Summary of event/incident
I was working with a mother who appeared to be suffering with depression which has significantly impacted upon her confidence, self-esteem and self-efficacy. The depression was undiagnosed, yet I believe it could have resulted from a number of factors which were affecting the mother, including; possibly post-natal depression as the mother’s baby was only 10 months of age; whilst the mother had learning disabilities, in addition to having various other health issues. The mother’s life was compounded by poverty and, with no family or friends to offer any support, she felt alone. Whilst the mother felt her health problems confined her to the house so she had reached the stage where she mainly stayed indoors with the …show more content…
The first thing I was aware with the mother was the ‘diversity’ section. The mother had learning difficulties so I addressed this by adapting the way I communicated. By speaking relatively simple without using complex words, the mother was able to understand me easily, yet as I did not talk down to her, or treat her like a child , the mother probably felt like she was treated respectfully and equally. This then allowed the mother and me to develop a rapport where the mother started to open up and be honest about her problems. Using my listening and communication skills I was more equipped to understand what was troubling the mother; empathise with her plight, and by giving her the choice of what she hoped to achieve and how, attempt to empower the mother into making changes which, hopefully, improves her family’s wellbeing. I followed this approach as it meets with the HCPC (2008) Code of Conduct regarding working in the service user’s best interests.
Working with the mother, I had always tried to ensure that I was reliable and that I only made promises which I knew that I could keep. Consequently the mother had now started to trust me and, as I had asked the mother what she wanted, the mother now believed in the things I said as being in the best interests for herself and her children. The mother had expressed a desire to make friends and thus was willing to agree to my suggestion of attending play sessions because I said that I would accompany her to enable her to feel
I was working with a mother who appeared to be suffering with depression which has significantly impacted upon her confidence, self-esteem and self-efficacy. The depression was undiagnosed, yet I believe it could have resulted from a number of factors which were affecting the mother, including; possibly post-natal depression as the mother’s baby was only 10 months of age; whilst the mother had learning disabilities, in addition to having various other health issues. The mother’s life was compounded by poverty and, with no family or friends to offer any support, she felt alone. Whilst the mother felt her health problems confined her to the house so she had reached the stage where she mainly stayed indoors with the …show more content…
The first thing I was aware with the mother was the ‘diversity’ section. The mother had learning difficulties so I addressed this by adapting the way I communicated. By speaking relatively simple without using complex words, the mother was able to understand me easily, yet as I did not talk down to her, or treat her like a child , the mother probably felt like she was treated respectfully and equally. This then allowed the mother and me to develop a rapport where the mother started to open up and be honest about her problems. Using my listening and communication skills I was more equipped to understand what was troubling the mother; empathise with her plight, and by giving her the choice of what she hoped to achieve and how, attempt to empower the mother into making changes which, hopefully, improves her family’s wellbeing. I followed this approach as it meets with the HCPC (2008) Code of Conduct regarding working in the service user’s best interests.
Working with the mother, I had always tried to ensure that I was reliable and that I only made promises which I knew that I could keep. Consequently the mother had now started to trust me and, as I had asked the mother what she wanted, the mother now believed in the things I said as being in the best interests for herself and her children. The mother had expressed a desire to make friends and thus was willing to agree to my suggestion of attending play sessions because I said that I would accompany her to enable her to feel