overview of outreach competencies stephen j. gumbley, ma, acdp ii director, new england attc
TRANSCRIPT
overview of Outreach competencies
Stephen J. Gumbley, MA, ACDP II
Director, New England ATTC
Competencies
• Knowledge
• Skills
• Attitude
Competencies
Purpose of competencies
• Staff development
• Evaluation
Identify benchmarks along a continuum of counselor development.
1Developing
3Proficient
5 Exemplary
2 4
Using Benchmarks for Learning Progress
Adapted fromClinical Supervision: Building Chemical Dependency Counselor SkillsNorthwest Frontier ATTC
Competent
Benchmarks
• Developing Counselors - limited understanding and inconsistent
• Competent Counselors – meets necessary standards
• Proficient Counselors - apply intervention consistently and effectively
• Exemplary Counselors - develop and implement effective strategies for complex and difficult situations
Clinical Supervision: Building Chemical Dependency Counselor SkillsNorthwest Frontier ATTC
Outreach is…
A set of strategic interventions whose goal is to initiate or improve service delivery to a targeted population where they resides and work whose members: Have been underserved Do not know about services Believe they do not need the services Do not – or think they does not -- qualify
for/can afford the services.
• Why reach out?
human kiosk
TRUST
Outreach is challenging.
Effective outreach requires expertise, skills and sensitivity to the [client’s] experience.
Outreach to People Experiencing Homelessness: A Curriculum for Training Health Care for the Homeless Outreach Workers.
Effective Outreach
• Preparation • Inner work
• Self awareness
• Competency
simply glorified cab drivers, babysitters, and hand-holders. They are not advocates with a narrow focus on the procedural rights of the client. They are not simply case managers linking motivated clients to needed services.
Outreach workers are not …
change agents who use the vehicles of service linkage, advocacy, transportation, and babysitting to build relationships … and to instill in [clients] the desirability and possibility of change.
Outreach workers ARE…
• What are they? Minimum standards for conducting street outreach for hard-to-reach populations
• Who developed them? The Center for HIV, Hepatitis and Addiction Training and Technology (CHHATT), which is a program of The Danya Institute, as part of the Central East Addiction Technology Transfer Center (CEATTC).
Outreach Competencies
http://www.ceattc.org/OtherPDF/Counselor_competencies.PDF
Outreach Competencies
Competency 1: Understanding Outreach and Outreach in a Scientific Context
Competency 2: Understanding Chemical Dependency
Competency 3: Understanding Disease and Wellness in the Context
of Drug Use
Competency 4: Engagement
Competency 5: Intervention
Competency 6: Client Support
Competency 7: Supporting Ourselves
Competency 1: Understanding Outreach and Outreach in a Scientific Context
Research Protocols Behavioral Science Theories
Competency 2: Understanding Chemical Dependency
Substance Use vs. Substance Abuse
Substance Use Disorders
Pharmacology
Medication Assisted Recovery
Treatments
Paths to Recovery
Competency 3: Understanding Disease and Wellness in the Context of Drug Use
HIV/AIDS
Hepatitis
Tuberculosis
Confounders
Mental illness Homelessness History of physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse Being an MSM or transsexual Racial and/or ethnic minority status Age Unemployment
Activities that decrease Vulnerability and Risk
Activities that increase Resilience and
Recovery Capital
Recovery•Wellness Health
Reduction or elimination of
symptoms
Reduction or elimination of
symptomsReconnection with family and community
Reconnection with family and community
Internal wellnessInternal wellness
Wellness
Competency 4: Engagement
Recruitment Strategies
Cultural Sensitivities
Safety and Awareness of Environment
Effective Communication
Outreach Activities
• Education: giving people information about issues (substance abuse, HIV, domestic violence, etc.)
• Marketing: giving people in a risky population information about services
• Engagement: contacting people known to be at risk and encouraging the use of our services
• Education: catalogue sent to everyone in Maine
• Marketing: catalogue sent to everyone who went to Maine parks last year
• Engagement: catalogue sent to everyone who bought at L.L. Bean last year
Engagement
• Engagement entails – a client and outreach worker participating in an activity that involves a
positive interaction– whereby the client is made to feel as comfortable as possible while listening
to and speaking with the outreach worker
• Engagement involves – identifying and making contact with members of the target group in their
natural environments– establishing rapport – enlisting commitment to behavior change– providing information about risk behaviors and strategies to eliminate or
reduce risk.
• Engagement means creating/enlarging motivation with the client.
• The client does not need to be motivated in order to “be ready.”
Competency 5: Intervention
The outreach worker actively works with the client to reduce the harmful effects of the client’s behaviors.
Intervention Activities• Health Information and Demonstration
• Risk Assessment.• Risk Reduction
• Prevention and Post-test Counseling
• Crisis Intervention
• Confidentiality and Ethics
• Laws and Regulations
Competency 6: Client Support
Client support is the process of facilitating the client’s utilization of available support systems and community resources to meet individual needs.
Competency 7: Supporting Ourselves
Burnout Prevention
Relapse Prevention
Outreach -- Reach out
Creating wellness together