Forming the International Society for Therapeutic Jurisprudence!

The International Society for Therapeutic Jurisprudence (TJ Society) is a new, non-profit, learned association established to advance therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ), a school of legal philosophy and practice that examines the therapeutic and anti-therapeutic properties of laws and public policies, legal and dispute resolution systems, and legal institutions.

TJ values psychologically healthy outcomes in legal disputes and transactions, without claiming exclusivity in terms of policy objectives.

The TJ Society shall advance these overall purposes by:

• supporting legal and interdisciplinary scholarship;
• identifying and promoting best professional and judicial practices;
• sponsoring conferences, workshops, and seminars;
• and hosting and participating in print, electronic, social media platforms.

The TJ Society will be a membership organization, with annual dues set at an affordable, accessible level.

Work so far…

As of mid-June 2017, the founding trustees of the TJ Society are engaged in the following activities:

• Planning for a panel discussion to launch and discuss the TJ Society, to be held at the July 2017 Congress on Law and Mental Health in Prague, Czech Republic;
• Finalizing articles of incorporation and initial by-laws;
• Creating a global advisory council of law faculty, attorneys, judges, and scholars and practitioners from complementary fields, a group that we anticipate will grow significantly over time;
• Expanding the TJ Society Board of Trustees, especially with an eye toward more diverse geographic representation and subject-matter expertise;
• Developing a website for the TJ Society;
• Consolidating, where applicable and desired, existing TJ activities under the TJ Society rubric.

During this summer, we are building the basic infrastructure of the organization. However, the following months and years will engage a lot more people and involve a lot more activities. The latter include, but are hardly limited to:

• Inviting members of the TJ Society to form and join affinity groups based on shared subject-matter interests and geographic proximities;
• Building our social media and web presence to offer a virtual home for members of the TJ Society and its friends; and,
• Developing the TJ Society to support and co-sponsor TJ-related events and activities around the world.

The creation of a membership organization devoted to TJ has been a topic of discussion for several years and became more focused at a 2016 TJ workshop held at Suffolk University Law School in Boston. From there, a small group of devoted TJ adherents began establishing the groundwork for this fledgling TJ Society.

These origins also reflect, for now only, the North American concentration of founding trustees. By the end of the summer, through additions to the board of trustees and the creation of the global advisory council, the leadership profile of the TJ Society will be much more reflective of the diversity of the TJ world community.

We hope to build an organization that is “flat” in nature, with a board of trustees committed to the spirit and practice of servant leadership and the fostering of a TJ community that is grounded in participation, exchange, and mutual learning.

The TJ Society should not be an end in itself, but rather a conduit and steward for supporting and expanding the reach and influence of TJ, while offering a friendly and engaging “home base” for those who identify with it.

Stay tuned for more including how to join!!