GatekeepingOnTheFrontLines
Introduction/Definition/etc
On the anniversary of the Columbine school shootings
and the week of the VA Tech shootings, it is perhaps
a good reminder that we are on the front lines
of mental health, as consumers/survivors/ expatients
and consumer drop in organizations, when ER and other
locations, funded and not are unavailable...
Body
Picture this scenario, a person recently lost a job and looks
for services at some location, perhaps a consumer run
drop in center, a provider run program like a Community
Mental Health Center, a medical facility like an ER
or even employment service...
Said person, John Q. Public just lost their job,
wfie and/or kids are stressed or don't even know
how bad it is, as the breadwinner is now not functioning as hoped,
depressed, suicidal and/or homocidal and the debts are piling up,
house might be in foreclosure, rent not paid,
people are worried about the breadwinner, and
barring any health related emergency, like
any of the stress related illnesses, someone
finds themselves, by self initiative or
referral, friends or intervention, by law enforcement,
coming to a waiting room, or calling one of these
agencies, or even talking to friends or someone
in the neighborhood who has a mental health
history, what would they do?
Standard provider run agency, sign in
at a public or private waiting room,
someone asks for full name and address,
contact information, employer info,
SSN, insurance information,
in case of emergency contacts, medical history,
etc on a formal intake...
Take a seat and wait...
Read some magazines, make some phone calls,
sit and listen to the other people going through...
Now consider the agency has funding fluctuations,
the center is at risk for budget cuts, the receptionist,
greeter and gatekeeper, etc is overworked, underpaid,
and perhaps nasty. What happens to that individual?
Bounces right back out of the waiting room?
probably decides to have a smoke break?
and decides this hassle is worse than the
original presenting problem?
Alternative scenario, person happens to have
heard of alternative mental health like consumer
run drop in centers, but is in crisis, the peer
people gather around [or are a clique and
ignore the newbie], and doesn't ask too many questions,
sees the strange people congregating
at the drop in center, and thinks, 'don't want
to be like them...', and says that is not
not for them.
On the reverse side, someone doing front desk
duty during these difficult times, so many people
come and go, phone ringing, someone else supposed
to help is late coming in, interruptions galore,
[management is out in meetings over budget stuff],
wasn't really trained for this duty and role,
may have been around for a while,
asked people to sign in for the census counts
required by the funders/ jurisdiction, and perhaps
tired of dealing with people and gives attitude
instead of greeting...
In 12 Step programs, there is a formal greeting
for most newcomers, part of a written meeting opening.
Some programs the newcomer is greeted with a hug,
mostly with asking, or just automatically,
and made to feel like they had come home, as nervous
as they are coming into a new situation, social or otherwise
with all the problems looking for a quick fix.
But it takes a while to get into the mess that one
finds themself in with a 'mental illness'. Some are
acute and some are chronic, and even some are
minor, but it also takes a while to get out of the mess
we make and find ourselves in...
So chill, little grass hoppers, and the answers sometimes
appear when we least expect them...
Conclusion
This prick thinks he has the answer,
but really the answers are within you,
but probably can't access them until calmer...
Discussion
A place for feedback on the page presented
Page History
20090420 Jerry
- Jerry created this page to talk alitle about how people should be greeted when asking for help.
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