Green Care: A Conceptual Framework - Frisk i naturen

Main described the crucial importance of a “culture of enquiry” in which
everything that happens within the community – from behaviour, to
management matters, to emotional experiences – is always open to scrutiny
and question by any of the members in the community (Main, 1946). One
of the more challenging aspects of a TC often pointed out by members
undergoing treatment in one is that “there is no place to hide!” In Haigh’s
developmental model for therapeutic community (Haigh, 1998), the first
task when people join is for attachment, or ‘a sense of belonging’ to be
engendered, and as they remain engaged the emotional culture needs to
feel safe enough to do so – using psychoanalytic ideas of containment. A
culture of enquiry requires also a culture of openness in order to function,
so people can find their voice and be able to express material that is
often difficult and painful: this is a principle about communication. Once
members have found their voice they will be better engaged in the shared
purpose of the community, will be able to find their place amongst others,
and experience a sense of inclusion in it. Through the overtly democratic
processes of a therapeutic community a strong sense of empowerment for
the members is engendered. This is through a process of personal agency:
members taking ownership of all the processes within the community and
taking responsibility for themselves and each other.
Theory
There is an uncertain line between therapy and learning, and this means
that therapy can sometimes be seen as an educational, or ‘personal
development’ activity – while learning can sometimes, of itself, be
therapeutic in the sense of ‘personal growth’. Therapy can be an
opportunity to put learning into practice, and learning is crucial to therapy.
Therapeutic factors are crucial to learning as one cannot learn any more
than simple facts unless in a satisfactory relationship with one’s teacher.
The therapeutic process, when seen through the medical lens of pathology,
is one in which the best that can be achieved is “learning to be less
troubled, or distressed, or sick”. But when seen through an educational lens,
therapy is a process of growth, development and emancipation – and should
be recognised as such.
On a high tide of individuality, Western culture does not highly value
communal and group living. For example, some local authorities prevent
residential care homes for learning disabled residents having washing-up
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