Lived Experience Forum

[Bow]

I have journaling group this afternoon @Snowie  that’s it for today. And that’s if it doesn’t get cancelled. They are very under staffed and there has been a lot of staff changes. 2 male workers have just left, leaving 4 staff members. There have been a lot of changes and funding cutbacks. It’s rather anxiety provoking, I always think the worst. What if they close the service down??? And it’s coming up to the change in SW 😩 

there is a meeting at noon today, it happens once a month, where clients can speak with the big boss. My SW mentioned it to me cause she knows I have issues with the change in SW. so I’m thinking of going. 

[Snowie]

I hope the journalling group goes ahead for you @Bow 

It is hard when there are funding cutbacks. People in this profession certainly do not do it for the pay.

Perhaps going to that meeting would be a good thing. That way you can voice your concerns. I'm sure there would be other patients there that would agree with what you have got to say.

[Bow]

@Snowie Yeah, they are cutting some groups and there is no funding for others, including arts and craft. Clients are paying for things ourselves. 

I’ve printed out my 2 page letter I can to the coordinator about the continuity of care and changing SW frequently. So maybe sharing it with the big boss will have an impact. 

there is at least one other client going that I know, so won’t be quiet as scary!

[Snowie]

Good that you have got it already written out @Bow 

Hopefully hearing from the actual people they are meant to be helping, can change what they do.

Good luck with it all

[Bow]

I attended the meeting @Snowie  there were actually a fair few people there, which for some reason I was not expecting. There was also the team leader 😩 who I originally gave this 2 page letter to and was told no. I certainly wasn’t expecting him to be there and wasn’t sure I’d be able to share my thoughts on the matter with him there. But I sat, I listened. A number of other clients expressed how they found the changes very difficult, but eventually managed it. The topic then came up for a more open discussion and that’s when I decided I’d share. 

I shared around my long history of trauma and how trust is difficult, and how I need consistency and predictability. All the changes I’ve had in the last year. I said that this change in SW is anxiety provoking and destabilizing. The regional manager and the team leader both shared some of their reasons why they do the changes, some of them I can see how they may make a little bit of sense, but I do still stand by the research that I did and everything I read clearly said that consistency is so important in trauma and mh recovery. 

one thing that made me angry and upset though, when the team leader was talking, he looked at me and made the comment that it’s ‘not anxiety provoking’. I looked at him and interrupted him and said I’m sorry but for me it is really anxiety provoking. 

In the end they both said that the service is always client lead and if changing SW was not right for me then I didn’t need to. That made me angry too cause that’s not what I was told by the team leader months ago when it first came up. 

so at the end of the day a positive for me. But it was a horrible experience, to be invalidated like I was. I wish I had been able to speak with my SW afterwards, but she was out and she isn’t in Thursdays or Friday. She’s working Sunday, but I won’t see her but she will call. And then she isn’t in Monday. She’s in training tues and Wednesday. Really been feeling her absence lately. 

@Jynx @tyme  thought you might both like to read this update too

[Jynx]

All good @Bow hope it was a good slumber! 

Ahaha reminds me of this meme: 

How's your day unfolded anyhow? 

[Bow]

Oh that meme is for me too @Jynx ! 

tagged you in another post with an update from today 

[Jynx]

@Bow sorry just working away on some stuff today so my responses are pretty scattered!

Just had a read through of your update, and holy smokes that would have been sooooo intense! But I am over the moon that they listened to you! Can't believe they actually just denied your experience to your face though, yikes. Almost like "Well you're wrong but we'll give you what we want I guess because it's 'policy'". Yeesh. But still, a victory is a victory, and your sense of safety and consistency being honoured is what matters most! So your current SW will stay the same now - is it the one you've been working with for a while, whom you're fond of? 

[Bow]

It felt pretty brutal to be honest @Jynx  big kick in the guts when I was already down. But yea glad that I was able to stand up for what I need and what is important in my recovery journey and for it to finally be heard and taken action. 

yes my current SW is amazing and will stay the same for the time being. She actually called me straight after I hit the post button on this update. She seen that I wasn’t doing so ok with the meeting and called to see how I was. 

[tyme]

Thanks for the update @Bow ! 

And wow! Good on you for sharing. It sounds like in a way, you could have probably been 'saved' from all of this if they only told you that you didn't HAVE to change SW if you didn't want to...

I'm so glad you spoke up. Good on you for self-advocacy!

I hope you can do something pleasant for yourself tonight.

Btw, how did the market go on the weekend? I haven't really heard.