Items 1 and 2 below are factual and for the Board’s information.
Item 3 requests the Board to nominate an advisor to advise the Council on international aspects of its work.
Item 4 asks the Board to approve a guideline relating to new helpership training programs.

1.      SIGNIFICANT ITEMS TO REPORT

1.1       Revision of Council membership and voting arrangements.

Council has adopted a revised structure that provides a voting seat on the Council for each entity providing PTP/HTP training programs in the US and Canada.  The following regional and chapter organizations are represented on the Council: CA, GA, GL, M-A, NY, Philadelphia, VT.  Sagewalker’s helpership training program has just started, and we have started discussions with her.

There are currently no ongoing 50-50 Helpership training programs in the US and Canada.  There is therefore no need to add a 50-50 training program voting representative on Council at this time.

The revised structure includes “corresponding” members who undertake significant tasks for the Council.  So far, we have two corresponding members, both with significant tasks: Lorraine Marino (50-50 liaison), and Jan Rigsby (training program comparisons).

1.2       PHANA web site is up at www.phana.org.

This provides wide visibility to PHANA.  A number of key PHANA documents are already posted, including minutes of PHANA Council meetings, the draft PHANA mission statement, and an in-press Pathwords article on PHANA.  A Council Membership page explains the Council's membership and names Council members, including their affiliations.

1.3      Pathwords article for October/November issue of Pathwords.

This was submitted prior to the publication deadline.

 

2.   MAIN CURRENT WORK ITEMS IN PROGRESS

2.1         Comparison of training programs, with focus on HTP programs.

Jan Rigsby has created a number of large Excel spreadsheets bringing together information from documents obtained from the different training programs.  We are currently working to identify the main quantitative “comparables” that we will put together for all the HTP programs.  It is envisaged that the comparables will promote dialog between the training entities, leading to greater cross-fertilization and preparing the way for later potential work on transferability and more qualitative comparisons.

We also envisage that this work will help us to develop guidelines with associated explanatory texts.  Our first proposed guideline is noted below in the form of a recommendation for Board approval.

2.2    Collection and data input of Helper, Counselor, Apprentice, and Trainee contact information.

This information will be used to issue invitations to join PHANA and to update Foundation records.  So far, we have collected and input information for CA, GL, Philadelphia and a list of 50-50 helpers provided by Lorraine Marino.  Information from GA, M-A, NY, and VT remains to be assembled and input.

 

3.   REQUEST FOR THE BOARD TO NOMINATE AN ADVISOR

The Council requests that the Board nominate an advisor to advise Council with respect to the international aspects of its work.

Council’s objective is to obtain assistance in assessing the wider potential international consequences of decisions taken with respect to the Pathwork in the US and Canada.  An example of these international aspects is the possible consequences in the international Pathwork of new US and Canadian helpership training programs that differ in significant ways from existing regional/chapter programs.

For example, if programs are authorized in the US and Canada that have significantly different requirements (e.g. entry requirements, training requirements, apprenticeship requirements), any such precedents are likely to be followed in other parts of the world.

To keep email traffic within reasonable bounds for all concerned, Council envisages consulting with this advisor on specific issues as the need arises, rather than adding the advisor to the Council’s already sizeable and high-traffic email circulation list.

[Rather than nominate an advisor, the Board preferred that the PHANA Council seek advice as needed from overseas regions and chapters]

4.      RECOMMENDATION FOR APPROVAL BY THE BOARD

One of the specific tasks assigned to the Council by the Foundation is to “Assist the maintenance of quality in Pathwork training programs in the US and Canada.” (PHANA Mission statement).

In accordance with this assignment, Council asks the Board to approve the following recommendation.

It is recommended that new Helpership training programs be undertaken within regional and chapter organizations, or at least in cooperation with existing regional and chapter organizations.

If trainings are located within existing regions and chapters, it is clearly preferable that the trainings be done in cooperation with the existing region or chapter.  If the trainings are located outside existing regions and chapters, and the area can bring together the necessary resources to provide adequate helpership training, then the area appears to be a good candidate for being designated a chapter. 

Additional reasons for this recommendation include the advantages of more broadly based programs that involve several helpers.  More broadly based programs give trainees exposure to more than one helping style, and are generally better able to avoid difficulties associated with the “blind spots” that even the most experienced helpers may have.  More broadly based programs are also better placed to avoid the difficulties which can be associated with “dual relationships”, in which – for example – a leader may be at one and the same time the program’s leader, administrator, and teacher, as well as the evaluator and individual helper of trainees.

[Recommendation was accepted by the Board]

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