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BETTER TOGETHER- PEER SUPORT GROUP EVALUATION

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Table of Contents ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................................3 INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW ...........................................................................................................5 GROUP MEMBERS ......................................................................................................................................................... 9 METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................................................................................9 MEMBER DEMOGRAPHICS ............................................................................................................................................ 11 DESIGN ............................................................................................................................................................... 12 SESSION OUTLINE ....................................................................................................................................................... 15 SESSION STRUCTURE .................................................................................................................................................... 15 MEASUREMENT.................................................................................................................................................. 16 RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................................................................................................... 20 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................................... 22

Appendices 24 SELF-CARE TOOLKIT ............................................................................................................................................ 25 ........................................................................................................................................................................... 26 INTRODUCTION TO STRESS: ................................................................................................................................... 26 FACTORS FOR STRESS ............................................................................................................................................. 27 SELF-AWARENESS EXERCISE................................................................................................................................ 28 GROUP ACTIVITIES ............................................................................................................................................. 29 Breathing for anxiety reduction......................................................................................................................... 30 VISUALIZATION FOR ANXIETY REDUCTION. ....................................................................................................................... 31 EIGHT DIMENSIONS OF WELLBEING MODEL ..................................................................................................................... 32 HEALTHY COPING STRATEGIES ....................................................................................................................................... 34 MEMBER SATISFACTION SURVEY .................................................................................................................................... 39 EGO RESILIENCY ..................................................................................................................................................... 42 BUILDING RESILIENCE ............................................................................................................................................. 43 SISR TEST ................................................................................................................................................................ 44 CHECKING YOUR BASIC NEEDS AT WORK ............................................................................................................... 46 SATISFACTION WITH LIFE ....................................................................................................................................... 47 EARLY WARNING SIGNS:......................................................................................................................................... 47 EARLY WARNING SIGNS ............................................................................................................................................... 48 SELF ASSEMENTS .................................................................................................................................................... 48 MEMBER RESPONSES TO THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE FACTORS INFLUENCING THEIR LIVES: ............................. 53 SESSION OBSERVATION QUESTIONS ................................................................................................................... 55 FACILITATOR SELF-ASSESSMENT ..................................................................................................................................... 56

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Abstract

This report provides an overview and evaluation of the group program “Better Together- Enhancing Wellness Through Peer Support”. The program was created for the staff and volunteers at It takes a Village in Listowel, Ontario. The goals of the group are to increase resiliency and encourage self-care, to increase the agency’s ability to support volunteer well-being and to reduce the stigma of seeking help when needed. The group was unable to complete the full 8 weeks, and therefore some of the results remain incomplete. Nevertheless, the group was still successful in many ways and the following paper will give the reader insight into what was learned over the course of the 5 weeks the program was active.

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Introduction and Literature Review

It takes A Village is a volunteer led, “currency free “store in the community of Listowel, Ontario. “The Village” as many refer to it, operates using a point based shopping experience, removing the barrier for people who may not be able to afford things like food, clothing, hygiene or household items, offering up to 20 points a day to be spent by anyone who needs it. Everything in the store is given a price based from 120 points and everyone is allowed up to 20 points a day. The organization believes in treating everyone with dignity, recognizing that everyone has worth and value and by focusing on building relationships to strengthen the community. On average, the village will see up to 100 customers a day and will provide essential emergency food hampers to 100 families each week. They also run a bike shop, community garden, various groups and work closely with local businesses to provide fresh food and bread every day. It takes a village serves mostly low-income households, and many of the people who come in for services also face barriers like unemployment, addictions, mental illness and poverty. Due to the lack of social services in the small community, “the village” has become a sort of service hub or starting point for marginalized populations to connect with support. The Village relies heavily on the efforts, talents and contributions of their many volunteers. Almost half of the full-time volunteers are connected to the agency first as

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clients and continue to access services while also giving back to their communities. Additionally, many of the volunteers are there to complete community service hours either through the school system or through a court-mandated program. The village is a popular place for people looking to volunteer, as there are always opportunities for people to learn new skills, socialize with peers, to give back to the community and to be a part of a supportive group of like-minded people. The volunteers are the most important part of the agency, without volunteers the agency would cease to exist. Volunteers work hard every day to maintain the village, and treat each customer they serve as a priority. Therefore, the village needs to work equally as hard to make health and wellness of volunteers a priority. For many people, life is a balancing act between work and home life, but if a stressor occurs like relationship problems, job insecurities, financial worries, substance abuse, or physical illness, it can easily become overwhelming and if not taken care of, can negatively impact your work. When this happens, these emotions and behaviours can affect job performance, team performance and ultimately, agency performance. During a time when a worker may feel overwhelmed, isolated, burnt out, or even hopeless, peers can offer hope through their own stories and share wellness tools and goal-setting support to help people overcome the challenges they face. Peers minimize some of the barriers that people face when navigating mental health services in a rural setting where services are limited. In recent years, there has been a lot of research on the benefits of workplace wellness and peer support programs. Some key findings for the benefits of a peer support program include:

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Increased self--esteem and confidence (Davidson, et al., 2012; Salzer, 2002)

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Increased sense of control and ability to bring about changes in their lives (Davidson,

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et al., 2012) •

Raised empowerment scores (Davidson, et al., 1999; Dumont & Jones, 2002; Ochoka)

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Increased sense of hope and inspiration (Davidson, et al., 2012; Ratzlaff, McDiarmid, Marty, & Rapp, 2006)

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Increased empathy and acceptance ( Davidson, et al., 2012)

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Increased engagement in self-care and wellness (Davidson, et al., 2012)

The intent of a wellness program focused on volunteers is very much the same as an employee or workplace program – to support the health, safety, and well-being of those who contribute their time and energy into the agency. This type of peer support works well within the environment of It takes a village as they both were share the common core values of offering support to those in need and treating everyone with kindness, understanding, compassion and respect. People who work or volunteer together often form bonds, or friendships and they are often the first to notice when something is off about someone and the peer support environment provides a safe space to express observations or concerns in a way that is genuine and non-intrusive. Additionally, Peer support is not only for those who are having difficulties or facing challenges. Co-workers can encourage each other to stay safe and healthy

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through small, day-to-day efforts such as providing positive encouragement or simply listening when someone has had a bad day. The impact of peer support can be even greater when implemented in more formal structure. As such, the Better together, the peer support group was formed using a similar approach by also incorporating an educational component that informs and empowers members to take charge of their own well-being and mental health. With mental health and wellness issues on the rise, organizations are looking for new ways to address staff wellbeing, eventually this led to the development of the Wellness Action Plan (WAP), a tool which helps all employees manage their mental health and wellbeing at work. (Farmer, 2013 para 2). The WAP is inspired by Mary Ellen Copeland’s Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP): an evidence-based system used worldwide by people to manage their mental health. The group creators applied the tool to work as starting point for initial group sessions, and to evolve each week, getting more in depth until each member completes and shares their own Workplace Wellness Action Plan. This is a universal tool that can be used by anyone– not just those with mental health concerns. The tool helps to identify what keeps you well, what causes you to become unwell, and how to proactively plan for mental health issues should you experience one. Additionally, the group topics each week are listed below: 1.

What is Wellness

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Being Assertive and Communication

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Stress and anxiety

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Problem solving

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Low mood and depression

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Self-Care strategies

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Negative thinking and unhelpful patterns

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Planning for the future

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Methodology Group Members Group members were recruited through word of mouth and information posted to the volunteer message board and communication books. A group information session and sign up was held during a volunteer team meeting, 27 volunteers were present and out of the 27 members, 15 members indicated interest. The group was a closed group, and was only eligible to active volunteers at It Takes a Village. In addition to being a volunteer, members were assessed based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. To determine suitability, program leaders evaluated members using the following sets of criteria: Selected Members must meet all the following conditions: 1.

the individual had to be a current volunteer at It takes a village

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(b) the individual needs to be 16 years of age or older

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(c) the individual is required to complete volunteer orientation training prior

to joining the group. 4.

(d) the individual must self-report as being interested in participating in the

group and be motivated to engage in group work respectfully. 5.

(e) the individual must be willing and able to commit to regular attendance, as

attendance is necessary for development of a cohesive group.

Members were to be excluded if they meet any of the following criteria: a)

If the individual is unwilling to examine their own behaviour, self-disclose

or give and receive feedback.

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b)

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If at any time the individual presents as highly defensive or disruptive, as

Corey and colleagues (2010) stated, group therapy may be detrimental for this individual and/or counterproductive to other group members.

Members who are excluded Any volunteers that do not meet criteria set out above will be informed that they are ineligible, given an explanation of why and the leader will be sure to stress how the group may not be an appropriate choice for them, as recommended by Corey and colleagues (2010). This information should be described in a manner that is clear, honest, and respectful, and time will be spent to allow the member to process his/her reactions to not being eligible for this group, and to provide feedback. (Corey et al., 2010). Furthermore, these students will be provided with other options that will better meet their needs and assistance should be given in accessing these other options if necessary (Corey et al., 2010). All members for this group were determined to be eligible. Following the recruitment and assessment process, all 15 participants were selected but only 9 out of the 15 interested members attended the first session. Overall, the recruitment process went well, as it allowed the chance to reach a large group of volunteers at a time. This was achieved by utilizing the time during team meetings to provide information and answer questions. One thing that would have made the recruitment process more successful would be to provide information sessions on multiple days, as it would have provided the chance to reach a larger sample of volunteers. Furthermore, it would have been more effective to advertise the information

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at least 2 weeks in advance, this would provide enough time to get members talking and to spark conversation and interest among volunteers. In this case, the information was posted only 7 days prior to the first session, and wasn’t as effective in terms of program awareness among the volunteers. Member Demographics Demographic data was obtained from 9 participants through the use though not all participants answered every question. Participants were primarily female (67%) with an age range from 19 to 47 years. Marital status was almost equally split between married/common law (4/9) and single/widowed/divorced/separated (5/9).. 3 of the 9 members had children living at home, 2/9 had no children living at home, and 4/9 had no children. Almost half of the members had not completed high school, and 2/9 were high school graduates. More than half of the members reported being employed, but it is important to note that almost 10% of members declined to answer this question. About a third of members reported their combined annual household income of more than $40,000, and 20% declined to answer. Members were asked to identify strengths and weaknesses. Some of the strengths identified were 7 of the 9 members stated that issues with mental health affect their ability to function on most days, and 4 of the 9 reported having an addiction that reduces their quality of life. 2 of the 9 members reported as being homeless, or precariously housed. Overall, the members were motivated towards change and open to participation and self-disclosure.

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Design The overall expectation for the group is to promote wellness and self-care, and to provide a safe place for volunteers to improve social connections and share their feelings and concerns with each other. To meet these expectations, specific and measurable group goals, and group process goals were created. These three main group goals/outcomes were chosen: 1. Members will develop the skills and knowledge necessary to make informed lifestyle choices that support personal wellness, and to empower participants to take action to improve their lives. 2. Members will improve their quality of life, and increase wellness using goal setting and self-care planning. 3. Members will increase their self-awareness and ability to cope with stress. To achieve group goal #1, educational interventions were put in place to teach members new skills and alternative methods to cope with stress. Handouts and information were provided on topics about self-care techniques, mindfulness, how stress effects the brain and how to decrease negative thinking and self-talk patterns were given out. Information was provided in a variety of formats, including tables, diagrams, articles and videos to ensure each style of learning was incorporated. To achieve group goal # 2, behavioural interventions were put in place to encourage goal setting, contracting and support and reinforce positive behaviours. Goal setting and contracting are implemented early on in the group by writing selfcare plans, and setting “SMART” goals for multiple areas of life. Positive behaviors and communication techniques were implemented through the use of social

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modelling, and self-monitoring was encouraged throughout the group through the use of self-assessments and journaling. To achieve group goal #3 l, both affective and cognitive interventions were implemented. Affective interventions included breath...