Albertina kerr subacute
About me and this webpage:
Hey there, my name is Alex Elwell (he/him/his). I'm a psychology student at Portland State University (PSU). Within my education I'm passionate about pragmatic change in our communities and society as a whole. I'm working toward completing my undergraduate degree in Spring of 2021 and then move toward a master's degree in social work to become a licensed clinician.
This website serves as a summary of my Senior Capstone work at PSU. While completing my capstone I worked with community partner Albertina Kerr Subacute as psychiatric technician. I provided direct mental help support in an inpatient setting for clients struggling with a variety of diagnosis. My duties were diverse and included: general caretaking, behavioural documentation, collaborative problem solving, implementing interventions as assigned from therapists and psychiatrists, leading skills and process group therapy, and being there for clients in a human capacity by simply chatting, playing board games, or art projects. Social context and history
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My personal project:
While working at subacute I felt that I was most helpful as a staff during process groups. Process group is a small morning group meeting of about six clients that focuses on discussing mood, goals, and problem solving for the day. I noticed that the group lacked structure throughout the building and was often reduced to a ten-minute appraisal of how clients felt on a scale of one to ten.
My plan of action was to take it upon myself to improve process groups and create an environment in those groups where clients felt they had autonomy and purpose. What I did was fairly simple, I created a format for the group and organised sets of questions that could be used. To make it more fun and engaging I brainstormed a variety of ice-breakers and activities that can be used to introduce the groups. I also implemented mindfulness moments into the beginning of every group meeting. From there group was split between routine questions that surrounded mood and goals in more detail as well as positive affirmations and skills practice. Afterwards clients are given the space to pose their own questions as well as share their answers. From there we usually answer fun questions about time-travel, or pop culture as a cool down. I was really pleased to get positive feedback from kiddos. Some other staff even joined in on the format and began to practice it themselves. Ultimately I believe a detailed and thorough process group creates an environment thats builds trust between staff and clients.
As my capstone comes to a close I'm working on collecting the script and associated activities/documents for this group into a shared drive for the staff to share and use as necessary.
My plan of action was to take it upon myself to improve process groups and create an environment in those groups where clients felt they had autonomy and purpose. What I did was fairly simple, I created a format for the group and organised sets of questions that could be used. To make it more fun and engaging I brainstormed a variety of ice-breakers and activities that can be used to introduce the groups. I also implemented mindfulness moments into the beginning of every group meeting. From there group was split between routine questions that surrounded mood and goals in more detail as well as positive affirmations and skills practice. Afterwards clients are given the space to pose their own questions as well as share their answers. From there we usually answer fun questions about time-travel, or pop culture as a cool down. I was really pleased to get positive feedback from kiddos. Some other staff even joined in on the format and began to practice it themselves. Ultimately I believe a detailed and thorough process group creates an environment thats builds trust between staff and clients.
As my capstone comes to a close I'm working on collecting the script and associated activities/documents for this group into a shared drive for the staff to share and use as necessary.
Reflections:
Subacute has taught me so much, not only about mental health, but about what it means to care for someone. Crisis care is not for the faint of heart. It's rewarding don't get me wrong, but the impact of caring for someone when they need it most can become a heavy weight if you let it. I had to learn quickly how to practice what I preach. This meant taking care of myself so I could better take care of others. It meant learning how to use my own support network, and admitting when it's time to ask for help from loved ones or professionals.
Looking forward I see a need for increased supervision for psychiatric technicians in order for us to feel supported and prevent burnout. A 24-hour facility like subacute is endlessly busy and it can become easy to feel lost in the day in day out. The bottom-line however is that the work at subacute truly does save lives. Without resources like this, a lot of children would be left in unsafe environments without the resources they need. At the end of the day it feels good to know that someone got the help they needed and are on their way to something better, no matter how long the road ahead may be.
Looking forward I see a need for increased supervision for psychiatric technicians in order for us to feel supported and prevent burnout. A 24-hour facility like subacute is endlessly busy and it can become easy to feel lost in the day in day out. The bottom-line however is that the work at subacute truly does save lives. Without resources like this, a lot of children would be left in unsafe environments without the resources they need. At the end of the day it feels good to know that someone got the help they needed and are on their way to something better, no matter how long the road ahead may be.