A word from Mike

When we opened our doors back in 1997, Stuart (MTF - Worcester) was the first client to walk through. I had worked with Stu previously for several years - met him when he was right out of high school. Didn't 100% know what I was getting into in the beginning... Stu asked me, "What would you do if you saw a bear riding a motorcycle down Snelling Ave?" -wait, that's a classic, but not the one I was thinking of, but this statement by Stu epitomizes my basic philosophy at MTF.

He said, “I hate living in group homes. I hate staff telling me what to do. I don't have control over anything.”

How do you respond to that? Especially when he is right!! Most of our clients have gone through life with minimal control over all aspects of their lives ......... Many houses I had worked in before MTF opened - it seemed like the staff were more important than the people that lived at the houses. The clients knew more about the staff's lives than vice versa. Would I want either of my brothers in this situation ........... NO!!

So …… to me - the most important job is to help our clients gain tools, so they can grab back some control over their lives. The best way we can do that is by listening. If you actively listen - our guys will tell you what they like to eat, what activities they want to take part in, who they want to hang out with and, as importantly, who they don't want to hang out with. They will tell you which staff are listening to them and which staff are not ....... The "active" part of listening kicks in when you assist them in getting those things they want …… not by simply giving it to them, but by assisting them in getting those things themselves. In the end … it is more important not to solve every problem our guys have, but enable them to solve their own problems -it takes longer, there may be some "fails" ..... but in the end it takes focus on what staff are doing for you and on what our guys can control themselves. The best staff make this happen.

In closing… Stu's story about the bear riding the motorcycle... thought he was simply goofing with me. About ten years later, Stu showed me a picture he got at camp he attended … it was a picture of a bear riding a motorcycle. Decided I also need to listen better.

Stu