About TheCenter4.com

Concept Design by Stephen D. Thompson

A Personal Note: My work in career education started in 1974. I taught school for two years and then went off to explore the world of restaurant management. My path led me back to education. While taking courses in business administration, I began applying the concepts I learned to education.  I envisioned schools in partnership with local businesses, teachers introducing students to work-related concepts, and students through mentors acquiring entrepeneurship skills. I came to the conclusion that an MBA was not for me. I visited with several professors at the College of Education and based upon those conversations entered a master's program in education with an emphasis in career development, career education, guidance and counseling. Thus, began my continued and committed journey as a career educator.   TheCenter4.com is an extension of that commitment.

In 1988, I was diagnosed with fourth stage lymphoma.  After major surgery, chemotherapy, and participation in H.O.P.E. groups guided by Ken Hamilton, MD, I healed and returned to work.  Critical to becoming healthy was the unconditional love and support provided by my wife, Nona Libby Thompson. Together we participated in H.O.P.E. groups and spent many hours discussing our H.O.P.E. experience and recreating our relationship. As part of my work in H.O.P.E. groups, I participated in guided visualization exercises. These exercises helped me to re-invent my life, to form healthier relationships, and to integrate my career education knowledge with the content of H.O.P.E.  This integration of career education and H.O.P.E. content resulted in the articulation of the concept I call "LifeWork Imaging."

TheCenter4.com intends to create community among students, adults in transition, parents, educators, and counselors. The intention is to create a safe environment on the Internet wherein individuals can realize the meaning, value and purpose of their lives. Our goal is to help others achieve healthy self-invention or re-invention. This will be an evolving process. I invite you to join me in this effort.

Stephen D. Thompson, Managing Editor of Web Publications

TheCenter4.com is a new web based company committed to the fields of education, career development, counseling, and human potential. To support these fields, TheCenter4.com will host the six focus centers listed below:

• Center for LifeWork Imaging

• Center for Relationship Equality

• Center for Health and Healing

• Center for Social Responsibility

• Center for Cultural Understanding

• Center for Curriculum Development

Each center will have content and activities that will stimulate personal exploration and increase self understanding. TheCenter4.com will support students, parents, adults in transition, educators, school counselors, and private counselors. Each center will have content that reflects current thought and concepts.

Password Protected Areas

Each center will have a public and a password protected area. The public area will provide users with articles and activities that represent the more detailed activities and content in the password protected area.  Each center's password protected areas will include informational checklists, data gathering forms, informative articles pertaining to each center, a chat area, and a threaded forum to present and discuss issues related to the center's focus theme. A fee schedule will be designed for access to the password protected areas.

Your Counselor's Home Page, Your Teacher's Home Page, Your Advisor's Home Page

Your Counselor's Home Page allows public and private counselors with the opportunity to set up their own password protected area. By entering their counselor's passwords, students and clients will be able to access their counselor's web site. Using Survey Solutions for the Web, counselors will create  data gathering forms that will be filled out by clients/students. When the forms are completed and submitted, the information is forwarded to the counselor by e-mail.  Survey Solutions software allows the counselors to convert the data into an Access database.  In addition, each counselor home page will have a private chat area and a threaded forum. Each chat area will support including the counselor up to five users. In order to have a counselor's home page, counselors will need to purchase Perseus Survey Solutions for the Web. Internet setup costs and monthly fees for the first year should be no greater than $195.00. Updating and changes to the home page will be billed at a rate of $35.00 per hour.

Public Chat Area

TheCenter4.com will host a public chat area from its front page. This area is for general discussions that relate to the products and services provided by TheCenter4.com.

Public Threaded Forum

TheCenter4.com will host a public threaded forum from its front page. This forum will allow Center4 users the opportunity to post and discuss concerns and issues related to TheCenter4.com.

Catalogs Online

TheCenter4.com will offer products and services related to each theme area.  In addition, TheCenter4 has opened Vstore so that users can easily purchase a variety of products.  All funds from catalog sales will help fund new content and program areas for each of TheCenter4's focus centers.  Following is a list of Center4 Online Catalogs:

• Books at TheCenter4

• Gifts at TheCenter4

• Music at TheCenter4

• Electronics at TheCenter4

• Ed Resources at TheCenter4

• Health Supplements at TheCenter4 (Rexall.com)

Each Vstore and the Rexall.com product catalog provide catalog sales with secure credit card transactions.

Focus Area Centers -- Content and Services

Center for LifeWork Imaging

This center will provide web content that will assist individuals to make informed career and educational decisions. Based upon the concepts of LifeWork Imaging, This center will also include career and educational searches, plus links to educational, training, and financial aid web sites.

Center for Relationship Equality

This center will focus on relationship between individuals and groups in personal, family, work, and community settings. Content within this center will help individuals understand the effects that bias, stereotyping, and discrimination have on relationship building.  Issues of abuse, real or perceived, in relationships will also be addressed.

Center for Health and Healing

This center will focus on issues related to health and healing. Key to this center is the work of Ken Hamilton, MD. In 1987, Dr. Hamilton founded H.O.P.E., Healing of Persons Exceptional. H.O.P.E. is a network of support groups working with people facing life's challenges.  Individuals who have come to HOPE include individuals with cancer, AIDS, abuse issues, depression, career issues, and other life challenges. This center will provide users with content related to healthy living and approaches to personal healing.

Center for Social Responsibility

This center will focus on the concept of "being in-service" to others.  Key to being socially responsibility is the ability of an individual to be socially engaged and committed to helping others. This center will allow individuals committed to "being in-service" to others to share their experiences and perhaps enlist others to their causes.

Center for Cultural Understanding

This center will focus on helping individuals understand other cultures and people. The center will focus on respect and empathy for other cultures and people who are different. The current center content provides an overview of John McKechnie's Cultural Education Program with testimonials from individuals regarding the program's concept. Key to the CEP program is student participation in intra-state, inter-state, and international student exchanges. Interest surveys for schools, students, and families are available for completion.

Center for Curriculum Development

This center will provide counselors and educators with content that will help them create curriculum and classroom activities directed at TheCenter4's focus themes. These themes include, lifework, relationship equality, health & healing, social responsibility, and cultural understanding.  Curriculum templates will be developed for each focus area so that educators and counselors and share their ideas and curriculum initiatives. Data gathered from the curriculum templates will be formatted for online curriculum and activity guides. Scheduled chat rooms and threaded forums on curriculum topics will provide in depth sharing and collaboration.

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