“You are responsible for your life. You can’t keep blaming somebody else for your dysfunction. Life is really about moving on.” — Oprah Winfrey

Rascal Flatts sang it. Oprah preached it. Dr. Marilyn Van Deiten studied it.

Today, Nicole Johnson and Jessica Rose, the female cognitive specialists at STAR Community Justice Center, teach it.

Their goal is to convince criminals to absorb it and live it.

“It” is Moving On, a six module, gender-specific program developed by Van Deiten to help female offenders understand the thinking that leads to committing crimes.

The intense, approximately 90-day program focuses on issues such as effective communication, assertiveness, building healthy relationships, properly expressing emotions and maintaining physical as well as mental health.

“This is an amazing curriculum,” Johnson said, adding that the course complements the cornerstone of STAR’s educational programming, Thinking for a Change. “It uses a lot of visual aids to help the residents with problem solving and other important skills, such as harmful self-talk.”

Present STAR residents Julie Parker, Sharrissa Snyder and Natalie Kolodziejski raved about how the course propelled them toward the positive attributes of objective introspection.

Snyder, an Ironton native who was a member of Johnson’s first class of Moving On graduates, was impressed with the course.

“It helped me a lot, especially in recognizing harmful thoughts,” she said, noting that she has been in treatment before but didn’t learn anything of value.

“Now I’m more optimistic about everything.”

Clinton County resident Kolodziejski expanded on Snyder’s description of Moving On. “It puts things in perspective,” she said, adding that the course has helped her grow leaps and bounds in the self-esteem department.

“I am not afraid or ashamed of who I am or what I’m going to be judged for,” she said. “This has really helped my confidence tremendously.”

Reflective journaling, role plays, personal change plans and “Vision of Success” collages are just a few of the techniques utilized by the program to enhance four key areas of every successful life: family, friends, career and personal beliefs.

According to Parker, a resident of Highland County, the multitude of information provided by the course materializes into a clear vision over time.

“All of the classes come together and complement one another,” she noted. “Then, you find yourself ‘getting it.’”

Kolodziejski added that as Moving On breaks down the various aspects of life, it opens up new avenues of hope by instilling the wisdom of making plans for the future in the offenders’ minds.

“As addicts, we are impulsive,” she said. “This gives us a chance to slow down and reflect on where we are going with ourselves. Now, we always have our goals in mind.”

Parker and Snyder mentioned that the level of personal investment provided by Johnson was a huge factor in their ability to comprehend the multiple facets of the course.

“She’s so genuine,” Parker said. “She allows us to laugh at ourselves and that makes us feel so comfortable.”

Kolodziejski enjoyed the fact that her instructor, Rose, is also a recovering addict.

“I have so much respect for her because she’s been where I’ve been. She hurts with us and she’s here every day to help us.”

Moving On has become so popular that graduates of the program often request to come back to classes. “We call it ‘The Break Up,’” Johnson laughed, noting that each class begins and ends as a small group for the sake of cohesion and building trust.

“I feel terrible telling people they can’t sit in (and observe), but I have to focus on the integrity of the program.”

Rose, noting a desire to crush the mental stereotypes that handcuff her students, both literally and figuratively, summed up the overarching goal of STAR’s most recent course offering.

“So often, women are given negative messages about who they are, what they can do and who they can become,” She said. “This course focuses on their strengths, laying a foundation to move them toward success rather than failure.”

“I’ve dealt with my ghosts and I’ve faced all my demons

Finally content with a past I regret

I’ve found you find strength in your moments of weakness

For once I’m at peace with myself

I’ve been burdened with blame, trapped in the past for too long

I’m movin’ on.” — Rascal Flatts

Billy Bruce is a freelance writer who lives in Pedro. He can be contacted at hollandkat3@aol.com.