Haven Institute

Last updated

The Haven or "Haven Institute" is a centre for transformative learning situated on Gabriola Island in the Gulf Islands of British Columbia on the west coast of Canada. Founded by Jock McKeen and Bennet Wong, the centre offers programs for personal and professional purposes, including Certificate and Diploma Programs in Group Facilitation and Counselling Skills.

Contents

Institutional Registration and Credits

The Haven Institute is registered in the province of British Columbia as a Private Training institution in accordance with the Private Training Act (SBC 2015) Chapter 5. This registration is governed by the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB) of the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training.

History

In 1983, two physicians, Bennet Wong and Jock McKeen purchased the Taylor Bay Lodge on Gabriola Island, British Columbia, and transformed it into a waterfront resort and conference centre. [1] They called it "a resort with a difference" because people could enter into the activities at whatever level they chose. Some people came with their families to enjoy a country resort; groups and agencies held conferences; others attended the numerous residential self-awareness seminars. Still others returned for training in counseling; currently, 95 people have graduated from the Diploma program offered by The Haven Institute. [2]

There are over fifty visiting faculty members teaching in this nontraditional, open atmosphere. Some notable ones have been Virginia Satir, Erv and Miriam Polster, Paul Reps, Carl Whitaker, Paul Lowe, James Bugental, Thomas Szasz, Bill O'Hanlon, Maria Gomori and Joanna Macy. The Haven Symposium has featured Joseph Chilton Pearce, [3] Margaret Wheatley, [4] and Dan Millman. [5] [6] The Wong-McKeen Phoenix Auditorium, Haven's performing arts theatre, has seen performances by Ann Mortifee, Laurie Anderson, Eric Bibb, Victor Wooten, Shari Ulrich and Leon Bibb. [7] The Haven Institute Press publishes books by founders Bennet Wong and Jock McKeen and others. [8]

The Core Programs for the Institute were developed by McKeen and Wong. Programs have been offered at The Haven with Chinese translation since the early 1990s, and numerous Asian people have attended as participants, and trainees. [9] [10] Joann Peterson became the Director of Education in 1992, and oversaw the training of over 1200 interns and assistants in group and individual counselling until her death in 2007. The programs have continued to develop and broaden. [11]

In 2003, The Haven Foundation was established as a federally recognized Canadian nonprofit charity. In 2004, Wong and McKeen and their three sons, transferred the ownership of The Haven Institute into the Haven Foundation so that the facility and their work could continue in perpetuity under independent guidance., [12] In 2008 The Haven Institute celebrated its 25th anniversary. [13] Participants from all over the world continue to attend both the core programs and other programs offered by visiting faculty. The Haven hosted the TEDx Gabriola conference in March 2013. [14] [15]

Teaching principles

The methods in the courses are derived from a great variety of sources in the fields of humanistic psychology and transpersonal psychology, as well as the more traditional fields of psychology, religious studies, drama, music and art. The techniques used cover a broad spectrum, including gestalt, Reichian body approaches, acupuncture, psychodrama, psychosynthesis, role playing, family therapy, fantasy and visualization techniques, video work, theatre games, play therapy and music therapy, all stressing encounter and communication skills. The approaches are educational only, so no therapeutic care is available. However, Haven leaders do claim to be offering both therapy and education depending on the context. [16] [17] There are some lectures and discussion groups, but emphasis is upon heuristic education and experiential learning, in which the person is invited to experience situations in which to learn what is needed. [18]

Related Research Articles

Nanaimo City in British Columbia, Canada

Nanaimo is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. As of the 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863. It is known as "The Harbour City". The city was previously known as the "Hub City". This was attributed both to its original layout design, where the streets radiated from the shoreline like the spokes of a wagon wheel, and to its centralized location on Vancouver Island. Nanaimo is the headquarters of the Regional District of Nanaimo.

Saysutshun (Newcastle Island Marine) Park

Saysutshun Provincial Park, formally known as Newcastle Island Marine Provincial Park, is a provincial park located on a small island off the coast of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada.

Clinical psychology Branch of psychology

Clinical psychology is an integration of social science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development. Central to its practice are psychological assessment, clinical formulation, and psychotherapy, although clinical psychologists also engage in research, teaching, consultation, forensic testimony, and program development and administration. In many countries, clinical psychology is a regulated mental health profession.

Vancouver Island University Canadian public university

Vancouver Island University is a Canadian public university serving Vancouver Island and coastal British Columbia. Starting as Malaspina College in 1969, it has grown into a university that plays an important role in the educational, cultural, and economic life of the region. The main campus is located in Nanaimo, and there are regional campuses in Duncan and Powell River, as well as a centre in Parksville.

Snuneymuxw First Nation

The Snuneymuxw First Nation is located in and around the city of Nanaimo on east-central Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The nation previously had also occupied territory along the Fraser River, in British Columbia.

Gabriola Island Island in British Columbia, Canada

Gabriola Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia in British Columbia (BC), Canada. It is about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, to which it is linked by a 20-minute ferry service. It has a land area of about 57.6 square kilometres (22.2 sq mi) and a resident population of slightly over 4,000.

Paul Reps American poet

Paul Reps was an American artist, poet, and author. He is best known for his unorthodox haiku-inspired poetry that was published from 1939 onwards. He is considered one of America's first haiku poets.

Existential psychotherapy is a form of psychotherapy based on the model of human nature and experience developed by the existential tradition of European philosophy. It focuses on concepts that are universally applicable to human existence including death, freedom, responsibility, and the meaning of life. Instead of regarding human experiences such as anxiety, alienation and depression as implying the presence of mental illness, existential psychotherapy sees these experiences as natural stages in a normal process of human development and maturation. In facilitating this process of development and maturation, existential psychotherapy involves a philosophical exploration of an individual's experiences stressing the individual's freedom and responsibility to facilitate a higher degree of meaning and well-being in their life.

Comox Valley

The Comox Valley is a region on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, that includes the city of Courtenay, the town of Comox, the village of Cumberland, and the unincorporated settlements of Royston, Union Bay, Fanny Bay, Black Creek, and Merville. The communities of Denman Island and Hornby Island are also considered part of the Comox Valley. The Comox Valley contains the 47th largest metropolitan area in Canada with a population of about 66,000 as of 2016.

The New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development is the secondary liberal arts and education school of New York University. It is one of the only schools in the world of its type.

Solihten Institute is a non-profit organization based in Denver, Colorado which manages an international network of faith-based counseling centers that specialize in evidence-based, integrated healing. Counselors and mental health professionals accredited by Solihten Institute receive theological training in addition to typical licensing in psychology, psychiatry and counseling, enabling an approach which combines "mind, body, spirit, and community." Services offered include outpatient counseling, wellness programs, and consultation and training for clergy and other professionals. This is a 12-step organization.

Bennet Wong Canadian psychiatrist, author and lecturer

Bennet Randall Wong, was a Canadian psychiatrist, author and lecturer who co-founded the Haven Institute, a residential experiential learning centre on the west coast of Canada, with Jock McKeen. His writings focused on mental illness, group psychotherapy, humanistic psychology and personal growth.

Jock McKeen Canadian physician (born 1946)

John Herbert Ross McKeen, is a Canadian physician, acupuncturist, author and lecturer who co-founded the Haven Institute with Bennet Wong. He has written on East-West medicine, alternative medicine, holistic health, Asian studies and personal growth.

Joann S. Peterson, M.S.W., A.C.S.W., Dip.C., Ph.D., was an American social worker, counsellor, author and lecturer. She taught seminars internationally, and was the first Director of Education at the Haven Institute.

Maria Gomori was a Hungarian-born Canadian pioneer in the field of systems family therapy. She contributed to the fields of psychiatric and social work training, and designed numerous training programs. She was a proponent of the Satir Method for Family Therapy. In 2004, she was named "Woman of Distinction" for the field of Health and Wellness by the City of Winnipeg. In the same year Winnipeg's Saint Boniface Hospital Research Centre established a lectureship in her name to honour her long and varied contributions to the health system and the people who use it.

Adler University is a private not-for-profit university, with two campuses in North America. The university's flagship campus is in Chicago, Illinois, and its satellite campus is located in Vancouver, British Columbia. The university also offers online classes and degree programs online for both masters and doctoral students.

Nanaimo River River on Vancouver Island

The Nanaimo River is a river on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, located near the city of Nanaimo on the island's east coast. Its headwaters are in the Vancouver Island Ranges of central Vancouver Island and its mouth, the Nanaimo River estuary, is at the south end of Nanaimo Harbour in the Strait of Georgia. The estuary is part of the Pacific Estuary Conservation Program.

Emporia State University Teachers College

The Emporia State University Teachers College is an education college located in Emporia, Kansas, United States. It is a part of Emporia State University.

Divine Mercy University

Divine Mercy University (DMU) is a private Catholic graduate university of psychology and counseling located in Sterling, Virginia in the United States.

Cathy Malchiodi is an American licensed professional mental health counselor, registered expressive arts therapist, and art therapist, best known for her work on trauma-informed treatment in expressive arts therapy.

References

  1. ↑
    • Littleton, Ellery (November 28, 1985), "A Resort with A Difference", Monday Magazine, Victoria, BC, vol. 11, no. 49.
  2. ↑
    • Fewster, Gerry (December 20, 2001), "Ben and Jock", The Sounder, Gabriola, BC, p. 3, archived from the original on July 16, 2011.
  3. ↑
  4. ↑
  5. ↑
    • Common Ground, Staff Writer (March 2007), "Interview With Dan Millman", Common Ground, Vancouver, BC.
  6. ↑
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ Niosi, Goody. (August 31, 2005), "Haven Founders Offer Tips on Happiness", Harbour City Star, Nanaimo, BC, pp. A4.
  9. ↑ Tao, Cora (September 1993), "Haven and the Phase Program", Broadcasting Monthly, Taipei, Taiwan.
  10. ↑ Assaf, M (December 24, 2011), "Haven self-development programs foster international relationships", Nanaimo News Bulletin, Nanaimo, BC, p. 11.
  11. ↑ Campbell, Leslie (October 2005), "Joann Peterson - The Resilient Life", Focus Magazine, Victoria, BC, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 46–49.
  12. ↑
    • Nanaimo Daily News, Staff Writer. (January 23, 2004), "Haven Foundation Continues Mandate", Nanaimo Daily News, Nanaimo, BC, pp. A4.
  13. ↑ Wilson, Valerie. (March 12, 2008), "Haven Marks 25 Years of Altering Lives", Harbour City Star, Nanaimo, BC, pp. A17.
  14. ↑ Cerminara, Alina (March 25, 2013), "TEDx Gabriola inspires islanders", The Flying Shingle, Gabriola, BC, vol. 41, no. 12, pp. 1, 3.
  15. ↑ Stajic, Janina (March 25, 2013), "To be empathic or not, that is the question", The Sounder, Gabriola, BC, vol. 23, no. 12, p. 4.
  16. ↑
    • Fayerman, Pamela (October 7, 1998), "Breaking the Silence Over Depression", Vancouver Sun, Vancouver, BC, pp. B03.
  17. ↑
    • Walton, Paul (March 9, 2010), "From Haven House to the Haven, Awareness is the Key", Nanaimo Daily News, Nanaimo, BC.
  18. ↑
    • Allen, Wayne (2005), This Endless Moment, Waterloo, ON: Phoenix Centre Press, pp. xi, 20–24, 45–46, 91, ISBN   0-9684446-2-8, OCLC   56532288 .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.