The Shanti House Way
A unique treatment approach developed through personal and practical experience by Mariuma Klein, founder and CEO of Shanti House.
The practice was developed by deeply understanding the current needs of youth and young adults through ground-level learning. This approach maintains its relevance by drawing from Mariuma's own life experiences and those of every young person who crossed her path. Mariuma sees Shanti House children across generations as her greatest teachers and the primary source of inspiration for developing her unique approach.
Here’s the English translation:
At the core of this practice lies the youth’s right to choose to save their lives. Once they choose life, it helps them find strength to overcome their past and reinforces their belief and power to move forward.
“…That initial choice becomes daily and thus begins building their inner strength. With choice comes responsibility, followed by independence. Over time, they deeply understand the meaning of choice and learn that everything happening in their lives depends on them and their will. It’s not the world operating them, but they who operate the world” (Mariuma Klein 2015).
This therapeutic method is a way of life giving youth tools to become their own healers, now and in the future. It makes the youth active in their healing process, based on choice and self-respect, optimism and faith, compassion and patience, self-love, acceptance of others, and dedication.
“Focus helps us define and infuse meaning into life, sharpens concentration and thought, adds to mental and physical health. It’s humanity’s basic operating code and compass. Life’s essence is movement. Living cannot be static, fixed like death. The world rotates and moves in circles around the sun, rivers flow, leaves fall from trees and regrow, people meet and part, come and go, and even what seems repetitive is actually different each time, even if similar. Instead of getting stuck and petrifying in place, we choose movement, flowing forward, away from the deep pits from which they emerged with such great courage” (Mariuma Klein 2015).
“The Shanti House Way” – A unique therapeutic practice in the living space. The method closely corresponds with experience, knowledge, and therapeutic theories. It combines individual and group work, giving youth opportunities to share difficulties, feelings, and thoughts with therapists in a containing therapeutic space, providing specific tools for facing challenges. All these require their participation in their therapeutic process. Simultaneously, understanding the power of sharing, group workshops are conducted by Mariuma and other therapists, where youth can share difficulties with peers, open up without feeling judged. They receive tools and validation for their inner worlds, learning to listen compassionately without judgment and find ways and strengths to empower themselves.
The method’s implementation occurs daily through the Shanti House team. Since the therapeutic format is a home therapeutic environment, treatment happens both informally and clinically, whether by leading staff/guidance or social workers. There’s organic flow between the Shanti House treatment method and additional therapeutic offerings for youth.
The above quotes are from “The Shanti House Way”, Mariuma Klein 2015
A taste from the chapters
Chapter on Choice – On developing and empowering the power of choice among youth who have chosen to receive help, change their lives, and become leaders of themselves while choosing to stop being victims and break free from the chains of the past.
Chapter on Fears – On ways to transform fears into challenges, overcome them, and become filled with strength.
Chapter on the Fog – The state in which at-risk and life-endangered youth find themselves, stemming from unclear emotions towards them, and how to develop in them clear internal vision connected to their authentic self so they can become the masters of their lives.
Chapter on the Power of Words – To destroy and build, to distance and bring closer, to hurt and comfort, and their ability to change lives.
And Many More Chapters that provide tools so that at-risk and life-endangered youth in particular, and each of us in general, can drive (in both senses) their lives with love, joy, faith, and confidence in their choices.
“We plant seeds of truth, choice, and upright posture in children and wait for them to grow. Each has their own pace of progress, and sometimes over-treatment and excessive watering do more harm than good. It seems we are engaged in soul agriculture – plowing and planting and waiting for harvest like a patient farmer.”
(“The Shanti House Way” by Mariuma Klein)
