[humanser] Alternative Techniques

[JD Townsend]

Hello Sarah,

I believe that working in a residential treatment facility is a great idea.

You will be working in the  milieu,  mixing in with the residents.  I have 
found that one can learn everything you need to know and a lot you do not by 
keeping your ears open.  The patients will tell you if someone is cutting or 
planning to break out of the facility.  It is all in your relationships with 
the patients.  In group therapy one evening several members told me that a 
teen was cutting himself with a paper clip.  I moved the other teens out of 
the treatment room and called on other staff to attend to the cutter.  It 
was tense for me, but all worked out well.  In another group therapy session 
walking outside a teen decided to smoke a cigarette, thinking (ha ha) the 
blind guy wouldn’t know.  Once again there was a group member who informed 
me after the group and the situation was dealt with.

A major concern of management will be your safety.  Without any 
justification the light dependent worry that we are more vulnerable than 
they are.  We need to assure them that we are not prime targets for attack. 
As this is a subject they are reluctant to speak out loud, we may need to 
introduce it.  I tell them about my skills at verbal de-escalation, that not 
making eye contact is calming for upset patients, that sensing when a 
patient is becoming dangerous is not usually a visual judgment more 
attending to the changing affect and mood.

Feel sure that there have been blind folks in your shoes.  I have worked in 
nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and in residential facilities for 
folks with chronic mental illness and substance use disorders.  Others on 
this list have similar experiences.


JD
-----Original Message----- 
From: Sarah Patnaude via Humanser
Sent: Saturday, July 16, 2016 1:05 AM
To: humanser at nfbnet.org
Cc: Sarah Patnaude
Subject: [humanser] Alternative Techniques

Hey everyone,

I just graduated with my bachelors in criminal justice with a minor in 
psychology, and I am interested in getting my masters in mental health 
counseling or social work. Right now, I am am being pulled into the 
direction of working at a residential treatment center. Before going to 
graduate school, I would like a year of work experience that will hopefully 
be related in some way. As I'm applying for jobs, I can't help but think 
about potential employers questioning my ability because of my blindness. I 
just wanted to ask for those in social work/counseling careers, what are 
some alternative techniques you use when working with clients? I know my 
biggest fear is someone asking me how I'm going to supervise clients in a 
residential treatment center and ensure their safety if I can't see if they 
have cut marks or are doing something dangerous unless I'm reasonably close. 
>From past experience with friends who suffer from mental illness, I usually 
just got a feeling since I knew them so well and I could sorta tell by the 
way they acted and their voice, but I wanted to enlist your experiences with 
this.

Thank you,
Sarah Patnaude



Sent from my iPhone

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JD Townsend LCSW
Helping the light dependent to see.
Daytona Beach, Earth, Sol System