STR - Support Time Recovery - Activity 1.6 - Putting priciples and values into practice

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STR / Support Time Recovery Training course

VRQ Level 2 Certificate in Mental Health

Answer to Question 1

Give people the chance to be themselves, as long as it's not harming anybody else in the group or causing too much disruption. If Mr T wants to wear nail varnish to the group and nobody minds then let him. If Mr B is only comfortable with his baseball cap on then let him wear it. If Mr J wants to attend all the groups meetings, but never wants to go on any outings then that's his right. Everybody is different, the world would be very boring if we were not.

Answer to Question 2

Always be aware of peoples right to privacy. If you need to talk to somebody about something confidential make sure it's done in private. If you have to ask somebody to leave a group meeting to talk to you about a confidential matter then make up a believable reason to tell the others if they ask where the person has gone. "Mr B wanted to ask about a photography course" sounds so much better than "Mr B was getting a telling off for breaching the groups rules".

Answer to Question 3

Always think carefully about events and outings that are organized i.e. make sure that people in the group can do what they need to do without having to keep running to the facilitators for help. One of the worst things for self-confidence is needing help from others all the time, achieving things on your own can be a great confidence booster. Even if the group have to work together to achieve things that is still good, all groups have strengths and weaknesses, let them work out who can do what.

Answer to Question 4

Service users are human beings with the same feelings as anybody else, treat them all with the respect they deserve. Never talk down to them or treat them as little kids. I went to a day centre to do some art therapy when I was in my late twenties and I had one worker who came over and tried telling me how to hold my paintbrush etc. as if I was a five year old just starting school. They really did treat me as a total moron, which I found very offensive.

Answer to Question 5

Never just think about somebody's weaknesses, its very easy to only see the negative side of people. Find out peoples strengths and come up with ways of letting them show them off to make them feel more positive about themselves.

Answer to Question 6

It's always important to look at the whole person and not just look at somebody as a service user with a mental health problem. People can have physical, emotional, social, spiritual and cultural needs and problems and they all need to be supported. Although a lot of people think of them as separate needs you can get better results if you understand the connection between them i.e. trying to "fix" the emotional state of somebody that has physical health problems and very little social or spiritual support would be very difficult if you do not do anything to help those other problems.

Answer to Question 7

Always try to do things in partnership with the service user and not "I am your support worker, do as you are told". Sit down with the service user and find out what they feel they need to help them, just because a book says that days out (or whatever) helps service users, does not mean its right for every service user. They are all different and have different needs and its only by working in partnership with them that you can really help them, plus they are more likely to respond if they are doing things they think will help them, rather than doing things you have told them. If you want them to do something they are not interested in, try sitting them down and explaining why you think they should do it, not just tell them to do it.

Next: STR Activity 1.7 - Reflective account
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Please note: The contents of the Level 2 Certificate in Mental Health Students workbook are copyrighted, so I have not included any of the questions, purely my answers which are only copyrighted to me! If you have access to the workbook it will make a lot more sense to you. Please do NOT copy my answers and use them as your own, I have just put them here to give you ideas for any parts you may be stuck on.