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“tay staffing qualities”

“tay staffing qualities”. Finding staff that are a good fit for working with transition-age youth. OVERVIEW. Ultimately, it’s about each person as an individual, both their qualities and their passions.

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“tay staffing qualities”

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  1. “tay staffing qualities” Finding staff that are a good fit for working with transition-age youth

  2. OVERVIEW Ultimately, it’s about each person as an individual, both their qualities and their passions. Age is irrelevant, it’s the characteristics and approach that are most important. This goes for hiring Peer counselor/advocates, as well. Each staff must have an ability to connect with young adults.

  3. Models & Principles that are a Good Fit with TAY Each staff providing services to TAY should be trained in these! • Harm reduction • Recovery • Wellness • Resiliency • Modeling (not just telling)

  4. Staff Qualities: Patience & Respect • Patience - High tolerance --especially for the inconsistencies encountered, which are developmentally appropriate/normal • Respect --youths’ judgment and insight may be questionable (at times), but the simple principle of ‘treating them like adults’ goes a long way; you will be pleasantly surprised by the maturity/ responsibility/sensibility you’ll see displayed

  5. Flexibility & Collaboration • Flexibility (High Tolerance, revisited) --all those great plans you made together on Monday may be totally different by Tuesday • Collaborative spirit --don’t bother making plans without them

  6. **Must like youth Flexible but focused Down-to-earth Real AND have boundaries Good listener Consistent Willing to take time Non-biased/-prejudiced Positive attitude Mentor/role model **Have a sense of humor Culturally aware – incl. about youth culture Team-oriented Collaborative, including good “PR” skills Have fun, be goofy Organized No labeling/”name tags” Bring out TAYs’ strengths Educated Life-experienced, including overcoming circumstances currently facing TAY DO have these qualities

  7. DON’T… • throw age/educational ‘status’ around • take the job/hire people if not willing to stay long-term • promise what can’t deliver (and DO follow through) • communicate in just one way (have diversity skills) • Break confidentiality (& don’t promise it when shouldn’t) • ask TAY to do anything that you aren’t also willing to take part in • be shocked • get into power struggles • be unwilling to admit when you’re wrong • see TAY & families as patients—see them as people

  8. Developmental Stages • Understanding of developmental issues • Intimacy, relationships • Independence • Whatever that means for that individual, in their personal, familial, and cultural contexts • Ability to help them figure out what “independence” looks like for them • And ability to help them deal with this with their family, if those two ideas of ‘independence’ are different

  9. Know your Mental Health information • Knowledge of illnesses and treatments --ability to provide information needed --ability to explain it in different ways to different people • differing cognitive and intellectual and language skill levels • differing concepts and helpful explanations of MH based on cultures

  10. Work with Families • Ability to work with family members --be a collaborator, mediator, facilitator, consultant (& perhaps, occasionally, a therapist) • AND able to keep focus of who the client is (the TAY) and of confidentiality • Have good relationship with local NAMI/parent group; ideally, teach parent education and/or facilitate parent support meetings • Working with families works better for nearly everyone (in the long run) and ultimately reduces time staff spend on clients—have a team working on issues, not just the staff person

  11. A Loving Distance • In parenting terms: “keep a loving distance” --Provide adequate support while the youth tries out things on their own --Even when the youth has to face the consequences of actions, decisions --Give a heads up about potential outcomes --Keep being there for them, regardless of outcome

  12. Know your Resources • Having resources to refer the youth to, • And knowing those resources --Across conferences, panel presentations, focus groups, etc., this has been a consistent concern from youth: having workers who not only can find but really are familiar with the resources that they need

  13. Ah, Youth • Ability to remember what it’s like to be that age --did we all have “adequate insight” and “good judgment” then?!) • Ideally, have one or more staff who are hip --pop culture can be your friend! --know about or be willing to learn about drugs, music, fashion, news, slang, etc. • Willingness to philosophize, have existential conversations --they’re figuring out who they’re going to be in the world, and how they’re going do it --identity, labels, sense of self, spirituality -including where a mental illness fits in

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