Program
Program Overview
The HeartWork rehabilitation course that is offered spans over a period of 19 weeks. This means, that we can offer two consecutive courses each year. Why so long would one ask? The reason behind covering such a vast number of competencies is, that a true difference in behaviours and thinking styles can only be achieved through constant intervention over a longer period of time. The different topics are presented by various industry professional and ex-offenders that have experienced the Heart Work Course first hand, and that have lived through the personal change that they have adopted in their lives.
Each topic is presented weekly that consists of an interactive presentation, which is followed by the participants being split up into smaller groups that aid them to share their needs and understanding of the presented topic. Moreover, weekly written homework needs to be completed to motivate the participants to search their personal lives and to work on their personal development throughout the week.
Each participant is also scored on their overall involvement during the course that includes attendance, homework and overall participation. Each score is levelled against a sten-scale that represents the normal distribution in the Correctional Centers. It is therefore possible for the participants to fail the course due to their unwillingness to receive personal development and change. This is regulated by strict rules and guidelines to ensure that our report holds weight.
Topics that are covered over the 19 week period
Life Purpose - Introduction
Induction where rules, procedures, expectations are discussed.
Inter-personal Skills
Different kind of journaling aspects, journaling ideas, benefits of journaling
Being in touch with own feelings and role of feelings in behaviour.
Protect self, protect others, healthy and unhealthy boundaries.
Identify different kinds of loss, losses in prison, mourning and coping strategies.
Coping with trauma in their losses in prison, mourning and coping strategies.
Understanding origin of anger, inward and outward anger, appropriate response vs. harmful expression.
Understanding and coping with stress and anxiety.
Teaching the circle of abuse at home.
Taking personal responsibility for behaviour, distinguishing between healthy and unhealthy guilt, teaching of remorse, empathy and reconciliation management strategies.
Decision- not a feeling, pattern of behaviour, forgive others and self, asking for forgiveness.
The Enneagram is a powerful and dynamic personality system that describes nine distinct and fundamentally different patterns of thinking feeling, and acting. We use this to aid the participant to identify their individual differences, their key strengths and possible weaknesses.
Intra-personal Skills
Parenting from prison, relationship and communication to children.
Different kind of communications, value in communication.
Listening skills, de-escalating tension, responsible confrontation, personal understanding of own response.
Understanding relationship in social context.
Workplace Skills
Planned lives give purpose, control, passion, and empowerment.
Graduation
Here, a day is organized to give the participants a chance to share their personal development with their immediate family members, to ask for forgiveness, and to stand for their involvement in the crimes committed.
