Yes friends, things are looking pretty glum in Austin. What with the legislative plans to cut human services, and the economy still in the toilet, and most of us social workers and youth-care workers at the low end of the social services totem pole, it seems like the end of the tunnel isn't in sight just yet. And this week the governor's "emergencies" are more in the way of medical procedures, voter ID, and sanctuary cities rather than the state's economic crisis. Even though I try to stay solution-focused and strengths-based I have been worried and forlorn about our state's current condition. My wife says I'm grumpy and my kids say, "Dad! Get a life!".
As we at TNOYS began to feel the crunch of disappearing dollars in the last few years, we were spurred to look for new and different resources; new places to cast our lot, and some of them have even panned out. We still believe mightily in our work and are devoted to the survival of ourselves and the network. Other staff in the agency are posting here about our continuing progress, and in their own categories of work.
I want to spend some time posting today about using what we preach in our trainings to survive and even grow in this new environment. A Facebook friend of mine recently responded to my announcement of the start of the 82nd Texas Legislature: "We may as well just start banging our heads against the wall now. I'd be happier unconscious for the next two years". I imagine this person's statement was meant to be humorous; and yet, underneath the quip I detect a sense of despair that we in the social services arena can really do nothing to help our clients (programs, organizations, etc.) right now. This got me to thinking.
Then, today, I read a piece from the New York Times, by Richard Friedman, about how insight can be only the beginning of change. As a family counselor I tend to think of everything with a systems perspective, or a "counseling" slant. Friedman's piece reminded me that having self-knowledge about what is going on or what we need to do is not always enough. We also need to put that insight into action. He notes that in the world of therapy any approach is better than no approach. He continues that people who are "depressed...(about any situation) have a selective recall bias for unhappy events...; ...they are ...forgetting the good (events)". From a constructivist perspective of these times we need to clarify what we want instead of what we are offered ("the problem").
We need to get away from an externalized locus of control (they doing it to us) and remember that we feel better and have more resources when we recognize and build upon what we can do (internalized locus of control), no matter what they do.
I am starting by writing this "Best Practices" post to encourage you readers to do something to shout out your ideas about what can and should be done. As Eldridge Cleaver (or Ralph Waldo Emerson) said, "You're either part of the solution or part of the problem". In systemic counseling we know that counselors must be the most flexible element in the system if they want to influence systemic change. We also know from recent outcome research that in counseling of any sort, building an alliance is one of the most important variables leading to success along with client involvement.
One of our narrative therapy techniques utilizing both these variables is finding ways for people to "spread the news" about the "preferred stories" they want the "communities of concern to" hear and pay attention to. I submit that this is not the time for us to talk about how BAD things are and how we can't do anything. Rather, let's tell our success stories and describe our preferred reality. Let's talk about what we want and need with those who would speak for us at the legislature. Telling our stories of success and encouraging those who have benefited from our services to share their stories of success are ways of affirming (witnessing) the value of our work. I wonder, "How many clients does it take to turn on the lights in the legislature?"
Using what we know of strengths-based and collaborative counseling might just be good guidelines for involving ourselves and befriending those who would take up our cause. As we participate in the process of government over the next few months lets find ways to busy ourselves about the things we CAN do: listen to the news from Austin; write an email; call our congress people; share our success stories; visit our legislators in Austin; and encourage our clients to do the same. We are all in this together. That's why we call this a network! ~JN~
can't believe no one has commented on this yet...
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