Social network

5 ipssas
What does social
network mean?
– A social network is a social structure
– It consists of people who are connected to
each other through social relationships and
patterns of interaction, such as relationships
with family members, friends, and neighbours.
– The term "social network" refers both to a
person's connections to other people in the real
world and to a platform that supports online
communication, such as Instagram, Facebook,
or Twitter.
Professionals in the healthcare sector
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yOYGTdtXC4&t=2s
Mental health professionals
Psychologist
– Degree in psychology Psychology studies people: how they
think, act, react and interact
https://www.unimib.it/didattica/o
– Focus on all aspects of behaviour and thoughts, feelings and fferta-formativa/corsi-laurea-
motivation iscrizioni/area-psicologica-laurea-
triennale
– Psychologists study the behaviour of people and the way their
brain functions through surveys, observation and interviews

– Psychology focuses also on the normal functioning of the

mind, learning, remembering and the development of children

– They identify behavioural, emotional and psychological

problems and diagnose disorders

– They help their patients change their behaviour through

various therapies and counselling

– Psychologists can specialise in a number of areas, such as

mental health and educational and occupational psychology. In
healthcare, psychologists specialise in clinical, counselling,
forensic or health psychology.
Psychotherapists
– They can be psychiatrists or psychologists = further
specialist training in psychotherapy (3 or 4 years)
– Psychotherapy: with individuals, families, groups, http://www.psicologia-
couples psicoterapia.it/scuola-psicoterapia.html
– Psychotherapists help people to overcome stress,
emotional and relationship problems or troublesome
habits
– They help patient understand and face their problems
and also work with patients with psychiatric illnesses.
– help people change the ways they think and behave
or find better ways to cope ➔ patients express their
feelings and gain a deeper insight into their issues
– psychotherapy, or talking therapies, include:
• cognitive behavioural therapies
• psychoanalytic therapies
• psychodynamic therapies
• systemic and family psychotherapy
• arts and play therapies
– In general, they work with people who suffer from
anxiety, depression, stress, phobias, emotional or
relationship problems, behavioural, physical or
psychosomatic disorders
 https://www.unimib.it/ciclo-unico/medicina-e-chirurgia
Psychiatrists
– Degree in medicine = medical doctor = can
prescribe medicines
– Psychiatry is the study of mental health
problems and disorders, their diagnosis,
management and prevention
– They work with people of all ages and from all
walks of life with a wide range of mental health
problems from addictions and anxieties to
dementia and schizophrenia.
– They analyse and evaluate patients and
examine their results so that they can diagnose
their mental disorder
– They prescribe and administer treatment or
medication to treat disorders, which can be
mental, emotional or behavioural
– They work across different settings from
hospitals and GP clinics to a patient’s own
home.
https://leverag
eedu.com/blo
g/difference-
between-
psychologist-
and-
psychiatrist/
 Other mental healthcare professionals
SOCIAL WORKERS

– In general: they support people in difficult times

https://ww
w.unimib.it
– They work to protect vulnerable people (children and adults) and support them so that they learn
to take care of themselves and live better; they work on poverty, discrimination, or other social /triennale/s
injustices and focus on human rights and wellbeing ervizio-
– Hard job ➔ sometimes they make very difficult decisions sociale
– They work:

• In hospitals and mental health facilities

• In schools

• In adoption agencies and private practices

• In city councils and local health centres (our Italian ATS and ASST) ➔ in public sector or voluntary
organisations

• with families, individuals and groups They specialise on a specific group: families, children, adults…

– they work with adults, children and families and specialise in a specific field
– children in need and families which are experiencing a hard time;
– adoption and fostering;
– disability;
– young offenders,
– abuse;
– with adults: elderly people, mental health issues, disability, addiction, offenders and criminals
COUNSELLOR

– They interact with people of all ages

– They work in the healthcare system, with families

and groups or other healthcare workers; they can
also work at school with young people and
children

– They work with people experiencing a wide range

of emotional and psychological problems to help
them bring about effective change and work on
their wellbeing.

– sessions with individuals and groups in a safe and

confidential environment ➔ patients can examine
their choices and find their way to make a change

– work with particular problems: depression,

bereavement, loss, diseases or addiction
MENTAL HEALTH TECHNICIAN

– Also called psychiatric technicians or mental health workers

– They help take care of people who are mentally ill and https://www.unimi.it/it/co
developmentally disabled rsi/laurea-
triennale/tecnica-della-
– They support mental healthcare professionals in hospitals, private riabilitazione-psichiatrica
institutions or patient residences.

– They observe and report information about patient behavior to the

doctor and focus on mood swings and the wellbeing of their
patients.

– They also create reports and other documents

– They help admit and discharge patients, keep contact with them
and measure their vital signs, for example, they take the vitals

– They observe patients’ behaviour, record their conditions and help

them in therapeutic and recreational activities

– They work in team with doctors and other therapists

DIETITIAN
Other professionals in healthcare
– They assess, diagnose and treat diet and nutritional problems

– They help people to make appropriate lifestyle and food choices.

– Dietitians work in the NHS, private practice, industry, education, research,

sport, media, public relations, publishing, government and Non-
Government Organisations (NGOs)

– They advise and influence on food and health policy

– Their tasks are

• They assess the nutritional needs of individuals, families or groups

• They create treatment plans to improve nutrition and overall health

• They give practical and sensitive dietary advice, based on people's

https://www.unimi.it/it/corsi/laurea
needs -triennale/dietistica
• They monitor people's progress
https://www.unimi.it/it/corsi/laurea
– In a hospital, they may specialise in an area like children's health, renal -triennale/scienze-biologiche
dietetics or cancer care; they may run clinics for people with diabetes or
eating disorders, and work with catering services to create appropriate https://bionutri.cdl.unimi.it/it
menus.
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST

– They empower people to carry out everyday tasks or occupations with more

confidence and independence and in this way improve their health, quality of life

and wellbeing

– They work with babies, children and young people, people with disabilities,

people with physical or mental health illnesses and the elderly

– They work in the NHS, local authority services, housing, schools, prisons,

voluntary and independent sectors, and rehabilitation service

– They create individual treatment programmes and suggest changes to the

person's environment and introduce the use of equipment which helps with

some activities. They review the treatments periodically, evaluate progress and

make changes as needed.

https://www.unimi.it/it/corsi/laurea-
– They may: triennale/terapia-occupazionale
• develop a rehabilitation programme to help rebuild lost skills

• make sure that people are safe to leave hospital after an injury or illness

• advise on home and workplace environmental alterations and adjustments

for wheelchair access

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPIST
– They work with children and adults to help them
overcome or adapt to speech, language,
communication and swallowing disorders
– Patients range from children whose speech is
slow to develop, to older people whose ability to
speak has been impaired by illness or injury. It
also includes treatment for those who have
difficulty with eating or swallowing.
– Great variety of problems and cases; teamwork
– They help children with a variety of conditions − They help adults with:
including: • communication or eating and swallowing caused by
• mild, moderate or severe learning neurological impairments and degenerative
difficulties and developmental language conditions,
disorder. • voice problems and hearing impairment
• specific difficulties in producing sounds • mental health issues and physical disabilities
• learning difficulties
• hearing impairment, voice disorders and
• Stammering
selective mutism
• cleft lip and palate − They work with teachers and other health professionals,
• stammering such as doctors, nurses and psychologists

https://www.unimi.it/it/corsi/laurea-triennale/logopedia
Other therapists Dance is the hidden
language of the soul.
The body says what
words cannot.
MUSIC THERAPIST • In general, these therapists
• Music therapists use the power of music to help people deal with feelings they cannot put into words ➔ work with people of all ages:
very strong or confusing emotions
children, young people adults
• Importance of the relationship between patients and therapist ➔ through musical instruments and voice
and the elderly.
• Improvisation ➔ people create their music language to explore and connect with the world and express • The patients have emotional,
themselves
behavioural or mental health
• They work with children, with the elderly, with disability
problems, learning disabilities,
ART THERAPIST life-limiting conditions,
• Art therapists/art psychotherapists use art as a medium to work on and explore emotional issues, for neurological conditions or
example emotional, behavioural or mental health problems, learning or physical disabilities, life-limiting
conditions, neurological conditions or physical illnesses. physical illnesses.
• Art as a way to communicate and express feelings and emotions
• They work in NHS, social
services, education (primary,
DRAMA THERAPIST
secondary, further and special
• Drama therapists use theatres as a medium for psychological therapy ➔ role play, voice work,
movement and storytelling to help people explore and solve personal and social problems. education). Prisons, private
• They use puppets, masks or stories too
practice.
• They work one-to-one or in
• People can explore different issues and needs (autism, dementia, abuse and mental illness) and then
change groups.
DANCE AND MOVEMENT THERAPIST
• They create a safe place for
their patients
• Dance/movement therapy uses body-language and non-verbal communication ➔ nonverbal language is
as important as verbal language • They work in team (with
• the way we feel and the way we move are interconnected ➔ dance is a way to express problems and doctors and other specialists)
also a mode of intervention

• The therapist observes the people clients and their own movements to create and implement
interventions that focus on the emotional, social, physical, and cognitive integration of an individual.
How to

– https://www.musicoterapiaitalia.it/post/come-diventare-
musicoterapeuti
– https://musicoterapia.it/regolamentointerno/
– https://www.nuoveartiterapie.net/come-diventare-arteterapeuta/#
– http://www.informadanza.com/salute-e-danza/la-danza-terapia/la-
danza-terapia-in-italia/
– https://www.accademiaimago.it/offerta-formativa-
teatroterapia/diploma-triennale-di-teatroterapia
What’s it like to be a nurse?
• Nurses care for people who are sick, injured or
disabled and support their families
• Work together with doctors and other professionals
• They work with doctors; doctors decide the
treatment and the care, while nurses administer it
and give practical medical care and assisted the
patients, so they feel safe and cared for
The duties of a nurse are:
• Listen to their patients and understand
their worries
• Check their temperature
• Measure their blood pressure and
breathing rates
• Help doctors to examine patients
• Give drugs and injections
• Clean and dress people’s wounds
• Help people without judging them and
respect their privacy
• Carry out some procedures: trage, blood
transfusions and exams, routine
checks…
• Nurses can work in different places
• At the GP (doctor’s studio)
• Hospital
• Private clinics and medical centres
• Private practices and hospitals
• Nursing home
• Prison
• Armed forces
• Industries, companies, schools
• In-home
• They can specialise: ER nurse, neonatal nurse,
operating room nurse, cardiac rehab nurse…
• They work around 38 hours per week and have
shifts: morning shift, afternoon shift, night shift
What does it take to become a nurse
and a healthcare assistant?
 Healthcare assistants

• They work together with doctors, nurses, midwives and other

professionals
• A lot of contact with patients
• They can work in hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, prisons, in-
house…
• They care for the well-being and the autonomy of the patient
• They should be
• Dressing and undressing patients and washing them
• Caring and kind
• Personal care (hair, teeth…) and toileting
• Cheerful and friendly
• Helping patients move around
• Empathetic
• Making beds
• They have to follow instructions and
• Help feeding
procedures
• Talking to patients making them comfortable, reassuring them
• They have to work in a team but also
and spending time with them
take initiative
• Monitoring patients’ condition: temperature check, pulse,
respiration and weight
 COMMUNICATION
SKILLS
OBSERVATIONAL
SKILLS

SKILLS

ORGANISATIONAL
SKILLS
FLEXIBILITY
 https://w3.ateneo.uninsubria.it/
Differences between nurses and healthcare assistants
guide/lt/#page/15
NURSES HEALTHCARE ASSISTANTS

University (3 years + state exam) Vocational school OR 1000-hour course A major difference
+internship (450 hours in Italy) between becoming a
nurse or HCA is the
level of education
Administer the care Take care of the well-being of the and training needed.
patient

Perform some tests and exams Monitor pulse and breathing

https://www.regione.lombardia.i
Give medications and injections Can’t give medicines t/wps/portal/istituzionale/HP/De
ttaglioServizio/servizi-e-
Triage and operating room Mainly “practical” tasks: hygiene, informazioni/Cittadini/Lavoro-
toileting, feeding e-formazione-
professionale/Formazione-per-
At hospitals, clinics, private hospitals, schools, prisons, residential homes for the il-lavoro/oss-operatore-socio-
elderly, hospices sanitario/oss-operatore-socio-
sanitario
Work on their own or in a team
https://www.uninsubria.it/formazione/
Follow specific procedures offerta-formativa/corsi-di-
laurea/infermieristica-abilitante-alla-
Being caring, kind, careful and professional, with good communication skills professione-sanitaria
Professionals
while giving
birth
Midwife
https://www.uninsubria.it/formazione/offerta-formativa/corsi-
di-laurea/ostetricia-abilitante-alla-professione-sanitaria-di

– They work with pregnant women and help them during their pregnancy and

• monitor and examine women during pregnancy

• develop, assess and evaluate care

• provide full antenatal care (screening tests, examinations and parenting

classes), provide counselling and advice before and after screening and tests,
provide parenting and health education

• identify high risk pregnancies and involve doctors and specialists

• offer support and advice following traumatic events (miscarriage, termination,

stillbirth, neonatal abnormality and neonatal death)

• supervise and assist mothers in labour, monitoring the condition of the foetus
and manage pain

• give support and advice on the daily care of the baby, including
breastfeeding, bathing and making up feeds to new and expectant mothers

• promote health and wellbeing, by giving right information to pregnant

mothers and their families

• Work with other health and social care professionals

• keep up to date with the latest developments in the profession

• Take and record patients' blood pressure, temperature, and pulse as well as
ordering diagnostic tests as needed.

• Provide advice to patients regarding diets, exercises, and medications

suitable for pregnancy.
− They take care of women and their health from
menarche (the first menstruation) to menopause
(the cessation of menstruation) and beyond.
They often work in team with doctors who take
care of female sexual and reproductive health,
too, the gynecologist (Ob-gyn)

− Some duties that midwives perform at any stage

of a woman’s life include:
• screenings and annual exams, such as Pap
smear
• physical, mental, genetic, and sexual health
assessments
• they can diagnose and treat common medical
conditions and gynecological disorders (STD,
UTI and infertility)
• in some states, they can prescribe
medication
• They prescribe and administer care for all Midwives work in:
contraceptive methods and give advice on • Hospitals
birth control and sexuality overall • Birthing centers
• Refer patients to other healthcare • Public health clinics
professionals if needed • Homes
Doula
• Doulas aren't medical professionals. They don't deliver
babies or provide medical advice or medical care.
• They assist and advocate for the birthing parent so that
they make informed decisions.
• They also educate on the pros and cons many birth
topics
• What Does a Doula Do?
• Labor or birth doulas provide continuous care
during labor.
• Antepartum doulas support women who are put
on bed rest to prevent preterm labor. They help with
household tasks and childcare.
• Postpartum doulas support the new mom during
the first few weeks after birth. They help with care
and feeding of the baby and household tasks.
− Before childbirth, a birth doula will typically:
• Teach relaxation and breathing skills
• Answer questions about the birthing process
• Help understand labor and delivery procedures and possible complications to
develop a birth plan

− During labor, the doula will:

• Provide comfort and support
• Use massage and touch to help the mother relax and rest
• Put mothers in comfortable positions
• Involve and reassure the dad-to-be

− After delivery, a doula can:

• Provide support and encouragement to both parents after bringing their baby
home
• Teach how to care for the newborn baby
• Assist with breastfeeding education
• Support dad and other siblings and teach them how to help mothers
• Help siblings bond with the new baby
• Make sure mother can rest, eat regularly, stay hydrated, and is comfortable