The Ladder UPP in detail:
The Ladder UPP workbook and The Ladder UPP Core on-line eCourse consist of 3 sections – Reveal, Rebuild, Start the Journey:
Reveal – Whether you just aren’t happy with life, or you are suffering from conditions like depression or PTSD, you must REVEAL your true self by looking at your past, present and future honestly and with transparency.
Rebuild – Then you must REBUILD your life by ordering your life clearly and simply, setting goals, and looking forward with passion and purpose.
Start the Journey – Finally, you must START THE JOURNEY by taking that first step with a clear plan and others who will hold you accountable.
Those are the steps The Ladder UPP leads one through – REVEAL, REBUILD, START THE JOURNEY – and those are the steps that build the foundation of a life that is free.
Here is some data that it works!
The Ladder UPP was built upon core principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and was intended to increase the Hope Scale Scores of those who participate in the program. We utilize fundamental spiritual principles of self-knowledge, humility, and mindful living to establish a foundation of healing. We want our work to be both motivational and efficacious.
Study summary:
We wanted to study the efficacy of The Ladder UPP in a recovery environment utilizing the Snyder Hope Scale. The Snyder Hope Scale is a much studied, long used diagnostic tool. The higher your “Hope” score, the more likely you are to be successful in life change. Hope is seen in a practical way, “I have a plan, I believe the plan can happen”. The more you believe that, the higher your “hope” and the more likely you will engage in life change. We took pre- and post- data from 3 groups of men and women in recovery.
We found the following:
Our men’s group showed a mean Hope Scale Agency improvement of 20% with a standard deviation of 0.33, and a Pathway improvement of 22% with a standard deviation of .37.
Our women’s group showed a mean Hope Scale Agency improvement of 27% with a standard deviation of 0.17, and a Pathway improvement of 9% with a standard deviation of 0.12.
The combined Agency improvement was 22% with a standard deviation of 0.28 and the combined Pathway improvement was 17% with a standard deviation of .31.
A review by an Indiana University and VA research scientist found our data to be scientifically significant.
In another study we completed under the guidance of an Indiana University IRB board, the data of our first study was corroborated with a group of male and female veterans experiencing a week-long retreat at Indiana University’s Bradford Woods. Again, the results of the Hope Scale Agency improvement were shown to be statistically significant.
There are many ways to use The Ladder UPP workbook and eCourse:
Friends and loved ones use it this way: When someone we love is suffering they can seem unapproachable. When life seems “stuck”, for whatever reason, we have no confidence we can move forward. When it comes to helping each other move forward in life, we can feel like we are treading on pins and needles and are helpless to help even our closest friends and family. What we need is a tool to help understand them, to create empathy, and engage them in a forward thinking, positive way. The Ladder UPP is that tool. You can use it alone to examine your own cracks, then once you are better equipped, as a method to engage the ones you love and care for them. We are all on The Ladder UPP. We need each other to fully live.
Communities use it this way: as a platform for the discussion on how life can break us, and what we do to respond to it. Ideally suited for a peer group setting, sometimes the best healers and motivators of life are people just like us. It is easy to start a group and begin the journey. The workbook guides one through the process and we are here for any questions you may have.
Counselors use it this way: As part of their existing counseling practice. The Ladder UPP is a data-driven tool that follows the best practices of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Motivational Interviewing. We used the Snyder Hope Scale in the development of The Ladder UPP to measure its effectiveness at building hope and increasing engagement. It will be a compliment to your existing practices and a powerful tool in your arsenal of healing. Coming from the point of view of someone who was a previous consumer of mental health services, it is a great way to engage with your clients. And as a workbook they can take home with them, it can help you dig deeper into someones life when they are off the clock.
Churches use it this way: It can be hard to take that step from individual to member of a community, and it can be especially hard when we are burdened with a host of life issues. Especially, if we have never belonged to a faith community. Whether you want to reach out to veterans, to those suffering with addictions, or anyone struggling with life, The Ladder UPP can help you make that connection and bridge the gap from loneliness to belief and community. Think of it as an on-ramp to faith and purpose.
Veterans use it this way: The transition home can be tough, one we never fully make. So much is caught up in our identity of “Solder” or “Marine” or “Sailor” or “Airmen”, etc. that the things we have buried deep inside never see the light of day because it is just too hard to reveal ourselves. The Ladder UPP can help you dig through the dirt to really come “home” and fulfill the destiny you owe yourself, to truly live free. It might seem impossible, but it can be done. It can be used alone, in a group, with a counselor or with a loved or friend. There is hope.
Students use it this way: Sometimes, we can feel like life has carried us along like a twig on a stream. But we have one life, and it was meant to live free. Building our life on the things we are most passionate about is the best way to live. This can be hard. There is so much in life we have little control over, and those are the things that can distract us from what is important. The Ladder UPP will help you focus, dream, plan, and empower you to live free!
Police and first responders use it this way: In many ways, police and first responders fight their own war. Spread out over a career, the impact of trauma, long hours, and always being under scrutiny can take its toll. Unfortunately, first responders like those in the military can deal with these issues by trying to “suck it up.” But “suck it up” only works so long, and usually not very well. We need to examine these issues, to find outlets to deal with them, to understand that being “strong” means being willing to get help when we need it. Whether used alone, in a peer group, or with a friend, counselor, loved one, etc. The Ladder UPP can help you deal with the things we keep locked away in order to live better.
Survivors use it this way: When we lose a child, spouse, family member and/or loved one, it can be devastating. The kind of devastation that breeds anger, despair, and a feeling that life will always be a dark place with something missing. To live again, we have to be able to look forward and use our loss as fuel for the passion and purpose that will allow us to live again. Sometimes it is as simple as asking ourselves, “How would my loved one want me to live?” The Ladder UPP can help us process and discuss our loss in a way that moves us forward as we use our life to illumine others who have suffered loss themselves. We all can suffer, may we all find the strength and purpose to help us overcome and live free. There is no better testimony to the fact that we need each other.
Children use it this way: Growing up is hard enough in a perfect world. But this world isn’t perfect and often children can face what seem like impossible hurdles to living. Much of my journey to create The Ladder UPP took place as child, one who loved to write and explore his creativity. Due to some unfortunate events, this creativity was snuffed out and only rediscovered when I was older and broken. Thankfully, this rediscovery saved my life. If you give a child an outlet to express themselves and grow in a non-judgemental creative way, they more often than not will find a way to process their pain and move forward. The Ladder UPP can encourage and guide a child through this process and help those caring for them penetrate the often difficult shell they build between us and them. We were mean to live free and the best place to begin is when we are young.
Anyone can use it this way: Passion and Purpose. The greatest killer of these, the muddle of life. From kindergarten to grade school to high school to college to job to 401k to retirement to death. The world’s expectations of life can drive us along and sometimes during that journey we wake up and go “how did I get here!” Is there where I want to be?” That can be a paralyzing realization. One that we either ignore and continue muddling, or one that we truthfully confront and act on. Especially as we grow older and feel like we have more to lose, change can be hard unless it is driven by deep passion and purpose. The Ladder UPP will help you discover passion and purpose and create a plan to make it happen. We all get cracks, we all can be broken, yet we have one life. So live free!