        |
||
                       |
 |
|
| Domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, and juvenile delinquency have no simple cures but rather the daily work of healing the hurt. Spinoza's non-threatening presence and gentle messages of unconditional love and self-acceptance create a safe touch that knows no age or diagnostic limitation.
Spinoza is a 17 inch teddy bear with a high quality cassette tape player and speaker hidden deep in his fur. Used as a therapeutic tool to help in the healing process, Spinoza's comforting physical presence and his library of tapes make him the ideal therapeutic tool to open lines of communication, sort out individual needs for self-expression, and act as part of a “first response” to a traumatic situation (Click here to read a very special story of Spinoza's ability to comfort.). Tape topics include encouragement, friendship, feelings, stress management, creativity, and grief and loss. In addition, Spinoza plays any standard cassette tape so you can record your own tapes to play in him. Spinoza is especially helpful in small groups, one-to-one settings, or during transitions between environments. There are countless ways Spinoza can help you and your staff serve both individuals and families:
Wherever Spinoza goes, he receives hugs and attention from children, families, and staff members. Spinoza passes infection control standards and may be cleaned when necessary. He can be gas sterilized, surface washed, or machine washed after removing the tape player and speaker. (Please call 1-800-CUB-BEAR for more information.) Click here to download a Guide for Social Workers. |
||
| Spinoza Makes a Difference... | ||
“...the majority of our children have had very unfortunate childhood experiences, suffering from neglect and/or abuse. They need support, love, and guardianship, but with this they still find it difficult to establish trust. It was amazing to see how they welcomed Spinoza. Many of them did not want to let go of it once they were hugging it. I was surprised to see that even the older boys, fifteen to seventeen,also reacted so lovingly to the bear.” Sincerely, |
 |
|
 |
“My first experience with the Spinoza Bear was when my grandson came to the office. His father dropped him off. He was very upset when his father left, I tried giving him toys to play with and candy to soothe him, nothing worked. Then I pulled out the Spinoza bear, he looked at him with awe. He sat down and listened to the song, it had a soothing and calming effect on him, so that he laid down on the floor and fell asleep. Our client’s children love Spinoza also, they want to take him home with them. It also has a calming and soothing effect on me. I like to listen to him when things get hectic in the office.” Janet Wurscher, Victim Advocate |
|
 |
||
“Recently a three year old child came to the crisis center with her mother. An advocate introduced the child to Spinoza while the mother received crisis counseling. The child sat quietly listening to Spinoza during the session, allowing the mother to work through the crisis she was involved in. During the next few weeks the crisis center worked extensively with this family helping them leave their violent situation and each time the center had contact with the family the child requested to play with Spinoza. Approximately one month after the center's services were discontinued, the family called back wanting information regarding purchasing their own Spinoza as the child continued to ask for Spinoza. We believe that Spinoza effectively helped this child through the crisis and the family is now doing very well!” Heather |
||
|
||
Nexus Center I have used Spinoza in my reparenting work at a residential treatment center for juvenile, male felons. The clients are young men from age 15 on who have the backgrounds of extremely dysfunctional families with much abuse common. I am using Spinoza in combination with a technique called nurturing where we hold the clients in a loving manner. Spinoza and his tape have had clearly an important impact in facilitating a safe, loving environment where these macho criminals can become “innocent little boys.” That allows us to provide some of the nurturing that was not present as they grew up. Two of the clients have had major breakthroughs as a result of using Spinoza and they now request me to bring him for the reparenting group. Duane Wade, Counselor |
||
|
||
St. Mary’s Rehabilitation Center At this time, Spinoza is busy befriending many of our adolescents in our chemical dependency program. After his third day with us, Spinoza proved to be more than just a toy teddy bear. Ashy, an alienated girl was the first to spend time with Spinoza and after two days she was smiling, hugging the bear and singing the words to all of the songs. When the patients are busy in groups, our staff stands in line to hold and listen to Spinoza. He is indeed a welcome addition to our staff. James Printup |
||
|
||
Southside Family Nurturing Center In our 11 years of working with victims of domestic mental and physical abuse, we have never found a tool that inspires such immediate trust as Spinoza. He is calm, strong, nurturing and non-threatening. Spinoza is wonderful and we use him all the time. Jean Winje, |
||
|
||
Haven of Hope, Inc., Cambridge, Ohio I am a Registered Advocate with the Haven of Hope, our agency serves victims of domestic violence, and one of our services is community education. Through this service I teach 3-6 year old children alternatives to hitting when angry. As part of my presentation I introduce Spinoza to the children. Our favorite song is “Everyone Needs a Little Tenderness”, the children pass him around while he is singing, we then follow all of Spinoza’s advice, and I frequently use the relaxation technique that Spinoza talks about. The children have learned to cope with their anger and to relax themselves when they get frustrated and angry; this has helped them to realize hitting is not the answer. Spinoza is a big splash with the children. Through our agency we also shelter women and children, recently we had a 2 year old who had a lot of trouble controlling herself, she would dance with him and sing all of his songs, and by doing so she learned how to control herself and really love Spinoza. The Spinoza bear has really made my job more rewarding as well as helped many of our children. What would we do without Spinoza!!! I cannot imagine not utilizing him with our children. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity. |
||
|
||
“ On behalf of the Genesee County Department of Social Services and all the clients that we serve, I’d like to thank you and The Spinoza Company for your efforts with our clients. Although the children that are referred for Spinoza’s from our agency are not the typical, medically fragile ones that Spinoza is most noted for working with, we have been overwhelmed by the clear benefits that results for our population. …When I first heard of the Spinoza program, I was very interested, but very doubtful as well. Based on my twenty years of dealing with abused and neglected children, it seemed like the type of program that could help at least a few of the kids we serve. At last count, we have received 14 Spinoza Bears for our children. I thought after the first one that I would never hear from you again!! As an agency, we try very hard to refer only the most needy children on our caseloads, but in the best of all worlds, EVERY child we serve would have his/her own bear. Every time a bear arrives, a wave of gratitude seems to sweep among our staff, giving them additional motivation in working with our children…it’s like an unexpected gift that they know will help to increase the chances for success with the child they serve. Please keep up your excellent work for our children. It is far more important than you will ever know.” P.S. While I’m not certain I should divulge this personal story, I know that you will appreciate it as well. Approximately 15 months ago, my younger sister, aged 36, died unexpectedly of a brain hemorrhage, leaving behind an 8 year old daughter and two sons, aged 6 and 3. My beautiful godchild John, age 6, had various emotional problems since birth, with my sister being the most tolerant, loving mother who God could have given the task of dealing with his behaviors. Her loss was devastating to an already troubled child. Unbeknownst to me as a professional in our small community, one of our local service clubs that has regularly sponsored Spinoza’s for my agency children, decided that they would sponsor a Spinoza for John to help him deal with the loss of his mother. No words can explain how much our entire family has appreciated this profound gesture on the part of the service club. |
||
| ABOUT SPINOZA | ORDER | PRODUCTS | SITE MAP | CONTACT | HOME | ||
|
||
