The And Substance Abuse Treatment - 1779 Words

Based on researching treatment modalities in Grand Rapids, MI, it was found that very few organization (The YWCA) has programs that are specifically designed for adult survivors of CSA with dual-diagnosis of PTSD associated with CSA. The YWCA of West Central Michigan offers services and online programs for women and girls who are survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse. They also offer 24-hour confidential crisis lines for domestic violence and sexual assault (YWCA, 2016). There are no programs in the Grand Rapids area that offers services for men with histories of CSA, although Pine Rest does offer some treatment for trauma and substance abuse, they do not offer both types of treatment at the same time or in the same building. The YWCA does not provide services for substance abuse issues and substance abuse treatment centers are not very well equipt to handle underlying issues such as PTSD and trauma associated with CSA, although research demonstrates a connection between CSA and substance abuse. I have listed all trauma based counseling centers and residential SA treatment facilities in the Kent County in the introduction. This study is being conducted in order to educate therapists and psychiatrists employed in substance abuse treatment in Kent County facilities on new treatment modalities that can be incorporated into existing programs in order to help individuals with both SA disorders as well as trauma associated withShow MoreRelatedTreatment Of Substance Abuse Treatment Fa cilities1654 Words   |  7 PagesHistorically, substance abuse issues were thought of as a male problem (Bride 2011). Treatment center programs, methods and models are constructed around the male psychological needs rather than mix-gender needs. Literature shows that 12-step programs, therapy, individual counseling, group therapy and many other models provide to the increase in success stories however there is a lack in research focusing on the needs of the gender individual (Marsh, Cao, Shin 2009). Substance abuse treatment facilitiesRead MoreSubstance Abuse Treatment For Adolescents Essay832 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Including families in the treatment of substance use in adolescents has been a debate for several years in the addictions world. Some claim that involving families may hinder the client’s ability to improve due to not being honest, fear, and the lack of relationship one may have with their family members, specifically parental figures. Adolescents may not be honest with themselves or family members due to fear of disappointing or fear of punishment. Many providers and policy-makersRead MoreSubstance Abuse and Treatment for Adolescents2174 Words   |  9 Pages†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦ 4 Treatment †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4-7 Conclusion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 References †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...†¦.. 8-10 Substance Abuse and Treatment for Adolescents Introduction Substance abuse among adolescents is becoming an increasing concern. There are the obvious health issues associated with substance abuse, but many people do not consider the long term affects of drug and alcohol use. In this paper I will discuss substance abuse among teens, causesRead MoreA Report On Substance Abuse Treatment Essay893 Words   |  4 Pagesexplains substance abuse treatment which our company SAFE Foundation OP Detoxification and Substance Abuse Treatment Centre treat and educate individuals daily. The Brownsville community is associated with our facility which includes specialized treatment for our patients. Our effective treatment programs focuses on adult and youth, include several different types of interventions simultaneously, and provide intensive treatment. This proposal concludes with comments on improving substance abuse patientsRead MorePharmacological Treatment For Substance Abuse1761 Words   |  8 PagesPharmacological Treatment for Substance Abuse In understanding the use of medications in treating substance abuse, is to first have an understanding of how the body reacts to the medication, and the effectiveness of medication in the body. The pharmacological treatment of substance abuse is found to be effective based on scientific research. Those who admit that they have an addiction problem, and then making the decision to get clean from alcohol or drug abuse is significant, but can be a difficultRead MoreA Substance Abuse Treatment Facility1606 Words   |  7 PagesNon-Discrimination As a substance abuse treatment facility we are required to protect the fundamental human, civil, constitutional and statutory rights of each client receiving services with us. In accordance with Federal Law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, or disability. Bannock Youth Foundation supports and welcomes opportunities to define the special, uniqueRead MoreThe Importance Of A Substance Abuse Treatment Group Essay1441 Words   |  6 PagesThe purpose of proposing a substance abuse treatment group was to break the barriers that mother-child relationships may face in result to maternal addiction and substance-abuse. Treatment that is geared for maternal addicted mothers can help them recover quickly and protect their infant children from the dangers of drugs and health consequences. The program will be gender specific, distinctively for substance-depende nt women who are mothers. The group will conduct its work by following through aRead MoreMotivational Interviewing as a Treatment for Substance Abuse1668 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Motivational Interviewing as a Treatment for Substance Abuse Introduction Motivational interviewing is an evidenced-based counseling approach that health care providers can use to help patients adhere to treatment recommendations. It emphasizes using a directive, patient-centered style of interaction to promote behavioral change by helping patients explore and resolve ambivalence (Levensky et al., 2007). Motivational interviewing is a highly individualized therapeutic approach that isRead MoreRelapse in Substance Abuse Treatment Essay1165 Words   |  5 PagesRelapse Prevention in Substance Abuse Treatment In relation to drug abuse, relapse is resuming the use of a chemical substance or drug after a period of abstinence. The term can be said to be a landmark feature of a combination of substance abuse and substance independence. The propensity for dependency, repeated use, and tendencies that take the form of the substance being used, are some of the issues that drug users’ experience. Substances that enhance most severe tendencies in users and pose highRead MoreSubstance Abuse Treatment Center Of The World798 Words   |  4 Pagesfoundation of the issue. Here in Florida there many substance abuse treatment facilities, in fact there are so many that Southern Florida is not considered the substance abuse treatment center of the world. This is the description of Southern Florida that was talked about in classrooms, at an undergraduate program at Indian River State College (IRSC) in Fort Pierce Florida. Many time a professor would talk about Southern Florida being the treatment capital of the world, and there was silence in the

The Effects Of Divorce And Single Parenthood - 1919 Words

V - Our presentation is about the effects of divorce and single parenthood, as demonstrated through Tatiana de Rosnay’s Sarah’s Key. Divorce comes from the Latin word ‘Divortium’, which literally means ‘separation’. Previously, divorce went hand in hand with shame, because there is a feeling of failure associated with divorce. Nowadays, divorce is much more common as a result of active ownership in relationships. Another factor in the popularity of divorce is the media, since it seems like there is a celebrity couple getting divorced every other day. God intended marriage to be permanent, and for man and woman to spend their lives together in harmony. However, love is often confused with infatuation, which ultimately leads to a failure in marriage. A - Now, we have a question for you: just by raising your hands, how many of you would like to get married sometime in the future? Now, let’s get these two groups to put their hands down. Look around you. The number of people with their hands down is the divorce rate in Canada. We’ll save you the math. 40.7% of all marriages in Canada end in divorce. Think about that. But what could cause a breakdown of love? R - High conflicts between a couple can cause financial issues, stress and possibly most harmful, verbal and physical abuse. Obviously these are extreme circumstances, which is the result of a couple’s feelings bottling up over time. Job changes can cause conflict to arise about in a couple of different ways, like forShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Parental Absence On Academic Achievement Of Adolescents1174 Words   |  5 Pages1. Jeynes, William H. (2002). Examining the Effects of Parental Absence on the Academic Achievement of Adolescents: The Challenge of Controlling for Family Income. Journal of Family and Economic Issues 23.2, 189-210. A. The article targets the issue that how parent’s absence has a negative effect on the academic achievements of adolescents. It also discusses how it can be difficult for single-parents to manage family income. B. The article tells that when children lose a custodial parent, they goRead MoreRecent Trends On The Inheritance Of Poverty And Family Structure By Kelly Musick And Robert D. Mare1629 Words   |  7 Pagesmajor stress factor within marriages. Many couple’s divorce issues are traced back to arguments over financial issues. The dynamics of poverty and family are intimately interwoven: poor economic prospects reduce the chances of marriage and increase those of divorce. Vice versa, family structure also affects economic status. Children who are born into non marital relationships   and divorce are more likely to experience poverty within the home. Single-parent families have higher poverty rates than two-parentRead MoreThe Evolution of the Modern Family927 Words   |  4 PagesToday the number of single parents has dramatically risen, there’s no other choice but to accept the rising trend. Becoming a single parent today is more of a choice or an inevitable result of t ragedy, rather than an effect of unplanned promiscuity as it is misconceived by many. The modern single parent may choose to parent solo because it has become evident that divorce is better option rather than keeping a child in an unhappy and unstable family living situation. Today’s society has created manyRead MoreExpository Essay on Parenting1582 Words   |  7 Pagesparental disconnection has accounted for a wide range of adverse effects on children’s welfare, both as an immediate effect of development and in the form of more permanent effects that continue into adulthood. Past research suggests that children who experience multiple transitions in family structure may face worse developmental outcomes than children who live in stable two-parent families and perhaps even children raised in stable, single-parent families. However, consistent change and negative childRead MoreThe Problems of Single Parenthood Essay1285 Words   |  6 Pages In the trajectory of h umanity, single parenting has become a concept internationally accepted by most modern cultures. What exactly causes single parenthood? Well there are many factors in which could result in a single parent household. Death of a partner, divorce, and unintended pregnancy are just some of the causes of single parenthood. Based on this worldwide acknowledgement and understanding, single parenthood is usually aided by monetary help from the government or unions. Although financialRead MoreDivorce Argument Essay888 Words   |  4 PagesDivorce has progressively become a common procedure worldwide, affecting not only parents and their offspring, but also the communities that surround the family unit, and consequently presenting a terrifying threat for the affected child. Nonetheless, regardless of the conventionality of divorce, it persists to affect various aspects of childrens daily lives and rituals. Children and adolescents are consequently deprived of a customary and stable family up bringing and thus suffer the disadvantagesRead MoreEssay on Family Formations2167 Words   |  9 Pagesmany formations of the family. This involves the forever changing affects on society which bring us back to the family. This essay will discuss the social changes occur within the family paying particular attention to lone parenthood. It will look at changes to marriage, divorce, births outside marriage and poverty and look at to what extent these changes have had on British society since 1990, and also what these changes have meant to the family within. In Western Society, over the past two decadesRead MoreDivorce Is A Poor Attitude Toward Marriage Essay1458 Words   |  6 PagesDivorce is in two folds; some people agree with divorce while others disagree with divorce. It’s reasonable for one to concur with divorce because nowadays people always make mistakes within their lives. The couple will at some point move on to an agreement of divorcing because at some point in the relationship they realized they are not compatible due to situations arising that may threaten life. On the contrary, people oppose the issue of divorce, because those who are couples should know whatRead MoreFamily Stability within the Hispanic Culture Janiece Cantu Our Lady of the Lake1000 Words   |  4 Pagestwo adults and their children, a single-parent household, extended relatives, and a structure of more than two parents. Despite how the family structure may look like within a household, it plays a major role in life, either directly or indirectly. Family stability is a term that is defined in various ways, but has been found to have a vital role in society. Global stability within a family refers to the occurrence of changes in family structure, such as divorce, remarriage, or parental death,Read MoreEssay on Why Marriage Matters1549 Words   |  7 Pageselse’s marriage are your children watching day in and day out growing up? It is no surprise that a child, whose parents stay married, will generally have better relationships themselves. Marriage has a huge effect on daughters. A problem facing many young women today is premarital sex and parenthood. CIVITAS agrees: For daughters, growing up in a married family seems to help them avoid engaging in early sexual activity. This is important because early sexual activity tends to lead to teenage

A Letter From Saudi Arabia Essay Example For Students

A Letter From Saudi Arabia Essay Dear Mr. LMN,Hope you are doing well. How are things at the Academy? I am doing just fine here in Al Arabiyah as Saudiyah1, ever heard that name before? It is just the local short name for Saudi Arabia. It is already a year since I left US and now I am almost half way through the two years that I am spending here. Theres a lot that I want to tell you about my experience so far. I always wanted to leave Westford for good, but had never imagined that I would someday be doing a job in Saudi Arabia! It all started when I got this new job with the Saudi Arabian Specifications and Standard Organization (SASSO)2. My Uncle has a close friend in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. So one night my uncle asked me if I would like to live for two years in Saudi Arabia, and then he told me about this job opportunity for which they required a qualified engineer in structural architecture. It wasnt exactly something that I had planned in life, but I always wanted to experience life in a different atmosphere, and this was the perfect opportunity for me to do so so here I am! I work in a Water conservation-desalination1 plant in a town called Khumrah which is 30 miles south from Jeddah3. It is a small town with a population a little less than Westford3. Where I live is very close to my work, barely a 5-minute walk from the plant. Since there arent many trees around the place I live, it is usually very hot in that area. The average temperature here in Summer is really killing!! Sometimes it gets as high as 94 degrees Fahrenheit in summer, its an extreme climate here4! It certainly is a big change from Westford! It makes me sweat a lot, but I have gotten used to that. Even now I still calculate the temperature in Fahrenheit, whereas this country follows the metric system, which is sometimes confusing, but thats just part of the experience. But I am really thankful to my uncle, he did give me a lot of tips about staying here. For instance the kind of clothes that I should pack, what vaccinations I should take before leaving other than those required by the Saudi consulate such as the ones for cholera5. So I guess, I was pretty much packed up when I left America. I live in a small 2 story building, in a 2-bedroom apartment- building6 with Umar, the son of my Uncles friend. The apartment building has no parking lot, there is no reason to have one because not many people in this town own cars for themselves. At first, that really surprised me! I and Umar have become really close friends now. He too works in the same plant with me. He can speak some English, although he can understand everything I say in English, which is something that I am really thankful for- Its one of the best things to happen to me. You will not find many English-speaking people here. In only 60% of the population of people 15 years and older can read and write1. Anways.. so we live on the 2nd floor and there is an Arab family that lives downstairs. The first day, when I arrived at the Jeddah airport, I was amazed by the way the airport is designed, it looks more like the ancient Islamic architecture that I had seen much of in the travel brochures on the flight. It took a while to clear the customs, especially since the import laws here are very strict7. After clearing the customs as soon as I was at the arrival terminal Umar was there to receive me. He recognized me with the h elp of a photograph that my uncle had mailed to him. Since I am a Muslim, I had some knowledge of Arabic, from what Iittle I had learnt in Islamic school, but that was twenty years ago!! Anyway, so I greeted Umar, in what I though was an ancient Arabic greeting- As salaam O Alaiqum8, he replied by saying Wa Alaiqum As Salaam. But later, I discovered that there was nothing ancient about it! Its the formal way of saying hello to someone, technically speaking, in English it translates to peace be upon you and its part of my Arabic vocabulary now. There are several forms of greeting in Saudi Arabia. The most common one is a handshake, called the salaam with the right hand and the phrase As salaam O Alaiqum Frequently, males follow the greeting by extending the left hand to each others right shoulder and kissing the others right and left cheeks. The form of greeting changes depending upon the person being addressed. When accompanied by a woman wearing a veil, a man would not normally int roduce her, and one does not expect to shake hands with her. The term for Good morning is Sabah al-khair, and for Good evening it is Masah al-khair. A casual hello is Marhaba.3 Its always a good thing to know these phrases, if sometime you get in trouble, they act somewhat similar to the phrase I come in peace in English!!!Anyways.. so once Umar found me he jokingly told me that he would have recognized me even without the photo, because of the peculiar dress that I had worn, although I laughed that off, but that was the first time that I felt weird being in a T-shirt and jeans. Most people I had seen were dressed in long clothes that covered them fully. Males dress in a white robe with a flat turban for the head, while women wear veils which cover them fully from head to toe, except the face4.But it isnt like that in every part of Jeddah, or for that matter even the whole country. Many men prefer wearing western outfits such as shirts and trousers, while some women in cities also w ear skirts which are about knee-length. 6For probably the first time I felt as if I was the odd man out! Anyways.. very soon I and Umar were on our way to Khumrah on a hired taxi. It was a bumpy 2 hour drive, mostly because of the bad road conditions, not all roads in Saudi Arabia are like that though1. The hot weather made it even worse for us. We reached the house, and no sooner had we started unloading the baggage than a gentleman came up and lend us to helping hand. After we were done with the unloading, I thanked him and then Umar introduced us to each other, his name is Khaled Bin Ahmad. He is the tenant of the apartment on the first floor and lives with his wife Asma, a son Ashfaque and a daughter Fatima. Most people have more than 2 children, usually the number of children in each family is 3-41. We are pretty good friends now, his family usually invites me to dinner at their home with Umar. I love the food here. Saudi dishes are composed mainly of rice with lamb or chicken and are mildly spicy. Kabsah, which is rice and lamb, is a favorite dish throughout the country. Rice is also often served with vegetables and a green salad. Fruit is frequently eaten for dessert, accompanied by Saudi coffee, which is brewed with cardamom. Seafood is popular on the coast, and there are many varieties of fish. Coffee or tea is served before all meals. Buttermilk is also a popular beverage. In general, food is eaten with the fingers of the right hand only. Bread may be torn with the left hand but is eaten with the right.3 I really had to get used to this habit, at first I was very clumsy breaking the bread, and eating the rice, but now I think I have pretty much learnt the proper way of eating. Down Syndrome EssayBread-earning reminds me, that tomorrow I dont have to go to work, because it is Thursday. Did you know that the working week is from Saturday through Wednesday7. Not only that, we have breaks between work, for Namaaz (prayers) when people go to the nearby mosques for their prayers4. Friday (Jumma) and Thursday (Jumme-raat) night are considered as important days of the week for prayers, everybody goes to the mosque on this day for their prayers. Religion is a very prominent characteristic of the Saudi society4. It is one of their first priorities. It is quite obvious because of the large concentration of the Muslim population, a 99% majority1! It is also to a certain extent because of Al-Kaaaba, which is the center of pilgrimage for Muslims all around the world. It is considered the holiest place on earth. I remember talking to you about this in Global Insights class, when we were studying Islam. It is the Kaaaba that attracts the major tourist population to this country4. It is amazing the way, the government handles the enormous tourist population every year, despite the problems that it has to deal with. One of the major problems here is the scarcity of water. Which is also one reason I chose to take this job. A large amount of the total land area is covered by desert. Desert storms lead to desertification of vast areas of land. This poses a threat to agriculture. Agriculture engages about 15% of the total labor force. The government is coming up with projects for development of more and more desalination facilities, through which they can then use the sea water to their benefit, for irrigation in agriculture and also for industry. So water is one of the very important resource here. In Khumrah, the water facilities arent as well-developed as they are in the cities1. Sometimes I have to skip shower for the day, because at times when the water supply is short, the tanks are not filled. But I dont mind that, as long as it doesnt last for d ays together. When I first came, I was too conscious about my health, so the only water I used to drink was mineral water, which cost me about half a dollar for each bottle11. By the way the currency used here is the Riyal, which is then divided into 100 halalah1, just like dollars and cents. An American dollar is approximately worth 3.75riyals1. So whenever I used to buy something, I converted it into dollars, and it seemed so cheap to me, but later I realized that sometimes I was paying a lot more than the actual price, just because in American terms it was cheaper! In fact I gave up the mineral water, within a month. That however wasnt the best of ideas. I suffered a mild viral fever for 2 days because of that. But Khaled Aqha and his wife took good care of me, for both the days, Umar got me my medicine, Khaled Aqha took care of me. Now whenever I go to the market, I get some grocery for Khaled aqha, at first he never accepted anything from me, saying that I was like his guest, b ut now we no more have a guest-host relationship, its more of friendship, I feel. I was fortunate that I did not need any hospital care, it saved me some money. Usually hospitals demand cash payment, usually before treatment!Anyways, so did you make finally make that trip to India that you always planned on? There are some Indians1 at the plant where I work, actually there are people from many different foreign nationalities where I work. The main ones being people afro-Asian backgrounds1. I wish I could write more about my life here. But its something that you really need to have a first-hand experience to know what I am talking about. Hopefully I will see you in Westford next May. If there is any souvenir or anything that I can get for you from here, please feel free to let me know. Khuda Hafiz (goodbye)8XYZBibliography:1. The World Fact Book http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/country-frame.html2. Water Online- http://news.wateronline.com/industry-news/19980123-930.htm l3. Microsoft Encarta Reference Suite 99- Virtual Globe4. Microsoft Encarta Reference Suite 99- Encarta Encyclopedia5. Arabic News. Com- http://www.arabicnews.com6. National Geographic- October 19877. Saudi Arabia Consular Information Sheet- http://travel.state.gov/saudi.html8. Speak Arabic- the easy way (Nadeem Publications)9. Excite Travel- http://www.city.net10. Culture website www.cultures.com11. Retail price of Mineral water in SA- http://www.excelholdings.com/saudicost.html

John Malpede Essay Example For Students

John Malpede Essay Los Angeless Skid Row is a 20-square-block area near downtown where hundreds of homeless people sleep outside on the sidewalk every night, and at least a few dont wake up in the morning. Food is scarce; beds are scarcer, it is impossible to buy a newspaper because there are no stores, and stray animals generally have a better chance of surviving than people. Civilization ends here; hell begins just around the corner. Eight years ago, John Malpede, disenchanted with the increasingly commercial direction of New Yorks performance art scene, began organizing talent shows at missions and soup kitchens on Skid Row in Los Angeles as a way of encouraging homeless people to tell their stories and get more involved in their own lives. No rules applied. People could get up on stage and do whatever they wanted. Some sang. Some read poetry. Some ranted about God. Some just rambled on unintelligibly, or didnt speak at all. Out of this unlikely assembly of talent, Malpede eventually formed the Los Angeles Poverty Department (or LAPD for ironic short), a ragtag band of theatre anarchists who have proven themselves over time to be one of the most adventurous and iconoclastic performance troupes in the country. For a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that many of their performers are clinically insane, LAPD shows tend to be bizarre, unpredictable, emotionally supercharged affairs that walk a fine line between stark raving madness and frightening clarity. Homelessness is a precarious existence. People on the streets hallucinate, lie, cheat, steal, scream and kill but they are also capable of telling the most brutal, honest kinds of truth, and LAPD performances reflect this paradox. Indeed, LAPDs performance style, which is uniquely tolerant of pandemonium, has evolved in large part as a way of encompassing problems endemic to homelessness. We have to improvise because lots of homeless people cant concentrate long enough to memorize anything, explains Malpede. Street life is chaotic. Life and death are a lot closer together, so all the emotion sadness, pathos, even laughter, are much closer to the surface not just rage. In LAPD, weve found ways to filter that chaotic street energy through improvisational performance techniques that actually have roots in other, more experimental kinds of theatre. LAPD has expanded its influence by working with homeless populations in San Diego, Chicago, Minneapolis, London, Amsterdam and other cities in a series of month-long residencies over the past few years. Wherever LAPD goes, it immediately beads for that citys equivalent of Skid Row, arranges talent shows, recruits new people, guides them through workshops, and develops an entirely new show based on the material gathered in those few weeks. But in addition to improvising like crazy, LAPD has also had to find different ways to tell stories, since clear rational narratives are sometimes hard to come by on Skid Row, and time constraints often prevent them from developing pieces as fully as they might like. Much of our style grew out of the limitations of doing these residencies, says Malpede. For a while we were doing shows that had a single narrative line running through them. But when we started doing residencies in different cities, it would become frustrating because we would end up with all of these small scenes stacked up like pancakes that didnt hold together in any conventional sense. So we began looking for ways to allow for different kinds of structuring. One of the methods LAPD hit upon is a way of layering images into dense, suggestive, almost dreamlike metaphors to bind formerly disjointed story fragments. LAPD pieces usually include some autobiographical references, but the anchor in reality is often tenuous, making for a disconcerting mix of the brutally real and the totally fictional. .u089c483c259f09e8b20c4ab0811c278f , .u089c483c259f09e8b20c4ab0811c278f .postImageUrl , .u089c483c259f09e8b20c4ab0811c278f .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u089c483c259f09e8b20c4ab0811c278f , .u089c483c259f09e8b20c4ab0811c278f:hover , .u089c483c259f09e8b20c4ab0811c278f:visited , .u089c483c259f09e8b20c4ab0811c278f:active { border:0!important; } .u089c483c259f09e8b20c4ab0811c278f .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u089c483c259f09e8b20c4ab0811c278f { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u089c483c259f09e8b20c4ab0811c278f:active , .u089c483c259f09e8b20c4ab0811c278f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u089c483c259f09e8b20c4ab0811c278f .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u089c483c259f09e8b20c4ab0811c278f .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u089c483c259f09e8b20c4ab0811c278f .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u089c483c259f09e8b20c4ab0811c278f .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u089c483c259f09e8b20c4ab0811c278f:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u089c483c259f09e8b20c4ab0811c278f .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u089c483c259f09e8b20c4ab0811c278f .u089c483c259f09e8b20c4ab0811c278f-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u089c483c259f09e8b20c4ab0811c278f:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The play is a success EssayThe idea for one show, entitled Call Home, started from the premise that people on the streets were disconnected from their families. To gather material, LAPD put a phone on the street and told people they could call anyone, anywhere in the world, for free. At about the same time, Michael Lee, a member of the troupe, had witnessed a murder in his hotel and was testifying for the State of California in a trial. Not long before that, a member of LAPD, Lyn Tars, had been found murdered in her apartment. All these real-life experiences were used to develop story threads in the show. LAPD devised a courtroom scene in which Michael Lee was testifying on the stand, while the body of a woman lay still on the courtroom floor as he talked. The body could have been the woman Lee saw murdered in his hotel room. She could have been Lyn Tars, or any number of other people. But as the piece unfolded, the woman turned out to be Michael Lees mother asleep, ignoring him as a child. I look for those kinds of resonances, says Malpede. Its more like real life, where things come at you from all different angles. The funny thing is, people just assume that all the stuff we do is autobiographical. But were not interested in reducing people down to the tragedy of their lives, or giving street people a soapbox to stand on. Were interested in finding out who these people really are and what makes them special. The work comes out of that discovery process. Malpede bristles whenever it is suggested that LAPDs raison detre has more to do with social service than art, mainly because he feels that LAPD is always fighting a no-win battle against the popular notion that, as he says, Community art is a code-word for bad art. People think were wonderful because were helping the homeless, but they dont always want to take our work seriously, laments Malpede. What they dont understand is that homeless people need more than beans and blankets. They also need a reason to get out of bed in the morning. The environment on Skid Row is incredibly alienating. We offer a place where people can at least meet each other, make some friends and tap into something about themselves thats worthwhile. Those things are as important in life as anything else, and the work makes it happen in ways that are sometimes very mysterious and remarkable. Besides, he says matter-of-factly, I never would have gotten into this, and I wouldnt keep doing it, if homeless people didnt have anything to say.