Intro to IPS - 4 hours

* Start with an inspiration *

Introductions

Please share:

• Your name (& pronouns -optional)
• How you're feeling
• What excites you about peer support

Pronouns:

• They/Them/Theirs
• She/Her/Hers
• He/Him/His
• Name

Facilitator(s)

• Name & pronouns
• Position
• Brief background relating to peer support

Outline

• Introductions & Outline
• Discomfort Agreements
• IPS Three Principles
• IPS Four Tasks:
• Connection
• Problem Solving Versus Validation
• Worldview
• The Power of Language
• Mutuality
• Mutual Responsibility
• Moving Towards
• Practice Conversations
• Questions?

Prompts for Interactive Activities

ALL

GROUP CHAT

PHONE CALL WITH PARTNER

BREAKOUT ROOMS

WHITEBOARD

JOURNAL

USING ONLINE PLATFORMS

Group asks for training

• Please stay muted* unless in a breakout room or prompted

*Facilitators may mute/unmute participants

• Please type questions in the chat box** and/or wait until the Q&A time allocated at the end

**Facilitator speaking may not be able to track chat well and may ask for assistance

• Please take care of yourself as you see fit (stand, stretch, hydrate, etc.)

• ... = Ability to change name

• Add pronouns, if desired.

Pronoun Examples:

- He/Him/His

- She/Her/Hers

- They/Them/Theirs

• Mute/Unmute (Alt+A)

• Stop/Start Video (Alt+V)

• Chat (Alt+H)

Discomfort Encouraged

Growing and learning often happens when we are able to safely experience discomfort.

Our Discomfort Agreements

• What do we need from one another in order to take risks?

• What can we agree to as a cohort of learners?

Our Assumptions

• Everyone will be part of the learning and take risks
• We won’t treat anyone as fragile
• There is no “right” or “wrong” thing to say
• Self-awareness is more important than proving how much you “get it”
• IPS isn’t anti- or pro-psychiatry; we are more interested in thinking about psychiatry as a perspective

OUR FRAMEWORK

Intentional Peer Support

History of IPS

"Peer support is about social change."

Shery Mead

Intentional Peer Support

3 PRINCIPLES OF IPS

SHIFTING THE FOCUS FROM

• HELPING TO LEARNING TOGETHER

• INDIVIDUAL TO RELATIONSHIP

• FEAR TO HOPE & POSSIBILITY

Intentional Peer Support

1st Principle: FROM HELPING TO LEARNING TOGETHER

When I am the...

• 3- LEARNER

• 2- HELPEE

• 1 - HELPER

• What might I think is my purpose in the relationship?

• How might it feel to be in this role?

• How might I start to think of myself?

Intentional Peer Support

''Moving from helping to learning is a shift from 'doing to' people to 'being with'. It's a shift from 'me and you' to 'us'. It's about thinking, "What can we create and learn together?" So, even when doing tasks with people, our focus and intent is still on building relationship, thus learning; the task itself is just the vehicle for doing so."'

When you think about relationships in the mental health system, would you say they are more based on helping or learning, and how so?

DOING TO

BEING WITH

Intentional Peer Support

POWER DYNAMICS?

2nd Principle: FROM INDIVIDUAL TO RELATIONSHIP

When the focus is on the relationship:

When the focus is on the individual:

• Change is one way

• Outcomes are predetermined

• Conversations get stuck on problem solving

• Co-learning stops

• We both change

• We risk honesty, openness, and courage

• No one is the problem

• The relationship inspires

What would be different in human services if the focus were on relationships instead of the individual? What would it look like?

YOU ME

THE RELATIONSHIP

"It's a we thing!"

Shared responsibility

ME

YOU

3rd Principle: FROM FEAR TO HOPE & POSSIBILITY

• Fear-based relationships are based on what is wrong and what we are afraid is going to happen

• Hope-based relationships are based on what is possible and how we can together create something new

The Four Ps

The Fifth P

• POSSIBILITY

• PREDICTIVE
• PRYING
• PRESCRIPTIVE
• POWER-IMBALANCED

Example: "I'm going to go off my medication..."

Can you relate?

Talk about a time when someone reacted to you with a lot of fear. What would a hope based response have looked like?

NOTE: This is the first phone conversation activity, so spend a few minutes connecting with your partner before going into the prompt question.

THE FOUR TASKS OF IPS

• CONNECTION

• WORLDVIEW

• MUTUALITY

• MOVING TOWARDS

What does

CONNECTION

mean to you?

CONNECTION

• Is the first task because without it, you can’t go much further
• Creates a sense of belonging that “we’re in this together”
• Builds trust which can deepen the relationship
• Opens the door for both of us to be present

How to connect?

RELATE

&

VALIDATE

Validation Versus Problem-Solving

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of problem- solving?

• When do you find yourself going there?

• What happens when you validate or relate instead?

Practice Validation

"Connect with the person, not the problem."

• You don't care about me...
• My doctor never listens to me...
• I'm never going to get better...
• Peer support doesn't work...
• I hate the side effects of my medication...
• I'm sick of living...

Note: Avoid asking questions and saying "I'm Sorry"

Some possible disconnects

• Pushing agenda

• Ordering

• Cautioning

• Wanting to make a difference

• Lecturing

• Uninvited problem solving

• Being unaware of your power

• Praising

• Over-relating

• Interpreting or analyzing

• Probing

• Joking

• Changing the subject

• Sympathizing

RECONNECTION

"Disconnection is not always bad. Sometimes it's necessary, and can even deepen relationships as it creates space & discomfort to think things through & try something new."

• Check out what happened?

• Own your part/apologize

• Discuss what you both need

WORLDVIEW

What are some things that contribute to your worldview?

Birth order

Skin Color

Class

Religion

Gender

Culture

Geographic location

Why pay attention to worldview?

• To better connect

• Learn "how I know what I know"

• To consider the stories behind the story

• To stretch beliefs and assumptions

Seeing through your worldview

• What's going on here?

• If that's your assumption, what might you say or do?

• How might someone's assumption change if we tell you they're in a psychiatric hospital?

Questions to Open up Worldview

• I wonder...
• Help me understand...
• How did you learn...
• What makes that so...(hard, scary, etc.)

The Power of Language

• What is the medical model of mental illness?

• How does language create reality?

Two Stories

Write a paragraph about a difficult time in your life in two ways:

- First, using medical model and diagnostic language

-Second, using your own personal, descriptive language that is not medical

Arts

Psychiatry

Views

Trauma

Mythology

Race

Ecology

"DISTRESS"

Psychology

Nutrition

Spirituality

Culture

Sociology

Economics

Relational

Multiples Truths Brainstorm

Think of other ways to describe the experience listed.

MUTUALITY

"Mutuality is about bringing both or all of our worldviews together."

Practicing Mutual Responsibility

See - Feel - Need

Practice a conversation with your buddy using your situation you came up with. Be sure to switch scenarios half way through.

- CONNECT FIRST

- CONSIDER WORLDVIEW

- CHECK OUT WHAT YOU SEE

- SAY WHAT YOU FEEL

- ASK FOR WHAT YOU NEED (for you, not from them)

- NEGOTIATE WHAT YOU BOTH WANT TO CREATE TOGETHER

MOVING TOWARDS

what is possible rather than what is wrong

Don't DRINK & Drive!

DRIVE SOBERLY!

Shifting the focus

"... When we're moving away from what we don't want or what's not working, we stay tied to the problem. When we're moving towards what we want, we create the beliefs and actions that we need to get there."

Guidelines

Practice:

• First, connect. Validate and/or relate from your own experience.
• Notice worldview. Listen. Ask questions to open up the story.
• Practice saying what you each see/feel/need. Try and arrive at mutual understanding.
• Experiment - try something new, and feel free to make it fun!

Note: Avoid discussing what you might do and instead practice as if you are actually in that scenario.

Practice Conversations

1. A person calls you every day & says they only feel 'safe' talking to you. You find that you are getting a bit resentful.

2. A person feels like this is the end of the world and is certain they have been a "bad person" and is worried they are going to face punishment in the afterlife.

3. A person calls you often is always focused on how negative their circumstances are and is not open to thinking differently. You are starting to get overwhelmed with how down they seem to be and how little things seem to change.

Note to Self

Write a note to yourself about what you think are the most important takeaways from today's conversations.

How will you integrate these insights into your practice of peer support moving forward?

Questions?

Keep in touch?

Thank you!