Patterns, Principles, and Life Skills

Patterns, Principles & Life Skills is the new curriculum written by the Acres of Hope staff. This curriculum came about as the result of an annual evaluation conducted by Acres of Hope of all various program elements. In early 2009, participants of this evaluation consisted of past and current residents, staff and board members. Discussions during this evaluation considered various elements of the current program, curriculum, and courses to determine which are most effective. Input from past residents provided the opportunity to evaluate elements that are most used in “real life” after leaving Acres of Hope as well as discuss elements that may not have been addressed during the resident’s stay or might be addressed more effectively. The outcome of the meetings resulted in an internally designed curriculum entitled Patterns, Principles & Life Skills.

PATTERNS is the acronym for various areas of self-care which include the following:

P – Physical Health
A – Avoiding Mood Altering Substances
T – Thoughts and Emotions
T – Time Management
E – Exercise
R – Rest and Relaxation
N – Nutrition
S – Sleep Patterns

PATTERNS are evaluated by residents on a weekly basis and are expected to be addressed to provide the ability to incorporate all other elements of the program. Without the PATTERNS securely in place, individuals will struggle in their effort to move forward in any area of life.

Principles

Eight Principles were identified during the planning process that encompasses all courses taught by Acres of Hope and include the following:

Thought & Emotion Regulation
Thoughts and emotions are clues to belief systems that drive behaviors.

Sowing & Reaping
Every action/decision results in an outcome. Even not making a decision is a decision.

God-Centered Living
Living for something bigger than ourselves or within our self-will.

Willingness
Change will never occur without willingness.

Relationships
We are designed to be in relationships, yet it is relationships that we fear and must build skills in.

Identity
Who we are depends upon where we obtain our identity.

Character
Our values and morals are on display through our character and have a direct impact on our life skills.

Vision
People perish without vision. Having hope in our future is critical for personal growth.

During the evaluation process, the team set out to determine given principles that would become the structure of the classes. The goal was to identify principles that are ‘non-negotiable’ in the same way that gravity is non-negotiable. They were to be principles that everyone contends with regardless of their faith, lifestyle or family background. The principles are foundational concepts necessary to sustain life skills. Every topic identified as ‘effective’ by the team became a sub-topic of the adopted principles. An example is that boundaries, conflict resolution, communication styles and more are covered within the Relationships principle. All classes comprise one year in course work with classes taught daily. Two principles are taught at any one time until a level of mastery is obtained. Pre & post assessments determine areas of struggle and emphasis. Each week a lesson within a principle is introduced with “I will” commitments set as goals to address areas of struggle. Certificates of completion are provided for course completion. Certificates of achievement are provided for course mastery and adoption of principles in daily living.

Life Skills

Life Skills are modules that are completed on an individual basis. This allows participants to go at their own pace as well as focus upon areas that are most applicable. Each life skills module consists of a beginning, intermediate and advanced course. Modules are reviewed with mentors or other individuals within the participant’s support system as well as in weekly case management.
The establishment of life skills modules was important because of the wide range of life experience among participants. One individual may need to focus on parenting skills at a very basic level while another is strong in parenting skills but lacks financial management skills. Modules address the issue of one person becoming bored within a class or another falling behind the other participants.
Life skills cover all 25 measurable areas in the resident’s Individual Family Plan (IFP). To learn more about these areas please see the “Measurable Outcomes” page on our website. You can learn the areas that are addressed, how the tool is implemented and its expected outcome. Classes are conducted on a semester basis with four semesters per year. Each semester begins with an assessment of skill level within the area being addressed. Overall goals are established and weekly ‘I will’ commitments serve as steps to achieve the overall goals. Goals are documented in a success binder that can be used for review and/or evaluation throughout the program. The binder documents successes and provides needed inspiration in difficult times as participants can look back at all accomplished goals.
Completion of each semester includes a staff evaluation, a peer evaluation and a self-evaluation to determine the level of mastery. This 360 degree evaluation provides valuable feedback to participants as well as validation of effort – or lack thereof. It also provides immediate feedback to the effectiveness of the courses for staff.