Testimonials

TARGET’s Pioneers
TARGET’s Pioneers, is a poem written by Garnett Wilson from The Fortune Society. Garnett wrote this poem to honor the five men who graduated from a TARGET group.  It was read aloud to the group with music playing in the background, so it was a real performance piece and meaningful tribute to the group.

       - Read the Poem

In Their Own Words: How TARGET is Helping Kids and Programs in Connecticut

• "I’m happy to be in this group, but I wish I had known all this before I got in trouble.”
      - Hartford JRRC

• “I think the TARGET approach really supports making clients and their families feel appreciated.  That’s helping us focus on how we’re interacting with people from the minute they come in the door.” 
        - Chris Lyddy, Program Director, Hartford JRRC

• In one program a girl came in to see her counselor and noticed that the receptionist seemed frazzled.  The girl suggested to the receptionist that she should do an SOS, so they did it together.
        - Hartford JRRC

• TARGET is something I believe in and can feel.  You can really focus on the kids while you’re dealing with the material.” 
       - Maria Feliciano,, Case Manager, Hartford JRRC

• One boy in a TARGET group reported that he noticed how his “alarm” goes off whenever a police officer on the street even says “hello” to him.  He’s been able to recognize his alarm reaction, slow down, focus, and think clearly, instead of running away or reacting aggressively in this situation.
       - Hartford JRRC

• At the end of the first TARGET session when a boy was asked what he learned he said, “I learned that I never have normal stress – it’s always extreme.”
        - Rockville JRRC

• Several JRRCs have mentioned that they are incorporating the SOS into their other models to help kids mentally focus.

• Many clinicians and case managers in the JRRC and FSC programs have mentioned that they use the FREEDOM skills, particularly the SOS, to help reduce stress in their own lives.

• At one program, the TARGET facilitators reported that their previous session on Recognizing Triggers was an inspiring one for whole group.  One girl who has had some serious problems with anger and aggression said,  “All I think about now is my “alarm”.” Then she gave an example of a situation that happened several days before that normally would have resulted in a physical fight.
  
  Even though she was provoked by another girl and felt her anger rising quickly, she recognized that her “alarm” was going off and was able to stop and think about her promise to her mom that she wouldn’t fight. She backed down from the confrontation and walked away.  When the other girls in group heard this, they all gave her a “high-five”.  The other girls in the group then piggy-backed on this girls’ experience and they had a good talk about Triggers, Alarm Reactions, and using the SOS.
       - Rockville JRRC

• “I’ve learned so much through this (consultation) process; this has brought everything together.  It’s great to have the live feedback and coaching.”
       - Grace Stewart, Clinician, Rockville JRRC

• A young woman in one of the juvenile justice programs in Connecticut was not doing well in her therapy group, was difficult to engage, and was missing sessions. So the staff decided to put her in a TARGET group.  According to program staff, she loved TARGET right away and particularly seemed to relate to the concept of the alarm in the brain.
  
  Now she comes early so she won’t miss the group and is “eating up” the curriculum.  According to the group facilitators, “She is a poster child for trauma – very aggressive, or runs away, but let’s us know she doesn’t really mean to react that way. Last week when a family member was shot in a drive-by, she focused immediately on safety and called her mother and 911 rather than reactively going after the kids who shot him”.