Carl Rogers founded and practiced humanistic or person-centered therapy with the following core principles:

• Empathy (the caregiver tries to understand the client’s point of view)

• Congruence (the caregiver presents as a genuine person)

• Unconditional positive regard (the caregiver is non-judgemental)

Functionally, Onward Transitions practices person-centered care in the following ways:

• Respecting the individual. 

• We respect, accept, and affirm each member’s individuality and ability to make meaningful decisions about their care with us. 

• Treating people with dignity.

• We practice kindness through all our forms of communication. 

• Understanding their experiences and goals.

• We accept members’ perceptions and experiences and work with them to help clarify goals and values.

• Maintaining confidentiality.

• We practice HIPAA guidelines and are fully committed to honoring each member’s right to privacy. 

• Giving responsibility.

• We understand that part of our service to members is helping them take on increasing roles of contribution and personal responsibility. This effort must be made progressively through thoughtful experiences that build mastery.

• Coordinating care.

• We work together as a treatment team to help provide each member with the best possible recommendations and care guidance. Evidence of our person-centered philosophy can be found in the following forms:

  • Member Handbook

  • Staff Handbook

  • Onward Transitions empowers kind, bright, motivated people in achieving their goals of greater autonomy, meaningful reciprocal relationships, and impactful contributions to the world. 

  • Vision Statement on email signatures

  • Empowering a kind generation of contributing young adults.

  • Values statement to be put on walls somewhere (kind, accepting, affirming)

  
  Statement on cultural competency and diversity:

  • Key Term Definitions: 

  • Cultural competency can be defined as the capacity to function in more than one culture, requiring the ability to appreciate, understand, and interact with members of diverse populations within the local community. 

  • Culture can be defined as the historical, economic, and social context from which a person emerges that helps them form their worldview and sense of self.

  • Cultural diversity can create an atmosphere where alternative viewpoints are expressed and honored as appropriate.

  • Policy: 

  • Onward Transitions intends to provide nondiscriminatory, ethnically and culturally sensitive, and competent treatment services and programming to our diverse current and potential staff and member community.

  • Purpose:

  • Onward Transitions recognizes and values the richness of diversity among its community and understands, appreciates, and respects differences and similarities in beliefs, values, and practices within and between cultures of each member, each member’s family, as well as the communities Onward Transitions serves can be essential to enhance the quality of our collective lives together.