Quote:
Originally Posted by Mystic Mock
I wouldn't want to take my chances with someone that might be really poor with their Mental Health, because I know that I'm the type of person that might accidentally say something that sends them over the edge.
Where as I'd like to think that I could help people with learning difficulties to some extent, don't get me wrong I'd probably make mistakes there as well, but I feel like I'd be better suited for their needs a lot more than people suffering from poor Mental Health.
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I know what you mean. When you’re working with people who have certain vulnerabilities the least you can do is make your terms as comfortable as they can be, because there’s no guarantee that upper management and HR is going to have your back. They might say they do and sometimes they might but if someone turns around to make an allegation around you in MH, it’s your word against theirs and they’re going to be more inclined to make excuses for them (no matter how deliberately foul and triggering their behaviour) than take your own comfort and feelings into account, even if individual staff members have complained about that one resident so many times. They’d rather move you on and enable bad behaviour than have a frank word with the resident half the time so sometimes it is a case of put-up-and-shut-up. Fellow staff’s more likely to have your back if anything goes wrong or allegedly wrong than HR.
Wherever you’re posted to, you want to help them build the life skills they need to ultimately survive beyond the care home/hospital and answer their questions (if they’re the type to ask) but you’ve just got to be careful of overstepping (all in mental health) because it can get taken the wrong way if it’s not exactly what they want to hear and that can be used against you if one interaction they have with you makes them go off you even if they liked you before and that’s something that’s always got to be at the front of your mind whether you’re a mental health nurse, shrink, therapist, mental health support worker or something else that has you dealing with people really struggling with certain mental health challenges. You can’t overstep their boundaries and you can’t let them overstep yours. No-one’s going to advocate for your boundaries on the job (besides fellow staff who know what it’s like and try to do just that) so you’ve got to carve your own way there. You don’t have to answer every question they ask if it makes you feel uncomfortable or it’s too personal. Even if you think they can reflect on your own experiences and use them to their psychological advantage. They might appreciate it but they might not. So you’ve really got to cover your back at all times and know that no-one else is going to do it for you. It tends to be more about their protection than yours but you have a right to feel comfortable too.