           
|
 |
Home->Training Services->Consultation For Support Staff
|
Consulation for Support Staff
Individual or 'Reflecting Team' (Norman, 2003) consultation for staff.
Supporting those who help people with:
- Mental Health Problems
- Learning Disabilities
- Autism / Asperger Syndrome
- Dementia
- Acquired Brain Injury
- Forensic Issues
Paid staff are critical resources for people who need support in their daily life. On a daily basis carers are left to make important decisions about how to support another person. Often they make exactly the right decision, but sometimes their considerable coping and therapeutic skills go unnoticed.
Also, it is very easy to become ‘stuck’ when working with some individuals and an outside consultation can be the boost needed to get things moving again.
Individual Solution Focused consultation is tailored to the wishes of the staff member. It may involve meeting with the staff and the person they are supporting, or it may involve individual work with just the staff person.
Reflecting Team (Norman, 2003) consultation involves Vicky and one of the associates meeting with 4 – 6 staff members. There is a format to follow which allows one person to receive consultation from the entire group in 30 minutes. The process is beneficial to all who attend and is reported to be non-threatening and painless. If requested, the client can also join the group.
- Norman, H. (2003) Solution focused Reflecting Teams. In B. O’Connell & S. Palmer (Eds.) Handbook of Solution-Focused Therapy. London: Sage
What Can Participants Expect?
- A comfortable, safe environment
- Confidential treatment of shared information
- The saving and frequent use of humour
- To meet and learn from others in similar situations (reflecting team only)
- To leave the consultation with ideas about doing something different
- FREE telephone or e-mail follow-up if desired
What Can Consultation Funders Expect?
- An improvement in staff morale or stress level
- The introduction of creative responses to difficult behaviours
- An increase in joint working among team members (reflecting team only)
- An increase in staff efficacy
- Participant satisfaction with the consultation
How Does All This Happen Then?
Reflecting Team Consultation
- One person presents their ‘problem’ situation to the team. Team members then take turns asking factual questions for clarification; team members take turns telling the presenter at least one thing that impresses them about the work they have described. Then team members take it in turns to describe to the group their ideas for moving things forward; the presenter responds to the groups ideas and often identifies what he or she will do different next time they encounter their ‘problem’ situation.
- No participant will be asked to do anything with which they are not comfortable and the process is managed carefully to both allow everyone a chance to participate and to keep the group working to time.
Individual Consultation
- Vicky will arrange to meet for an agreed time with the staff person. It can also be arranged for Vicky to meet with clients in a joint session with the staff person.
|
