Training for democratic therapeutic community practitioners, and workers in therapeutic and enabling environments

Abstract

Purpose Training in therapeutic community and related approaches has not been widely available, and there is debate about the form this should take. This has had a negative impact on the field. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach The authors consider the history of training in democratic therapeutic community methods in the UK in particular, and trace some of the reasons for its lack of development. Findings With the expansion of TC methodology into new areas, such as therapeutic and enabling environments, the ability to provide training in DTC approaches and techniques is increasingly important. The developing evidence base, and the increasing detail in which the method has been described, make dedicated TC training increasingly important. Originality/value Training in therapeutic community methods, and enabling and therapeutic environment approaches, provides a grounding in technique and theory that would otherwise be impossible to acquire for most workers, and can lead to a general increase in the level of competence and confidence in the way these environments operate.