Welcome to our Trainer Highlights series, where we celebrate the experts who bring Moral Reconation Therapy–MRT® and other evidence-based programs to life. This series was created to help you get to know the dedicated professionals behind CCI’s training. Each highlight includes a recorded interview, along with written responses to a set of questions we ask every trainer—from our longest-serving trainers to those who have most recently joined our team. Through these conversations, you will learn about their journeys, what inspires them, and their passion for delivering Moral Reconation Therapy–MRT® and other evidence-based programs.
Laura Gilreath
We would like to thank Laura Gilreath, who has been with Correctional Counseling Inc. as an MRT Trainer for over 25 years, and who has brought Moral Reconation Therapy–MRT® to life. Here is her full-length video, along with her written answers.
What do you like most about doing MRT training?
As a therapist, the best part is when trainees experience their own ‘ah-ha’ moments. It takes them by surprise and, for many, tends to be life-changing, just as it is for our clients. MRT impacted my life that way back in 1990.
What brought you into the treatment/correctional field?
From the time I was very young, people shared their personal problems with me. I remember thinking, “Do I have counselor written on my forehead?” In MRT terms, I now call it part of my Inner Self. It made sense to get into the treatment field. As far as specifically the correctional field, I think it was the challenge. Not in the sense you might think, though. I remember hearing repeatedly, especially from professors, that “criminals cannot be helped”, “the best thing to do is to just lock them away”, and “there is absolutely no treatment for an APD”! This went against everything I believed to be the truth about people. I seemed to have the ability to see good in every person, so I came to believe that no matter what someone had done, there was good in them, and they could make better choices for themselves. I think I set out to figure that out, and my correctional career began in 1983 when I started working at a medium security prison for the Oklahoma DOC. I soon learned that there was not much help for the offender population and realized that there needed to be more done than giving someone $50, a bus ticket back to the county they fell from, and a handshake upon discharge. The Employment and Housing Unit was established by DOC as part of the House Arrest program. I was able to move into the position of a Reintegration Officer. I thought, now I can really make a difference. For the next six years, I worked hard, sending people to vocational school, placing people in jobs, and helping with housing. It helped some, but I kept thinking, “There has to be something we are missing”. In 1990, I had the opportunity to go to MRT training. I remember sitting and listening to Dr. Little talk about the treatment of APD, the Inner Self, CBT, and how people can make better choices for themselves. Everything fell into place for me! The rest is history.
In doing MRT training, does any specific training stand out in any way? If so, why does it stand out from other trainings?
That is a tough question. Traveling for over 20 years, doing at least two trainings per month, has taken me to many places. In general, I enjoyed having the opportunity to get a feel for various cultures and to see the beauty of various states as well as several other countries. I came to appreciate the diversity in each community, but at the same time realized we are all more the same than different.
If I were to pick one training as my “stand out”, it would be my first trip to Australia. I remember getting stressed when I was told that there would be two thirty-minute “tea times”. Now we were already on a shortened day due to their laid-back schedule! I remember telling my husband about it, and he said,” Practice acceptance and enjoy the culture”. To which I replied, “But I have material I need to get through”! Well, I did finally relax and enjoyed the relaxed back atmosphere, dotted with sipping tea and eating biscuits (which I discovered were amazing cookies), and not discussing any business, just visiting about our lives. And I did get through ALL the material! Over the six years of traveling to do trainings in Australia, I came to appreciate their philosophy of family first and work second. Sometimes people say that, but it seems that the Australians really know how to put it into practice.
When I first trained the MRT DV program in Australia, I quickly found out that some of our English words do not mean the same thing. The MRT DV workbook uses the term BATTERERS a whole lot. So, there I was training the Australians, and every time I said the word BATTERERS, they would laugh. I finally asked them about it, and they told me that every time I said BATERERS, they thought of fish and chips! Who knew? The solution was to create an Australian version of the MRT DV and to train myself not to use that term during the training.
Who has been an inspiration in your professional career?
When I was growing up, my mother, even though she was severely mentally ill, imparted these words of wisdom. She said, “Laura, there are two things no one can ever take away from you, your faith and your education”. She constantly pushed me in both areas. I rode my bike to catechism class on Saturdays and to church on Sundays. She made sure I went to an excellent High School and never let me forget that I would go to college, being the first one to go in our family. I was able to get an academic scholarship to attend the University of Arizona. I constantly continued taking college classes despite many things and people that tried to derail me. I continued to be steadfast in attending Mass on Sunday as well.
Later in my life, my husband Barry has been and continues to be my greatest inspiration in my professional career. We met because of MRT. I had just finished my MRT training, resigned from my Oklahoma DOC job, and started working for a nonprofit Agency. This would be the first Agency in the US to implement MRT outside of the founding group. Barry worked at the Freedom House as a House Supervisor. We were married in 1991. My oldest daughter recently said this to me, “Mom, you raised us in religion, but Barry brought Jesus to us”. Not only did Barry begin to pray for us daily, but he also really kept us all covered in prayer. He prayed for the success of MRT, for the clients we worked with, and constantly encouraged me to continue on my professional journey. In 1999, when we moved to North Texas and opened our private practice, I was allowed to travel and train people in MRT. Barry encouraged me to do so, even though it meant that he would take on all the responsibilities of running the Ranch, and caretaking of our aging parents, all the while working at a local Group Home. During the twenty years on the road, Barry constantly prayed for safe travel and for participants in the training. Even now, 34 years later, when I zoom train, he offers words of encouragement. Barry values the work of MRT, and he is truly part of my inspiration.
What is your motto?
My motto is: FIND COMMON GROUND AND SPEAK LIFE.
I believe that we all have more in common than we think. When we can find common ground, we will then listen to each other. Once that connection is made, I believe in speaking life to people. What that means to me is noticing the positive in a person (their Inner Self) and speaking to that.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I consider our Habitat Harmony Ranch my greatest achievement. Almost 26 years ago, my husband and I decided to take a big step in fulfilling our Inner Selves. We bought a small Ranch in North Texas and set out to create “a peaceable habitation, sure dwellings and quiet resting places” (Isaiah 32:18). At Habitat Harmony, we can freely put our Christian faith in action, free of alcohol and drugs (we are both in recovery), and utilize all of our gifts and talents. We have been able to learn and practice new things such as natural horsemanship, equine-assisted psychotherapy, organic gardening, bird watching, bee keeping, having free-range chickens, even training baby emus, and much more. Barry is freely able to use his tremendous musical talents to minister to people. Over the years, we have put on numerous events such as an annual themed campout, the Fourth of July Worship under the Stars, as well as birthday parties, campfire get-togethers, and even a wedding. We have been able to open the Ranch to care for our aging parents as well as other family members in need of care, while they were recovering. We later incorporated as Habitat Harmony Wellness Ranch PLLC, where we see clients who want to become familiar with natural remedies (our oldest daughter is a Board-Certified Doctor of Naturopathy). To be able to pass on the numerous principles of the stewardship of the land, our bodies, nature, and animals have been our greatest reward. Now we see our children as well as our grandchildren living these principles. This could be an entire interview in and of itself, so I will stop here.
Which talent would you like to have most?
That is an easy one. I would like to be able to sing or even have rhythm, for that matter. I always say that is why I married a musician!
Any more comments?
An interview about my journey with MRT would not be complete without talking about Dr. Ken Robinson, Dr. Greg Little, Kathy Burnett, and all the CCI support staff over the years. Their wisdom, insight, genuine encouragement, and constant availability have and continue to make MRT available throughout all of the US as well as other countries. I feel blessed to continue to be part of this journey.
