Say It Straight Experiential Communication-Behavior Learning and Materials                                 for school children, adults, people in treatment, organizations and corporations

Say It Straight^tm (SIS) is a research-based education and training program that results in empowering communication skills and behaviors, increased self-awareness, self-efficacy, personal and social responsibility, positive relationships and quality of life; and decreased alienation, risky or destructive behaviors, such as alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse, eating disorders, bullying, violence, precocious sexual behavior and behaviors leading to HIV/AIDS.

SIS is based in social learning and positive psychology, emphasizing values such as resiliency, courage, compassion, and integrity. The change process in SIS begins with the recognition of one's own disempowering behaviors and leads to awareness of one's own deepest wishes to choose empowering behaviors for wellness. These changes lead from relationships of submission and dominance to relationships of equal value. Participants create a team in which they root their diversity in sameness even with someone they disagree with or have a fight with. They explore how they feel when they engage in empowering and disempowering communication/behavior by placing their bodies in postures (called “body sculptures” in SIS training) that intensify and make overt their internal experiences. Participants create role-plays or "movies" portraying difficult interpersonal situations that are important in their lives, such as alcohol or drug abuse, drinking or speeding and driving, bullying, cheating, stealing, vandalism, or sexual behavior. They explore how they feel as they communicate in empowering and disempowering ways and get feedback from others as to the effects of their behaviors. They discover they can be strong without bullying or putting others down and kind without being weak.

Movies can be videotaped to give participants the opportunity to observe themselves. A multigenerational sculpture allows participants to discover the strength in their roots and helps them transform shame and blame into personal and social responsibility. Using feedback, journaling, and small- and large-group sharing, participants reflect on their experiences, learn to listen to their own inner voice and deepest wishes for wellness and positive relationships, and eventually implement what they have learned in real-life situations.

SIS creates opportunities for students and adults to experience their strengths. In this experiential training they discover their own nuggets of gold and how to develop them into behaviors that empower them and others.

Since 1982, it has been successfully implemented with young people and adults in many settings:

●  In schools with 2nd-12th graders with diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds in urban and rural settings, including the gifted and talented, learning disabled and students with other special needs; with students in detention, on probation or in chemical dependency treatment; with college students.

●  With families, organizations, communities, including high-risk communities and a shelter for the homeless.

●  With adults in treatment for addictions and concomitant psychiatric diagnoses, in aftercare and in prison.

SIS addresses universal human concerns- How we treat ourselves, others and life issues.

● The training is co-created by participants who choose situations important in their lives within which they practice their learnings. In this way, SIS transcends cultural and ethnic background, age, gender, organizational settings and roots motivation for  positive change in the participants.

● The training is strength-based, experiential, interactive and integrates cognitive, affective and psychomotor modalities to maximize learning.

Say It Straight Training has been designated as an Evidence Based Program for promotion of Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free Schools, good communication skills, positive relationships, self-awareness, personal and social responsibility; and for prevention of violence, substance abuse and other high-risk behaviors by:

● SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices, 2010                                  Find http://www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/ and insert Say It Straight 

● Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2005 

● Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (National Institutes of Health), 2003

 ● U.S. Department of Education, 2001 

Empowering Communication and Behavior: Within, Between, Among

SIS is designed to respond to difficulties students and adults identify as their greatest challenges in difficult interpersonal situations - at home, at school, at work. They say it is difficult to say what is on their minds and in their hearts in a straightforward way because of fears such as being rejected or not liked, of hurting someone’s feelings, of being embarrassed, of not looking cool, or being held responsible. These fears make it difficult for people to hear their own inner voice of wisdom. Instead, they do their best to take care of themselves by people-pleasing, blaming, bullying, becoming sarcastic, lecturing, splitting away from feelings, spacing out, becoming passive-aggressive, irrelevant, disruptive, etc.

In SIS, students develop skills they report lacking after information-based prevention programs

● How do I say no to a friend?
● How do I say I have quit, to my friends?
● How do I say to a friend, I care about you and I'm scared when I see what you are doing?
● How do I say to my parents, I love you and I'm scared when I see what you are doing?

Adults report similar difficulties with ● family ● friends ● workmates

With family, friends, school, community and beyond, SIS empowers people to:

● Develop & implement empowering behaviors.

● Root diversity in sameness

● Develop & implement empowering communications

● Develop resiliency and wellness.

● Connect to inner resources & express deepest yearnings.

● Improve quality of life.

● Prevent high-risk or destructive behaviors

● Develop high self-esteem.

● Express caring, concern and support to a friend.

● Listen to their inner voice of wisdom.

● Implement constructive decisions.

● Honor themselves, others and life.

● Discover whom they can trust to talk things over.

● Develop positive relationships and teamwork.

● Move from shame and blame to personal and social responsibility and appreciations.

● Move from relationships of submission and dominance to relationships of equal value.

Say It Straight Foundation has trained over 4,000 trainers in the US and abroad to work in many settings. Over 40,000 students and adults have participated in the training. Trainers come from all walks of life and include teachers, counselors, administrators, prevention and treatment providers, nurses, community volunteers, therapists, physicians, police and probation officers and faith community. The number of sessions depends on setting, age, number of participants in the group and duration of sessions. Say It Straight Foundation has Master Say It Straight Trainers who can deliver the training in the US and abroad. See  Research results are available for 3rd - 12th grades, parents and community and young people and adults in treatment.

Click below for:

Basic SIS Components

Curriculum

Sample Lesson Plan