Ideas for Navigating Obstacles for Facilitating Self Determination

Defining Self Determination as a Facilitator

      Being a WRAP facilitator is about finding the mark of self determination. The characteristics one exhibits as a person in recovery will ultimately find there way into your facilitation style and delivery. Most of us who have begun the practice of facilitation have found the best way to learn facilitation skills is by throwing yourself into the mix and facilitating. Lessons learned during your work are practiced perfected and then more often then naught relearned through mentoring of a fellow facilitator. The bottom line I have learned is that you can’t predict who will be successful as a WRAP facilitator. It is good to remember the ah ha moments and leave a few bread crumbs for fellow facilitators. Here are a few crumbs I would like to leave on the way.

      Here’s an easy one. Rule number one when looking for subject matter to stimulate discussion, look no further than you. What helps you might help others. This will help to encourage effective group brainstorming. Group brainstorming is exciting when you get down to action planning and makes a great small group activity for tricky parts like Triggers.

      This can be a sticky point for facilitators who feel under the gun to solve others problems. I learned rule number two over time and is outlined in the following email dialogue. A facilitator I trained asked the question below.

I haven’t been in a crisis in a long time and I don’t foresee myself having to be hospitalized again so how can I keep up with my Crisis Plan.

My response followed:

“Thanks for getting in touch. I just wanted to summarize what we talked about over the phone. I think the main idea folks want to consider when tackling the crisis plan part of WRAP is to begin to look at Crisis as an opportunity for growth. We use WRAP to process our experiences and grow from them. Crisis does not equate to hospitalization. Although it is important that we do have a Crisis Plan in case of a Psychiatric emergency that requires hospitalization, there is a much deeper view of Crisis that we need to consider. Crisis Planning is not about having such a fail safe plan that you never have a setback. I know for me I have reached a place in my recovery where if I did start experiencing drastic prolonged challenges, I would want to go to my sister’s house or a trusted friend. The purpose of a written Crisis plan is merely to document the things you have learned about yourself from past experiences. It is fine to have a crisis plan that helps you if you get physically sick, lose a job, losing a loved one or any other life challenge.  Try approaching the crisis plan differently if you are stuck on it right now. Remember it is Wellness Recovery Action Plan not Crisis Recovery Action Plan. Hope this helps. “ Eric

     My third point is a collection of points from a Continuing Education piece I did for a group of facilitators who came together to support each other.

      Points from “To facilitate, not to teach”

• One good approach that can prevent some painful experiences is for the facilitator to do some listening in advance about the specific needs, hopes, and desires of those who are to learn.
• They want to be in charge of what it is that they are learning and are inclined to stay more involved and interested when they are thinking for themselves.
• People arrive at workshops with an extraordinary bank of life experiences and they learn best when they can relate what they are learning to the life situations they already know.
• Start by asking your group some subject orienting questions. Like the following
• What do they want to learn?
• What experiences that you have had that make WRAP seem important or unimportant?
• How do you currently cope with these challenges?

 

     I think the most valuable lesson I have learned as a facilitator is to be able to resonate with empathy through active listening to valuable life experience. Being in a room where the value and ethics allow people to be validated for their recovery efforts is priceless. A facilitator who embodies and demonstrates the key concepts and the values and ethics of WRAP is an extremely valuable conduit to encourage people to be proactive and aware about wellness.

Thanks for listening and as always your insight is welcome.

Take care,

Eric