Hall directs Adam’s House, a program in the Prince George’s County Health Department that provides health and social services to young adults, young parents and children. Among those programs is a re-entry rehabilitation class for ex-offenders as they transition back into the community. Mothers and fathers in the current class will complete the program on June 20. Who comes to Adam’s House for the program?
It is a mix. We get folks ordered for anger management or parenting or domestic violence, and then we also have men and women who come in for the fatherhood /motherhood curriculum class that we teach. We have a lot of conversations about what’s going on with their lives and how to better manage what they’re doing.
What kind of training do you give?
A lot of what we do is around communication in relationships. People aren’t having real good experience in their relationships, and that’s because they don’t communicate well. That’s not only with mothers and fathers, but also with parents and children. If you don’t communicate well and use the wrong kind of language, or you’re accusatory and not asking questions about what’s going on, you can ruin a relationship.
Can you give an example?
We teach a lot on how to speak, what words to use, and how to be effective not only in relationships with your spouse or better half, but also in your work and everything else. It kind of rolls over into every aspect of your life.
Is it like a graduation?
We call it a celebration, because you don’t really graduate from life. We allow them to come back when you need more support. No man is an island. Iron sharpens iron, so we have to continue to sharpen ourselves to be the best person we can. I want people to be able to come back and not think that they did something wrong.
Ben Giles
