The Compassion Project
Inspired by StoryCorps
Three Oaks is bringing a StoryCorps-like program to our clients. It’s called The Compassion Project. If you’re not familiar with StoryCorps, it’s a nonprofit organization whose mission is “to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world.” It does this through recording interviews between two people and then preserving those recordings in a Library of Congress archive. The mission of The Compassion Project is to preserve and share (**only within Three Oaks) clients’ stories in order to foster healing and compassion.
To participate in The Compassion Project, you and a person of your choosing will sit down to engage in a conversation in an intimate Three Oaks recording studio. That conversation will be recorded by a facilitator and uploaded to the Three Oaks private, secure Community Page only accessible to Three Oaks clinicians and clients. You can choose from several options to preserve and share your story with varying levels of anonymity, ranging from full disclosure of identity to complete anonymity.
Just to be clear—this is not a therapy session. It’s an opportunity for you to be interviewed by a loved one in order that you may tell your story in a beautiful space with no distractions, and be listened to closely. It’s also a chance to help others by sharing your story more broadly. This service is free of charge and open to any Three Oaks client.
Interested in learning more?
email | stephanie@threeoaksbehavioralhealth.com
FAQs
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YES. Your experiences are unique to you because of your perspective on them. Trust that you have valuable things to share.
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Not at all.
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Yes. You do not need to be interviewed by another person if you prefer to do it alone.
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There is no minimum; the maximum is 40 mins.
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In an intimate recording studio in an office in our Southern Village location (400 Market St. Suite 112, Chapel Hill).
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You are encouraged to bring notes to refer to; however, this is not meant to be a scripted performance. It’s a natural conversation.
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Absolutely not. While the facilitator is a licensed therapist, she is only present to oversee the recording of the interview.
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Only you, your interview partner if you have one, and the facilitator, who is a Three Oaks clinician (Stephanie Levin).
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That’s fine. After the interview is complete, your recording will be uploaded to the private, secure Community Page which is only accessible to Three Oaks clinicians and clients.
You will also be offered the opportunity to have your recording added to the official StoryCorps archive in the Library of Congress where anyone can access it. Regardless of which option you choose, you may use a pseudonym if you’d like.
How to Prepare
1. Treat it like a conversation:
-The interviewer asks the majority of the questions, though the interview should be conversational. Each person can take turns asking and answering questions.
2. Elicit detail:
-Ask open-ended questions.
o Close-ended: Did you change because of the experience? (elicits a yes or no)
o Open-ended: How did you change because of the experience? (elicits a more detailed response)
-Construct questions that encourage vivid detail.
-Ask follow-up questions to get deeper into a story. Does it look like your interview partner has more to say? Do they become more animated when talking about a specific topic, or do they seem uncomfortable? Body language can cue you whether to dig deeper or to move on.
3. Use your notes lightly:
-Reference your list of questions, but don’t be afraid to go off-script and ask new ones.
4. Wrap it up with reflection:
-As the interview comes to an end, think of some reflective questions. These can be more serious or broad. How would you like to be remembered? Is there anything you’ve never told me but want to tell me now? Or simply thank each other for participating in the interview.
-Here’s a helpful planning sheet to help prepare for your interview: Planning Worksheet