The membership model works in tandem with the principles of being wanted, needed and expected; as well as promotes a feeling of belonging, reinforcing a change in the mindset of (Bridgeway) program participants who face stigma, isolation and ostracizing as a result of their illness. It offers providers another channel through which to reinforce and maintain the all-important rehabilitation relationship, essential in motivating a desire to change. Participants feeling supported, valued and empowered is essential to Bridgeway’s success as a psychiatric rehabilitation provider. According to Diane Piagesi-Zett, Director of the Sussex Community Support Teams at Bridgeway, seeing the increased engagement and response to messaging made her staff feel that their work was more meaningful, and that their impact didn’t end at the completion of the program day. Says Piagesi- Zett, “Staff are not with members all day, every day, to support, reinforce or remind them of the tools available, of their resilience, of natural supports and resources, or of their strengths. EDM has offered a way to actualize the rehabilitation process when we are not with persons served. There is so much riding on our effectiveness as rehabilitation practitioners. Extending our impact increases our staff’s feeling of being helpful and making a real difference. This renews the sense of joy in the work that we do.” “We know of two occasions in which the messaging interfered with suicidal ideation,” Piagesi- Zett continues. “Persons served not only felt lifted by the regularly scheduled message, they were able to scroll through previous messaging for reminders, and actively access messaging related to mood. Members reported that they successfully changed their thinking in the moment, sustained it overnight and shared it in program the next day. Obviously, this is a win for those struggling to utilize skills independently to manage symptoms, but I have to say, it affected the staff at least as much. When counselors see persons served successfully intervening in their own lives, having their own ‘AHA Moments’ and feeling empowered to take responsibility for their recovery – well, there is no better feeling. It’s exactly why we got into a helping field.” Every Day Matters messaging extends the impact of direct engagement during the on-site Bridgeway Partial Care program day. Staff share, teach, instruct and give feedback in tandem with persons served. The basic messaging in EDM was developed from the curricula, methods, information and resources used during live interventions. The members review, approve, edit and add content based on what they have found helpful and motivating in their own recovery journeys. The collaboration on messaging reinforces the information and interventions, making them accessible and useful in a text format. In addition, it connects staff and persons served in a shared belief and confidence in the value and effectiveness of what is being provided in the live program. Creating messaging is empowering for staff as well as persons served, reinforcing that what is being taught, shared and offered makes a difference to persons served. In addition to applying the behavioral principle of influence via having an active role in developing the messaging, members are able to initiate specific support by texting a keyword in their moment of need. The opportunity to take action offered members more self-activation in their own care, applying skills independently and not as a passive “recipients” of rehabilitation. Members reported they felt more empowered and able to better self-manage, enabling them to return to program with a more positive attitude, stronger belief in their ability to change and the power to exercise that positivity to influence other members.
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TRANSFORMING THE PERCEPTION OF MENTAL HEALTH COMMUNITY SERVICES
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