Transcript of Introduction
Dr. J. Stuart Ablon: Many clinical programs come to us interested in implementing our Collaborative Problem Solving approach as an alternative to point and level systems or what are sometimes referred to as contingency management systems, token economy systems, things like that. These programs, whether they are short-term programs, longer-term residential programs, perhaps therapeutic schools, correctional facilities, juvenile justice programs, you name it, a lot of these programs are interested in moving away from point and level systems for a couple of reasons. First of all, they often cause more problems than they actually solve. And second of all, they really run counter to the principles of trauma-informed care. They are what I often refer to as quite trauma uninformed.
That transition away from point and level systems can be quite challenging. We have one particular organization that we were working with that was struggling with this transition. We were excited to connect them with one of our certified trainers Jerry Hartman, at The Village Network, another partner of ours, because The Village Network had just gone through this process in a very thoughtful way. We thought the questions that were posed to Jerry and the answers that he provided would be really helpful and insightful for others as they consider moving from or transitioning from a point and level system to Collaborative Problem Solving. Or, for that matter, any other model that is an alternative to point and level systems and more trauma-informed.
