Behavioral Support Systems In Mental Health Residential Units – Advocacy/Cultural Sensitivity

In mental health residential environments among the most difficult things is keeping the clients engaged with the programming and their challenging behaviors to a minimum.

Every unit of almost any organization has a behavioral support system in place to achieve this objective.

The efficiency and effectiveness of these systems will dictate how successful that program could be. It provides us with data on the behaviors type that are occurring as well as how often these behaviors are occurring. Such data is important to track behavioral progress or regression. Ok, and now one of the most important parts. Privileges increase as the client moves from redish, to yellowish, to orange to light green. In the unit where I work, we utilize a system to record behavioral frequencies.

It is depending on the concept of climbing up a ladder to reach discharge, prosocial behaviors move the client up the ladder and misconduct moves the client down the ladder.

That’s when Perry Alleman, the Lead Counselor of the unit during that time suggested the idea of a Token System which could support the Point Level System. Perry moved on to another program shortly after but I didn’t let go his idea of a Token System. Other units of the program is using similar systems, directly tied to their respective Point Level Systems. Our project differed from their approach in one point. We also needed a system simple enough for the clients and staff to understand/manage and at similar time. Then again, emma Finn, Martin Carbonell and Steve Wigmore, Direct Support Professionals of the unit started detecting every client’s needs and so, we started putting our ideas together. For any goal, a certain percentage of tokens my be awarded after daily/weekly/monthly completion, and those tokens going to be traded at the initial stage of the week for toys, hygiene products, CD Players, It’s pretty obvious that books and similar stuff in line with the clients’ preferences. We also wanted something they could use once they have been discharged from the program. In case you are going to achieve this a small tweak was suggested by Steve.

After a pilot test drive was conducted.

The spenders traded their tokens as long as they got enough to buy a lot of the cheapest items.

While others became spenders, extent of engagement. Clients are so into it that they have put pressure on us to stay on our toes. Although, we created the system so that gonna be easily tailored in accordance with individual needs, and fast.

He has studied Psychology at the University of Buenos Aires and Human Resources Management at UADE.