CHAPTER 3

COMPONENTS OF BJMP
THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY
MODALITY PROGRAM
 COMPONENTS OF THERAPEUTIC
COMMUNITY MODALITY PROGRAM

The Therapeutic Community Modality Program of BJMP has four

interconnected development aspects: Behavior Management;
Emotional and Psychological; Intellectual and Spiritual; and
Vocational and Survival Skills. They are special areas of concern
in the individual’s personality. Each component has very discrete
sets of activities, methodologies and philosophies and underlying
theories that help promote change in the members of the
community and the use of various behavior shaping tools are
inter connected/interrelated with one another
 Behavior Management
Aspect in TCMP
Behavior management refers to a class of therapeutic
techniques for altering behavior by changing one or more
aspects of an individual’s environment. It means any
intervention or treatment that utilizes positive reinforcement
and/or restriction to help an individual receiving services to
develop and/or strengthen recovery. oriented behaviors and
to address and correct treatment targeted behaviors
The aspects that are changed are those believed to contribute most significantly to
the occurrence or maintenance of behaviors that are problematic for the individual
himself/herself or for other individuals in the environment. Environmental changes
are also made for the purpose of increasing positive behaviors that are considered
desirable or adaptive

The Behavior Management is a component of Therapeutic Community

Modality Program (TCMP) that introduces the concept and mechanics of the
various shaping tools in order to facilitate the management of and shape the
behavior of the residents. Theses behavior shaping tools provide the community
common language, increase cohesiveness and adapt to the moral and behavioral
code of the tools application. They are also ordered in hierarchy to provide enough
room for personal growth and learning. The community serves as a dynamic force
that motivates the individual to achieve positive behavior change.
OBJECTIVE OF BEHAVIOR
MANAGEMENT IN TCMP
The following are the objectives of behavior management in Therapeutic
Community Model

1.To introduce the concept of behavior management through the use of

various behavior shaping tools to residents;
2.To institutionalize the practice of behavior shaping tools to foster
behavior change among residents; and
3.To highlight the importance of behavior management in relation to th
other TCMP components towards attitudinal change among residents.
INDICATORS OF BEHAVIIOR
MANAGEMENT IN TCMP
Through its objectives the following are indicators of an effective
behavior management in Therapeutic Community Model
1. Residents will understand the different Behavior Shaping Tools
and practice them as part of their daily living;
2. Residents will utilize the different behavior shaping tools in
promoting change within themselves and others;
3. Residents will display improvement in demeanor,
communication and social skills; and
4. Residents will understand the relevance of the different tools
in the attainment of behavioral change.
BEHAVIOR SHAPING TOOLS
Behavior Shaping tools (BST) are employed to
strengthen the learning process and the practice of more
adaptive behaviors within then social learning environment.
The following are the behavior shaping tools of the
Therapeutic Community Model Program of the BJMP
• Pre Morning Meeting- it is done early in the morning
prior to the Morning Meeting. This is to make sure that
everything is ironed out prior to the conduct of the
Morning Meeting such as the validation of pull-ups and
other concerns
Morning Meeting- It is a daily ritual that starts the day in a Therapeutic
Community facility. It is attended by the whole community and last for an hour.
It is divided into two (2) parts namely: 1) public announcements and
community concerns and 2) community-spirit building or up rituals

Major Behavior Shaping Tools- they were developed as a means to correct

behaviors of the residents that violated the TC norms. They are:
• Talk to- It is a friendly reminder given by a Superior member and a peer to
a young member conducted in a private and formal manner
• Pull Up- It encourages honesty, demeanor awareness and owning up to
one’s mistakes. This is done when the violator is unknown and must be
validated first prior to bringing up in the Morning Meeting.
• Dealt with- It is a form of verbal reprimand given privately by a Senior
member and two peers for a recurrent behavior.
• Haircut- It it a ritualistic and highly structures verbal reprimand that is
delivered by staff or peers
• Learning Experience/ Bans- It is a form of restitution for persistent non
compliance with community expectations. It is geared towards achieving
a target behavior or attitude. Bans are containment actions that limit
certain privileges to all or portions of the community for major
breakdowns in house structures
• General Meeting- It is called and led by a senior member of the staff,
usually the Director of the facility to deal with a repeated breach to the
Cardinal Rules
• Expulsion- It is done when a resident is incorrigible and becomes a
threat to the community
THE PRE MORNING AND
MORNING MEETING
Pre Morning Meeting is done early in the morning prior to
the Morning Meeting. Senior members of the community
will meet for about fifteen (15) minutes to discuss the
following :
• The attitude of the house the previous day;
• Formulation of solutions to the concerns discussed and
to be executed during the day;
• The activities to be engaged in the Morning Meeting
• The theme or concept of the day; and
Morning meeting is a daily ritual that starts the day in a TC facility.
It is attended by the whole community and lasts for an hour. It
commence with the Opening Prayer, Singing of the Philippine National
Anthem and the recitation of the TC Philosophy. It is usually facilitated
by any member of the community. It is divided into two (2) parts
namely:
1. Public Announcements and Community Concerns
The first part of the meeting consist of public announcements
regarding important activities or businesses and other information
that the community needs to know. It is a review of how the
community performed in the previous days and checks on the
behavior of erring members through the conduct of “pull-ups”.
The pull-ups is followed by affirmations of good deeds display of
responsible concern towards peers or unselfish acts of some
residents. This is to show that good deeds are not left unnoticed
and leave a feeling of self-worth to those concerned

This is where the concept of the day and the verse of the day
being discussed and shared.

2. Community-Spirit Building or Up Rituals.

The second part of the meeting consists of entertaining
presentations to lighten up the mood and start the day on a
positive note. It somehow develops some talents and sheds off
inhibitions of participants.
 STRUCTURE OF THE MORNING
MEETING
1. Community Announcements and Concerns
• Opening Prayer Ecumenical)
• Singing of the Philippine National Anthem (Flag must be displayed)
• TC Philosophy (Adopted translation)
• Announcements
• Staff (Director, Asst. Director, Counselor and other personnel)
• Residents (Coordinators, Department Heads, Expediters)
• Report on Dorm Inspection by Chief Expediter
• Community Concerns
• Pull-ups/ elaboration
• Affirmations
• Concept of the Day
2. Community-Spirit Building or Up Rituals
• News casting (Local, National, International, Sports and
Weather News)
• Entertainment (Choose either Song, Dance, Skit, Humorous
Story
• Community Singing (Any song that has relations to the
Concept of the Day)
• Greetings
Hierarchy of Behavior Shaping Tools

Expulsion
General Meeting
Learning Experience

Haircut
Deal With
Pull Up
Talk To
The Hierarchy of Behavior Shaping Tools will
serve as a guide to determine which of the tools
are appropriate to be used based on the severity of
the infraction or violations committed by the
residents against the TC Rules. It is important to
note that the severity of the behavior will
determine the level of intervention/tool used. The
higher the level of intervention the less frequently
that intervention is used.
First Level Talk to
• It is an outright correction done by any member of the TC community to another
member who has done a minor infraction but is not aware of it.
• It is a friend reminder/advice about unacceptable behavior and must be done
privately
• During a “Talk to”, the resident is made aware of his/her negative behavior and the
result it may have on others and the environment.
• The feedback given to the resident who committed a mistakes is done in a positive
way. Level: Pull Up
Second
• A Pull-Up is done as a result of lack, missed or lapses in awareness in a resident
• All the members of the community are responsible to pull-up minor infraction done
by peers
• It encourages honesty, demeanor awareness and owning up to one’s mistakes
• This is done when the violator is unkown and must be validated first prior to brining
up in the Morning Meeting
• The resident receiving the pull-up is expected to listen without saying a word ,
assume that it is valid, quickly display the corrected behavior and express gratitude
in receiving
• After one member did the pull-up, other residents who want to show concern can
make elaborations to give emphasis to the infractions and concretize the
admonitions that need to be relayed to the violator. Two to three elaborations are
ideal.
• In the wherein no on stood and owned up to a negative behavior raised in the pull-
up, the resident doing the Pull-Up will narrow down the Pull-Up to make it clear and
specific, stating the place and time of the occurrence.
Third Level: Deal With
• Dealt With is done when negative behaviors or infractions to the House Rules/Norms
are done for the second time of the same offense by a resident.
• A panel of three (3) composed of a senior resident, peer and a friend are tasked to
deliver a serious stern reprimand to the subject resident.
• Although the tool does not strictly require the presence of a staff, to attain its
purpose, the staff should monitor its conduct to ensure that the panel assigned to
the task really acted appropriately. It is done privately in a room or an area with no
one else hearing the conversation.
Fourth Level: Haircut
• Haircut is done when negative behaviors or infractions to the House Rules/Norms in
the same offense are done for the third time or more or for first time grave
offenses.
• It is a carefully planned and structured verbal reprimanded given by a staff with four
other residents - Senior Resident, Peer, Big Brother, and Department Head.
• The tone is more serious and can be loud, more harsh and exaggerated; in order to
induce anxiety and eventually change the person’s behavior
• Before the group calls in the person, they will discuss among themselves the order
 • The residents is then called inside and waits until he is asked to sit. He will be asked
if he knows the reasons for his appearance.
• After the person’s response, he will be asked to sit and remain silent to enable
him/her to absorb all the advice.
• The haircut gives emphasis on the behavior of the resident and the severity of the
haircut should be appropriate to the gravity of the offense
Fifth Level: Learning Experience
• A Learning Experience (LE) is an action or activity given to a resident who was
subjected to Haircut or General Meeting who did an infraction to correct or modify a
behavior.
• It may be task-oriented, written task or peer interactions.
• Its intent is not to stigmatize the person but to motivate him to make restitution for
the wrong doings he committed and redeem himself in the community. This will
develop a sense of responsibility on him while stressing his inadequacies.
• It should be realistic and humane.
• Close supervision with clear goals increase the effectiveness of the sanction.
• Upon lifting the LE after seven (7) days, the resident subjected to the tool will be
accorded with a Senior Resident coming from his/her Static Group who will provide
Categories of Learning Experience are:
Task Oriented LE
• Pots and Pans
• Grounds and Landscaping
• Cleaning and Maintenance
• Time keeping (wake up calls, lights out calls
Written tasks
• Composition or Essay
• Reproduction of TCMP Materials
Peer Interaction
• Reading and reporting of topic
• Announcements (Morning Meeting or House Meeting
• Bans
Sixth Level: General Meeting
• A repeated breach to the Cardinal Rules necessitates a General Meeting
• The issue is discussed with the community to point out to the violator the negative
effect the behavior had on the community
• The offenses included sexual acting-out with a fellow resident taking drugs and
engaging in physical fight with another resident. Other facilities include stealing or even
smoking as part of the Cardinal Rules
Procedure in a General Meeting:
• A General Meeting is called and led by a senior member of the staff, usually the Director of the
facility. The extent of the problem is assessed to determine who among the community
members are involved in the incident. Those guilty of the offense are asked to sit in a prospect
chair. This is to arouse anxiety and dissonance.
• The Director sets the tone of the meeting and leads the community in an open expression of
options and feelings regarding the offense brought out into the community. He holds the
community accountable for the slip of its members as each is considered his “brother’s keeper”.
The director opens the floor for feedback, inviting the community for self-reflection and
accountability.
• As soon as the mood is set and the level of awareness of the community is raised, the leader
calls for the violators to face the entire community. The leader encourages the community to
express their feelings about the offense committed by the violators.
• After some members of the community have expressed their feelings, it is time for the violators
to account for what they did, share their deepest feelings and verbalize what they learned from
the mistake.
• After the violators made their statements and offer commitments, the Director will mark the
closure of the issue and allow for processing of the events that transpired and provide
appropriate emotional support to the violators who have just been subjected to intense
emotional experience
• The resident receiving the pull-up is expected to listen without saying a word ,
assume that it is valid, quickly display the corrected behavior and express gratitude
in receiving
• After one member did the pull-up, other residents who want to show concern can
make elaborations to give emphasis to the infractions and concretize the
admonitions that need to be relayed to the violator. Two to three elaborations are
ideal.
• In the wherein no on stood and owned up to a negative behavior raised in the pull-
up, the resident doing the Pull-Up will narrow down the Pull-Up to make it clear and
specific, stating the place and time of the occurrence.
Last Level: Expulsion
• In extreme cases, when a resident is incorrigible and becomes a threat to the
community (instigator, initiator of jail disturbances), the Director with the
recommendation if Disciplinary Board may transfer him/her to the nearest jail
facility with an appropriate Court Order.

Emotional and Psychological Aspect of Therapeutic Community

Persons deprived of liberty are basically psychologically and emotionally challenged.

Being incarcerated with uncertainties as to the outcome of their individual cases make
them feel isolated, helpless and at times hopeless brought by separation from their
loved ones and society in general and all other issues that confront them while
incarcerated. These emotional turmoil needs to be addressed to help them bounce
back and experience life of normalcy despite their unique situation. TCMP provides
therapeutic value of processing of feelings which does not only lie on how freely one
expresses them but more
so on the person;s ability to identify, acknowledge, and express them appropriately.
What is Counseling?

Counseling is defined as a professional activity of

helping individuals, group or communities enhance
or restore their capacity for psychological,
emotional and social functioning and creating an
environment favorable for the attainment of these
goals.
Skills and Characteristics of Counseling
According to the BJMP Therapeutic Community
Model Program Manual, the skill and characteristics
of counseling used on TCMP are:
1. Empathy
This refers to the ability to perceive the client’s
feelings and to demonstrate accurate perception of
the client. It is “putting oneself in the client’s
shoes”, When the client feels understood, a sense
of trust or “rapport” is developed. Rapport paves
the wat to a more meaningful communication and
may enable the client to understand and accept
more of his or her complexity of feelings
2. Warmth
It is known as unconditional positive regard. It involves accepting and
caring about the client as a person, regardless of any evaluation or
prejudices on the client’s behavior or thoughts. It is most often
conveyed through our non-verbal behavior or bodily gestures

3. Respect
It refers to the belief in the client’s ability to make appropriate decisions
and deal appropriately with his or her life situation, when given a safe
and supportive environment in which to do so. It is often shown best by
not offering advice or cheap comfort. The counselor shows his utmost
respect to the client by listening in silence and giving him the
opportunity to design his own solutions to the problem. A similar term
for this empowerment as the counselor likewise demonstrate that he
values the integrity of the client
4. Congruence
Also known as genuineness. It includes the act of being honest and authentic in
dealing with the client. It is showing real concern rather than focusing on
techniques during sessions. It is also being aware of the counselor’s own unmet
needs and how it may affect his relationship with the client

6. Confidentiality
It means that anything discussed during counseling sessions is held absolutely
private and not to be discussed anywhere. This contract should be help sacred so
as to maintain the client’s trust and enable him to disclose of confidentiality.
When to break Confidentiality?
• Children are being neglected or abused
• Appearance in court as a witness
• Client expressed plan to commit suicide
• Client expressed plan to harm others
Pattern of Counseling Session Here is the pattern of counseling
sessions implemented in the TCMP of the BJMP.
I. Introduction: First 10 minutes
• Greet the client warmly.
• Smile and shake hands.
• Escort to the counseling room.
• Explain how the session is going to be alleviate fears.
• This is the time to develop rapport.
• Assure clients of confidentiality.
II. Information gathering: About 20 minutes
• Know the reason for consultation.
• Clients can start anywhere.
• Counselors may take notes.
• Client needs to do almost all of the talking.
• Counselors may as open question or use techniques like
clarifying, rephrasing, focusing, reflecting, reality testing, etc.
III. Discussion/Counselor Input:
• Counselor tells the client what he thinks the client is saying.
• Counselor develops a list of concerns.
• Client would concur or not to the counselor’s understanding
• Prioritize problems and which one to work on first.
• Clients will provide plans of action to work on specific problems.
• Counselors will assist in mapping out plans.
IV. Conclusion:
• Motivate the client that “he can do it”. If not, he may need to
be referred to a professional.
• Brief client on what to expect the next session (progress based
on plan of action).
• End session on a positive note.
• Client should be able to list down things that he has to look
forward to over the next few days. If not, this is a red flag for