Presented by David Flack
AEE Northwest Regional Conference • March 27, 2010 • Bellingham, Washington, USA
Humans have an intrinsic need to play.
• Play helps expand self-expression, self-knowledge, and self-efficacy; relieve feelings of stress and boredom; stimulate creative thinking; regulate emotions.
• Play allows us to practice skills and life roles.
• Play is fun, and fun results in a sense of connection.
• For many clients, this sense of connection is missing. Play helps these individuals move from isolation toward connection.
Most developmental theories have some things in common.
• Each stage of development is tied to an age range, but not set in stone.
• Each stage of development includes a task that needs to be accomplished.
• Most were developed by white upper-middle class males.
• Erik Erickson’s model is probably least criticized of classic developmental theories.
Erickson’s Stages of Development
Infant-Trust v. Mistrust-Needs maximum comfort with minimal uncertainty to trust self, others & the environment.
Toddler-Autonomy v. Shame & Doubt-Works to master physical environment while maintaining self-esteem.
Preschooler-Initiative v. Guilt-Begins to initiate, no imitate, activities; develops conscience.
School-Aged-Industry v. Inferiority-Tries to develop a sense of self-worth by refining skills.
Adolescent-Identity v. Role Confusion-Tries integrating many roles into a self-image.
Young Adult-Intimacy v. Isolation-Learns to make personal commitment to another person.
Middle Adult-Generativity v. Stagnation-Seeks satisfaction through productivity in career, family, and community.
Older Adult-Integrity v. Despair-Reviews life accomplishments, deals with loss, & prepares for death.
What happens when a task isn’t successfully completed?
• Traditional thought is that the person becomes stuck in that stage.
• However, sociocultural and biological factors are likely to keep pushing the individual forward. Also, there is the possibility of partial completion of a task.
• The main reasons a task isn’t successfully completed are trauma, abuse, neglect, caregiver addiction, and an individual’s own substance use.
• With every push forward and partial completion of a task, the individual becomes increasingly less likely to successfully complete the next developmental stage.
• This can lead to an ever-growing developmental debt.
Developmental debt exhibits itself in maladaptive behaviors, various life problems, and disconnectedness. These problems become "hard wired" into the brain.
Brains are lazy.
• More accurately, brains are efficient.
• The brain uses 20% of all calories burned. In an effort to conserve some energy effort, the brain would rather do what it already knows how to do, even if the known behavior is maladaptive.
• Neuronal networks become strengthened with repeated use, which lead to habits of thought and behavior.
• Practicing new skills in a safe environment allows the brain to build new, more adaptive networks.
Intentional Regression
• Regression usually has negative connotations. However, the use of play and playfulness can be thought of as being intentionally regressive.
• In other words, we are helping our clients go backward in order to catch up.
• Foster intentional regression by creating an environment that nurtures play, playfulness, and connection.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Handout: Facilitating the Therapeutic Experience (NW AEE Conference, March 2010)
Presented by David Flack
AEE Northwest Regional Conference • March 27, 2010 • Bellingham, Washington, USA
When using Experiential Education in a clinical setting, activities should always have a therapeutic goal. Four common goals are:
1.) Improve group cohesion.
• In clinical settings, teambuilding activities might not be the best use of time.
• Cohesion is vital to clinical work in group settings.
• Remember this equation: Trust + Fun = Cohesion.
2.) Illustrate a therapeutic concept.
• Neuroscience shows that metaphors are memorable.
• Metaphorical frames can be fairly directive.
• It is okay to be directive, but it is important to be intentional in our directiveness.
3.) Practice a new skill.
• Practicing a new skill in a safe environment allows the brain to start building new neuronal networks.
• This significantly increases the likelihood of a participant using that skill outside the clinical setting.
4.) Build self-efficacy.
• Self-efficacy is the belief that you can achieve a goal or be successful at a task.
• This sense of mastery can be vital to therapeutic success.
• Building self-efficacy requires participants to leave their Comfort Zone.
Activities from this workshop
Transformation – to improve group cohesion
Human Handcuffs – to illustrate a therapeutic concept
Gutter Ball – to practice a new skill
Pressure Pads – to build self-efficacy
Recommended Reading
The Art of Changing the Brain, by James Zull
This book is an easy to understand introduction to the neuroscience of change. It is packed with practical ideas that’ll change the way you facilitate!
Processing the Experience, by John Luckner & Reldan Nadler
A classic in the experiential learning field. Currently out of print, but you should be able to find in though an online used bookstore.
AEE Northwest Regional Conference • March 27, 2010 • Bellingham, Washington, USA
When using Experiential Education in a clinical setting, activities should always have a therapeutic goal. Four common goals are:
1.) Improve group cohesion.
• In clinical settings, teambuilding activities might not be the best use of time.
• Cohesion is vital to clinical work in group settings.
• Remember this equation: Trust + Fun = Cohesion.
2.) Illustrate a therapeutic concept.
• Neuroscience shows that metaphors are memorable.
• Metaphorical frames can be fairly directive.
• It is okay to be directive, but it is important to be intentional in our directiveness.
3.) Practice a new skill.
• Practicing a new skill in a safe environment allows the brain to start building new neuronal networks.
• This significantly increases the likelihood of a participant using that skill outside the clinical setting.
4.) Build self-efficacy.
• Self-efficacy is the belief that you can achieve a goal or be successful at a task.
• This sense of mastery can be vital to therapeutic success.
• Building self-efficacy requires participants to leave their Comfort Zone.
Activities from this workshop
Transformation – to improve group cohesion
Human Handcuffs – to illustrate a therapeutic concept
Gutter Ball – to practice a new skill
Pressure Pads – to build self-efficacy
Recommended Reading
The Art of Changing the Brain, by James Zull
This book is an easy to understand introduction to the neuroscience of change. It is packed with practical ideas that’ll change the way you facilitate!
Processing the Experience, by John Luckner & Reldan Nadler
A classic in the experiential learning field. Currently out of print, but you should be able to find in though an online used bookstore.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Motivating Change: Notes from NW AEE Workshop
Motivating Change
Presented by Monika Parikh & David Flack
AEE Northwest Regional Conference • March 26, 2010 • Bellingham, Washington, USA
Here are the "raw notes" from our presentation.
Workshop Premises
As helping professionals we have 2 goals:
1. Assisting clients to develop insight.
2. Fostering change.
Insight is good and can inherently lead to change, but experiential learning provides opportunities to accelerate the change process.
1. Change is a process, not an event.
2. Only the changer can do the changing.
3. Everyone is motivated by something.
Helping clients discover what they are motivated by sometimes requires helping them reframe the problem.
For example: Very few substance-abusing teens enter treatment believing they have problems with alcohol or other drugs.
However, they’re generally able to identify problems thschool, &/or family problems.
Our goal as helping professionals should be to help our clients discover what motivates them.
⇒ SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION: What are you motivated by?
Stages of Change
o Pre-contemplation.
o Contemplation.
o Preparation.
o Action
o Maintenance.
Final Stage Of Change component: Recycle (or relapse).
Relapse isn’t failure, but a chance to deepen commitment to change.
However, someone becomes stuck when:
o They keep looping through Recycle with no progression;
o Or, they completely stop moving through the Stages of Change.
Growth Zones
o Comfort Zone.
o Change Zone.
o Crisis Zone.
⇒ ACTIVITY: Chiji Cards to explore Growth Zones.
Stuck in the Comfort Zone
Someone’s Stage of Change is her/his Comfort Zone.
That means they’re comfortable where they’re at & see no reason to move forward. Because the Comfort Zone is comfortable, most people would rather stay there.
This can lead to stuckness, which we can define as a lack of motivation to change.
⇒ ACTIVITY: "Human Handcuffs" to illustrate being stuck, trying the same thing over & over.
Stuckness is also about avoiding risk, because change is risky.
What are the risks involved in change?
An important step in motivating change is addressing these risks…
3 Steps to Making Change Seem Less Risky
1. Acknowledge that change is risky – Have discussions like this one!
2. Explore good risk vs. bad risk.
3. Provide opportunities to practice safe risk-taking.
o Clients often have a skewed perspective of “good” risks.
o Once a bx has become habit, it is now in her/his Comfort Zone & no longer perceived as risky.
o Existential anxiety; anticipatory anxiety; fear of fear.
o Practicing appropriate risk taking is one way to have this new bx become part of a client’s Comfort Zone.
⇒ ACTIVITY: Mousetraps
Autonomy, Mastery & Purpose
So far, we’ve examined what change is and why it can be hard. The next step is to motivate clients to do this hard work even though it is risky.
According to Daniel Pink in his book Drive, motivation is enhanced through:
1. Autonomy – Autonomy refers to independence and self-determination. When given true autonomy, motivation increases dramatically.
2. Mastery – Mastery is the belief that you can be effective. This is, of course, closely related to self-efficacy.
3. Purpose – Purpose means commitment to something larger than yourself.
⇒ SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION: How can you increase autonomy, mastery & purpose in your experiential groups?
Basics of Motivational Interviewing
1. Roll with the resistance.
2. Express empathy.
3. Develop discrepancy.
4. Help cts build self-efficacy.
OARS:
o Open-ended Questions.
o Affirmations.
o Reflective Listening.
o Summarizing.
⇒ ACTIVITY: Small Group Summarizing
READ MORE!
Browse though my blog for some related posts, and then go get these three books:
Motivational Interviewing, by Miller & Rollnick
Changing for Good, by Prochaska, Norcross & DiClemente
Drive, by Pink
Presented by Monika Parikh & David Flack
AEE Northwest Regional Conference • March 26, 2010 • Bellingham, Washington, USA
Here are the "raw notes" from our presentation.
Workshop Premises
As helping professionals we have 2 goals:
1. Assisting clients to develop insight.
2. Fostering change.
Insight is good and can inherently lead to change, but experiential learning provides opportunities to accelerate the change process.
1. Change is a process, not an event.
2. Only the changer can do the changing.
3. Everyone is motivated by something.
Helping clients discover what they are motivated by sometimes requires helping them reframe the problem.
For example: Very few substance-abusing teens enter treatment believing they have problems with alcohol or other drugs.
However, they’re generally able to identify problems thschool, &/or family problems.
Our goal as helping professionals should be to help our clients discover what motivates them.
⇒ SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION: What are you motivated by?
Stages of Change
o Pre-contemplation.
o Contemplation.
o Preparation.
o Action
o Maintenance.
Final Stage Of Change component: Recycle (or relapse).
Relapse isn’t failure, but a chance to deepen commitment to change.
However, someone becomes stuck when:
o They keep looping through Recycle with no progression;
o Or, they completely stop moving through the Stages of Change.
Growth Zones
o Comfort Zone.
o Change Zone.
o Crisis Zone.
⇒ ACTIVITY: Chiji Cards to explore Growth Zones.
Stuck in the Comfort Zone
Someone’s Stage of Change is her/his Comfort Zone.
That means they’re comfortable where they’re at & see no reason to move forward. Because the Comfort Zone is comfortable, most people would rather stay there.
This can lead to stuckness, which we can define as a lack of motivation to change.
⇒ ACTIVITY: "Human Handcuffs" to illustrate being stuck, trying the same thing over & over.
Stuckness is also about avoiding risk, because change is risky.
What are the risks involved in change?
An important step in motivating change is addressing these risks…
3 Steps to Making Change Seem Less Risky
1. Acknowledge that change is risky – Have discussions like this one!
2. Explore good risk vs. bad risk.
3. Provide opportunities to practice safe risk-taking.
o Clients often have a skewed perspective of “good” risks.
o Once a bx has become habit, it is now in her/his Comfort Zone & no longer perceived as risky.
o Existential anxiety; anticipatory anxiety; fear of fear.
o Practicing appropriate risk taking is one way to have this new bx become part of a client’s Comfort Zone.
⇒ ACTIVITY: Mousetraps
Autonomy, Mastery & Purpose
So far, we’ve examined what change is and why it can be hard. The next step is to motivate clients to do this hard work even though it is risky.
According to Daniel Pink in his book Drive, motivation is enhanced through:
1. Autonomy – Autonomy refers to independence and self-determination. When given true autonomy, motivation increases dramatically.
2. Mastery – Mastery is the belief that you can be effective. This is, of course, closely related to self-efficacy.
3. Purpose – Purpose means commitment to something larger than yourself.
⇒ SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION: How can you increase autonomy, mastery & purpose in your experiential groups?
Basics of Motivational Interviewing
1. Roll with the resistance.
2. Express empathy.
3. Develop discrepancy.
4. Help cts build self-efficacy.
OARS:
o Open-ended Questions.
o Affirmations.
o Reflective Listening.
o Summarizing.
⇒ ACTIVITY: Small Group Summarizing
READ MORE!
Browse though my blog for some related posts, and then go get these three books:
Motivational Interviewing, by Miller & Rollnick
Changing for Good, by Prochaska, Norcross & DiClemente
Drive, by Pink
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