The other day a person who was cleaning our her office as we get to do some downsizing, or as the corporate wonks would call it right sizing,found a document that was from 1989. It listed salaries and rates of pay that our organization had developed. In 1989 we were paying the direct service staff at the most 8.69 dollars per hour to serve and support people who have a variety of very challenging needs. Dial the clock forward it is now 2010 and we are paying direct service staff at the high end of the scale, 10.00 per hour. By my calculation that means in 21 years we have given a 1.31 an hour raise to people dedicated to helping individuals to assit them in improving their qaulity of life. I ask you what other industry, profession or any type of employment for that matter would give their employees a 1.31 raise over 21 years? The answer is noone and nowhere.
The question is do we value the work that people do everyday in support of those who live with life challenges? The answer is no. If it were not the case, the people we serve would not have been locked away in institutions for so many years by a society that did want them as members. Now it seems we don't want those that provide direct services to amongst us either. How could they be living on these wages which don't quite gain you much beyond the crack in the door to our capitalist playground. In fact many direct service individuals qualify to recieve the govern benefits that those we serve do. Our staff and the individuals we serve for the most part, live in poverty and so the declared war continues.
We as leaders like to humor direct support staff by first calling them DSP's direct support professionals and yet we pay them lower wages than fastfood professionals. We honor them as we should, with a day, bumper stickers, a conference and then continue to pay them an unliveable wage. Even if we as executives took a 50% cut we could not pay direct support professionals a liveable wage, as our contracts with the funders has not increased very much at all for over fifteen years.
So what do we do? First tell the stories of great things that happen everyday for those we serve, and then let the media know who is making these great stories. We must be persistent and define what's really going on.
Spread the word this is an outrage.
JBG
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Please Don't Waste My Time
Its nine A.M Monday anytime of the year. The program particpants have just arrived at day a program anywhere in the USA and the first thing on the schedule that is typically ignored most of the time, is BREAK. Break from what? A long weekend,the rigourous arrival, the job that most of the people coming to the program don't have. A break from the lack of imagination and respect we don't have for the people who we are here to serve? Hell I don't know, yet it is more common than not that the people we serve have a significant amount of their time wasted in meaningless activity or the waiting game. Waiting for something really cool to happen that usually doesn't arrive. The obligatory craft project,the current events that aren't so current and certainly not an even in the minds of those we serve.
I visited a sheltered workshop many years ago that hosted about 200 people a day. I walked in with my collegue and we observed about fifty people with alleged disabilities reading magazines, well so much for work. But it got worse when the the staff person at the front of the large cold univiting room said, " OK everyone take a break ", we all know how exhausting reading magazines can be and we need coffee to fuel the energy needed to complete the task.
I apoplogize for my easily detectable cynicism. I think we have created a service system that with some great exceptions, wastes those we serve's time way too often. We ask people to wait for things that often don't happen or as a means of control over their day to day lives and a lock on our own creativity. Money is not always the reason that this happens, though we often use it as an excuse to justify time wasting in our programs that are not hitting the note. If I was one of the people allegedly receiving "quality services", I'd be pissed.
We need to rise up to the occasion and in spite of a challenging climate do exeptional work and deliver engaging services that are respectful of the time those we serve have. Create new models. We can do better and we have no reason not to, as this is why we are here,to serve.
Serve well and throw out the magazines,crayons and puzzles, it's a start.
JBG
I visited a sheltered workshop many years ago that hosted about 200 people a day. I walked in with my collegue and we observed about fifty people with alleged disabilities reading magazines, well so much for work. But it got worse when the the staff person at the front of the large cold univiting room said, " OK everyone take a break ", we all know how exhausting reading magazines can be and we need coffee to fuel the energy needed to complete the task.
I apoplogize for my easily detectable cynicism. I think we have created a service system that with some great exceptions, wastes those we serve's time way too often. We ask people to wait for things that often don't happen or as a means of control over their day to day lives and a lock on our own creativity. Money is not always the reason that this happens, though we often use it as an excuse to justify time wasting in our programs that are not hitting the note. If I was one of the people allegedly receiving "quality services", I'd be pissed.
We need to rise up to the occasion and in spite of a challenging climate do exeptional work and deliver engaging services that are respectful of the time those we serve have. Create new models. We can do better and we have no reason not to, as this is why we are here,to serve.
Serve well and throw out the magazines,crayons and puzzles, it's a start.
JBG
Saturday, October 9, 2010
An Education Proposal
The field of human services is currently at a crossroad. The service delivery challenges are becoming greater, more complex and the population more diverse. Financial resources are at a minimum and shrinking. Yet, as we prepare those who choose a future in human services, real pay has and continues to decrease, the educational preparation of skills of those applying for entry level positions, has dipped into an abyss that requires rethinking how education will prepare people for a career in human services.
At the management level we are identifying new managers from a conservative era that promoted status quo services or less than that. The human service field has been maintaining empires rather than the development of progressive services, which actually serve those, identified to have a real need and this has become the accepted norm.
The KOAN Institute for Applied Human Services as a concept proposes radical change in the educational experience for those seeking a career in the field. It is believed that the most effective education occurs in a contextual way when theory is applied to real life situations. People learn best through doing, and most educational programs at the college and graduate levels do not provide students enough opportunity to apply deeply profound theory to the real life challenges consumers face in the delivery of services.
Through a collaborative effort, born out of the belief that we cannot function alone in the delivery of service, we will call on a variety of organizations including, but not limited to, colleges, human service providers, government funding sources, consumers of service and local community and education leaders. They will be asked to form an educational alliance that is designed to meet the prioritized needs of all the players. Most importantly the student will experience a hands on and highly practical education.
The Institute promises to be a dynamic entity that will literally change the way people are prepared to work in the human service field. It will provide an atmosphere based in critical thinking and creative problem-
solving as the prime component of the course of study. Traditional courses will also be offered to assure that the Institute will meet traditional academic standards and cover major theories in psychology, sociology, community organization, and planned social change.
Program Components
1. Classroom Study: Participants in the IFAHS program will be exposed to ample classroom time taught by college level faculty. Courses will include, but not be limited to:
Introduction to Psychology
Introduction to Social Problems
Introduction to Human Services
Interviewing and Counseling Techniques
Crisis Intervention
Critical Thinking and Creative Problem Solving
Technical Writing
Psychology of Self
Abnormal Psychology
Special Topics in Mental Health
Special Topics in Developmental Disabilities
Service Delivery Systems
Working with Families
2. Live Instruction: The primary purpose of the Institute is to expose the student to as much hands on experience and instruction as possible. The need to apply classroom learning to actual service delivery systems is the underlying strength of this educational model. Therefore, each student will experience steady and almost daily movement from class to live settings to solidify classroom discussion and learning. Students will receive immediate feedback, instruction and support for their applied portion of the program. Real time instructors will be supplied by host agencies and university affiliated staff, as well as experienced others working in a variety of human service settings with a diverse population.
3. Mentoring: Each student will be assigned to an experienced human service professional for the purposes of developing a mentor relationship. This person will be available for hands on instruction, discussion, counseling and career guidance.
4. Competency Testing: Throughout the program at agreed fixed times the students will be tested in the competency areas they’re trying to build. Their classroom work and applied work will be evaluated and scored, as it would be in a paid human service setting. There will be acceptable levels of scoring as a standard for the student’s performance to be measured by.
5. Standards of Performance: Faculty, students, hosts and mentors will collectively develop standards that measure performance against the competencies each student is working on and as defined by the host providers. Standards for quality, service delivery, human rights, values implementation, paperwork, writing and communication will be developed that incorporate universal and specific elements used to define what an excellent performance should look like.
6. Host Agencies: In order for the Institute to have economic and program viability, provider agencies will join for a fee, define what competencies staff need in their organization, and offer their programs as the applied learning environment for their staff and others to learn in. They in turn will have well trained staff who can apply their learning to actual agency needs and save money in the short and long run by not having a high turnover rate or the need to develop and maintain a large and expensive training program.
7. University/College Affiliation: It is essential that the Institute affiliate with a college to help develop and implement a variety of courses of study. Also the university or college will be the component of the Institute that grants certification and credit for course work that may lead to the continuation of a participants’ personal education.
8. Long Term Project: Each student will be assigned to a study group. The group will examine social problems and decide on one that they would like to address. With guidance from faculty they will collectively develop a formal human service response to the social problem by building a human service from the ground up. This project will help the student to understand the level of work that goes into program development and the kind of intensive thinking and problem solving skills it requires.
9. Additional Seminars: From time to time the Institute will hold seminars, discussions, book reading groups, lead by experts in their particular field of human service delivery.
10. Career Planning/ Job Development: The Institute will develop a career development component, that will have computer access to available databases of jobs, opportunities, trends in hiring and growth areas and provide guidance and counseling when appropriate.
If anybody thinks this is viable training model let me know. Maybe we could form a working community to further develop the model.
Until Then, Serve On.
JBG
At the management level we are identifying new managers from a conservative era that promoted status quo services or less than that. The human service field has been maintaining empires rather than the development of progressive services, which actually serve those, identified to have a real need and this has become the accepted norm.
The KOAN Institute for Applied Human Services as a concept proposes radical change in the educational experience for those seeking a career in the field. It is believed that the most effective education occurs in a contextual way when theory is applied to real life situations. People learn best through doing, and most educational programs at the college and graduate levels do not provide students enough opportunity to apply deeply profound theory to the real life challenges consumers face in the delivery of services.
Through a collaborative effort, born out of the belief that we cannot function alone in the delivery of service, we will call on a variety of organizations including, but not limited to, colleges, human service providers, government funding sources, consumers of service and local community and education leaders. They will be asked to form an educational alliance that is designed to meet the prioritized needs of all the players. Most importantly the student will experience a hands on and highly practical education.
The Institute promises to be a dynamic entity that will literally change the way people are prepared to work in the human service field. It will provide an atmosphere based in critical thinking and creative problem-
solving as the prime component of the course of study. Traditional courses will also be offered to assure that the Institute will meet traditional academic standards and cover major theories in psychology, sociology, community organization, and planned social change.
Program Components
1. Classroom Study: Participants in the IFAHS program will be exposed to ample classroom time taught by college level faculty. Courses will include, but not be limited to:
Introduction to Psychology
Introduction to Social Problems
Introduction to Human Services
Interviewing and Counseling Techniques
Crisis Intervention
Critical Thinking and Creative Problem Solving
Technical Writing
Psychology of Self
Abnormal Psychology
Special Topics in Mental Health
Special Topics in Developmental Disabilities
Service Delivery Systems
Working with Families
2. Live Instruction: The primary purpose of the Institute is to expose the student to as much hands on experience and instruction as possible. The need to apply classroom learning to actual service delivery systems is the underlying strength of this educational model. Therefore, each student will experience steady and almost daily movement from class to live settings to solidify classroom discussion and learning. Students will receive immediate feedback, instruction and support for their applied portion of the program. Real time instructors will be supplied by host agencies and university affiliated staff, as well as experienced others working in a variety of human service settings with a diverse population.
3. Mentoring: Each student will be assigned to an experienced human service professional for the purposes of developing a mentor relationship. This person will be available for hands on instruction, discussion, counseling and career guidance.
4. Competency Testing: Throughout the program at agreed fixed times the students will be tested in the competency areas they’re trying to build. Their classroom work and applied work will be evaluated and scored, as it would be in a paid human service setting. There will be acceptable levels of scoring as a standard for the student’s performance to be measured by.
5. Standards of Performance: Faculty, students, hosts and mentors will collectively develop standards that measure performance against the competencies each student is working on and as defined by the host providers. Standards for quality, service delivery, human rights, values implementation, paperwork, writing and communication will be developed that incorporate universal and specific elements used to define what an excellent performance should look like.
6. Host Agencies: In order for the Institute to have economic and program viability, provider agencies will join for a fee, define what competencies staff need in their organization, and offer their programs as the applied learning environment for their staff and others to learn in. They in turn will have well trained staff who can apply their learning to actual agency needs and save money in the short and long run by not having a high turnover rate or the need to develop and maintain a large and expensive training program.
7. University/College Affiliation: It is essential that the Institute affiliate with a college to help develop and implement a variety of courses of study. Also the university or college will be the component of the Institute that grants certification and credit for course work that may lead to the continuation of a participants’ personal education.
8. Long Term Project: Each student will be assigned to a study group. The group will examine social problems and decide on one that they would like to address. With guidance from faculty they will collectively develop a formal human service response to the social problem by building a human service from the ground up. This project will help the student to understand the level of work that goes into program development and the kind of intensive thinking and problem solving skills it requires.
9. Additional Seminars: From time to time the Institute will hold seminars, discussions, book reading groups, lead by experts in their particular field of human service delivery.
10. Career Planning/ Job Development: The Institute will develop a career development component, that will have computer access to available databases of jobs, opportunities, trends in hiring and growth areas and provide guidance and counseling when appropriate.
If anybody thinks this is viable training model let me know. Maybe we could form a working community to further develop the model.
Until Then, Serve On.
JBG
Forget The Money,JL BD
Forget the money as a soultion to the deteriation of the helping profession. I say that because it's obvious it's not coming.Not in these times. Governments are broke, tax papers are fed up, compassion fatigue is at an all time high and it seems that noone is in need of public assistance, not even the people most at risk is the popular, though distorted political view.
So what do we do? How do we as caregivers get better at delivering the services those we support most need and deserve.Well, we first have to think and then learn how to think critically. We need to start thinking because in the electronically numbing world we live in, I beleive communication particularly the art of the conversation is dying quickly. I have seen a breakdown in conveying simple but vitally important information that may be only regarding transporation, but grows into a cascade of mishaps that has destructive impact on an individuals'services. We need to teach all staff first to stop and think about what you are doing, then do it. Better still we as leaders must also teach all staff at all organizational levels, to think critically. We must go on a deconstruction mission to look at what we do, break it down, rebuild an idea or service, change it, see if it works and then throw out all ineffective methods of service delivery and do what really works. No more lip service, let's get it done.
Today October 9, 2010 is John Lennon's 7oth BD. Lennon said "there aren't any problems, only Solutions." This is an excellent way to approach all the challenges we face as service providers and stop stressing and seek soltutions. A solutions based approach to social servies would be quite refreshing. The victimization mentality needs to stop. We are who we are and those we serve need us now more than ever and the money isn't coming soon, unless we move all our services to Wall Street and even then I don't think we would get a piece of the action.
So think!!! And serve on. The days of creative behaviorism, I know best are over let's think together and solve problems together. Now, that's a solution.
Serve On.
JBG
So what do we do? How do we as caregivers get better at delivering the services those we support most need and deserve.Well, we first have to think and then learn how to think critically. We need to start thinking because in the electronically numbing world we live in, I beleive communication particularly the art of the conversation is dying quickly. I have seen a breakdown in conveying simple but vitally important information that may be only regarding transporation, but grows into a cascade of mishaps that has destructive impact on an individuals'services. We need to teach all staff first to stop and think about what you are doing, then do it. Better still we as leaders must also teach all staff at all organizational levels, to think critically. We must go on a deconstruction mission to look at what we do, break it down, rebuild an idea or service, change it, see if it works and then throw out all ineffective methods of service delivery and do what really works. No more lip service, let's get it done.
Today October 9, 2010 is John Lennon's 7oth BD. Lennon said "there aren't any problems, only Solutions." This is an excellent way to approach all the challenges we face as service providers and stop stressing and seek soltutions. A solutions based approach to social servies would be quite refreshing. The victimization mentality needs to stop. We are who we are and those we serve need us now more than ever and the money isn't coming soon, unless we move all our services to Wall Street and even then I don't think we would get a piece of the action.
So think!!! And serve on. The days of creative behaviorism, I know best are over let's think together and solve problems together. Now, that's a solution.
Serve On.
JBG
Saturday, October 2, 2010
What's In it for Me?
Why do people enter the helping professions? I don't know would be the humble and most accurate answer. However, I wanted to raise the issue of what do we the helper get out of the relationship of helping those labelled client or the people we presume to be less fortunate than us due to a cultural construct that tell us so. It is also helpful to know in our minds that there are people less foretunate than us, which is one thing that is dervied from the helping realtionship. That we are better, and therefore we can show you how to get better by being just like us. A bit egotistic or maybe more so, super-egotistic in the name of image making.
I believe that a significant number of helping relationships are based in a clinical manner on counter-transferenc. In other words, we often become dependent on those we serve and support to get our own needs met. There are many people in the helping profession who have significant unresolved personal issues like the general pubilc does. However, we need to resolve some of these issues or at least think and be aware of them so as we help others who may have simialr issues to resolve, we don't muddy the water with our own stuff.
Primarily the point I wanted to make is that it is nice to be needed and when we feel we are not needed in other apsects of our lives, we can turn to those we help so we can get our needs met by them allegedly needing us. I think their need of us is often over exaggerated and that we build this need by creating more dependency on us as helpers by reenforcing there helplessness.
So we need to always be questioning ourselves and our motivation for what we are doing in the name of service to help others. Is it helping us more and if so how can we reel that back and focus on the individual and what there real needs are. If we do this then we should help those we work for to need us less and less. Isn't that the best measure of our success?
Serve on.
JBG
I believe that a significant number of helping relationships are based in a clinical manner on counter-transferenc. In other words, we often become dependent on those we serve and support to get our own needs met. There are many people in the helping profession who have significant unresolved personal issues like the general pubilc does. However, we need to resolve some of these issues or at least think and be aware of them so as we help others who may have simialr issues to resolve, we don't muddy the water with our own stuff.
Primarily the point I wanted to make is that it is nice to be needed and when we feel we are not needed in other apsects of our lives, we can turn to those we help so we can get our needs met by them allegedly needing us. I think their need of us is often over exaggerated and that we build this need by creating more dependency on us as helpers by reenforcing there helplessness.
So we need to always be questioning ourselves and our motivation for what we are doing in the name of service to help others. Is it helping us more and if so how can we reel that back and focus on the individual and what there real needs are. If we do this then we should help those we work for to need us less and less. Isn't that the best measure of our success?
Serve on.
JBG
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Manage How?
Resources are limited, more so each and everyday.Yet,we have many challenges as we seek to deliver services for people who have more complexing needs than ever before. We are finding less energy and creativity within our ranks to solve problems, and create new models for service that provide the security that family members seek for their sons and daughters, sisters and brothers and for all our neighbors.
Where does the creativity and problem solving abiltiy come from if not from within? Well,I think we need to change at least two methods of standard operation. First we need to rethink how we hire people and who we hire. We often fill postions based on a vacancy that has had the same job function year after year. So we must assess the tasks needed to be done and ask ourselves as leaders and managers, what is the best way to address this need, and with whom? We need to think about what talent people have, more so than their formalized qualifications or lack there of. Think about how someone with a seemingly disqualifying background for social services, may have other experience that can meet a person's needs in a different manner. Currently I am looking to hire people with artistic creativity in music, theater, fine art, performance, comedy etc. and then look at how they can meet the needs of those we serve in a different, non-traditional way. The historic old same as we always have done it approach is fastly fading. So rethink hiring, hire creative people willing to learn and not afraid to make mistakes and I believe new doors will open. Lack of social servies experience and knowledge can be an assest and freshen our view of things as well.
Second, develop internal R & D groups that focus on innovation which may help all staff benchmark with external best practices that can be brought home. We need to innovate,not wring our hands with worry and stress about a system that is indeed grossly underfunded and lacks vision, but still wants to do it all the same way, going on thirty plus years.
Create and Create Change for the good of those se serve.
JBG
Where does the creativity and problem solving abiltiy come from if not from within? Well,I think we need to change at least two methods of standard operation. First we need to rethink how we hire people and who we hire. We often fill postions based on a vacancy that has had the same job function year after year. So we must assess the tasks needed to be done and ask ourselves as leaders and managers, what is the best way to address this need, and with whom? We need to think about what talent people have, more so than their formalized qualifications or lack there of. Think about how someone with a seemingly disqualifying background for social services, may have other experience that can meet a person's needs in a different manner. Currently I am looking to hire people with artistic creativity in music, theater, fine art, performance, comedy etc. and then look at how they can meet the needs of those we serve in a different, non-traditional way. The historic old same as we always have done it approach is fastly fading. So rethink hiring, hire creative people willing to learn and not afraid to make mistakes and I believe new doors will open. Lack of social servies experience and knowledge can be an assest and freshen our view of things as well.
Second, develop internal R & D groups that focus on innovation which may help all staff benchmark with external best practices that can be brought home. We need to innovate,not wring our hands with worry and stress about a system that is indeed grossly underfunded and lacks vision, but still wants to do it all the same way, going on thirty plus years.
Create and Create Change for the good of those se serve.
JBG
Friday, July 2, 2010
Projection Reflection, We Have Tried Everything
We have tried it all and everything is a refrain I often hear at team meetings, concerning service for indivduals who live with disabilities. What does it really mean? Everything may mean in the eyes of the service provider all known means to address a so called problem, or to address a skill development need. Or, it could mean we have tried everything we can think of in our limited imaginative realm.
Human services is not always a science, it can however often require all that goes into other forms of art. Therefore we may conclude that there is an Art to helping others. It is a creative process if we allow it to be as practioners of helping those in need or even better, those who in the truest sense, seek our services.It's our job to create a picture of what success may mean to the people we work for that may help them actually meet a goal that is not a projection of our own wishes, dreams and needs, but of those we serve.
As outdated as it seems the notion of empathy is still not utilized as a starting point to help others. It's a place to start to paint our picture or map to success for those we serve. Empathy is not easy to arrive at as we often confuse it with sympathy and still it is hard to know what another person's experience is or may be. We make a critical mistake whenever we as helpers tell those we help by saying I know how you feel, well, we don't and we never will, yet we can try to understand what they may experienced by putting ourselves as deeply into that experience as possible. We need to go deep within ourselves to place ourselves in their shoes by asking questions such as what would it be like to have staff watching me all the time and commenting on everthing I do.Sometimes people we serve have been conditioned overtime to please staff and all those in positions of authority over their lives. We need to free ourselves of control thinking and really commit to freedom for those we serve.
A number of years ago I got into trouble with the power people in my organization when I put a poster together to inspire staff to think freely, and in turn, free those we serve from our limited creativity and need for control. The poster said simply "Free the ____ eigthteen." Well the big guy summoned me to his corporate crib and asked me if I was saying we we were holding the clients captive. At the time I said no, I was just trying to help our staff see that the more we free those we serve from formal human services, the greater success we and those we serve will realize. I do believe that the primary goal in all aspects of human services, is to help people become free and need less and less of our services. That signifys to me a meausre of success for all concerned.
So when we say we have tried eveything and nothing has worked, we are really saying we don't know what to do and we have imprisoned ourselves by limiting the possibilites within our own minds. Think freely, apply it to those who supervise you and more importantly those individuals you serve.
Serve On!!!
JBG
Human services is not always a science, it can however often require all that goes into other forms of art. Therefore we may conclude that there is an Art to helping others. It is a creative process if we allow it to be as practioners of helping those in need or even better, those who in the truest sense, seek our services.It's our job to create a picture of what success may mean to the people we work for that may help them actually meet a goal that is not a projection of our own wishes, dreams and needs, but of those we serve.
As outdated as it seems the notion of empathy is still not utilized as a starting point to help others. It's a place to start to paint our picture or map to success for those we serve. Empathy is not easy to arrive at as we often confuse it with sympathy and still it is hard to know what another person's experience is or may be. We make a critical mistake whenever we as helpers tell those we help by saying I know how you feel, well, we don't and we never will, yet we can try to understand what they may experienced by putting ourselves as deeply into that experience as possible. We need to go deep within ourselves to place ourselves in their shoes by asking questions such as what would it be like to have staff watching me all the time and commenting on everthing I do.Sometimes people we serve have been conditioned overtime to please staff and all those in positions of authority over their lives. We need to free ourselves of control thinking and really commit to freedom for those we serve.
A number of years ago I got into trouble with the power people in my organization when I put a poster together to inspire staff to think freely, and in turn, free those we serve from our limited creativity and need for control. The poster said simply "Free the ____ eigthteen." Well the big guy summoned me to his corporate crib and asked me if I was saying we we were holding the clients captive. At the time I said no, I was just trying to help our staff see that the more we free those we serve from formal human services, the greater success we and those we serve will realize. I do believe that the primary goal in all aspects of human services, is to help people become free and need less and less of our services. That signifys to me a meausre of success for all concerned.
So when we say we have tried eveything and nothing has worked, we are really saying we don't know what to do and we have imprisoned ourselves by limiting the possibilites within our own minds. Think freely, apply it to those who supervise you and more importantly those individuals you serve.
Serve On!!!
JBG
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Are You There?
The way to success in working with those who live with a disability is simply to be with them in each and every moment we can. Yet, as simple as this notion is it seems so hard to achieve for those whose work is to do just that.
In a culture where it seems people are on a constant search for diversion around every corner,it appears like we are trying to get away, From what? I am not sure. How often have you seen those called staff walking one hundred yards ahead of an individual they should be supporting. Is it that they are uncomfortable or embarassed to be with the individual, do they not know what to do, do they lack training and guidence from those who are charged with provinding it? I think its all of the above and more. We need to think of the possibilities and not the roadblocks. We need to celebrate small successes with those we provide services and supports for. We need to avoid the diversion and strongly hug the moment and enjoy it.
We now have many tools to divert us from being fully with those we serve such as computers, cell phones, ipod's all designed to help us communicate better, but not always, as we ignore those we should be talking to face to face. Reports are required yet time is short, but everytime we choose the computer over those we serve, we are guilty of neglect, as we are not attending to the person we should be attending to. Diversion is safe and allows us more and more time not to do our jobs and avoid the real hard work of being creative, caring and yes in the moment, fully paying attention to the needs we have been hired to meet.
Look away from the screen and get focused. Its a win- win for all.
Be proud and serve.
JBG
In a culture where it seems people are on a constant search for diversion around every corner,it appears like we are trying to get away, From what? I am not sure. How often have you seen those called staff walking one hundred yards ahead of an individual they should be supporting. Is it that they are uncomfortable or embarassed to be with the individual, do they not know what to do, do they lack training and guidence from those who are charged with provinding it? I think its all of the above and more. We need to think of the possibilities and not the roadblocks. We need to celebrate small successes with those we provide services and supports for. We need to avoid the diversion and strongly hug the moment and enjoy it.
We now have many tools to divert us from being fully with those we serve such as computers, cell phones, ipod's all designed to help us communicate better, but not always, as we ignore those we should be talking to face to face. Reports are required yet time is short, but everytime we choose the computer over those we serve, we are guilty of neglect, as we are not attending to the person we should be attending to. Diversion is safe and allows us more and more time not to do our jobs and avoid the real hard work of being creative, caring and yes in the moment, fully paying attention to the needs we have been hired to meet.
Look away from the screen and get focused. Its a win- win for all.
Be proud and serve.
JBG
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Human Services as a Punishment
It has always facinated me, as well as disturbed me, that sentences are somtimes issued by courts for those who commit crime entails community service in a human service agency. So the punishement becomes something that many people conduct daily with deep dedication and joy and is then relegated to criminals. Day to day professional community services or do I dare say community organizing. Something that are society often ignores unitl something out of the ordinary happens and then is sensationalized by the media. The story often calls for a complete investigation and condemnation of the entire system of service delivery.
It would be quite gratifying to see more positve recognition and awareness of the day to day amazing acts of care that take place, such as recognizing all those we serve as valued human beings who are ther own people with lives like ours, and dreams like ours. It would be nice to send our criminal citizens to help clean up the dreaded public for profit sector such as the out of control banking industry, that indeed may lead one to seek human services when the money and healthcare run out. This would be a proactive move on the part of the court system and prehaps a step towards balancing right, wrong and maybe the indifferent. We should not juxtapose crime with good and thoughtful care of our citizens who may need it.
Care to serve and serve well.
JBG
It would be quite gratifying to see more positve recognition and awareness of the day to day amazing acts of care that take place, such as recognizing all those we serve as valued human beings who are ther own people with lives like ours, and dreams like ours. It would be nice to send our criminal citizens to help clean up the dreaded public for profit sector such as the out of control banking industry, that indeed may lead one to seek human services when the money and healthcare run out. This would be a proactive move on the part of the court system and prehaps a step towards balancing right, wrong and maybe the indifferent. We should not juxtapose crime with good and thoughtful care of our citizens who may need it.
Care to serve and serve well.
JBG
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Happy, Happy, Happy
Two movies define this thought piece. Away from Her and Up In The Air. Two dramatically different movies that I watched this weekend. Yet, both of these movies touched a nerve in me as human services provider, and one who has spent years attempting to meet the life needs of many people seeking services.
The theme I want to discuss is happy in the face of total life sucking situations. Dementia, Alzheimer's or Memory loss related challenges and losing one's job.In the movie Away from Her there is scene when the husband visits an assited care facility and gets the grand tour. The adminstrator gives him the brief tour of the facility with total joy and a spring in her step as this was similar to planning for a birthday party, or some other joyous event. "We get some much narural light." We got a puzzle going on here, we always have a puzzle going on here." "People are kept busy here and look at our brand new dining room." You get the point happy, happy as this poor man is making a gut wrenching decision to leave his wife there forever. Then he is told that there are no visits until after his wife has had 30 days to settle in. Well, with Alzeheimer's Disease that may be just about the right amount of time for his wife to forget who he is.
This is not dissimilar to what happened to the young children
dropped off at the State Schools for those lablled mentally retarded 50 years ago.There families could not see them for two months so they can settle in as well. The other reason is that most human beings resist living in controlling places like institutional settings, with locked doors and giving the freedom up to care givers who want to keep the peace. In another words, 30-60days to succumb to their new instutuional lives. Who thinks this shit up?
In Up in Air, George Clooney plays a man who travels an inordinate number of miles flying to companies all over the country to fire people. His young upstart partner thinks she can remove her feelings from what she is charged to do. Again, losing one's job is very high on the causes of derpession charts.This becomes another event that the characters in the movie try to sugar coat with numerous referrences to this being just another, and maybe better opportunity. They expect them to accept their contrived and stunted speach about them being let go as is with no reaction.
Both films are fictional, yet in human services the attempt to make happy out of deeply painful life events is not uncommon. This is probably used as a defense against our own pain and sadness. We need to be real, honest and sensative to all the deeply painful life events those who seek our services are experiencing.
Let's get real and honest, by shutting up and listening.
JBG
The theme I want to discuss is happy in the face of total life sucking situations. Dementia, Alzheimer's or Memory loss related challenges and losing one's job.In the movie Away from Her there is scene when the husband visits an assited care facility and gets the grand tour. The adminstrator gives him the brief tour of the facility with total joy and a spring in her step as this was similar to planning for a birthday party, or some other joyous event. "We get some much narural light." We got a puzzle going on here, we always have a puzzle going on here." "People are kept busy here and look at our brand new dining room." You get the point happy, happy as this poor man is making a gut wrenching decision to leave his wife there forever. Then he is told that there are no visits until after his wife has had 30 days to settle in. Well, with Alzeheimer's Disease that may be just about the right amount of time for his wife to forget who he is.
This is not dissimilar to what happened to the young children
dropped off at the State Schools for those lablled mentally retarded 50 years ago.There families could not see them for two months so they can settle in as well. The other reason is that most human beings resist living in controlling places like institutional settings, with locked doors and giving the freedom up to care givers who want to keep the peace. In another words, 30-60days to succumb to their new instutuional lives. Who thinks this shit up?
In Up in Air, George Clooney plays a man who travels an inordinate number of miles flying to companies all over the country to fire people. His young upstart partner thinks she can remove her feelings from what she is charged to do. Again, losing one's job is very high on the causes of derpession charts.This becomes another event that the characters in the movie try to sugar coat with numerous referrences to this being just another, and maybe better opportunity. They expect them to accept their contrived and stunted speach about them being let go as is with no reaction.
Both films are fictional, yet in human services the attempt to make happy out of deeply painful life events is not uncommon. This is probably used as a defense against our own pain and sadness. We need to be real, honest and sensative to all the deeply painful life events those who seek our services are experiencing.
Let's get real and honest, by shutting up and listening.
JBG
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Everyone Has Something to Say/ Art and Healing
This week I witnessed the power of art, expression and people who we label by disability instead of the quality of who they are, finding a voice. The voice could have been deeply imbedded in the label and the pile of low expecations we at times may have,of we support, and provide services for.
In one of our day services we serve people who happen to have Alzeheimer's Disease, other forms of dementia and memory loss. It was Jackson Pollock day and one of our staff did a presentation on the life of Pollock and focused on his style and methods of painting. Grant it, there was confusion and wonder, as well as questions concerning what was going on. But when it came time to paint, life changed in that room. People shared small canvases along with sticks, brushes, spray bottles and a good supply of house paint. With some encouragement fom the instructor and support to be free to try what they wanted to, the class particpants found their joy and their voice. They painted with huge smiles and in some cases reckless abandon.Laughter and fun bubbled up from a deep place in their memories that can at times be masked, not allowing these feelings of joy and a sense of accomplishment to be realized.
The results indicated that although their was clear interest in the academic part of the event, it was the hands on opportunity that reached them. They acted on impulse and the notion of freedom to create, and they did. As a result, we now have close to a dozen paintings that will be exhibited during an event in March.The event will be an evening of Education, Music and Art. The artists will attend and stand proud next to their creations and though they be challenged to remember making the art,our guests will value them and what they accomplished.
Stretch the limits and don't be afraid to try new things, even if you think its beyond what those you serve can do, or may be interested in. You never know without trying.
JBG
Saturday, January 23, 2010
The Slow Burn and The Awakening
I personally really hate the term burnout, as it applies to human servies workers. I guess I have been in some sort of denial as I have fought hard against it, or thought it doesn't really exist. A mere sytems myth to be used to weed out staff that weren't delivering the goods.
Well, after all these years I am not burnt out at all and in fact at the turn of thirty years in social services I am energized, happy, excited and still learning every day as I face new challenges, and more importantly those people who we have so graciously labeled clients, also face.
There are people in social service work that are indeed burnt to a crisp, and there may be no return from the helping neatherlands. What is burn out and what are the dangers as some face the onset, and find themselves in the midst of a deep fall into not caring? The symtpoms are a chronic state of tired, disinterest in indivudals served,distain for those served, distain for the service delivery system, apathy, depression, anxiety and an more, enough to fill the upcoming DSM V.
The manifestation of the above mentioned symptoms may result in families of those we serve being pushed away as a result of seeing our low energy and apathy. They most likely say to themselves, " this is not what I want for my son or daughter, brother or sister." Familes want people thay can trust to care for their relatives, support them, show a strong interest in their lives and be there and present.
So how do we turn this around? By bringing joy to our work. To relish in the achievements and gains we see those we serve make, small, large or incremental, they are all gratifying for us who serve, and for those we serve. Take creative risks and don't be captured as a prisoner of rigid and limited thinking. More is possible than not. Also, we need to remember, if we allow ourselves to learn that every day is an education, and our teachers are those we serve who teach us to be humble,how to survive when things are really difficult, and how to take joy in the small, but essential.
So stop the slow burn and awaken to all that is possible, in the wonder of the work we do.
JBG
Well, after all these years I am not burnt out at all and in fact at the turn of thirty years in social services I am energized, happy, excited and still learning every day as I face new challenges, and more importantly those people who we have so graciously labeled clients, also face.
There are people in social service work that are indeed burnt to a crisp, and there may be no return from the helping neatherlands. What is burn out and what are the dangers as some face the onset, and find themselves in the midst of a deep fall into not caring? The symtpoms are a chronic state of tired, disinterest in indivudals served,distain for those served, distain for the service delivery system, apathy, depression, anxiety and an more, enough to fill the upcoming DSM V.
The manifestation of the above mentioned symptoms may result in families of those we serve being pushed away as a result of seeing our low energy and apathy. They most likely say to themselves, " this is not what I want for my son or daughter, brother or sister." Familes want people thay can trust to care for their relatives, support them, show a strong interest in their lives and be there and present.
So how do we turn this around? By bringing joy to our work. To relish in the achievements and gains we see those we serve make, small, large or incremental, they are all gratifying for us who serve, and for those we serve. Take creative risks and don't be captured as a prisoner of rigid and limited thinking. More is possible than not. Also, we need to remember, if we allow ourselves to learn that every day is an education, and our teachers are those we serve who teach us to be humble,how to survive when things are really difficult, and how to take joy in the small, but essential.
So stop the slow burn and awaken to all that is possible, in the wonder of the work we do.
JBG
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Control is Out of Control
Today I was visiting my favorite day program, the mall, any mall USA. The world's biggest provider of Mall Therapy. This is place where people who can't afford lunch, bring a bagged lunch to the foodcourt where others are purchasing lunch, the more typical behavior. It's a palce where many people congregate with there staff with the misguided idea that this is social integration. Well it isn't social, and it is certianly not an experience that forwards the possibility of those living with diability, join those of us who are wronlgy perceived to be OK.
I was eating lunch and I was observing an interaction between a staff person and the individual he was there with, eating his bagged lunch smack in the middle of a place of commerce. The dialog went like this" Ralph, where are going Buddy." Ralph was standing up and looked like he was ready to go. Staff to Ralph" Hey buddy you need to sit down for one minute before we go." Why one minute? Would those of us alleged adults listen to another telling us we need to sit down? Ralph to his credit, wasn't buying it and in my mind I was stronlgy rooting for him not to give in, and sit down for the mandatory minute. As it turned out, Ralph after much coaxing by his staff/guy, sat down. Of course Ralph got the obligatory praise from the staff guy, " nice job" for listening to me and complying with my controlling wishes. Who needs buddies like that? Well Ralph wouldn't be at the mall if he indeed did have a "nice job" somewhere.
Control has become out of control, and in some ways has always been in the helping profession, but now it looks like it is driven by stupid mandates to be in the "community" at all costs, in defiance to sanity. We are now having individuals do tricks in public for their paid friends and trainers, for all the public to witness and wonder why?
Let's stay out of malls or other places that have little if no meaning in terms of social integration or life enrichment for those who have a disability and for that matter, all of us. Let's help individuals be free and choose for themselves.
By the way the requesite minute turned out to be 17 minutes before Ralph was finally given permission to get up and leave. I know, I timed it.
Serve Well
JBG
I was eating lunch and I was observing an interaction between a staff person and the individual he was there with, eating his bagged lunch smack in the middle of a place of commerce. The dialog went like this" Ralph, where are going Buddy." Ralph was standing up and looked like he was ready to go. Staff to Ralph" Hey buddy you need to sit down for one minute before we go." Why one minute? Would those of us alleged adults listen to another telling us we need to sit down? Ralph to his credit, wasn't buying it and in my mind I was stronlgy rooting for him not to give in, and sit down for the mandatory minute. As it turned out, Ralph after much coaxing by his staff/guy, sat down. Of course Ralph got the obligatory praise from the staff guy, " nice job" for listening to me and complying with my controlling wishes. Who needs buddies like that? Well Ralph wouldn't be at the mall if he indeed did have a "nice job" somewhere.
Control has become out of control, and in some ways has always been in the helping profession, but now it looks like it is driven by stupid mandates to be in the "community" at all costs, in defiance to sanity. We are now having individuals do tricks in public for their paid friends and trainers, for all the public to witness and wonder why?
Let's stay out of malls or other places that have little if no meaning in terms of social integration or life enrichment for those who have a disability and for that matter, all of us. Let's help individuals be free and choose for themselves.
By the way the requesite minute turned out to be 17 minutes before Ralph was finally given permission to get up and leave. I know, I timed it.
Serve Well
JBG
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Connections and Context
Building a non-profit human service requires focus,vision and an undying committment to those an agency serves and supports.
It's vital to be aware of having vision and more importantly, to clearly define organizational success. There must be a there there, when you get there. Without knowing what success looks like, it is very difficult to know what elements it will take to arrive at success. It may interfere with hiring decisions, financial planning, board selection and efforts to bring the public's attention to what the work is you are doing, and who it is your supporting.
So, I suggest asking some basic questions, followed by some basic decisions that are very important to reach a successful outcome.First, what is the context we are operating in as a human service? Well, good question, but what does it mean? Simply put in my opinion, most of what we do is in a contextual universe. We can not solve social problems with out knowing cause and effect and as Daniel Quinn said, with a program.Location, people involved in every step of the change of service delivery, as well as advesaries and those who embrace what your angency is doing are key elements to be aware of. We need to know what the threats are to success, what areas of the community can we find support and possible early adopters of new program developmentand its concept.
The reason context is important is to find all the possible connections to what you are doing and who are the key people you neeed to bring into the effort to help you arrive at a successful outcome. Building programs and new services is not much different than building other organizations. All good strategic planning should include the elements one may need to reach the agreed upon goals.
In order to succeed at building an organization or new program we must realize how in deed so much is connected, and it is imperative to recognize this, be aware of the connectivity by applying critical thinking skills, and realize how important it is to choose the right people for the job.
I don't worry so much about the directly related experience one brings to the job, I am more interested in what is in the persons' overall background, the values they bring to an organization in terms of those we serve and how they may be a creative member of the team. The team should be diverse in thinking, education, cultural relationship and how they solve problems.Tom Peters has said hire people who make mistakes because not much learning will take place with those who know it all, or think they do.
Its fun to build things and its important that in buidling there is joy,vision and intense drive to reach the stated goals.
JBG
It's vital to be aware of having vision and more importantly, to clearly define organizational success. There must be a there there, when you get there. Without knowing what success looks like, it is very difficult to know what elements it will take to arrive at success. It may interfere with hiring decisions, financial planning, board selection and efforts to bring the public's attention to what the work is you are doing, and who it is your supporting.
So, I suggest asking some basic questions, followed by some basic decisions that are very important to reach a successful outcome.First, what is the context we are operating in as a human service? Well, good question, but what does it mean? Simply put in my opinion, most of what we do is in a contextual universe. We can not solve social problems with out knowing cause and effect and as Daniel Quinn said, with a program.Location, people involved in every step of the change of service delivery, as well as advesaries and those who embrace what your angency is doing are key elements to be aware of. We need to know what the threats are to success, what areas of the community can we find support and possible early adopters of new program developmentand its concept.
The reason context is important is to find all the possible connections to what you are doing and who are the key people you neeed to bring into the effort to help you arrive at a successful outcome. Building programs and new services is not much different than building other organizations. All good strategic planning should include the elements one may need to reach the agreed upon goals.
In order to succeed at building an organization or new program we must realize how in deed so much is connected, and it is imperative to recognize this, be aware of the connectivity by applying critical thinking skills, and realize how important it is to choose the right people for the job.
I don't worry so much about the directly related experience one brings to the job, I am more interested in what is in the persons' overall background, the values they bring to an organization in terms of those we serve and how they may be a creative member of the team. The team should be diverse in thinking, education, cultural relationship and how they solve problems.Tom Peters has said hire people who make mistakes because not much learning will take place with those who know it all, or think they do.
Its fun to build things and its important that in buidling there is joy,vision and intense drive to reach the stated goals.
JBG
Saturday, January 2, 2010
New Year/ New Ideas
It's the time of year,as it always is to rethink what we do to support those we serve. For many years it has been the same, year after year without the creation of new models of supports and services that consider first and foremost the best for the individual, what is efficient and most importantly, what works to arrive at the desired outcome for the individual and their family.
As I manage and lead my organization I always consider the social worker side of 30 years. I now find myself considering the business side of my experience and hopefully learning from all the wrong decisions I and others have made. Cost benefit analysis plays a big role in what I and my team of leaders decide to do, yet the human side of this business continues to fill the mind with the notion of doing the right thing. Well, I think we can do both and take an integral approach to how we support individuals while also considering the best business decisions that will lead to a sustainable model for service delivery. We can no longer look at issues in isolation and think that we can solve problems this way. A good and strong approach to applying critical thinking and Integral Theory may very well get us to that place we call success.
JBG
As I manage and lead my organization I always consider the social worker side of 30 years. I now find myself considering the business side of my experience and hopefully learning from all the wrong decisions I and others have made. Cost benefit analysis plays a big role in what I and my team of leaders decide to do, yet the human side of this business continues to fill the mind with the notion of doing the right thing. Well, I think we can do both and take an integral approach to how we support individuals while also considering the best business decisions that will lead to a sustainable model for service delivery. We can no longer look at issues in isolation and think that we can solve problems this way. A good and strong approach to applying critical thinking and Integral Theory may very well get us to that place we call success.
JBG
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