Community Psychology: Chapter fourteen

Question 1

Define task-shifting

Answer 1

complex healthcare tasks are broken down into smaller activities that are taught to people lower down the professional ladder and in some instances the general public

Question 2

Define community-based social support

Answer 2

services that are educative, empowering and supportive in nature

Question 3

Define peer-led support groups

Answer 3

groups of people with practical insights and fist hand experience of a personal problem, who gather to share common experiences associated with that problem, condition, illness or personal circumstance

Question 4

What are the four categories of peer-led groups?

Answer 4

1. preventive
   these groups are used to promote good mental health and maintain optimal wellbeing before the onset of an illness or a problem (meditation groups)
2. adjunctive
   are used in combination with formal healthcare services (individual psychotherapy sessions and weekly narcotics anonymous)
3. substitutive
   these groups are used in place of formal healthcare services (join a support group with other people struggling with the same problem) temporary service
4. prescriptive
   attendance of these group is prescribed either by your healthcare professional or legally mandated for a specific reason

Question 5

what are the common principles followed by support groups?

Answer 5

• have a leader/co-leader who facilitates the conversation and organises meetings
• meet at prearranged intervals
• groups maybe opened or closed
• meetings usually last 60-90 minutes
• everybody gets to speak if they want
• group format can be educational, topic-based or open-ended
• groups are free to attend, although some my request donations for tea or admin
• have agreed-upon rules, such as confidentially or punctuality

Question 6

What are the ten benefits of joining self-help groups?

Answer 6

1. promote a sense of community and belonging
2. provide a philosophy of life to interpret problems
3. offer emotional support, affection, hope and a space to feel understood
4. provide role models for people who need positive examples of recovery
5. share informational resources and psychoeducation
6. provide companionship and a network of social relationships
7. provide an opportunity to help others and boost self-esteem
8. sometimes provide concrete material help
9. help people to regain a sense of mastery and control over their lives
10. encourage political action and social advocacy

Question 7

What are the four specific values and principles that underpin the national plan?

Answer 7

1. community care
   mental healthcare users should be provided with the least restrictive forms of care. local community-based resources should be mobilised wherever possible
2. social support and integration
   maximum support should be provided to families and carers of those with mental illness in order to broaden the network or support
3. participation
   mental healthcare users should be involved in the planning, delivery and evaluation of mental health services, self-help and advocacy groups should be encouraged
4. self-representation
   mental health care users and their associates should have support to enable them to represent themselves, the development of self-help, peer support and advocacy groups should be supported

Question 8

Kurt Lewin proposed three stages that individual members experience as they begin to change their mindset. what are they?

Answer 8

1. unfreezing: individual group members must overcome their reluctance or resistance to new information and unfreeze their mindset to overcome any disinterest or inertia.
2. change: as the old mindset is being challenged, there is confusion and then transition. group members begin to welcome change as they embrace new ideas
3. freezing: a new mindset crystallises or freezes as group members accept a new idea

Question 9

Eric Berne proposed 3-stage model of how a group moves from a relatilvey indistinct collection of people towards increasing recognition of each person as unique and distinct from one another. these are what?

Answer 9

1. undifferentiated
   the formative phase where group members are still getting to know each other and do not yet see each other as unique, distinct individuals
2. partially differentiate
   some group members emerge as leaders; some personalities stand out; some members communication styles separate them from the styles of others. these members become differentiated from the rest of the group and are perceived as distinct individuals
3. differentiated
   after sufficient time has passed, the group members recognise each other as distinct individuals and are able to differentiate themselves more clearly while still working together as a group

Question 10

What is Bruce Tuckman’s stages of group development?

Answer 10

1. forming: initial orientation stage. new members familiarise themselves with each other, decide if they can trust the space and asses their willingness to stay.
2. storming: a conflict stage, members express disagreement about the goals and practices of the group as they become increasingly honest and invest in begin active members
3. norming: having survived the storming stage, group norms are established, and the group begins to demonstrate trust and openness.
4. performing: fairly stable, productive period of the groups lifecycle in which members feel a sense of connectedness, cohesion and commitment to each other and the group as a whole, thereby enabling them to perform the tasks that they set out to do in the first place.
5. adjourning: the “mourning stage”, the group eventually ends. this can be for a variety of reasons, some anticipated others unforeseen

Question 11

Susan Wheelan proposed five stages that mirrored the psychosocial challenges of growing up and achieving maturity. what are they?

Answer 11

1. dependency and inclusion
   (childhood)
   the early stage of meeting where the members are still dependent on the leader for direction. “pseudo-work” takes place, where members talk socially or superficially but are still too guarded to speak openly about themselves
2. counter-dependency and fight
   (adolescence)
   members start asserting themselves, disagreeing, experiencing conflict and arguments and need to negotiate their terms of engagement and ways of relating to each other
3. trust and structure
   (Young adulthood)
   once conflicts are resolved, positive working relationships develop among the members and the group becomes more open and task oriented
4. work and productivity
   (adulthood)
   the group is cohesive and preforms its function well. everyone is satisfied with how the group is running and members can resolve conflicts easily in order to work together
5. impending termination
   (older age)
   some groups do have a distinct end point, and this is where separation, loss, goodbyes and endings can be adressed