A Middle School Curriculum and Guide for the Prevention of Violence and Other Problem Behaviors

by Jack Pransky, Ph.D. and Lori Carpenos, M.Ed

A generic curriculum for:

• violence prevention
• sexual abuse prevention
• substance abuse prevention
• dropout and truancy prevention
• and other problems facing young people

This curriculum and guide was designed primarily for middle school-level students, but is easily adaptable for both older and younger students 

Relapse prevention has been found to reduce relapse of both substance abusers and sexual abusers with far greater results than if they merely go through treatment. The reason:  It teaches people about their thinking, and how it is connected to their feelings and behaviors. But why must we wait for for problems to become serious? This curriculum is designed to teach all students about their thinking, in a primary prevention sense. 

Health Realization presents a new, more profound way to help people gain perspective on their thinking than the cognitive approach typically used in relapse prevention. Thus, the two approaches have been connected for this purpose. This curriculum and guide is designed for maximum flexibility in teaching and contains 26 sessions, including such topics as innate health; the different ways we think, feelings and emotions; moods; programmed thinking, levels of understanding; self-esteem vs. self-image, insecurity and fear, stress, habits, learning from mistakes, relationships and conflict, peer pressure, dealing with hurts, what to do when you're heading down a difficult path, and more.

Published by Safer Society Press, Brandon, VT

© 2001 Jack Pransky