Person Centered Thinking

The Importance of Environment: From Toxic to Healing

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by Michael Smull and Mary Lou Bourne All people respond to their environment. Whether we are happy or miserable is largely determined by what surrounds us. For happiness or even simply contentment to exist, certain things must be present and other things must be absent. What happens when we don’t have control over what is present or absent? … Read more

An introduction to Person Centred Teams

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by Helen Sanderson Associates A person centred team is a team with a shared sense of purpose who know what is important to and for team members. In a person centred team roles and tasks are allocated based on team member’s strengths and interests, and the team regularly reflects on, and shares, what they are … Read more

Latest Issues of Resource Notes

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Resource Note #117 – Texas Gathering; HSA International Event; PCT Coordinator Opening; and 30 Years of Community Living: An ACL ReportResource Note #116 – Minnesota Gathering; HSA International Learning Event; World Café October 26th; and, 30 Years of Community Living: An ACL ReportResource Note #115 – Compassion @ work training from HSA; Imagine Film Festival; … Read more

Foundational Writings

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Michael Smull, Susan Burke Harrison, John and Connie Lyle O’Brien , Beth Mount, Marsha and Jack Pearpoint and others have written about person-centered thinking, planning, and services and supports for some time. We consider their work from the 1980s to today to be foundational and want to make sure that they’re not lost. We have … Read more

Thinking About Support Broker Roles 

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 by Michael W Smull  As service systems increasingly embrace the principles and practices of self-determination and individual funding, people are looking at the roles of those who have been traditionally known as case managers or service coordinators. The expectations that many had of service coordinators in the late ’70s and early ’80s have been buried … Read more

Full inclusion and the value of students with severe disabilities 

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Michael W. Smull  How are these core values to be taught? Simply adding them to a curriculum will not work. These are values that are learned by being practiced. While occasional excursions to segregated settings may acquaint you with elders, or others who benefit from your gifts, the real lessons are learned from everyday experience. … Read more

A Plan is Not an Outcome

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by Michael W. Smull Person centered planning is our label for learning how people want to live, to learn what is important to them in everyday life and to discover how they might want to live in the future. However, a plan is not an outcome. The only reason to do the planning is to … Read more

SOLUTION CIRCLE

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Getting Unstuck A Creative Problem Solving Tool. This is a short and powerful tool that takes no more than a half hour. It is effective in getting “unstuck” from a problem in life or work. Solution Circles are tools of “community capacity”. It assumes and demonstrates that nearby people – in any community or work … Read more