Volunteering at MIND and Making Theatre: Blog 2 - 2014

Hello again!


Over the past six months during my blog break I have been incubating a new piece of work - its in its infancy with fragments of script and early development of a storyline. Its a play about mental health - a one woman piece.Its a demanding form, relying on the actor's ability to sustain and engage with an audience to tell a compelling story.It brings with it writing and performance challenges - how to shift flexibly to create and change location and how to inhabit the central character whilst at the same time conjuring the supporting characters in three dimensional truthfulness.Its physically demanding but a great opportunity for an actor to sharpen their skills further. I have performed a couple of one woman pieces myself and in my experience they offer a steep learning curve for actors. I have a talented actor in mind for this piece!

For a long time I have had a personal interest in mental health issues and I wanted to understand in greater depth how they present in a range of people's lives, their context and how they are uniquely experienced. I am interested in how conditions are diagnosed, medicated and managed by health professionals and what other avenues such as talking therapies are open to people. Then there is the pervasive issue of the attitudes of the public at large and the long term effect on individuals living both with a challenging mental condition and in many cases with prejudice and stigma.In spite of much work to address discrimination sadly mental health remains a serious taboo in our society.

Happiness features in this government's ambitions in David Cameron's so called Happiness Agenda. In 2011 he instructed local authorities to compare and contrast the happiness of their residents which in turn would influence government policy. Mmm....  but in a world too often defined by wealth and possessions he is surely set up for a fall?   'You have got to be happy. If you are not happy you are failing' he said. Well he would say that wouldn't he? So has this discussion about happiness become the sanitised modern way of talking about mental health?  

Recently I've been reading a bit about Utilitarianism and deep pragmatism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilitarianism ,a philosophy that proposes the doctrine that an 'action is right in so far as it promotes happiness, and that the greatest happiness of the greatest number should be the guiding principle of conduct.' Its difficult to argue with this on face value - however I suspect this has little meaning to the individual who is struggling with depression or other conditions. It begs the question of how to reconcile the bigger picture and concept of 'doing what's best for all' with the immediate and very real experience for the individual.

So with this all going around in my head I have just begun my volunteering at MIND - the mental health charity. I haven't volunteered for anything for a while, but each time I have in the past, whether as a school governor or as chair of a charity I have found the experiences hugely rewarding. The interview for MIND was a formal and searching process which surprised me at first, after all I was only signing up for one morning shift as an Initial Enquiry volunteer. But after two days of training over the past two weeks and my first day of shadowing yesterday I appreciate why. 

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I turned up at the MIND centre. I had been told that as an Initial Enquiry volunteer I would be a first contact for a caller or someone walking in from the street. The two volunteers I was to shadow were great - they explained the process to me and showed me around. They said that they sometimes sit for an entire shift without a call or someone coming into the 'duty' room. They explained that there is a huge range of people who come to MIND, many of whom might be in severe crisis. The role of the volunteer is to interview and assess the client and support them in finding the right service to support their needs. Of course this requires a sensitive and calm manner and a good ability to listen carefully. Volunteers are not trained counsellors, although many are studying to be so. 

I found the experience of shadowing very interesting. It was great to be in a learning and observing role and not to be a leader for a change. I learned the most from a 22-year old

psychology student whose skills were impressive. She took time to talk to me about the role and I watched her in action. We had two walk-in clients, both presenting with a high level of distress and with an immediate need for referral for counselling. Sophie (not her real name) listened attentively in both cases, and sat with the client whilst they talked before suggesting a number of projects funded by MIND and also statutory services. Sophie made phone calls on their behalf and set up appointments. It was a real privilege to be an observer. Each individual's story was complex and urgent and they were in despair. I observed how well Sophie managed the interviews and in both cases was able to offer practical help. After each session the Operations Manager debriefs the volunteer and strongly reinforces the importance of maintaining the volunteer's own well-being.

For me it was an absorbing experience and I feel that I will need to shadow for a number of sessions before I will be able to conduct such interviews. The opportunity to work inside an organisation like MIND, albeit for only half a day a week offers a chance to get a closer understanding of the wide and complex challenges involved in mental health issues and their consequences.I know this will be a journey that will enhance my understanding and deepen my creative work and I'm looking forward to contributing to and learning from this new experience.

I am reminded once again of that well known call to action:

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”  Its an excellent goal to keep in mind!

― Mahatma Gandhi

See you anon.