A SOLUTION FOCUSED MODEL OF CASE MANAGEMENT FOR VICTIM ASSISTANCE PROVIDERS

Transcription

1 A SOLUTION FOCUSED MODEL OF CASE MANAGEMENT FOR VICTIM ASSISTANCE PROVIDERS Emily Spence-Almaguer Derrelynn Perryman Peter Lehmann Solution Focused Brief Therapy Association Annual Conference Bakersfield, CA 11/12/11

2 GOALS FOR TODAY Your experiences with solution focused based case management? Your experiences with solution focused therapy and domestic violence/ victim assistance? Seminar objectives: Identify key areas of adaption from Solution Focused Therapy to Case Management Identify training strategies to help victim advocates maximize safety, autonomy and well being of DV clients Advance the development and improvement of a SF model of victim assistance

3 SOLUTION FOCUSED VICTIM ASSISTANCE TRAINING LEVEL ONE: THE BASICS (12 hrs) Day One :assumptions of SFT, scaling, miracle question, questioning, EARS; Day Two: balancing CM and SFT, interdisciplinary work, goal attainment scaling LEVEL TWO (Need 18 of 24 hrs): Special topic days: safety planning and CJS, trauma and culture, substance abuse and parenting, self care and advocacy LEVEL THREE (Need 6 of 10 hours): Case reviews LEVEL FOUR (12 hrs) : Train the trainer: the SF organization, hiring, supervising, paperwork

4 EVALUATION Beginning of session goal setting and end of session check ins Between session dialogue of use Pre/Post assessment of job satisfaction, burnout Mid-point survey monkey survey End of session written feedback Level four graduate discussion of model improvements

5 KEY ADAPTATION ISSUES: THE PARADOXICAL WAYS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROGRAMS Assumption is that violence will escalate job is to stop minimization and denial Power and control wheel is used to demonstrate expertise and support the breakdown of denial Breaking shelter rules is bad; gatekeeper role is necessary to promote harmonious communal living Ultimate (yet unspoken) goal is to get person out of relationship Despite use of the term survivor, clients are seen as traumatized, wounded, and in need of someone to prepare them for all the bad things to come Belief that if you don t explicitly place fault and blame on the offender, then you are implicitly blaming the victim

6 KEY ADAPTATIONS FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE-BASED VICTIM ASSISTANTS Safety planning is a form to fill out- one size fits all procedure Ask prescribed questions then give referrals based on responses Compliance is success goal is to build a case There is allotted time to ask specific questions caseload is too big to ask any other questions Don t make promises or talk about what you can t deliver (miracle question avoidance)

7 ADOPTING A SOLUTION-FOCUSED AVOIDANCE OF FRAMING RIGHT AND WRONG the practitioner does not take a position of having the ability to work out what is wrong and know what needs to be done to put it right; rather a position of uncertainty with respect to solutions is adopted to encourage people to discover their own way forward (Vivian-Byrne, 2002 as cited in Milner & Singleton, 2008, p. 32)

8 ADAPTING: THE BALANCE OF KNOWING AND NOT KNOWING Start with the expertise of not-knowing and move to the expertise of knowing (Gaiswinkler & Roessler, 2009) Our observations: victim advocates default position is the state of knowing- the information provider, they were uncomfortable to stay very long in the state of not knowing

9 SHIFTING TO SOLUTION FOCUSED CASE MANAGEMENT Generally the idea and logic of SF assumptions were very appealing, yet frightening Many rejected the old ways but lacked an organized replacement It helped to practice doing it the old way then try again with a SF approach Emphasis on coping, safety strategies, resiliency, expertise of circumstances

10 STRATEGIES THAT WORKED Monthly practice sessions- slow integration of paradigm shift Refocusing on self determination, skills and intelligence of clients (away from the denial and learned helplessness paradigm) Starting sessions with examples of success

11 CASE REVIEWS Wish they had a SF coach in their ear to help identify the next question Disappointments with system failures ways to examine goals not being achieved Struggles with colleagues who have a different perspective Helpfulness of having some SF pros in the group who were a step ahead Feeling validated by sharing success stories, having colleagues point out the small successes

12 UNANTICIPATED OUTCOMES More critical thinking about work no more this is how we ve always done it Increased confidence to make decisions, use judgments---less fearful of making wrong decision, saying wrong thing Let go of control without disengaging Learning to respect, appreciate and trust the expertise of the client Finding hope for offenders

13 MODEL IMPROVEMENTS Certificate is now part of the School s Professional Development Program- five full days for first series Merged case review with special topics Level fours are now trainers What can you add?

14 REFERENCES Gaiswinkler, W. & Roessler, M. (2009). Using the expertise of knowing and the expertise of not-knowing to support processes of empowerment in social work practice. Journal of Social Work Practice, 23 (2), Kragh, J.R. & Huber, C.H. (2002) Family Resilience and domestic violence: Panacea or Pragmatic Therapeutic perspective. Journal of Individual Psychology, 58(3): Milner, J. & Singleton, T. (2008) Domestic violence: solution-focused practice with men and women who are violent. Journal of Family Therapy 30: