Promising Practices

Workshop 1-Hearing Empathy

The first workshop I attended during Promising Practices was Hearing Empathy. The original workshop that I had signed up had been canceled therefore I decided to take this workshop. The presenters plans for the workshop didn't occur as he had planned out. In hearing empathy we were able to learn more about schizophrenia. The purpose of the presenter's workshop was to present us with the experiences that many people with schizophrenia undergo. He also explained that many people with schizophrenia have hallucinations. But he further explained to us that hallucinations can vary, and they aren't the typical hallucinations we hear of. He also explained that as a social worker in the VA he can see veterans experience hallucinations but it doesn't necessarily mean that they have schizophrenia. During his presentation he also spoke about a new method that they're using to study this mental illness: by using the Sim Man 3G. This "robot" is not only used in his field but it is also used by many nursing students because it allows you to create simulations with this "robot". At the end of the presentation he let us see someone experience a simulation.

The person that underwent the simulation had to wear head phones. And while he heard the voices (on the headphones) swear at him, he also had to listen to the presenter ask him questions. In one occasion he was asked to repeat what the presenter had told him. But when it came to repeating some material he actually had some difficulty.

Schizoprenia is a mental illness that doesn't only affect adults, but it is an illness that can affect children. Therefore providing students with a SAFE SPACE is necessary. Although August spoke about creating a safe space for students who are LGBT, it is important to have this same space for students who have a mental illness. Especially since some students may sometime be bullied for their mental illness. Therefore as teachers we should always place a lot of attention in making ALL students comfortable.

Transitions from the Hospital to the Shelter

My second workshop was Transitions from the Hospital to the Shelter. In this workshop I was able to learn about the problems that Rhode Island Hospital and Crossroads dealt with. One huge problem that they dealt with was the fact that many of the homeless patients who would visit Rhode Island hospital would be sent to Crossroads and vice versa. But the biggest problem that they dealt with when it came to this was, that people, according to HUD had to be homeless. These people would be affected if they were at the hospital for a couple of months because the hospital would become a habitable place (according to HUD). Therefore according to HUD they had a HOME but when they left the hospital, they wouldn't really have a place to live. In many occasions Crossroads didn't have space for more people to live. Also they could only take a limited amount of people because at one point other people's lives could be harmed. For example in one occasion someone actually got stabbed in the waiting area because of an abundance of people staying in the waiting area. Therefore they coordinate people to receive other resources such as living in an apartment where they get to share a room with someone. But the PILOT PROGRAM they have still needs to reach more people, therefore they need more funds. But for the presenters, one of they're goals is to be able to open the program to more hospitals.

It was interesting to learn that Crossroads and Rhode Island Hospital are working together to provide support for many of the people who do not have a home. When hearing about the situations that the homeless are exposed to, it reminds me of SCWAAMP. It reminds me of the importance of Property ownership in this country. Those that do not own property are sometimes looked down upon and do not receive the resources they need to succeed. While hearing about this I also thought about Kristoff and the limitations that many people are institutional. People may not be able to get a home due to the unavailability of jobs which means they can't pay. Therefore some people are exposed to circumstances that can affect their health and they'll need to resort to a hospital. Also many of the homeless have limitations that are existent that may not permit them to have a job or made them lose their home.