Observation
During the IMH visit, the first thing that struck me was how patient the staff was. During the Let’s Dance activity, they repeated themselves a few times but never got annoyed or displayed frustration. Throughout the visit, they were all pleasant and uncomplaining. As mentioned during the briefing, the ability to maintain composure is an extremely important trait in that industry and I feel that it was clearly displayed that day.
Additionally, the client’s happiness seemed to be a priority to the staff. During the Let’s Dance session, a client’s walked off mid dance and, while she was encouraged to dance, the staff member told her that she did not have to if she was not up to it. The staff also ensured that we were evenly distributed …show more content…
When asked to lead, many of us were hesitant and perhaps over thought the situation. However, the clients had no such hesitation and even volunteered to lead. They all seemed to just want to have fun during the session and their boldness also allowed for us to feel more comfortable in the setting.
Analysis
Through this session, I observed that interaction was an integral aspect of working with mental health patients. This affected me as, with this knowledge, given the opportunity to work with such a demographic, I would talk to them more and put in more of an effort to try to connect with them though perhaps shared interest or similarities. I would take a less guarded approach while interacting with them and try not to allow being too formal interfere. This session also showed me the importance or remaining vigilant as the patients may not always communicate what they plan to do.
I was also reminded to be empathetic towards patients and to respect their wishes. This is especially so during free and easy activities where the main goal is to have fun. I would mimic what the staff had done where, although they encouraged the patients to participate, they did not force them to do anything they did not want to
During the IMH visit, the first thing that struck me was how patient the staff was. During the Let’s Dance activity, they repeated themselves a few times but never got annoyed or displayed frustration. Throughout the visit, they were all pleasant and uncomplaining. As mentioned during the briefing, the ability to maintain composure is an extremely important trait in that industry and I feel that it was clearly displayed that day.
Additionally, the client’s happiness seemed to be a priority to the staff. During the Let’s Dance session, a client’s walked off mid dance and, while she was encouraged to dance, the staff member told her that she did not have to if she was not up to it. The staff also ensured that we were evenly distributed …show more content…
When asked to lead, many of us were hesitant and perhaps over thought the situation. However, the clients had no such hesitation and even volunteered to lead. They all seemed to just want to have fun during the session and their boldness also allowed for us to feel more comfortable in the setting.
Analysis
Through this session, I observed that interaction was an integral aspect of working with mental health patients. This affected me as, with this knowledge, given the opportunity to work with such a demographic, I would talk to them more and put in more of an effort to try to connect with them though perhaps shared interest or similarities. I would take a less guarded approach while interacting with them and try not to allow being too formal interfere. This session also showed me the importance or remaining vigilant as the patients may not always communicate what they plan to do.
I was also reminded to be empathetic towards patients and to respect their wishes. This is especially so during free and easy activities where the main goal is to have fun. I would mimic what the staff had done where, although they encouraged the patients to participate, they did not force them to do anything they did not want to