OFFERING PRESENCE

OFFERING PRESENCE

OFFERING PRESENCE: AGENDA FOR THE DAY

! Welcome Moment (:15) ! Growing Through Intro (:30) ! Presence Session 1. (:45) Being, Intensity and the Journey ! Morning Break (:15) ! Presence Session 2. (1:15) Positive Listening

LUNCH ! Offering Session 1. (:45) Listening to Suffering ! PM Break (:15) ! Offering Session 2. (:45) Offering Hope ! Reflection Moment (:15) ! Close/Evaluation (:15)

OFFERING PRESENCE

What this workshop Includes:

! Introduction to the Growing Through concepts and practices

! Introductory Training on 2 Growing Through Practices 1) Presence (Being There) 2) Offering

OFFERING PRESENCE

OFFERING PRESENCE

What this workshop does NOT include:

GROWING THROUGH PRACTICES TRAINING !Gleaning* !Visioning !Weaving

GT PRO CORE SKILLS SESSIONS !Encountering Intensity !The Heart of Suicide

OFFERING PRESENCE

OFFERING PRESENCE

KNOWLEDGE Objectives-- Participants will understand 1. The Growth approach to crisis and intensity 2. The Big R and the 3 Ls 3. Strengths focused, recovery and phenomenological language

related to mental health and suicide including the 5 Ds 4. The concept of Use of Self and Authentic Presence 5. “Less-tening” and Compassionate Curiosity 6. Offering and the Vice of Advice 7. Offering, Confirming, Qualifying, Inquiring (OCQI)

OFFERING PRESENCE

OFFERING PRESENCE

Skill Objectives: Participants will be able to: 1. Practice ‘dropping in’ to self 2. Practice Authentic Encountering 3. Identify and utilize a personal ”in-touch” 4. ”Open” doors and windows 5. Use Positive Inhibition and Compassionate Curiosity in the

context of Active Listening (Gleaning) 6. Practice grateful receiving 7. Use the OCQI approach to sharing personal experience

OFFERING PRESENCE

GT Training ExperienceElements (see workbook)

! Mindfulness Exercises ! Presentations w Q&A ! Personal Writing and Discussion ! Group Discussion ! Role Play ! Challenge

What you can expect from us

! Presence (physical and mental) ! Good guidance ! A supportive learning environment ! Openness to your insight/feedback ! A spirit of mutual support ! Respect for your individuality and journey

What we expect from you

! Presence (physical and mental) ! Commitment to the learning process ! Participation in all exercises ! A spirit of mutual support ! Openness to a new experience/learning

What is Growing Through?! a strengths-based approach to supporting others

through personal struggle and emotional intensity including suicidal thoughts and feelings

! based in the idea of “crisis” as key to personal growth ! advanced training for community members, service

providers and peer specialists on ‘crisis support’ skills including issues of violence, trauma and suicide

! grounded in social/health justice empowerment,the consumer movement, trauma-informed care, disability rights, recovery, and peer support

! Informed by humanistic psychology, mindfulness, dialectical behavior therapy and lived experience

! GT takes Peer Support beyond service to the community Ally

Who are we? ! Advocate, leader, trainer, consumer

activist, author ! 15 +years consumer-peer services in non-

profit, government (CEO MHASF 2010-2016, co-founder CAMHPRO, MHSOAC, NMHCSHC)

! Person in recovery, 2x suicide attempt survivor

! 25+ years in mental health, social services, advocacy including homeless services outreach/shelters,

! Nationally/internationally active as leader/advocate/innovator in health and suicide prevention

! TRAINING and mentorship of advocates

! Social Project Innovation focused on user empowerment in many places around the worldEduardo Vega, MA

Creator of Growing Through

Why Growing Through?

! ’Consumer empowerment’

! Peer support

! Recovery movement/model

! Peer Specialist programs

! Humanistic psychology

! Suicide and crisis

! Heroes we’ve known

! Limits to mh service availability and quality

Consumer Activist leaders at Clifford Beers Award Summit

Why Growing Through! The Way Forward

! No truly positive ‘strengths based’ training for people to support others experiencing ‘”Crisis”

! Lack of effective tools for peer supporters working in intensity settings

! Lack of recovery based alternatives to medical model/psychiatric terminology

! No Training for sharing your story in the context of support

! Limited skills in mh for directly addressing crisis intensity and suicidality

“Lived Experience of Suicide” Summit at MHASF (2012)

 Growing Through Core Elements Growing Through approaches what is often called crisis from the point-of-view that

1. much of the growth people experience is accompanied by pain,

2. that difficulties we encounter in life are essential to our development as people.

3. Humanizing and valuing the journey of struggle is an ideal way to be with others experiencing it

 Growth Allies / Peer Relationships

“Growth Allies” are uniquely helpful supporters that

! Witness and value the difficult process their Peer is ’growing through’

! Live with questions, doubt and fear ! Promote their Peers exploration, struggle, personal

strength and resources

The Growing Through Peer Ally

!Wise mind/ Skilled Use of Self

!Compassionate Curiosity !Experience of Struggle !Listening Skills !Unconditional Support !Journey Supporter (not

solution provider) !Walking shoes

Core Elements  5 Growing Through Values

1. Recovery Roads. Recovery is an important and ongoing personal process that is unique to each individual. It may not have a clear starting or completion point and may be considered an ongoing process of growth, . 

2. Progress in Pain. Emotional and mental pain and distress are non-optional parts of personal recovery. They are not a distraction from it. Personal growth results from difficult experiences and is something deeply personal and individual. 

3. Solidarity in Suffering. Despite feeling alone, we are not alone. We can give to others in empathy and be with others even at our darkest moments.

4. Future Fruit. What people experience as crisis in life often paves the way for their future mission and contribution, including discovered meaning and purpose

5. Great Gifts & Gratitude. Every human being is a valuable, with their own beautiful gifts to contribute to the world. To witness another’s growth and process is to be honored as well with a special gift 

Core Elements  5 Growing Through Practices

1. Presence. Being fully present and supportive with the peer through skilled Use of Self.

2. Gleaning/Deep Inquiry. Learning about what the other is experiencing (through supportive Active Listening and Compassionate Curiosity)

3. Visioning. Witnessing, fostering and, if desired, co-creating the vision of a positively transformed future

4. Weaving. Helping the other to identify, develop and integrate personal coping strategies, self-soothing skills etc. to diminish the impact and intensity of the 5 Ds

5. Offering. Sharing experience, hope and resources if and when desired by the peer. 

Growing Through Core Dignity and Recovery Language

! Crisis!Transformation, Suicidality/ Threats! Intensity: ! Experiencing crisis--> seeking growth, etc. ! 5 Ds. (Discomfort, Distress, Disability and Despair and

sometimes thoughts of Death ! 5 Ps (Presence, Prospects, Pleasure, Purpose, Perseverance) ! Person-first/ non-clinical/ non-pathologizing language.

CRISIS TRANSFORMATIVE STRUGGLE

HOPELESSNESS SEEKING MEANING

MENTALLY ILL SEEKING RECOVERY

SUFFERING FROM LIVING WITH*

SYMPTOMATIC CHALLENGED WITH

SUICIDAL IDEATION EXISTENTIAL DEBATE

PSYCHACHE DESPAIR/ANGUISH

SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR SEEKING RELIEF

MANIA/PRESSURE/ DISTRESS

SUICIDAL INTENSITY

SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR LETHAL ACTIONS

Pain and the Hero’s Journey

Existential Struggle

Elixir/Gift

Pain / Relief/ Reward

GROWING THROUGH Key Concepts

The Big R

The 3 L’s

! Listen

!Listen !Listen

The 5 D’s

!Death!Discomfort

!Distress

!Disability

!Despair

The 5 P’s

!Pleasure!Perseverance

!Purpose

!Presence

!Prospects

Copyright 2017 Eduardo Vega

Not circling / Spiraling Up

WELCOME

We all GROW THROUGH Together