Transcript Document

Changing PerspectivesCreating a Culture that
Values the Inclusion of Those
with Mental Illness
March 7, 2010
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Changing PerspectivesCreating a Culture that
Values the Inclusion of Those
with Mental Illness
March 7, 2010
We will begin shortly!
Please feel free to say hello to test your
audio or type in the text box below.
Speakers
Chaz Gross- MA, CAGS
Executive Director, NAMI Rhode Island
[email protected]
Penny Ferrara- BA
Inside Mental Illness Educational Coordinator
[email protected]
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
• Dedicated to improving the lives of individuals
and families affected by mental illness
• Providing Support, Education, Advocacy,
Research
www.namirhodeisland.org
www.nami.org
“Recovery occurs when people
with mental illnesses discover,
or rediscover, their strengths
and abilities for pursuing
personal goals and develop a
sense of identity that allows
them to grow beyond their
mental illness.”
Changing Perspectives
Recent, national spotlight on the topic of mental health
• Generated significant public discussion, questions
• Media messages, Public Service Announcements, etc. work to
inform about mental illness, clarify information, dispel myths
Questions raised in the national service community
• How to include members or volunteers with mental illness
• How to provide accommodations if needed
Overview
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•
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General discussion of mental illnesses
Legal considerations and accommodations
Inclusion in National Service
Tips for promoting positive interactions
Discussion of Mental Illnesses
What is Mental Illness?
• A biological disorder that disrupts a person’s
thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others,
and daily functioning.
• A medical condition that often results in a
diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary
demands of life.
Big Unanswered Question: Why Do
People Have Mental Illnesses?
Biological
Susceptibility
ill
well
Environmental Factors
Types of Serious Mental Illness
•
•
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•
Schizophrenia
Bipolar Disorder
Major Depression
Anxiety Disorders
– Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder and Panic Disorder
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Co-Occurring Disorders
Signs of Mental Illness
• Marked personality change over time
• Confused thinking; strange or grandiose ideas
• Prolonged severe feelings of depression and anxiety
• Feelings of extreme highs and lows
• Heightened anxieties, fears, anger or suspicion;
blaming others
Potential Changes While Serving
• Consistent late arrivals or frequent absences
• Low morale
• Lack of cooperation or a general inability to work with
colleagues
• Decreased productivity
• Increased accidents or safety problems
• Frequent complaints of fatigue or unexpected pains
• Problems concentrating, making decisions, or
remembering things
• Making excuses for missed deadlines or poor work
Treatment Works
• Serious mental illnesses are biological conditions of
the brain and they respond positively to treatment
• While serious mental illness cannot be cured, recovery
is possible
• Recovery requires treatment by both a psychiatrist and
a therapist
• NAMI offers education courses for individuals
affected by serious mental illness and their families
Legal Considerations
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• Ensures non-discrimination against people with
disabilities
• Ensures equal access and opportunity
Applies to:
• Program or activity
• Federal Financial Assistance
• Beneficiary
Confidentiality
• CNCS policy/Section 504 specifically prohibits disclosing
medical information about disabilities to other service
members without their consent
• If members ask about it, you can tell them that the issue is
personal and therefore covered by privacy laws
• Managers may also find it helpful to provide all members
with general information regarding laws that require
organizations to meet legal requirements
(e.g. ADA, CNCS policy, Section 504)
Most Common Functional Limitations
• Interacting with others
– Interviewing for a service position, describing strengths and
weaknesses, clarifying instructions, asking for help, starting
conversations with service members and volunteers
• Learning the job
– Remembering the routine, following instructions, learning new
tasks
• Maintaining work pace/stamina
– Working three hours without breaks, standing for long periods,
taking scheduled breaks, completing tasks in allotted times,
managing time
• Managing symptoms/tolerating stress
– Relaxing, recognizing stressors, managing negative feelings,
managing internal distractions
Types of Accommodations
• Restructuring jobs
– Reassign printing duties to other service members
• Adjusting work schedules
– Time off for therapy appointments
– Later starting time because of morning drowsiness
caused by medications
• Flexible leave
– Leave time for compelling personal circumstance
• Specialized equipment and assistive devices
– Use of e-mail to deliver daily instructions
Accommodations (cont.)
• Modifying service sites
– Install wall partitions around workstation to minimize
distractions
• Providing special transportation
– Assign parking space closer to building to manage panic
condition
• Providing human assistance
– Job coach or mentor can accommodate someone with a
serious mental illness in the same manner that readers or
interpreters can accommodate other disabilities
What Accommodations Are Not
Reasonable
• A service or volunteer manager does not have to eliminate
primary responsibilities of the position
• Managers are not required to lower production standards that are
applied to all members, though they may have to provide a
reasonable accommodation to enable members with disabilities
to meet them
• A service member or volunteer does not have to provide personal
use items
• A manager never has to excuse a violation of a uniformly applied
conduct rule in the position or organization
Inclusion and Mental Illness in
National Service
Changing Perspectives
• Creating a Culture that Values Diversity
• Supervising Individuals with a Lived
Experience of Mental Illness
• Dare to Tell: The Impact of Workplace
Disclosure
Penny Ferrara Inside Mental Illness Coordinator
Cultivating Inclusion
•
•
•
•
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Service recruitment, management, and retention
Supports as value-added to the area of service
Encourage self-advocacy
Team awareness of mental health issues
Addressing uncertainty
Disclosure, privacy, and confidentiality to be
determined carefully
Various Methods To Help
Addressing mental health issues in service:
1. Promote Awareness and Sensitivity
a. Campaign for administrators and staff to receive ongoing
training and support resources
2. Encourage Collection of as Much Information as
Possible
a. It's better to refer someone before problems arise than to
wait until negative behaviors and conflicts have been
established
Various Methods To Help (cont.)
3. Be familiar with the signs and symptoms of mental
health issues
4. Recognize the importance of an the involvement of
other support resources
5. Promote communication, team work
Document the accommodations implemented
Promoting Positive Interaction
Helpful Interaction Techniques
• Key to successful management of encounter is
communication
• Remain calm, manage your own emotions
• Be helpful, respectful, and professional
• Indicate a willingness to understand and help
• Speak simply and briefly
• Move slowly
• Stay positive
• Be aware of your body language
• Be honest with the person
• Obtain emergency aid when necessary
The Strengths Model
1.
2.
3.
4.
Mental illness is not anyone’s fault
See the person, not the illness- which is only one part of the person’s
being
Transitions are difficult
Seven Resiliencies
-1. Insight 2. Independence 3. Relationships 4. Initiative 5. Creativity
6. Humor 7. Morality
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
Act As Mirrors Reflecting Worth, Strengths, Capacity
Allow Personal Control
Hope, Purpose. Achievement, Cheerleader
See Possibilities Rather Than Problems
Community As Primary Place Of Opportunities
Assist In Identifying, Securing, Sustaining Range Of Resources Both
Environmental And Personal
11) Focus on What Has Been Achieved. Explore And Focus On Strengths
Questions?
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