The Communicator:
A newsletter of Family Nonviolence, Inc.
Volume 3, Number 10 November/December 2004

In this issue:

• It's Time To Go Upstream!
• Choosing To Change
• From The Bookshelf

It's Time To Go Upstream!

I learned a new word recently: Upstreaming. No, it does not refer to the salmon's journey or looking for pollution sources or anything to do with the Internet. It was used at a workshop on "Healthy Lifestyles Across the Lifespan" sponsored by the Greater New Bedford Health and Human Services Coalition. The word was part of a presentation by Cathy O'Connor, Director of the Office of Healthy Communities of the Department of Public Health. She quoted Sir Donald Acheson of the International Center for Health and Society of University College, London, who wrote, "Today, scientific knowledge on the social determinants of health is accumulating quickly. The need to direct our efforts there has become increasingly clear. This means 'upstreaming' public health."

When I asked her what was the derivation of the word she said that it referred to a story. I remembered that story from many years ago. It was about a village situated on a river that noticed that there were often bodies of people struggling in the river. Their concern led them to form a Life-Saving Society that was set up to rescue people in distress. After they had been doing their work of rescuing for some time, someone asked the question as to why so many people were caught in the deadly currents. They investigated and found that "upstream" there was an unsafe bridge through which people were falling. Cathy O'Connor said that the Department of Public Health is being proactive, instead of putting their efforts primarily into dealing with crises.

It is about time! Our society is learning very slowly (but at least it is learning) that it is not enough to be reactive to the major problems that we have as a society. Ms. O'Connor listed various "social determinants of health" that should be taken into consideration in order to achieve a healthy society: social gradient, stress, early life, social exclusion, work, unemployment, social support, addiction, food, and transport. These factors are far broader than solutions that involve one or two programs to deal with "disease" in society.

We might ponder these words as we confront the violence in the South End of New Bedford. Certainly the community needs to become more involved. Certainly the police need to be supported in the work they are doing. Certainly the spiritual resources of the community need to be focused on raising the sensitivity of the neighborhoods. Certainly all of us need to address the apathy that allows us to seal ourselves off from the pain and turmoil of others. No single approach or solution is enough. We must recognize that we must deal with some of the multiple factors that give rise to such random and tragic violence: unemployment, lack of adequate education, lack of programs for recreation, prejudice, poverty, family violence (partner, child, elder abuse), insensitivity on the part of many in positions of power and authority. These as well as the items listed by Cathy O'Connor need to be considered in order to address the crisis at hand and to prevent other similar crises from happening in the future. To deal with the violence is no simple matter. But it is time to go upstream!

It is important that the perpetrator of the horrible crimes be brought to justice. But when and if that happens, we cannot be content. The intervention of the criminal justice system, as important as that is, will not ensure the restoration of peace and the feeling of safety. It was that recognition that led to the founding of Family Nonviolence, Inc. We could see that the issue of family violence was far more complicated than the reactive stance of law enforcement and the courts. As Richard Davis, a member of our Board and a former lieutenant police officer, has said, "When the police are called, the damage has already been done."

It is time to go upstream!

Robert E. Heskett

Choosing To Change

The Sunday Standard Times of November 28th features an article by Steve Urbon which focuses on the changes taking place at New Bedford's Roosevelt Junior High School. When Dr. Brian Abdallah took up the reins as Principal he encountered an "atmosphere of intimidation and coercion, even physical violence." As he described the situation: "It seemed like a culture of fight or flight . . . There seemed to be no common language, no understanding of each other's needs, no way to solve problems . . . There were kids who were breaking out into major brawls in the hallway. Kids were getting into teacher's faces. Teachers were getting into kid's faces." The traditional method of suspending those who acted out resulted in the loss of three days of school for the offender and no resolution of the problem.

Rising to the challenge, Dr. Abdallah tapped into his own experience and training in Reality Therapy as developed several decades earlier by Dr. William Glasser in Chicago. At the heart of this therapy is the technique of helping the individual to take a "realistic" look at what he or she is trying to achieve and at the unsatisfactory methods used. The individual is then guided to recognize that there are other choices that can be made and that he or she has the power to choose again.

Dr. Abdallah hired Dr. Nancy Buck, a psychiatric nurse, former lecturer and teacher at the William Glasser Institute and author of the book, "Peaceful Parenting." Dr. Buck is charged with training teachers in the principles of "choice therapy." She describes the educational impasse experienced in so many school systems: "Essentially, schools operate on a philosophy of 'learn or we'll hurt you by giving you a poor grade or calling a parent and saying you're not applying yourself in school. Outside of school, the student is treated by the rest of the world as 'Do it our way or we'll hurt you.'"

Dr. Buck looks at behavior objectively, distinguishing between purposeful or effective behavior and destructive behavior, and helps the individual to work his way back through the behavior to the need or goal. Understanding what the behavior is "saying" is the key to finding a positive resolution.

The good news is that it's all working - as revealed in the changed attitudes of students and teachers and improved MCAS scores.

The lesson that needs to be learned is that we can always choose again...or anew! This applies to our individual lives, to educational systems, to corporations, to governments, international policies and...to families!

From The Bookshelf

INVISIBLE HEROES - Survivors of Trauma and How They Heal by Belleruth Naparstek, MD. "I wrote Invisible Heroes because I felt the time was right to share the exciting new breakthroughs in healing post-traumatic stress. We can now alleviate its terrible, persistent symptoms - symptoms that mimic psychotic states and make people feel crazy, even though they aren't; symptoms that demonstrate once and for all the unity of mind and body. With the help of the inspiring voices of scores of trauma survivors, I've been able to explain the true, biophysical nature of PTSD and show why imagery and working through the right brain manage to do such a good job of healing it." (Hardcover, 400 pages - Bantam Dell)