ABSTRACT
Apart from providing for the physical needs of the residents, the aim of the staff was to create an environment that was conducive to growth; growth that is towards maturity and towards greater stability. Growth towards maturity is a natural process, but it can be helped or hindered by environment. In the same way, every living organism has an innate tendency towards wholeness, and the sick organism tends to be self-healing if the environment is not hostile. At Reynolds House we believed that the main essential elements of a milieu conducive to the encouragement of these natural propensities are three in number: warmth, security and freedom. By warmth is meant, of course, in this context emotional warmth, though physical warmth is no less important; the hostel was always kept very warm and very well-lit. The general atmosphere and régime was one that was designed to provide these elements, but there were constantly present also certain kinds of stimuli. It is proposed to say something about the general climate and conduct of the house before going on to speak of these more specific aids to development, which of course included the housemeeting.
