JAMPOLSKY OUTREACH FOUNDATION

The Centers for Attitudinal Healing utilize the peer support approach in the Attitudinal Healing Support Group. This means we rely on the extraordinary strength of ordinary people to help one another. We utilized support groups and peer counseling to deliver direct services to our clients. Volunteers undergo many hours of training, screening and mentoring. The Guidelines for Groups serve to build psychological and social safety in this non-confrontational process. The guidelines provide the approach to self-exploration in a very dynamic learning process.

There is a synergy at work in the Attitudinal Healing Support Groups. One person's breakthrough can lead to breakthrough for others. The peace of mind attained by one who is further down the path can be the model for others, giving them hope and sparking their resolve to heal their fear. As the group develops and progresses, participants experience a deep sense of connection with each other. Out of their own giving and receiving, they grow together to become a powerful source of support.

In this experiential session, participants become familiar with the history and philosophy of the Attitudinal Healing Peer Support Model., as well as the structure of an AH support group. Through participation in an Attitudinal Healing peer support group, they have the opportunity to practice and receive feedback on the use of peer support skills, including empathic listening, emotional self-awareness and reflective communication.

Provide trainings, mentoring, and support for existing as well as emerging independent Centers for Attitudinal Healing around the world.

AHI offers Introduction to Attitudinal Healing workshops on-line and on-site in communities throughout the world. The introductory workshop provides an overview and history of Attitudinal Healing and introduces the Principles and Guidelines of Attitudinal Healing. Participants explore together the personal application of the Principles through interactive exercises and discussion.

AH has provided educational programs, support services and tools for self-awareness to thousands of adults, adolescents, and children in diverse cultures throughout the world, empowering them to find resilience and inner peace during challenging times. Ultimately, attitude determines the quality of our inner experience, regardless of what is happening externally. The goal of AH is not to change behavior, but to retrain and refocus the most powerful instrument of change we possess --- our own mind.

Participants of this unique course have the opportunity to explore the meaning of “Being In Service” within the framework of Attitudinal Healing. In the AH environment, the primary commitment is always to our own inner peace, and to supporting others to find their own peace of mind.

Participants expand their awareness of how their own choices, attitudes, feelings and behaviors affect their experience of serving others, and impact those they serve. Through interactive exercises and discussion, participants investigate the influence of unexpressed expectations and choice in the service relationship; and practice empathic listening and effective communication techniques.

These highly experiential workshops include in-depth explanations of the roles and responsibilities of the Attitudinal Healing group facilitator, and how this role differs from psychotherapy. Participants learn and practice skills necessary for creating and maintaining a safe group climate and introducing AH to new group members. They learn to identify the stages of group development, and the components of the AH peer group support model. Each participant has the opportunity to facilitate a support group and to receive constructive feedback on skills such as facilitative questions, validation and compassionate intervention.

In these courses, participants identify and examine issues related to various types of loss that commonly arise in Attitudinal Healing support groups including divorce, job loss, empty nest syndrome, and aging (death and bereavement are addressed in other workshops). Stages of the mourning process and subjective grieving styles are addressed. Other topics include aspects of self-care, managing strong emotions, dealing with family dynamics and creating rituals to assist in letting go.

In this beginning level course, participants learn how bereavement is different from other forms of loss and examine the various issues that arise with respect to different forms of death. Cultural attitudes about bereavement are explored and participants learn how to identify anxiety and stress symptoms in the bereaved person.

This insightful intermediate course familiarizes participants with common attitudes, feelings and religious/spiritual beliefs around death and dying, enabling them to be present with others during life’s greatest transition. In addition, participants are invited to deepen their awareness of their personal attitudes and feelings about death and the dying process.

Through role-play, experiential exercises and discussion, participants explore the different stages of death and dying from the Attitudinal Healing perspective. They also learn to address practical issues that relate to the final stages of life along with how Attitudinal Healing Principles can empower those who are facing life-threatening illness and death.

In this highly informative intermediate level course participants learn how to apply Attitudinal Healing Principles when working with families in crisis. Recognizing differing perspectives, the interrelationships of family members, the nature of family hierarchies and their impact on decision-making around dying are discussed. The importance of identifying cultural contexts for family life events is also addressed. Through role-play and sharing of personal stories, participants develop practical skills for working effectively with various coping styles within a family unit.

In this intermediate course, participants learn how the Attitudinal Healing model applies to working with children and youth. Supporting children through major life issues with positive step-by-step approaches based on The Principles of Attitudinal Healing is a primary focus of the workshop. Participants work together, finding creative ways to utilize a collection of tools that encourage greater connection and self-expression.

In these intermediate Attitudinal Healing courses, facilitators, teachers and mental health professionals in all fields learn to use the Attitudinal Healing “Power to Choose” curriculum to support students both in school and after school in making healthy and positive choices in their everyday lives. The curriculum provides an array of tools to enhance the students’ decision making process, encourage self-awareness, strengthen self-confidence and cultivate resilience.