Shedding the Victim Role

Although any of our students can tell you about the behavior that led them to The Family School, not all of them understand the issues behind those behaviors.  At least not at first.  For many students, encountering the 12 Steps, especially the moral inventory spelled out in Step 4, is the first inkling of what really drives them.  The therapeutic counseling they receive here opens their eyes further, and so do the 12-Step sponsors that many students rely on for help and guidance.

One boy who insisted he was just a victim of circumstance ("I got into trouble but my friends instigated it . . ." "I was fine until my older brother started bullying me . . .") realized this wasn't the case when he was caught passing a note to a new girl, a clear violation of school rules.  "You need to quit playing the victim role and start taking responsibility for your actions," a friend who has "been there" told him.  He is getting the same message from staff who can relate, and from his sponsor who is quick to his share his own experience, strength and hope on the subject.