by teaching them the difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon, how to read a measuring cup, and how to read a recipe. Various menu items will be made by the clients: hamburgers, meatloaf, spaghetti, chicken and rice, and Chili. Clients will be allowed to choose not only the main meal they will prepare but the dessert as well. By giving them the opportunity to create these meals, we hope they become more self-reliant and begin to understand the positive control they have on their own life, those around them, and what it is they put in their bodies.

Counselors will examine the steps to be considered when deciding on a menu. Two of the ideas that will be examined are how to establish a budget and how to follow it. Advertisements from local stores will be brought in, and clients will be given assignments to set a budget according to the meal they have planned and to what is advertised in those ads. Depending on the phase and the project, clients may be taken to those stores and actually purchase those items. Once higher phases, program clients will be responsible for making those snacks. Passage from one phase to another will not be based on the outcome of the meal but the effort put into making it. To further expand on this idea of budgeting and making a meal, there has been talk of creating a “mock” restaurant, “The Mary D. Café”! High phases will be the cooks, with lower phases acting as hosts, waiters and busing the tables.

The HEC will show clients how to do laundry and how to purchase clothes on a budget. Our clients are focused on “looking good” which is positive thing; however, they believe that means spending large amounts of money. Through assignments, trips to the store, and group discussions, they will be shown that one does not need to spend a lot of money to look their best.

The Mary Davis Home Social Skills Group was formulated to teach positive social behavior. The clients who are detained with us come from diverse backgrounds and function at different levels. For one reason or another, they have not been raised in an environment that promotes socially acceptable behavior. Due to this, activities that people may find quite easy (introducing one self, shaking hands) can seem quite awkward or impossible to those who have yet to acquire these skills.

The Social Skills Group focuses on different skills, all of which can be used in a social setting. Teaching Social Skills to Youth, a book published by the Boys Town Press, will be the basis of this class. Other topics and skills will be brought in through outside resources and will be addressed through this group setting. Our clients will be given scenarios and be asked to note the specific skills needed to make the situation a positive one as well as identify the lapses in judgment by the individuals in the situation. As individuals, our clients work at different levels, and the instructors will take that into consideration when conducting the class. Furthermore, for those clients who are in greater need of strengthening a particular skill, it can be done so through individual counseling.

The curriculum used has broken down skills into four distinct categories: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, and Complex. The class will begin by examining such skills as proper eye contact, appropriate physical distance, showing respect, and disagreeing appropriately. At the next level, they will learn how to be both accepting and giving of a compliment, how to make an apology, and how to stay on task. When moving on to the Advanced level, they will be introduced to skills such as accepting defeat or loss, choosing appropriate friends, dealing with rejection, and coping with aggression and anger from others. In the final and most complex level of the curriculum, they will be taught how to accept themselves, ask for advice appropriately, set goals, and learn how to be patient. With classes, homework, individualized counseling, and additional group sessions, we feel our clients can be introduced to the necessary skills, at a steady pace, to become successful.

In the hope they will one day begin to make better choices and better their lives, we also examine the importance of both recognizing and maintaining a positive relationship. We stress such a relationship is built through hard, on-going work, trust, and the continued pursuit to strengthen the positive in their own lives and those around them. By their own choosing, our clients have created for themselves a life that will eventually lead to incarceration in an adult facility. Through this group, as in the others offered, we will introduce to them the skills needed to build a positive, goal oriented life so they may find the full potential we see in them.