When the “What Ifs” Fade: Real Change in Team Mindset

By Andrew Johnson, Residential Manager

Andrew Johnson, Residential Manager

Andrew began his career at George Junior Republic as a Clinical Manager in 2015. After about a year, he transitioned to the RTF program as a shift supervisor for the 13-18-year-old population. After a few more years in that position, he transitioned to the role of Residential Manager in the RTF program, suited for a younger population of 8-12-year-olds. In 2022, Andrew became involved in CARE implementation when he took the lead of moving GJR in PA away from a point and level system and into a system that is individualized and less punitive. This led to him becoming the CARE Implementation Committee’s Co-Chair in 2023, which gave him the opportunity to work closely with representatives from Cornell University to implement the CARE Model. Since then, Andrew has collaborated with multiple departments and treatment teams to advance CARE implementation across the organization. He became a certified CARE Educator in January 2025 and continues to work with teams across campus.

Before beginning his career at George Junior Republic, Andrew worked as a computer technician who offered on-site support to companies in the Indiana, PA area. He currently holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology and a Master’s degree in Strategic Human Resource Management. He is also a certified Safe Crisis Management Instructor. In the future, Andrew plans to continue his career at George Junior Republic and pursue a Master’s degree in Business Administration.

I’ve had the unique opportunity to observe the mindset shift and CARE implementation in a way that differs from most. For almost two years, I’ve been pushing the concept of reflective practice, which has included attending other teams’ treatment team meetings, listening in, and helping with discussions.

In the beginning, much of my time was spent battling the “what ifs” of treatment. But as I continued, I saw a meaningful shift in the tone of those meetings. They stopped being about proving CARE and its theories wrong or insisting it would never work. Instead, the idea of reflection truly began to take root within the teams. It was no longer about “catch the CARE guy up on ‘what if’ situations.” Teams were genuinely discussing outcomes and what needed to happen collectively to act in the best interest of the youth.

I recently attended a Special Needs 12 team meeting and was impressed that the team was already identifying factors that might be overlooked when considering a behavior, and they were coming up with solutions to help the youth develop.

Since the Educator Training in January, I’ve seen significant effort from the RM’s and other direct care staff to promote the CARE model and framework. There’s an openness to it that we’ve never truly experienced before — genuine acceptance and implementation.

Raelyn Reisker and I have attended team meetings in programs that once insisted they could never successfully implement CARE. We spent time challenging those beliefs, and it was incredible to watch people’s posture change as we connected the dots for them, helping them understand why this matters. There’s a warm feeling that comes from visiting a team that may have struggled with these concepts in the past, engaging in a reflective conversation (sometimes lasting hours because the team didn’t want to stop), and then being invited back to continue the discussion.

All of this speaks to the deep roots CARE has established, and to the tremendous efforts of everyone at George Junior to create a meaningful impact on our culture and the services we provide to the youth we serve.

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