Contributed By: David Prescott, Clinical Director at Next Steps Community Services
How do people make changes to their lives? The answers can be surprising. It’s common to think that when people need to make changes, they go to a clinician who then tells them how to live their lives differently. That can be one way, of course, but it’s actually far from the only way. Here’s what I mean.
I’ve recently heard conversations in programs where someone expresses the belief that the clinician is the central person responsible for helping clients live better lives. They’re the ones who provide clinical services, write behavior plans, and help manage relationships with outside partners. When people in programs aren’t sure of the best way forward, the clinician very often charts the course.
Therefore, it’s true that individual clinicians can make a big difference in the lives of clients and even staff. However, they are far from the only “change agents” in our midst.
Internal personnel like DSPs, Team Leaders, Program Managers, nursing staff, and administrators all contribute to these efforts as well as external folks such as Service Coordinators, guardians, family members, friends, religious advisors, employers and other caring individuals. Everyone has a role to play. When a clinician is on vacation or has to focus on different areas for a time, Next Steps programs are designed to have additional resources needed to support clients. But this still isn’t the central point.
“Everyone has a role to play.”
The central point in how people change is that they are actually more convinced and make more changes based on what they say to themselves than by what others tell them. Clinical and milieu staff can all provide support, encouragement, and direction to help clients get on track and stay on track. While clinicians are vital to Next Steps, we should always remember that they are not the only people responsible for moving treatment forward.
Clients and staff members alike can take a moment to pause and consider some of the many changes they’ve made in their lives. Did you change because a clinician prescribed the correct homework assignment or provided the exact treatment method? Probably not. Most people change because they have a new experience of themselves as different and capable of making changes to their own lives. Most people make these changes outside of the clinician’s office. They might think about what their clinician or other supportive people (such as DSPs) might say to them, but ultimately change is something we all do based on what we hear ourselves say and how other people support us. The funny thing is that there is no prediction of how we might affect others or how they might influence us. Staff members learn a lot from clients as well as vice versa.
“We should always remember that everyone…is a part of treatment and helping clients change.”
When a clinician or a preferred staff-Program Manager is no longer available, we should always view this as a new opportunity for growth and change. We should always remember that everyone at Next Steps is a part of treatment and helping clients change. I’ve heard of many instances where staff or clients were upset when the clinician or their preferred staff-Program Manager was not immediately available to them, however, we can always find a way through these moments. Indeed, they make us all stronger.
Contributed By: David Prescott, Clinical Director at Next Steps Community Services
Next Steps Community Services is New Hampshire’s leading provider of intensive therapeutic residential services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental health conditions, and other behavioral health needs. Its team is compassionate, highly trained, and skilled in delivering person-centered, holistic services. Next Steps partners with individuals providing them with the support and services they need to meet their goals and live their best lives. To assist individuals on their journey, the Next Steps continuum of care includes Intensive Treatment Service (ITS), Step Down, and Long-Term Programs.
