This dissertation addresses the problem of providing therapeutic treatments for children who are in special education within an educational environment that has great difficulty promoting or supporting therapeutic intervention traditionally. Because a therapeutic center called The Calming Center exists that serves inner-city, African-American children, it became the target for inquiry. The question posed by this research was this: How do educators, administrators, service providers and educational/psychology support staff identify the effectiveness of the Calming Center on the day-to-day educational environment pertaining to servicing special needs children with diagnosed behavior?

Quantitative research was used to gather data from a sample of thirty (30) educators and psychological professionals including support staff workers, service providers, and administrators who worked with the special needs children on a daily basis. They responded to a survey that asked five questions: Is the Calming Center accessible to the student population based on the overall design of the building? Is the Calming Center easily identifiable? Is the Calming Center visually inviting to students? When the student and staff enter the Calming Center, do they feel welcome? When the Calming Center is not open, is the emotional climate of the school affected?

The analysis of a 16-item, Likert scale survey was conducted using frequencies, percentages, and chi-squares. Given the small sample and the simple straight-forwardness of the response categories, the analysis was hence, descriptive. The University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), which is the scientific standard of customer satisfaction, was integrated with items that were modified to meet the therapeutic standards being measured in this survey.

The data collected from this survey showed that the Calming Center had a positive affect within this particular singular educational environment. The therapeutic services that the Center rendered to the special educational staff and students positively affected the cultural climate of the school and enhanced the educational/therapeutic environment, where special education students diagnosed with various psychological disorders, were being served.