Estia Blog Posts
Regrets?
Regrets?
Author: Jane Kiernan
Lupsa & Vîrgă (2020) says that it is ‘the capacity the employee has to sustain and bounce back from problems, conflicts, lack of success or a situation that may imply an increase of responsibility’. Cleary et al (2016) states that resilience is the ‘capacity to thrive rather than just survive in high stressful environments’. Whether it’s related to a job, a guide, a protocol or of course, a course! …
TBH most of the training I have been on, of late, has been standard NHS Trust mandatory training. It would be like, “ Oh, it’d be great to do that…. but I don’t have the time” kind of thinking.
‘Time is a created thing. To say, ‘I don’t have time’ is to say ‘I don’t want to.’ - Lao Tzu
So, it was quite extraordinary (for me) that I somehow found myself signing up to the programme AND I was accepted! And so off I went back to the classroom
The classroom
My automatic response to the idea of sitting at a desk (rooted from rubbish experiences of school many years ago) is to avoid it…..
That was a big mistake…..HUGE !
I had a ball !
Outside of the classroom “teaching,” the programme also gave us the opportunity to be part of the peer learning group. It felt luxurious. Don't get me wrong it was no health spa - no lounging in fluffy robes surrounded by scented candles (that’s what goes on in those places isn’t it?)
The Peer learning group was a facilitated reflective space where, as students, we learned with, and from, each other.
Time can feel elusive these days.
As in, time for ourselves, with others, as managers and team leaders. Time to sit and think and to consider and reflect upon situations that we encounter as part of our everyday work.
Yet we have the expectation, and the responsibility to get it right, for others, our teams , our colleagues and ourselves.
‘It is not sufficient simply to have an experience to learn. Without reflecting upon this experience, it may quickly be forgotten, or its learning potential lost. It is from the feelings and thoughts emerging from this reflection that generalisations or concepts can be generated, and it is generalisations that allow new situations to be tackled effectively.’ (Gibbs 1988)
The issues we brought to the group were tough and it was incredibly hard to hear what my colleagues were having to manage and navigate on a daily basis. It was equally tough to quite know how to respond. However, to have the shared time to listen to each other, to reflect together and support each other, to have this opportunity to safely explore different ways to consider our issues, together, was an invaluable experience and one of my favourite parts of the training.
Regrets?
Just one. That I didn’t do it before. So, if you have been putting something off, because you “don’t have time”, I would kindly suggest you reconsider!
About the author
I’m Jane and I’m a team leader of an amazing CAMHS team in South London and Maudsley NHS Trust
References
Cleary, M., Kornhaber, R., Thapa, D.K., West, S. and Visentin, D., (2018). The effectiveness of interventions to improve resilience among health professionals: A systematic review. Nurse education today, 71, pp.247-263.
Gibbs G (1988). Learning by Doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Further Education Unit. Oxford Polytechnic: Oxford
Lupșa, D. and Vîrgă, D., (2020). Psychological capital, health, and performance: The mediating role of burnout. Psihologia Resurselor Umane, 18(1), pp.7-22.
Tzu L (Author), Stephen Mitchell (Translator) (2006) Tao Te Ching: A New English Version. Harper Perennial Modern Classics
Read Regrets?…Reinforcing Resilience
When I started in my current role four years ago, it was the first time I officially line managed anyone. I put a lot of pressure and expectation on myself regarding what I needed to do to be successful in this role. I thought I needed to have the answers to everything, I thought I had to keep my weaknesses well hidden, I thought I needed to be infallible and put up an impenetrable wall for people to trust I was a right fit to lead the team. Considering the ‘I’ so much was my first mistake…
Better together. How the Estia Centre and National Autistic Society partnership is paving the way for gold standard delivery of Oliver’s lead trainer training
Genuine progress is forged through collaboration, not isolation. It is ultimately brought about by bringing together diverse expertise and experience to create something intrinsically stronger, more creative, and innovative than what we could ever achieve alone.
Read Better together. How the Estia Centre and National Autistic Society partnership is paving the way for gold standard delivery of Oliver’s lead trainer training…A Personalised Path to Better Health: The STOMP Clinic Explained
STOMP (Stopping Over-Medication of People with a Learning Disability and Autistic People) has been a key component of NHS England’s initiative to reduce the unnecessary use of psychotropic medications. Research shows that individuals with a learning disability are 16 times more likely, and those with autism 7 times more likely, to be prescribed antipsychotic medication compared to the general population. These medications can have significant side effects, including sedation, weight gain, increased risk of diabetes, hormonal changes, and sexual dysfunction—all of which can negatively affect quality of life.
Read A Personalised Path to Better Health: The STOMP Clinic Explained…The Space Between Us: Boundaries for Healthier Working Relationships
Author — Mike Bloodworth
In the demanding environments of health and social care, establishing clear professional boundaries is not just good practice, it's essential. Professional boundaries are the invisible lines that define appropriate interactions and expectations between ourselves and our colleagues.
Read The Space Between Us: Boundaries for Healthier Working Relationships…