Sample guidelines for Community membership from individual Areas
Invitation to post from Tim
Dear ARPs,
As we head into the Pre-Worlds and World Conference, it is a time we get reminded of bits of our Guidelines that can slip our minds. These are often about our understandings of the RC Community that we have developed with each other over the years. We sometimes forget that newer members of the Community may not easily nor quickly acquire these understandings. To help people new to RC to understand more quickly what we are doing, we put into the Guidelines a section asking local Communities to write out their expectations for membership in their Community.
Several times we have found that Communities were unaware of this, and, of course therefore had not done it. It turns out to be very useful for the Community to think about these things whether or not anyone ever needs them.
If your Community hasn’t already done this, could you please look at Section A.4. of the Guidelines (The Membership of the Community) and consider pulling together a group of your Community members to think about and write what is expected of members of the Community?
We think it would be useful as we head into the Pre-Worlds, for those Communities who have written expectations for Community membership to post them here. Can you please do so, along with your contact information for other ARPs who may have questions for you?
With love and appreciation,
Tim
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Rebecca Darling-Budner, rbudner@yahoo.com
South Portland Membership Guidelines (Draft, Fall 2024)
Like all RC areas, central to membership in the South Portland Area is the one-point program, which is “to use RC to seek recovery of one's occluded intelligence and innate humanness and assist others to do the same”. The one-point program is “the primary commitment someone makes when joining an area. All other commitments and activities done and made are in support of this program” (2022 RC Guidelines).
As co-counselors who are also RC Community Members, to join the area means that each of us “assume responsibility for helping the Community to function. We do this by participating in and contributing to RC activities, supporting leadership, and assisting in the growth and work of the Community. Community members also make a commitment to follow the guidelines and support their use” (2022 RC Guidelines).
As an Area, we are committed to thinking flexibly about how we apply membership expectations. We also want to be thoughtful in terms of avoiding excluding or negatively impacting people who are poor, have disabilities, are Native and Indigenous, targeted by racism, parents, young people, young adults, and people whose paid and/or social-climate justice work limit their ability to participate.
Additional commitments that South Portland Area Community members make in support of the one-point program are the following:
- Committed to our own re-emergence from chronic distresses. We are willing as ‘client’ to ‘turn over every stone,’ which includes discharging about birth, early memories (including sexual), recreational and psychiatric drug use, pornography, addictions, sexual and gender identities, etc. We take initiative to be in touch with our regular Co-Counselors, RC Teacher and Reference Person to invite thoughtful counseling and referencing about important decisions in our lives. With discharge, we each get to trust our own minds, decisions and perspectives. There is no requirement to agree with each other.
- Committed to ending oppression. We are willing to discharge about oppression from both the position of 'oppressor' and 'oppressed' (i.e., climate destruction, racism, sexism, antisemitism, classism, etc.).
- Committed to healthy and well-functioning co-counseling relationships. We are willing to discharge about distresses that attach to other co-counselors (without naming each other), the Community and the organization. We make every effort to communicate directly and work out restimulations attached to each other. We maintain confidentiality about others' sessions, ask for permission before referring to others' sessions, avoid giving each other advice, and ensure that we don’t add on non-RC-oriented time together or sharing of resources to the relationship.
- Committed to the following area and regional activities:
- At least one weekly extended session (1.5-2 hours) with a class member and/or Community member.
- Consistent attendance at an ongoing bi-monthly class.
- Regular attendance at a constituency-based support group.
- Attending the area and regional workshop each year, making these local workshops a priority before attending other regional/national workshops.
- Has completed a 16-week fundamentals class, or something equivalent. If has been away from RC for a significant period, is open to taking another fundamentals class.
- Has demonstrated the ability to fully listen as a ‘counselor.’
- Understands and uses RC theory to assist others through listening and encouraging discharge. Committed to thoughtfully, but not unquestioningly, supporting the current leaders in the Community for the work they are doing.
- Committed to contributing to things going well in the Community, and supporting it to thrive. Open to having jobs and roles in ongoing classes, support groups, etc.
- Welcome our teachers and other relevant leaders to think and discharge about us, our re-emergence, and our chronic material without directly referring to our confidential session material.
- Committed to know, discharge about, and understand the Guidelines. (*see English hardcopy or online version
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Michael Levy
+1-831-400-7137
Our Community in Santa Cruz County, California USA has had written guidelines for members since shortly after I became ARP in the 90s.
They include:
- Being in a regular RC class;
- Having a weekly session (1/2 hour or more) with another Community member;
- Reading Present Time regularly; and
- Following Guidelines.
However, these guidelines are only partly effective. We haven't been great about checking with class members and giving them sessions as needed so that they will have those weekly sessions and especially about reading Present Time. I am guessing that about 3/4 of the members have a session as described, and maybe only a quarter of the members read Present Time regularly. I would like to improve how much we counsel people about these things.
As far as being in a weekly class, in general those class members are the ones that I invite to workshops and offer other resource, with rare exceptions. I think this was a good decision on my part when I became ARP. Before that we had a much longer "Community member" list, but a good number of the people on it were not using RC in a very dedicated way. The weekly class does seem to be a good foundational commitment for people to effectively use the process and support others well.
That said, we had a large summer class this year with about a quarter of its members being folks who had once been committed Community members but had dropped out of classes 5 or 10 years ago or more. Most of our current regular class members were in the summer class too. The size and diversity of the class were a good contradiction for all. Notably, it took a very experienced leader with many strong relationships in the group to lead a class with such diverse needs. A few of the people who "came back" in order to be in the summer class are planning to sign up for the new ongoing classes we are beginning next month. I think it can be useful to invite lapsed members back like this from time to time, if there is the right leadership.
I tend to use the language of "members" and "non-members" less than I used to, because so many people have restimulations around exclusion. It seems more useful to focus on inviting people toward more participation, without labels.
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Decide - Act - Discharge
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Central to membership in the Asheville RC Area is an agreement to use Re-evaluation Counseling (RC) to recover your best thinking and inherent human qualities, and assisting others to do the same. This is the “one-point program” of the RC communities. All other activities are done in support of this program.
Being an ACTIVE Community Member:
- Commit to attending our weekly RC class
- Commit to at least one weekly session with another active Community member
- Commit to communicating clearly with each other regarding sessions and your class attendance on Signal.
- Contribute to things going well in our Community with rotating jobs, assisting leaders and thoughtful communication.
- Active members can attend support groups, area workshops, webinars, and other RC offerings regionally, nationally, or internationally with our ARP’s approval.
What to do when life happens?
- If unable to attend our weekly class due to health, work, family, or travel, stay in contact with our ARP.
- Commit to attending our first class of the month and continue to have your weekly sessions if possible.
- If that can’t happen, after 2 months, you will be moved to our ‘inactive list’. The step to rejoin our Community is to talk to our ARP.
- You will need to have regular weekly class attendance for 2 months before you can attend support groups, area workshops, webinars, and other RC activities regionally, nationally, or internationally.
Basic Understanding of RC
- Complete a 16 week fundamentals class to develop a functional understanding of the fundamental theory, practice and tools of RC.
- Develop a commitment to using RC to recover your best thinking and inherent human qualities, and assisting others to do the same.
- Commit to reading and discharge to understand the RC Guidelines, in particular, confidentiality and the no-socializing policy
- Commit to ending oppression in its many forms. Be willing to discharge about oppression from both the position of 'oppressor' and 'oppressed'.
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Hi Tim and ARPs, In the North Portland Oregon USA area, we went through a process in 2023 to adopt these Community agreements. I think they are mostly working well. More people are deepening their understanding of RC.
with love, Margaret Butler, margaretjwj@gmail.com
North Area Agreements for Re-evaluation Counseling Community membership
Central to membership in the North Portland Area is an agreement to use Re-evaluation Counseling (RC) to recover your best thinking and inherent human qualities, and assisting others to do the same. This is the “one-point program” of the RC communities. All other activities are done in support of this program.
Community Leaders will think flexibly about applying these agreements to ensure that we don’t exclude or negatively affect Community members for whom various oppressions may be creating barriers to participation.
There are two tiers of membership: 1-Exploratory 2-Full
Each year, these agreements will be revisited and agreed upon within an
area workshop or an ongoing class.
1. To become an exploratory Community member you will:
- Develop an interest in and a commitment to using Re-evaluation Counseling (RC) to recover your best thinking and inherent human qualities, and assisting others to do the same.
- Complete at least a 16 week fundamentals class to develop a functional understanding of the fundamental theory, practice and tools of RC.
- Agree in consultation with your RC teacher that you are ready to join the Community as an exploratory member. You will have access to area activities including ongoing classes, support groups, gather-in and area workshops, or other activities with ARP approval all within the region.
- Explore the guidelines and agree to the ones that are required: confidentiality, no socializing, no attacks or gossip and guideline H on finances.
- Explore Co-Counseling relationships and commit to at least a weekly session.
- Continue in an RC class. You and your RC teacher can decide if and when you are interested and ready to become a full Community member with an understanding of all that involves.
2. As a full Community Member you will:
- Build a committed Co-Counseling relationship with at least one other active RC Community member.
- Have at least one Co-Counseling session per week with an active RC Community member.
- Keep up to date with the development of RC theory using a variety of sources of RC information: attending ongoing class at least twice monthly, attending Area workshops and the annual Oregon Regional workshop. (second weekend in November, unless otherwise noted)
- A commitment to know and understand the Guidelines. A commitment to agree to follow the ones that are required: confidentiality, no socializing, no attacks or gossip, guideline H on finances and to discharge on the others. (*see English hardcopy or online version).
- Welcome thoughtful counseling and referencing. Referencing means teachers, assistant teachers and ARPs, RRPs and IRPs thoughtfully and confidentially talking, thinking and discharging with each other to support your counseling, personal liberation and re-emergence, including, when necessary, references to patterns, distresses and other chronic material.
- All European heritage white Community Members will participate in an Eliminating White Racism group, at least quarterly.
- You agree to contribute work to ensure that the Community runs well.
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Lisa Voss, Phoenix & Northern Arizona, USA
+1 408.307.9471
Hello ARPs - It has been lovely to read everyone's thinking and lessons -
thank you!
About a year ago, I took over as ARP for Phoenix & Northern Arizona, USA. Our numbers had dwindled to 6 experienced counselors and the 7 new people in my two Fundamentals classes. Since the Area had never had explicit expectations for Community Membership, I wanted to create something simple to get us started in the rebuilding process.
My main emphasis has been on making sure everyone is in a weekly class, or at least being actively tracked by a leader. For years there had been only bimonthly support groups, with lots of overlapping members in a shrinking Community. Nobody "had time to teach" since there were so many support groups. At the moment, most of the support groups are paused, and all but one person is in class and/or being tracked.
I shared the following at our first Community building mini-workshop in May 2025. Over time I may add more words to make it a standalone document:
Greater Phoenix RC Area Community Membership Expectations
- Read the Introduction to the Guidelines and agree to follow and act in accordance with the Guidelines while participating in RC.
- Agree to the One-Point Program (see Guideline A.3. The One-Point Program Confidentiality (see Guideline A.5. Confidentiality, and the No-Socializing Policy (see Guideline M.1. No-Socializing Policy).
- Be willing to join in taking responsibility for the functioning of the Community. Participate in a weekly RC class, OR if that is not practical, stay connected to and tracked by a certified RC teacher in our Area.
- Subscribe to and read Present Time (perhaps with a buddy!).
Why Become a Community Member?
- Your re-emergence can move faster!
- You’ll have opportunities to develop your leadership with support.
- Area leaders will focus their attention primarily on current and future Community members.
- In general, approval to attend workshops is granted only to Community Members.
What If I Decide Not to Become a Community Member?
- You are always welcome and encouraged to co-counsel as much as you want.
- You can purchase and read RC Literature from Rational Island Publishers.
- You may have access to Support Groups: Individual leaders decide whether to open their group to non-Community Members (Support Group leaders must be Community Members themselves).
- We will still care about you, even if we don’t spend much time together!