Remember that feeling when you watch TV or
read a great book and even when it has ended those feelings it produced, stay
with you? Be it happy, sad, spooked or angry, we always know its just
fiction.
But what feelings do we take home at the
end of the day, happiness, sadness, fear, or anger? The difference is that
these feeling can stay with us, can multiply in strength or mutate into
something else. The negative feelings and responses can have real consequences
if not dealt with.
We all have those days, regardless of our
work, when we feel we should have, could have or would have done things
differently in a certain situation. The reality is that we are only human and
can only do so much. Its important to remember our job, our role and our
professional boundaries. They are important to the safety of ourselves and
others and have been put in place for a reason.
If we let these things slide, consequences
can be disastrous. The impact on our lives or others is rarely
positive.
There are always times when we meet people,
who have more impact on us than others, maybe they are more vulnerable, more
troubled, or more dangerous and volatile. We all experience situations which
make our hearts leap, make us fearful or fill us with regret.
So, how do we keep
ourselves on track? What works for you?
The Spike has some suggestions,
* Find someone you can sound off at in safety, another colleague , a friend or partner. You must feel free to explore how you feel about your experiences and that its ok to have a range of feelings.
* Discuss with your manager or supervisor, they need to know where you are coming from at this time, so they can support you appropriately.
* Take time out, a few minutes, hours or days. Whatever has happened to you, only you can fix and sometimes some time away is all that is required.
* Utilise supervision to reflect on the incident and discuss what you have learnt from it, how changes can be made and be honest about the impact it had on you. Everyone reacts differently to things, your reaction is just as valid as anyone else's.
* Use your team meetings to discuss further if an action plan is needed. nWhat needs to be addressed to prevent another incident or to manage it more effectively next time. Use this time to come together as a team and explore team responses and multiple options.
* Raise your concerns, even if others are keeping quiet. Maybe they are more holding back because they don't have the confidence or strength to challenge.
* Use other professionals as a sounding board, ask for advice or their expertise when dealing with challenging clients or situations. What do other agencies do in these circumstance?
* Check your organisations policies regarding the situations. It should have been anticipated and a required response recommended. This could be warning systems, lone working practices, emergency services policies etc. Make a formal complaint if there is no policy relating to your situation.
* If you feel you have not be supported, protected or managed appropriately then , look to your professional body or Trade Union. It is always worth joining a Union, as you never know when you might need some extra support.
One of the aims of The Spike is to provide a professional support service. We can support you via email to help discuss situations and guide you through resolution.
Although we are not a professional counselling body, we would lend our support and time to listen to you as any other colleague would. We would always aim to sign post you to appropriate services or recommend options as required.