What are the Collaborative Community Practice Groups?

1. What are the Collaborative Community Practice Groups? • Facilitated large group supervision • 5 – 12 participants • Social workers, counsellors, youth workers • Intra-agency and cross-agency participation • Includes private practitioners • Variety of years of experience

2. In what Ottawa settings are some of these currently working? • Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa • Community Resource Centres • Community Health Centres • Ottawa Hospital (Rehabilitation Services) • Non-Profit Housing sector • Private practice

3. What are some of the processes that take place in these groups? • Reflecting/Outsider Witness teams (more to come on this) • In response to case presentations • In response to live, in-group sessions • Group members present on intervention approaches • Skill development exercises • Guest presenters • Reading discussions • Planning and mounting of local conferences, plays and workshops

4. How did these groups come into being? • Training, Youth Services Bureau • Cross-agency CPG funded by YSB • First group spawns second • Invited consultations lead to formation of further groups • Some groups linked to shared training; other groups start from reflecting processes and collective values/ethics

5. An Ethic of Sharing • MULTIPLICITY • There are many roads to Rome: diversity, generativity

6. An Ethic of Sharing • EMBODIMENT • Personal resonance, what struck/touched me, how it connects with my experience

7. An Ethic of Sharing • TRANSPARENCY • Wonderings and personal reactions shared openly in a respectful manner

8. An Ethic of Sharing • CURIOUSITY • Not pronouncement of truth, of what is “really” going on, not seeking final answer or solution

9. An Ethic of Sharing • ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND WITNESSING • Client/person sharing their work are centred

10. An Ethic of Sharing • PERSON SHARING (AND CLIENTS) AS EXPERTS • Person sharing (or client if live) choose what to listen to and note; they discern what is useful to them

11. An Ethic of Sharing • RESPONSIVITY • Members respond to each other’s reflections and unexpected perspectives/stories arise

12. An Ethic of Sharing • COLLABORATIVE • Members support each other (through questions) in evoking rich accounts

13. Using Reflecting Processes • Reflect to client in live session • Reflect for videotaped session (tape the reflections for the client(s) • Reflect in response to verbal case presentation (could be taped)

14. Using Reflecting Processes • “Andersen style” • Focused on being responsive • Co-construction of meanings • Curious • Tentative • Generating multiple possibilities

15. Using Reflecting Processes • Definitional Ceremony (White) • Focused on acknowledgment • “Steps” in responding • Typically an interviewer • Useful for centering sharer’s work

16. Using Reflecting Processes • Mixing Processes: Andersen and White • Acknowledgment of sharer’s work provides witnessing and creates safety • Generative sharing expands therapeutic options

17. Collaborative Community Practice Groups:Challenges and Opportunities • Accountability & protection of public • Many workers un-supervised • Peer Mentoring • Learning by teaching • Capitalizing on “local knowledge’ • Networking • Referral sources • “Preview” of potential employees • Co-therapy opportunities • Videotaped and live sessions • Reflecting team sessions outside of group meetings—reflecting team directory

18. Collaborative Community Practice Groups:Challenges and Opportunities • Isolation • A community of practitioners • Burnout • Venue to share professional stresses • Professional development • Continuity: ongoing learning alternative • Cost effective • Shared expense reduces cost per member