8 to great program?

[firstresponder]

ever hear of this? and what are your thoughts on it.

Omaha, NE -  Robert Hawkins clearly suffered from serious problems. He had been a ward of the state for four years.  At the age of 14, he spent time in a mental health and substance abuse facility. And, in the days leading up to the shootings he talked about "going out and shooting people in large places."

Long before and after the shootings at Von Maur, there have been stories of teens falling through the cracks. Tonight a success story. A young man once severely depressed and suicidal, now dreaming big.

A young ball player lacing up his sneakers, knowing the shoes he once walked in, were those of Robert Hawkins. "I felt some of his pain in a way because I knew what he was going through deep down, I knew," says Ryan Foster. A depressed teen, Foster skipped school only to end up in jail and even thought about killing himself. "I just figured I can't live like this everyday."      Instead Foster ended up in a psych ward for four days. It wasn't that or a cocktail of meds that got him to where he is today, instead it was words. "One of the phrases we teach in our program is that I'd rather be unlovable than invisible and if I have to be unlovable to be visible, I will be," says Life Coach, Mary Kay Mueller. Mueller believes Robert Hawkins desperately needed attention. While she never met him, she's very much a part of Foster's life. A year ago, he started her program "8 to Great". 8 steps to get you thinking positive.   Instead of the streets, Foster now spends his evenings on the court. And he's not her first success story.

The program has actually gained national attention. Schools all over, including Omaha's Parrish Alternative, are teaching it. Of course, it was an easy sell. "The first schools did not come to us, we had to bang on the door for years before the doors would open because everybody says one more thing." Mueller insists this program caught on because it's easy to follow. It basically boils down to forgiving yourself for the past and dreaming toward the future. Foster's dream, a college basketball coach. With a winning team now under his belt, he'll continue toward his goal and a future he nearly lost.

"8 to Great" is now in 11 states including 30 Nebraska schools. If you'd like info on it, we have the steps listed below and a link posted above.

The 8 High-Ways:

1. Get the Picture

2. Risk

3. Full Responsibility

4. Feel All Your Feeling

5. Honest Communication

6. Forgiveness of the Past

7. Gratitude for the Present

8. Hope for the Future

Reported by Molli Graham, mgraham@action3news.com


http://http://www.action3news.com/Global/story.asp?S=9633836

[wdtony]

Looks like somebody dropped the 7 steps and program doctrine on the floor and picked them up and rearranged them.

[firstresponder]

"It basically boils down to forgiving yourself for the past and dreaming toward the future."

is it just me or does that scram program? how long till they make it a lock down one?

[wdtony]

"It basically boils down to forgiving yourself for the past and dreaming toward the future."

is it just me or does that scram program? how long till they make it a lock down one?

That's going to be the next step for programs if the current hell holes ever do get exposed and quashed. New "kinder, gentler" program models could spring up backed by the same people and turn just as ugly as the programs we now have....eventually. So I agree with you.

I am always thrilled when a program closes, but I never assume they are gone for good. If the past is any indicator of the future these sociopaths come back with another mask claiming to be different now such as an "8 is great" program or some stupid shit. They are already, in some cases, purporting to be using methods such as MST and FFT, which can be good alternatives if they aren't used by these nazi's. Wraparound may be the next morph also, gotta keep an eye on who decides to use it (or hide behind the method). I still think it is great to fight even if you don't win and celebrate even a small victory. Programs will only win ultimately if the survivors of these programs remain silent and give up. I think the opposite is happening, albeit slowly.

Anyone claiming to have a better way should have strong scientific data, in addition to transparency of their methods by the public from day one. If it is not a voluntary therapy, open to public scrutiny or lacking scientific data, any program should be blacklisted. This one will probably end up changing it's name to "8 to STRAIGHT" and there we go again.

I share your skepticism.

[psy]

It certainly be sounds suspicious, especially considering it comes from a "Life Coach" which is basially a euphemism for "one who practices psychology without a license".  Also suspicious are the nondescript steps which really don't mean anything much on their face.

"1. Get the Picture

2. Risk

3. Full Responsibility

4. Feel All Your Feeling

5. Honest Communication

6. Forgiveness of the Past

7. Gratitude for the Present

8. Hope for the Future"

Full responsibility, for example, could mean to take fully responsbility for one's actions, or it could be the Human Potential / EST / LifeSpring version where anything that happens to a person is their responsbility... where one is responsible for anything that happens to oneself in life, including anything done to the person.  It all sounds very suspicious.