The experience of being protected (original) (raw)

Supporting People with intellectual Disabilities who challenge or who are aging

2011

While sexual and other forms of abuse constitute significant problems with people with intellectual disability (ID), there is limited evidence to guide psychologists working with this population. The research involved a qualitative, interview-based study of six clinical psychologists' views on supporting people with ID who experienced abuse. Four topics relating to service provision were explored using thematic analysis (Braun & Clark, 2006). Five overarching themes were identified. These were (1) therapeutic adaptations and creativity, (2) invalidation and exclusion, (3) too many "catch all" approaches, (4) absence of supports, and (5) mixed attitudes in approaching abuse. In the absence of a sufficient evidence base, there is great variance in therapeutic supports offered to individuals with an abuse history. A number of issues, such as the importance of supervision, the potential for acquiescence, and the need for greater definition of the role of psychologists and staff are discussed.

‘In the kitchen and around the table’: on the way towards commensal (mutually beneficial) relationships – a project encouraging autonomy in young people with learning disabilities

Infant Observation, 2018

Valerie Sinason writes Opening your eyes … to the realisation that you will not be an Austen, Einstein, Madonna or Picasso can be painful enough to the ordinary adolescent. Opening your eyes to admitting you look, sound, walk, talk, move or think differently from the ordinary, average person … takes greater reserves of courage, honesty and toleration of one's envy. (Sinason, 1992, p. 20) This paper addresses the painful difference between ordinary adolescents and those with learning disabilities, and describes a task which might demand even greater reserves of courage from a group of youth tutors and other specialists in charge of supporting 13 adolescents and young adults with mild learning disabilities towards some degree of autonomy where each young person was to be helped to live autonomously in an apartment of their own and to manage their own daily life. One was Alberto, a young man who sat pretending to read a newspaper, but was, in fact, functionally illiterate. Two others, Gianna and Mario, played the role of 'fiancés', but needed much help if they were to access a real intimate relationship. A monthly work discussion seminar was an invaluable tool which helped to contain the anxieties, fears and painful feelings of helplessness experienced by the professionals involved. The process of contributing to a work discussion group helped them to keep alive their faith in the growth of the mind and to experience the surprise of 'unexpected gains'.

Supporting People with Intellectual Disabilities who Challenge or who are Ageing

What services and support do people with Intellectual disabilities who display behaviours that challenge and their caregivers require to meet their needs? What services and support do older people with learning disabilities and their caregivers require to meet their needs? This rapid review of evidence from the literature over the past decade was undertaken as part of the Bamford Review (2007) recommendations and commissioned by the Health & Social Care Research and Development Division of the Public Health Agency. The document can be disseminated freely and shared with patients, clients and carers.

Self-Determination: What can we Learn from Persons with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities?

Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research

Self-determination is often equated with independence and individual choices, which limits its relevance for persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) due to their dependency. This paper challenges the notion of independence by arguing for a rethinking of self-determination that is sensitive to lives characterised by dependency and non-verbal being. An ethnographic study informed by phenomenology emphasising embodiment shed light on how self-determination can unfold in the lives of persons with PIMD in relationships with professionals. These data are engaged in a theoretical discussion, dialoguing with theories of self-determination and ethics of care. We advocate that a rethinking involving embodied communication, partnership and ongoing processes of being understood can offer a sound way of grasping the phenomenon of self-determination, both for persons with and without PIMD.

Active adult lives for persons with learning disabilities-The perspectives of professionals

British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 2017

• The government says that all adults should have the opportunity to live active adult lives. • Many people with learning disabilities need support from professionals to realise living active adult lives. • We asked some professionals what active adult living means and they believed it is about self-determination and making healthy choices. • Some of those we talked to said it was necessary to have more time to support active adult living in people with learning disabilities.

Experiencing Life and Problem-Solving Strategies from the Perspective of Disabled Youth vs Disabled Adults

2008

The article is a short report compiled on the basis of the survey research focusing on disabled people’s conceptions of their own everyday life and of social attitudes towards impairment. The survey examined the ways of experiencing life, with regard to the following categories: self-perception; perceiving environmental attitudes towards visible disability; emotional and behavioural reactions to the patterns of behaviour displayed by the environment; assessing one’s own relations with other people; making an overall evaluation of the society’s approach to disability. The author also presents three main theoretical theses regarding shaping social attitudes towards the disabled, as well as outlines the leading strategies which people with disabilities employ in order to cope with critical situations. These are constructive and destructive strategies, related to young people’s approach to life – a positive attitude (encouraging development) and a negative one (hindering development)

Working From the Adult Self

Frontiers in the Psychotherapy of Trauma and Dissociation, 2020

The way severely traumatized people take care of themselves, both internally and in relationships, is deeply disturbed. The dysfunctional patterns of taking care of themselves that they learned as dependents persist beyond the situations that generated them. Dysfunctional self-care may influence the patient’s attitude towards getting help and change in therapy. To change in therapy, the person must work patiently on modifying these patterns. They need to actively participate in the transformation process. This article reflects on the complex topic of patients’ responsibility and motivation for change in trauma-oriented psychotherapies. It presents a working model based on empowering the patient’s adult self and proposes some practical interventions to work on promoting it.