Inscriptions on a Belt

About the Book

Inscriptions is a fictional account of persons and events. The title is derived from the ritual of graduation at Harvest Valley School wherein students burned their names on the author’s weight belt. With intrigue as its backdrop “Inscriptions” presents the personal stories of seven emotionally disturbed students and the staff whose job it was to nurture, heal, and educate them. The story is told through Lou, an educator who would rather be hanging out with his buddies in right field at Fenway, and Laura, a prodigal West Coast Catholic daughter who is seeking to escape the embracing hold of her Italian family. They are thrown together by State dictates to develop and implement a school-based therapeutic program. Their struggle to find a meeting of the minds mirrors the tension that frequently occurs between Education and Mental Health. The two professionals are joined in their venture by a host of vivid characters as they take on the complexities of the youngsters placed in their care, and seek to make a difference in their lives. The reader is invited to join the Valley Oak Day Treatment Program as they take on the challenges.

About the Author

Curtis holds a Master’s Degree in Education and has been in the field of Special Education since 1977. Kathleen is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has worked in a variety of school and community settings as a therapist and administrator. Preston worked, for several years, at Harvest Valley and has earned his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Harvest Valley School was in operation from 1992-2008, serving a broad spectrum of clinically diagnosed students ages five-eighteen. In 2008, Federal/State funding was curtailed and programs, such as theirs, were forced to close. During its time of operation, Harvest Valley developed and functioned as a Relationship Based Day Treatment Program, which was uniquely contrasted to the industrial standard based on physical constraint compliance techniques and time-out rooms.