Introduction to the Module

Module 6 is primarily a revision module. Very little new content will be added, although new exercises will be included to aid reflection and consolidate knowledge.

The content will focus your attention on the key learnings that apply to your assessment. These include the following:

• Applying a person-centred approach for a range of specific conditions within a mental health and addiction setting. 
• Actions you can take to foster hope, support recovery and build resilience in the people and whanau you support. 
• Strategies you can implement to address the needs and goals of the tangata being supported. 
• Demonstrating culturally appropriate behaviour when supporting tangata.

While completing this course, you will need to familiarise yourself with the goals, services, and policies of a health and wellbeing workplace. 

This may include:

• helping with care tasks you are asked to perform
• attending staff meetings
• exploring any networking and training opportunities that arise

You will be required to clarify your role and boundaries and work within the confines of that area to help tangata achieve personal goals. 

Assessment

You have one assessment task for this module. You are required to write four (4) summaries at least one week apart to document your experiences in the mental health or addiction support workplace. You should be working on your assessment weekly as you progress through the content in this module. 

Remember that the feedback will not always be positive – you need to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally. Try and remember that feedback is an opportunity for improvement rather than a form of scrutiny. Feedback allows you to:

• identify your strengths and weaknesses
• compare any feedback with your own assessment of your performance. That is, are you being realistic in your own assessment?
• learn from what went right and what went wrong in a particular situation
• identify problem areas that need attention
• improve your performance in the workplace

In order to expand your range of skills you will need to develop a high level of self-awareness. Self-awareness begins with self-reflection. Self-reflection is about questioning in a positive way what you do and why you do it, and deciding if there is a better or more efficient way of doing it in the future.

Key questions

Before you can start reflecting, you will need to identify the questions you want to reflect on. The questions you use for self-reflection will depend on the situation. Examples of work-related self-reflection questions may include:

• What am I enjoying about my job?
• What would I change if I could? Can I facilitate these changes?
• How can I improve my workplace performance or increase my skillset?
• Am I providing a good service to all of my clients?
• Do I relate well to other staff members?
• Does my lack of cultural understanding negatively impact clients?
• Are there processes or practices that I am unhappy with?
• What has surprised me about my role and the workplace? 

Self-reflection as a support worker

The use of self-reflection can benefit the health and wellbeing organisation that you are working for, along with the people you support. Benefits may include:

• Increasing staff self-awareness and the ability to manage thoughts, emotions, responses and behaviour.
• Assisting in recognising strengths and weaknesses; enabling people to understand their own skills, knowledge and behaviours so that they can meet the demands of their role.
• Encouraging staff to explore theory and the use of practical experiences from the workplace.
• Providing a framework, through documenting reflection, for meaningful discussion about performance, personal development requirements and ongoing career options.
• Helping staff to learn from personal experiences, value strengths, develop insight and judgement, and different, more effective ways of participating in the future.
• Providing an opportunity to track personal and professional goals.
• Helping staff empathise with peers and the people being supported.

In the following activity you will reflect on the workplace experiences you have already completed.

Activity

Thinking of tangata or any person you have provided support to in the past, complete the following documentation exercise.