Dealing with resistance in social care

Photo: John Birdsall/REX/Shutterstock

What will be covered in your session at Community Care Live Birmingham 2016?

Through the use of theatre performance and the company’s unique metaphor of mask, this session will provide an innovative and highly engaging exploration about working with resistance, including:

• What is being resisted?
• How does resistance manifest itself and what might motivate it?
• What impact does resistant behaviour have on social care professionals?
• What strategies are available to social care professionals when confronted by resistance?

What will attendees achieve from coming along to the session?

For our work at Geese to be effective we must strive to build positive working relationships. Such relationships demand that we see beyond the immediate presenting behaviours and to try to work with the person who sits “behind the mask”; to build trust and empathy in order to get alongside the person. This workshop will provide a real, practical exploration of some of these issues and an opportunity for practitioners to reflect on the ways in which they encounter and deal with resistant clients.

What is your favourite thing about working in social care?

I primarily work with vulnerable, marginalised and often volatile people in a variety of settings. Some of my favourite moments come from observing participants move from sceptic to advocate within a session. The shift from ‘I’m not doing theatre’ to ‘can you come back every week?’ usually occurs when people see how directly relevant this work can be to their life, their family and their future, and is one of the most satisfying aspects of an incredibly rewarding job.

Geese Theatre Company is an internationally renowned team of applied theatre practitioners and group workers, working primarily within the UK Criminal Justice System and social welfare arenas. The company presents interactive theatre performances and facilitates workshops, specialised training for professionals and consultations for a wide range of social welfare agencies. These include the National Probation Service, Community Rehabilitation Companies, prisons, special hospitals, young offender institutions and youth offending services, local safeguarding boards, clinical commissioning groups and social work teams. Established in 1987, the company has delivered training to more than 200,000 people; presented work internationally, most recently in Australia, Sweden, Bulgaria and Azerbaijan; and been the recipient of many national awards, including a BAFTA, a Butler Trust Certificate, and the Arts and Health Award from the Royal Society of Public Health.

This session will be taking place on day two at Community Care Live Birmingham 2016, click here to view the full programme.