Information for people seeking a place in
a Therapeutic Community in the UK
Therapeutic Communities (TCs) are group-based treatment programmes which first came to prominence during the Second World War, when the term "therapeutic community" was coined in Britain. The principles and practice are in fact older, and considerable experience around the world has shown that they can be effective for a wide range of social and mental health problems.
Today, therapeutic communities exist in a variety of settings, such as the National Health Service, the educational and criminal justice systems, and the voluntary sector. They are tailored to different people's needs, and the commonest types are
Therapeutic communities are not a widely available resource, nor would they be the treatment of choice for every individual. Furthermore, placements in TCs are sometimes not supported by the statutory authorities such as Health, Social Services and Education. Despite the depth of experience behind therapeutic community theory and practice, there has been relatively little scientific research conducted to prove that therapeutic communities "work", although this is gradually changing.
TCs offer care that is based on establishing a supportive (and often challenging) network of relationships. Their way of working is based on fundamental principles such as empowerment, democratic dialogue, social inclusion and establishing a safe environment.
The Association of Therapeutic Communities (ATC) is not an organisation that can accept or help with referrals to specific communities. Rather, it is a charity which has been set up to encourage high standards, establish and promote teaching and research, and promote a therapeutic community way of working more generally. However, we do keep a list of organisational members of our Association, and this is available on the website. At present these members are not formally checked or screened by us, so membership as such should not be taken to imply that we recommend them, or guarantee specific levels of quality in the way they practice.
However, if - having checked the resources available on this and other therapeutic community-related sites - you think that TC treatment might be right for you or someone you know, contacting one or more of the TCs listed on our website might be a good starting point. They might be able to help you on the phone ( letting you know about any age or geographical restrictions, for example), and most will be willing to send you some sort of brochure or leaflet.
You should be aware that joining a TC can be quite a long process, and not many of them allow self-referrals: you will probably need to undergo an assessment and referral process. Your GP might be able to do this, although it is still only a minority of GPs who will already know about TCs. You could ask for referral from your GP to the local NHS Consultant Psychotherapist, although not all areas of the country have one; sometimes psychiatrists will take this role.
If you are refused funding and have professionals willing to support you, we may be able to help the professionals to argue the case. In this case, ask them to contact ATC: unfortunately we're not resourced or equipped to deal directly with people needing TCs themselves.
To contact the ATC, email: post@therapeuticcommunities.org
Thankyou!
PLANNED ENVIRONMENT THERAPY TRUST |
ATC HOMEPAGE
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CHARTERHOUSE GROUP OF THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITIES |
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This page is hosted and maintained on behalf of
the ATC by
The Planned
Environment Therapy Trust
"Supporting, promoting, recording
and valuing therapeutic work in caring and healing
environments/communities/institutions...".