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Its Where I Am focuses on the various mental health struggles that people all around the world face every day. Each episode covers a different facet of mental health with a new special guest. It's Where I Am airs on 91.5 Jazz & More every second Saturday of the month.
Unknown Speaker 0:00
You're listening to locally produced programming created in KU NBC Studios on public radio K, u and v. 91.5. You're listening
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to special programming brought to you by it's where I am.com The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 jobs and more University of Nevada, Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents, the Nevada System of Higher Education.
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Good morning Las Vegas, it's Dr. David Jenness, clinical director at great minds counseling and Wellness Center. And it's where I am. I'm guest hosting on behalf of Zondra pollarded, who is on a well deserved break, and sabbatical. Thank you, listeners for tuning in every Saturday at 7:30am. So I'm here with my colleague, Scooter more. Hi, Scooter,
Unknown Speaker 1:16
Dr. G, what's going on?
Unknown Speaker 1:17
Well, thank you so much for being part of this segment. And, you know, I'm really, really excited actually, to hear what you do at great minds.
Unknown Speaker 1:28
Well, good morning, and thank you for having me. I am the clinical director at great minds, and I perform different activities for the patients based upon their cognitive skills. So
Unknown Speaker 1:44
at crate minds counseling and Wellness Center, we provide therapy services to adults that may have significant mental health challenge. And most of our patients have what is referred to as a severe mental illness. So you mentioned scooter that in your role as activities director, that some or many of our patients have a different level of cognitive presentation. Can you talk a little bit more about that and your role specifically? Why is it important for us to have a better understanding of how our patients process information?
Unknown Speaker 2:34
Well, a great minds, I guess, you could say that I'm a role model for our patients. And,
Unknown Speaker 2:43
boy, you're a role model for me as well.
Unknown Speaker 2:45
No, thank you, sir. Our patients based upon their different cognitive skills will play different games. Some have a good cognitive skill, so we can play Monopoly. So they're interacting positively with other patients in the classroom. Some of them just do simple puzzles. Others, they do arts and crafts, which they are very good at. And some of our other patients. They play Uno, or some, most of them, well, not most of them, but quite a few of them like to play dominoes. So that gets to help with their math skills, and their social skills with the other patients clients as well.
Unknown Speaker 3:39
So many of our listeners Skooter may think that this is a little unusual. So typically, when we think of mental health services, I think therapy is maybe the first thought that comes to mind and usually when we think of therapy, we kind of think of Sigmund Freud. You know, we're patients are coming in, they're laying on the couch, and, you know, they're, they're just talking out loud. So, can you tell me like why it is that at great minds counseling and Wellness Center, we are engaging patients to play games?
Unknown Speaker 4:21
Well, it's good for their social and personal growth. So it's in a classroom setting. So they're just not laying on the couch, like as if they were in therapy. So
Unknown Speaker 4:36
if I'm understanding you correctly, Scooter, then these patients are engaging in real life activities that you or I may do with our families, and that these individuals, then our rural are being shown how To interact appropriately with each other, how to engage with their peers in a positive way. And that what I'm hearing from you is that their learning skills, and that they're learning to take their time and to wait their turn. And, you know, you shared that in Domino's, you know, there's a certain level of math skills that are used in order to engage in that activity. Exactly. Very good. So this leads us then into really, to this morning's primary discussion that I'd like to have and share with our listeners in in what we really do at great minds counseling and Wellness Center, and that we're providing a unique way to meet the needs of our adults that have severe mental illness. And and we do this by providing what I'm going to refer to as a wraparound model. And so, you know, scooter and I are gonna share with our listeners, what are some of the primary principles that is associated with wraparound services and and how specifically, we at great minds hold these principles and ideas in our mind so that we can individualize treatment planning, and really better meet each patient's needs and family's needs. So scooter, if you don't mind? Could Would you mind sharing with our listeners what what is the first primary principle in the wraparound model?
Unknown Speaker 6:49
The first principle is family voice and choice. Okay,
Unknown Speaker 6:54
so family voice and choice. Can you talk a little bit more like what what does that mean?
Unknown Speaker 7:01
Well, family voice and choice is basically a perspective of the intentional person or family member. That's in this particular phase of the wraparound. Okay,
Unknown Speaker 7:16
so so I'm gonna, I'm gonna kind of summarize what you just said, Scooter. So family voice and choice, how I interpret that is that we are involving then the individual in their treatment planning process, so that we're taking into consideration what it is the individual or family actually wants to work on. Right. So this is really important to me, because oftentimes, I find that individuals who fall into the classification of severe mental illness often are viewed as being incapable. And and I don't buy into that notion at all, neither do I. So, you know, I really do believe that many of the patients, all of the patients that we provide care to and support are very capable. And and so you know, I think it's essential for us to involve them in their treatment planning and and really having them buy into what it is that you know, we're hoping to support them in. So can we can we talk about the second principle, if you don't mind sharing what that is. The second
Unknown Speaker 8:38
principle is team based wraparound. And that basically consists of the team individuals agree upon the family in committed to the family throughout informal, formal community support and service relationships. So
Unknown Speaker 8:54
So you know, as a former wraparound director, and I don't know if you knew this, but I was a wraparound director for five years. And I really love and embrace working from a team perspective. Because I feel like as a team, we can brainstorm and generate so many different perspectives and ideas and how we can support an individual and family. And, I mean, it feels good, though, to have team members, uplift you and to have your back. You know, I think of a mental health treatment team really being just like a sport team, where where we have each other's back, we support each other, and we learn how to work together. And so I know working from a team, you know, can be challenging. It certainly, you know, comes with some ups and downs because you do have these different perspectives of, of maybe and maybe some of these perspectives compete with each other, and there could be comps worked in a team. And so it's learning then also conflict resolution skills and problem solving skills. And so, I love I love working from a team approach, though, because I just feel like we do our best work versus working from a solo perspective. I agree. So All right, moving on. What's what's philosophy number three in terms of this wraparound approach? Natural support? Natural supports. Okay, Scooter. So what does that mean?
Unknown Speaker 10:32
Well, natural support is our team actively seeks out and encourages full participation from, from my patients.
Unknown Speaker 10:39
Okay, so a natural support member. So I was first introduced to this concept of having natural supports, be involved in a mental health treatment team when I was a wraparound director. And, and this will this, I think, is, is really transforming how clinical services is delivered, and how it can really truly impact the individual or family in a positive way, because we're surrounding and wrapping individuals with people in their community that then become involved in in supporting the individual family. And so this is huge, because natural supports help us have sustainability in regards to the interventions that are coming out from from the mental health team. And so this is really huge and supporting individuals to sustain what it is that we're working on when formal treatment providers are involved in the individual a family's life. Alright, so moving on number four,
Unknown Speaker 11:59
number four in the wraparound is collaboration. Team members work cooperatively and share responsibilities for developing and implementing, monitoring and evaluating a single wraparound plan.
Unknown Speaker 12:13
Yeah, so So collaboration. So the I actually was called Mr. You know, collaboration at one point by a medical director of Child, Adolescent and Family Services Division that I worked in, because I was all about collaboration. It's so essential in helping individuals be able to navigate the barriers in accessing care, to collaborate. And even within a team, I intent fully needed to remove my ego, and let others sometimes on a team feel like or receive credit for ideas that that were being discussed within the team system, so that we could move the individual or family forward in a positive way. And so collaboration is key, it's cornerstone, I think, a really helping individuals and families have connection to the appropriate resources and supports that they need to really move forward. And this is hard, actually, for a lot of providers. Because I think of ego, I think of fear sometimes of having to step out of our cushy, comfortable therapeutic office, and having to engage, you know, with other stakeholders that, you know, bring a different lens and a different expertise to the team. Collaboration can be challenging for some providers, and this is something that I feel like at great minds that we do very well. I agree. And, and so I mean, you you have an opportunity in your role to interact with a lot of stakeholders, a lot of referral partners. And it's so essential for us to be welcoming and be collaborative so that we can really build those professional partnerships so that we can access the services that the patients need to help them be successful. Right. So all right, sudo, what's number
Unknown Speaker 14:34
five? Community based?
Unknown Speaker 14:36
All right, so real, real simply community based is a we want to identify clinical services within the individuals community, because we want the services to be accessible. And it's so community based services is rare. really where we want to link individuals and families to because when the formal providers step out and step away, the family needs to have the skills, the confidence and access to the informal community resources so that they can sustain what it is that the family or the individual has achieved. While the formal service providers were in place, helping them learn new skills, like what you do every day helping patients acquire new skills, you do such an excellent job role modeling a lot of the skills that we're teaching our patients to work on themselves so that they can be successful independently, and, you know, their homes, in their individual environments. And, you know, certainly that's something that you and other team members that great minds do an exceptional job. And that's why, you know, I'm so grateful to you, because, you know, you inspire me to continue to work hard, so that I can help individuals in my role as a therapist.
Unknown Speaker 16:14
Well, thank you, Dr. G.
Unknown Speaker 16:15
So, the next the next philosophy, if you will, within the wraparound model is cultural competency. You want to say anything about that scooter?
Unknown Speaker 16:30
culturally competent? Well, we have many different cultures in our facility. So
Unknown Speaker 16:40
that must be challenging. Sometimes, I mean, having having this this this I think of like a salad. And like you have like everything all mixed up all the different vegetables
Unknown Speaker 16:53
and stuff. It is it didn't it can be at times.
Unknown Speaker 16:57
And so how do you how do you kind of manage all these like different personalities and, and temperaments?
Unknown Speaker 17:07
Honestly, I don't know how I manage it. But I do manage, and I'm able to convey whatever message I am trying to convey to the patients, and they're very receptive to me. So
Unknown Speaker 17:20
I get to observe you though. And so, you know, cultural competency is a really important component, and providing mental health services. And, and for me, it's really just understanding or being mindful of others, ways that they communicate, that they may process information that how they emotionally regulate, and it's kind of learning about the cultural norms associated with each individual. And so there's really no way for all of us to be culturally competent and everything. But I appreciate though the effort that we make at great minds counseling and Wellness Center, just to do right by others, though, and, and to provide services in a way that's received positively, that's respectful. And you do an excellent job with that. And so, I'm going to speak on your behalf scooter, because what I've observed you do is provide informed clinical services from a culturally competent perspective. And I feel like you do a well job at that because you manage your own emotional regulation. So that what I mean by that is when patients are maybe a little dysregulated themselves, you're able to just be present with them. And and and manage their heightened emotions safely, where you're not like responding in a heightened way yourself. And so that really takes a lot of clinical expertise in order to manage that as well as you do and you do an excellent job. So kudos to you. Thank you. Okay, moving on. So, philosophy number seven in the wraparound process, individualize? Okay, so what I mean when we talk about this wraparound model, what do we mean by that scooter?
Unknown Speaker 19:36
Oh, to achieve the goals laid out in a wraparound plan, the team develops and implements customized set of strategies, support and services. Okay,
Unknown Speaker 19:45
so individualizing treatment, this is huge, too. And so this is something that I take a lot of pride in, because we really don't provide cookie cutter clinical mental health. services that great minds. So how could we? How could we? That's right. That's right. We absolutely individualize treatment planning, and we individualize interventions. And, you know, we really treat each person as an individual entity and and that we listen to them. And we really work hard at understanding their needs, and developing treatment planning that will hopefully, you know, move them forward in a positive and safe manner. All right, so, philosophy, number eight is this 10 philosophy or 10 principles, listeners in the wraparound model. And so we're almost done, we're getting through them. So number eight, is strength based. Okay, so strength based, this is something that came out a lot of literature was done, determining that working from a strengths based model is most effective. And treatment planning and helping individuals move forward and achieving their treatment goals. So, listeners, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. Dr. G, first was trained in the medical model. And so that speaks to how long I've been working in the field. And scooter, he asked me often, how old am I and I say to him, You don't ever ask a clinical director, you know, their age, because that's just not nice. That's rude. But, you know, I had to learn, you know, I had a transition in this huge paradigm shift from working from the medical model, to working from a strengths based perspective model. And so listeners, what this means is, is that we're really identifying the individual strengths for each participant and family. And we're building and, and putting those strengths into the treatment planning, so that individuals can experience more success. So this really is pretty significant in terms of how clinical services are provided today. All right, anything you want to say about that, you could tell I got really excited. So number nine, number nine, the principle is unconditional. Okay, so unconditional regard. You know, for me, this simply is, all of us who provide clinical services, we treat our patients and our families with dignity. And with respect, and, and this is 24/7. And, you know, today I had a patient that was under a great deal of distress, and I got yelled at, and it didn't feel it didn't feel too good. But I didn't internalize, you know, feelings in terms of like, I didn't have any hurt feelings, because I understood what was happening. This person was just having a really tough day. And, and you know, how they were conveying that was not coming out in a very nice way. So then it becomes a learning opportunity for that person, a coaching opportunity for me as a therapist to help that individual learn how to maybe communicate their needs or their feelings in a different way where maybe the recipient or the receiver of that is not going to feel attacked. So unconditional regard, just treating people with respect. And then finally, the 10th principle is outcome based. Yeah, so this is huge. So we actually have or will have access to statistics at great mines counseling and Wellness Center. And the statistics that we have is really going to highlight how we've been able to reduce the number of hospital admissions for the individuals that we provide clinical services to who have severe mental illness. And this is all related to what we're discussing here, which is how we provide clinical services, which is through a wraparound model. So outcome based, this is really important. We take this very seriously because this information is going to be looked at by payer sources. And by you know, who we contract with, that reimburses us for the clinical services that we're providing. So having clinical data, showing the outcomes of the work that we're all doing is essential. And so, you know, I'm really excited that you know us here at grey Mind is, is you know, we're doing the work, we're doing the research so that we can really speak to providing high quality positive outcomes. So for our listeners, these are the 10 principles of the wraparound process. You know, and we really hold these in mind and how we interface and provide clinical services to our patients. And it's really, I believe, a lens that we carry with us, as we move throughout the day, and providing clinical services. And it just helps guide us in emotionally regulating ourselves, I believe, at times. You know, I'll use myself again, as the example where I was getting yelled at earlier. And, of course, you know, it doesn't feel good and having things said to me that, you know, I didn't have anything to do with, you know, feelings and take it personally, I did not, I did not, but, you know, I really do believe because, you know, I carry this lens of how we all situate ourselves and how we provide clinical services that certainly has assisted me and being more effective at emotionally regulating and and being a competent service provider and managing the emotional needs the mental health needs of others. So screwed. I want to thank you so much for joining me today. And it's where I am.
Unknown Speaker 26:47
It's been a pleasure. Thank you for having me.
Unknown Speaker 26:49
Oh, you know, and I hope you'll join me again,
Unknown Speaker 26:52
most definitely will, Dr. G.
Unknown Speaker 26:54
Thanks so much viewers have a wonderful Saturday morning. So if any of our listeners have a need for therapy services, I'm gonna hand it over to scooter.
Unknown Speaker 27:08
You can definitely reach out to great minds at area code 702-208-2194. Again, listeners, that's 702-208-2194
Unknown Speaker 27:25
Thanks so much scooter. Thank you
Transcribed by https://otter.ai