July 18, 2014

July 18, 2014

Written by Maximus Peperkamp, M.S. Verbal Behaviorist

Dear Reader, 

While working with parolees and probationers and while talking with people who are in the challenging process of returning from prison back into society, this writer discovered something important about Sound Verbal Behavior (SVB), which he had not yet given consideration. In the classes he is giving clients use work-books which address some of the issues they are dealing with. Because of the program they are in, they are expected to every day read about, fill in and discuss topics such as addiction, anger management, employment, family relations and decision-making, just to name a few. 

There is no specific focus on Sound Verbal Behavior (SVB), but every time clients are more sincere about their problems, it emerges. There is a lot of similarity with an A-A meeting, where alcohol addicts get together in an attempt to talk about, understand and control their addition behaviors. The only difference with our meetings is that we discuss more than only alcoholism and that participants are there because of their crimes, parole or probation. Since a group of troubled individuals gathers under the leadership of someone like this writer, who are hired to lead such a meeting, they inadvertently become part of a social group process, due to which positive outcomes are achieved. 

  

Often clients don’t want to talk about their problems and don’t want to even open their books. The forced conversation relating to this is Noxious Verbal Behavior (NVB). However, SVB doesn’t require a person to first process their problems. One can have many problems and learn about SVB without doing anything about them. In fact, one can only learn about SVB, by leaving one’s problems alone. This is different from the general view that people usually have about how to deal with their problems. Those who have problems and those who supposedly help others to solve their problems, are primarily focused on and preoccupied with problems. Consequently, they are not able to learn or teach about SVB, which is the communication of a life without problems. This is why SVB is so amazing: it works in spite of the problems one may still have.