Collaborative Helping - A Strengths Framework for Home-Based Services

An interdisciplinary framework for sustainable helping through cross-system collaboration
 
This hands-on resource provides clear, practical guidance for supportive service professionals working in a home-based environment. Drawing on best practices from a range of disciplines, this book provides a clear map for dealing with the complex and often ambiguous situations that arise with individuals and families, with applications extending to supervision and organizational change. Readers gain the advice and insight of real-world frontline helpers, as well as those who receive care, highlighting new ways to approach the work and re-think previous conceptualizations of problems and strengths. Helping efforts are organized around a shared, forward-thinking vision that anticipates obstacles and draws on existing and potential supports in developing a collaborative plan of action.
 
The book begins with stories that illustrate core concepts and context, presenting a number of useful ideas that can reorient behavioral services while outlining a principle-based practice framework to help workers stay grounded and focused. Problems are addressed, and strength-based work is expanded into richer conversations about strengths in the context of intention and purpose, value and belief, hopes, dreams, and commitments. Topics include:
* Contextual guidance with helping maps
* Engaging people and re-thinking problems and strengths
* Dilemmas in home and community services
* Sustainable helping through collaboration and support
 
A strong collaboration between natural networks, communities, and trained professionals across systems creates an effective helping endeavor. Ensuring sustainability may involve promoting systems change, and building institutional supports for specific supervisory, management, and organizational practices. Collaborative Helping provides a framework for organizing these efforts into a coherent whole, serving the needs of supportive services workers across sectors.

List of contents

CHAPTER 1 HELPING: WHAT, HOW AND WHY
 
Introduction
 
Walking and Talking
 
Helping Activities - The What of Helping
 
Relational Connection - The How of Helping
 
Experience and Stories - The Why of Helping
 
Placing Collaborative Helping in a Broader Context
 
Moving Collaborative Helping into the Future
 
CHAPTER 2 CORNERSTONES OF COLLABORATIVE HELPING
 
Collaborative Helping as a Principle-Based Approach
 
Collaborative Helping and Relational Stance
 
Collaborative Helping and a Focus on Life Stories
 
Collaborative Helping and Inquiry
 
The Cornerstones in Plain English
 
CHAPTER 3 A MAP TO GHIDE HELPING EFFORTS
 
Introducing Collaborative Helping Maps
 
The Collaborative Helping Map in Action
 
Organizing Vision and Preferred Directions in Life
 
Obstacles and Supports
 
The Plan
 
The Usefulness of a Map
 
The Usefulness of a Map
 
CHAPTER 4 COLLABORATIVE HELPING MAPS IN DIFFERENT CONTEXTS
 
Using Collaborative Helping Maps in Residential Programs
 
Using Collaborative Helping Maps to Enhance Conversations in Child Protective Services
 
Family Safety Plan
 
Using Collaborative Helping Maps in the Changing World of Health Care
 
Current and Potential Uses for Collaborative Helping Maps
 
CHAPTER 5 ENGAGING PEOPLE TO ENVISION NEW LIVES
 
Engagement - Who are You and What is Important to You?
 
Vision - Where Would You Like to be Headed in Your Life?
 
Vinny - Working with a Youth with a No Problem Stance
 
Margie - Working with a Woman with a No Control Stance
 
Visioning Difficulties
 
Connecting to Build Desired Futures
 
CHAPTER 6 RE-THINKING PROBLEMS AND STRENGTHS
 
Rethinking Strengths and Needs
 
Conversations about Problems as Obstacles Separate from People
 
Beginning Externalizing Conversations
 
Examples of Externalizing Conversations
 
Maps for Externalizing Conversations
 
Addressing the Broader Socio-Cultural Context in Externalizing
 
Re-Thinking Strengths as "Intentional Practices of Living"
 
Determination as a Counterweight to Despair
 
A Map For Conversations about Strengths as "Intentional Practices of Living"
 
Applications of Conversations about "Strengths"
 
New Conversations about Problems and Strengths
 
CHAPTER 7 DILEMMAS IN HOME AND COMMUNITY SERVICES
 
Concrete Help, Boundaries and the Terrain of Home and Community Work
 
The Contribution of Family Partners to Collaborative Helping
 
Relational Stance and Advocacy Efforts
 
Power Dynamics in Working with the Larger Helping System
 
Dilemmas in Advocacy Efforts
 
Helping People More Effectively Advocate for Themselves
 
In the End, It's Still Walking and Talking
 
CHAPTER 8 SUSTAINABLE HELPING
 
Using Collaborative Helping Maps to Enhance Supervision
 
Building Organizations that Support Collaboration
 
Building Organizational Cultures that Support Collaboration
 
A Brief Look Back
 
REFERENCES

About the author

WILLIAM MADSEN, PhD, is an internationally-renowned consultant in the fields of family therapy and social work. He is the author of Collaborative Therapy with Multi-Stressed Families, a social work text used widely by public agencies and graduate programs. In 2013, he was awarded the Distinguished Contribution to Family Therapy, Theory, and Practice award by the American Family Therapy Academy.
KEVIN GILLESPIE, MHSA, RN, is the Executive Director of Integrated Services and the founding director of Blue Sky Alliance of Appalachian Ohio. He has more than 30 years of experience combining direct service, system development, and administration. His work focuses on innovative service solutions for public service systems and in alliance with therapeutic, housing, and employment professionals.

Summary

This book outlines a clear map for dealing with the complex and often ambiguous situations encountered by those working in supportive services. Drawing from numerous interviews with frontline helpers and people seeking help, this resource uses stories to introduce and illustrate core ideas and practices.

Product details

• Authors: Kevin Gillespie, Kevin (Integrated Services of Appalachian Ohio) Gillespie, William C Madsen, William C. Madsen, William C. (Family-Centered Services Proje Madsen, William C. (Family-Centered Services Project) Madsen
• Publisher: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 09.05.2014
• EAN: 9781118567630
• ISBN: 978-1-118-56763-0
• No. of pages: 240
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Psychology; Non-fiction book > Psychology, esoterics, spirituality, anthroposophy > Applied psychology