Wright School at Durham

I had the opportunity to visit the Wright School at Durham. Wright School is a child mental health treatment program, one of the original demonstration sites for “Project ReED,”. Re-ED is an acronym for the Re-Education of Emotionally Disturbed Children and builds on positive concepts of normalcy and health rather than deviance and illness. The Re-ED approach is grounded in educational, psychological, and ecological principles. Nicholas Hobbs had been impressed by the "educateur" of Europe and Canada, and his approach blended elements of education, child care, and treatment into the profession of "teacher-counselor." These professionals are trained to build competence and restorative relationships in schools and residential settings, and they work closely with families and communities. Hobbs believed that children "have a tremendous desire to learn and to do well; that destructive and self-defeating behavior must be faced; that young people can help each other sort things out and arrive at good choices; that the world is rich in things to learn; that life is to be savored at each moment; and that decent, caring adults are absolutely essential in the lives of children if these children are to grow up strong in body, quick of mind, generous in spirit."

Click here for a guided tour of the Wright School at Durham.
“Creative people can revert to simpler ways of experiencing, to fresher ways of perceiving. They can throw away the common templates that are used to order the world and confidently seek simpler, newer ones.” Nicholas Hobbs (1960)

WakeMed Children's Hospital

Has part of the Children Development and Assessment course I had the opportunity to visit the WakeMed Children's Hospital in Raleigh, NC. Our visit was guided by the Clinical Psychologist Melissa Johnson, Ph.D. A great opportunity to get to know the important role psychologists have on Hospital environments in health promotion and recovery. Working with children and their families and also making links with social and educational settings.

Click here for some guided tours of the Wakemed Hospital in Raleigh.

Center for Discovery

“The Center for Discovery is inspired by people with disabilities to evolve new options for living. It offers individuals with a range of disabilities and medical frailties - and their families -innovative educational, clinical, residential and social and creative arts experiences designed to enrich their lives through personal accomplishment.”

I was at the Center for Discovery on the past few days with professor Rune Simenonsson. I had the opportunity to meet and talk with Patrick Dollard, a man with a ‘great spirit’ and vision. I visited the Center and the services they provide and I also had the opportunity to work with some of the staff on some research projects they are implementing. Click here for more information on the Center for Discovery.

Memorial Hall

The UNC is a vibrant place of cultural and artistic experiences. In 1883, when lack of space in Gerrard Hall prevented adequate seating for commencement, plans were drawn to build a larger building that would serve as a memorial to David Lowry Swain (former North Carolina governor and past president of the University of North Carolina). And the Memorial Hall was built. Click here for information on the Memorial Hall.

Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to see Sutra. It is a show with Shaolin monks. After the show the Shaolin monk leader and the choreographer answered questions from the audience. What a wonderful experience! Today I'm flying to New York to visit the Center for Discovery. Looking foward for that now.