The philosophic foundation of the modern TC (therapeutic community) is personal responsibility for one’s be`1havior and the belief that change is fully possible if the individual exerts the personal effort to follow the teachings of the program. (Ries et al. 2014, 988).
TC-oriented programs have their own identities and are housed in a space or locale that is separated from other agency or institutional programs or units or generally from the drug-related environment. In residential settings, clients remain away from outside influences 24 hours a day for several months before earning the privilege of a brief visit to the outside community. In nonresidential “day treatment” settings, the individual spends 4 to 8 hours a day in the TC environment and is monitored by peers and family while outside the TC. Even in the least restrictive outpatient settings, TC-oriented programs and components are in place. This is designed to help members gradually detach from old networks and relate to the drug-free peers in the program. A Community Environment The TC environment prominently features communal spaces and collective activities. Walls carry signs declaring the philosophy of the program, the messages of right living, and recovery. Cork boards and blackboards are used to identify all participants by name, seniority level, and job function in the program. Daily schedules are posted as well. These visuals display an organizational picture of the program that the individual can relate to and comprehend, thus promoting program affiliation. Community Activities The TC philosophy holds that, to be effective, treatment and educational services must be provided within a context of the peer community. Thus, with the exception of individual counseling, all activities are programmed in collective formats. These activities include at least one daily meal prepared, served, and shared by all members; a daily schedule of groups, meetings, and seminars; jobs performed in teams; organized recreational/leisure time; and ceremonies and rituals (to mark birthdays, phase/progress graduations, and the like). (Ries et al. 2014, 991)
Ries, Richard; Miller, Shannon C.; Saitz, Richard; Fiellin, David A. (Eds.) (2014): The ASAM principles of addiction medicine. American Society of Addiction Medicine. Fifth edition. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.