Therapeutic Teaching is a concept that comes from Dr. Judy Jaunzems-Fernuk’s educational work and personal development/experience. Developed as a facet of The Human Curriculum™, this work includes decades of work, life, and academic experience.
There are 12 critical components to Therapeutic Teaching, Leading, and Learning, through the The Human Curriculum™. Each component of this work offers various modules of strategies, activities, and learning (knowledge, skills, and practices) that support personal and professional development, self-reflection, and self-care. Reflection is a key component throughout, as it supports the mindful attention at the crux of the work – the study of the self – and heuristic awareness.
For leaders and caregivers, the idea is that we apply caring/caregiving strategies to build up and strengthen the self first. This work helps us to heal and move through difficulty and challenges as they arise. We leave space to invite emotions into the moment, and we view emotions as information, helping us understand our needs and motivations. We learn to use presence, perspective, and people (including ourselves) to help us, even when we make mistakes or find it hard. Healing is a process attended to by facing life and moving through an active – reflective process, known as reflexivity.
The Cambridge Dictionary provides the following definition for reflexivity: Reflexivity noun (IN THOUGHT). The fact of someone being able to examine their own feelings, reactions, and motives (=reasons for acting) and how these influence what they do or think in a situation
Reflexive thinking is having the ability and commitment to look inward and to see what some people refer to as a “standpoint.”
Where do I stand?
From where did I start?
Why do I think the way I do?
“Reflective practice and reflexivity are states of mind, an ongoing constituent of practice, not a technique, or curriculum element, but a pedagogical approach which should ‘pervade the curriculum’ (Fanghanel 2004, p. 576): the pearl grit in the oyster of practice and education.” ~ Reflective Practice, Bolton, 2010.
No one does this work alone: a fundamental tenet of the work is humans help other humans to heal.
Humans Heal Humans
The 12 components listed below help humans move through a cycle of understanding, coping, managing, and letting go a needed. The process of the work follows a distinct path: cope, manage, grow, heal, repeat. In this cycle, we acknowledge that facing difficulty, moving through it, and healing is lifelong and never-ending. If we can build strength at any level we can gain the capacity to share it, and therefore aid one another when difficulty prevents one of us alone from accessing well-being, health, or healing.
The path begins here.
- Learning About Emotions: Brain Basics
- Checking-in: Taking the Temperature of the Room – How am I doing? How do I know?
- Naming and Managing Emotions: So what, now what?
- Facing Difficulty and Challenge: Adversity builds strength
- Building Strength and Capacity for Difficult Times: Resilience
- Improving Self-Worth & Self-Compassion: Self Inquiry & Self-Study (Heuristics)
- Empathy and Understanding: Restitution
- Communication and Conflict: Styles of Relating & Attachment
- Boundaries: Breaking Barriers/Managing Burnout
- Balance & Self-Care: The difference between CALM® & Perfect Storms®
- Self-Care to Care-Give: Dr. Judy’s recipe – protect, connect, recharge
- Critical Reflection / Reflective Practice: Journalling and reflexive engagement
Many of the above-noted components are part of a living curriculum cultivated and continually updated by Judy through her work as a researcher, educator, and mental health practitioner. Live updates and engagements are best found on Instagram @drjudyjaunzemsfernuk and various projects, professional development, and publications are ongoing. See the Resources and References page for updates and other links.
®Dr. Judy Jaunzems-Fernuk, RTC, MTC