Challenging Behaviour & Complex Need

This one day course is designed for Support Workers engaged with Mental Health services. The course aims to help them understand some of the causes behind various challenging behaviours encountered and practical skills and strategies for addressing such issues both on an individual and group basis.

The course will also explore how practitioners can avoid contributing towards negative behaviour by their own ‘attitude’ and responses to service users.

Anti-discriminatory Practice and the values of the Organisation will be integrated into the course material.

The course certificate will provide NVQ links.

Please note that because of the short time available for this complex subject, there would be very little time available to practice diffusion and safety techniques.
Please also note that physical interventions and self-defence techniques are not considered on this course.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the course participants should be able to understand:

• What is meant by ‘challenging behaviour’
• The range of behaviours that are regarded as being ‘challenging’
• An overview of “challenging behaviour” with a Person-Centred focus:
        -Challenging for whom?
        -Institutional practice as a contributor to the perception of someone as being ‘challenging’
• How labelling people can negatively impact on them
• How stigma can promote low self esteem, isolation, distress, and resistance and how this can lead to continuing
  or increased challenging behaviour
• What the general factors are that might lead to challenging behaviour
• What the specific Mental Health factors might be leading to challenging behaviour?

The Social model:
        -Status
        -Stigma
        -Exclusion
        -Poverty
        etc.

The Medical model:
        -Psychotic phenomena
        -Medication
        -Containment
        -Mood disorders
        -The Mental Health Act
        etc.
• Statistics regarding violent, aggressive and suicidal behaviour- what can we learn from these?
• How cultural misunderstandings and prejudice can create challenging situations
• The Cycle of Oppression
• How staff behaviour might contribute to the occurrence of aggressive behaviour
• How we can work in a way that might minimise challenging behaviour
• Some basic techniques to diffuse difficult situations:
        -Distraction
        -Calming techniques
        -Empathic listening
• How to manage Violence & Aggression safely & within the legal framework- what we can and cannot do to take care
  of ourselves (with reference to the Organisation’s related policies)
• The importance to learn from each event
• How to support the victim
• How to support the perpetrator
• The importance of team work
• The value of regular Supervision
• The importance of effective accurate and objective record keeping
• Further training that should be considered

Training methods:

Because of the sensitive nature of the subject, the trainer will approach this training in a particularly supportive way.

• Ice breakers         • Role Play         • Chalk & talk         • Pairs & triads work         • Small group work         • Role play
• Word shower method         • Case studies         • Handouts        • Tutor presentations

CP42/4.9