SOCIAL WORK COUNSELING THE RESILIENT ZONE “The Okay Zone”

BSW185 | MR. IAN JOHN BELGIRA, RSW

COMMUNITY RESILIENCY MODEL

THE COMMUNITY RESILIENCY MODEL
“Resiliency is and individual’s and community’s
ability to identify and use individual and collective
strengths in living fully with compassion in the
present moment, and to thrive while managing the
activities of daily living” – Miller-Karas (2020) “The graphic shows the resilient Zone. Every person
has a resilient zone. When you are in your resilient
PERSPECTIVE SHIFT zone, you can think clearly, handle feelings better and
• CONVENTIONAL: manage the sensations inside the body. When you are
People are bad. People need to be pushed. in your resilient zone there is a natural rhythm or flow
People just don’t care. We need to stop within your nervous system; just like there is in nature
making excuses for people. What is wrong like the seasons, the rising and setting of the sun, the
with you? cycles of the moon and the ocean.”
• TRAUMA-INFORMED:
THE CONCEPT OF RESILIENCY ZONE
People are suffering. Many people care but
lack understanding and skills. We need to ✓ The resilient zone represents the natural
learn how trauma impacts and child’s and rhythm or flow within the nervous system.
adult’s development. What happened to you? When we are in our resilient zones, we have
• RESILIENCY-INFORMED our greatest capacity for balanced thinking
People are resilient. People need our and feeling. We can create the best solutions
compassion as they learn new skills. Any for our own lives, our families, and our wider
person can learn self-regulation skills based community.
in science. We need to learn how skills of ✓ The goal of the TRM is to help the client
well-being can reduce suffering. What is right identify the sensations connected to his
with you? What are your strengths? resilient zone. Further, when an individual is
bumped out of his resilient zone into the high
BIOLOGY AS MENTAL WEAKNESS or low zones, TRM skills help the person
✓ CRM’s focus is on the biology of the human monitor his sensations in order to bounce
nervous system. back and return to the resilient zone.
✓ There are common human reactions to ✓ All human beings can get bumped out of
stressful/traumatic events that effect mind, their resilient zones because of stressful or
body and spirit. traumatic life experiences. Mos of us have the
✓ CRM helps individuals learn to read their capacity to return to the resilient zone on our
nervous system to return their zone of well- own, but some of us need additional skills to
being, called Resilient Zone through the use help us get back into the resilient zone.
of simple wellness skills. ✓ The resilient zone cam be compared to
Daniel Siegel’s (2010) “window tolerance”-
am area of arousal in which we each function.
The window of tolerance pertains to any
particular moment when we have more
tolerance for some emotions and situations
than others. Being outside of the window is
chaos; one end of the window is
hyperarousal and the other end is
hypoarousal.
“Personal coherence “as psychophysiological different for each person. For example, for
coherence when there is synchronization of our some people who have been sexually abused,
physical, mental and emotional systems…. It is a a certain smell, sound our body position
state of optimal clarity, perception and performance. could be external triggers that could bump
In the TRM, we call this the resilient zone.” you out of your Resilient Zone.
-HeartMath (2014)
THE SKILLS IN COMMUNITY
RESILIENCY MODEL
TRAUMATIC STRESSFUK EVENTS AND
✓ Individuals learn to be less reactive to
REMINDERS
nonthreatening situations. The community
resiliency mode includes the six skills that
come from the Trauma Resiliency Model.
Most skills are followed by exercises to help
you begin practicing the skills. Like learning
any new skills, the more you practice, the
better the skills will help you reset your
nervous system and bounce you back into
your Resilient Zone.
SKILLS 1: TRACKING
✓ Tracking involves paying attention to
sensations within the body
✓ The client learns to tell the difference
✓ The graphic shown at the right demonstrates between sensations of turmoil and upset and
the natural rhythm of the nervous system (the sensations of balance and well-being.
black line) and then the red thunderbolt ✓ Exploring sensations connected well-being is
represents a trigger or a traumatic/stressful
the key to helping a person feel better in
event that causes the nervous system to get
mind, body, and spirit
bumped out of the Resilient Zone (the red
✓ Gendlin (2007) stated, “You can sense your
line)
living body directly underneath your
✓ Bump out of the Resilient Zone: it is human
thoughts and memories and under your
nature to be bumped out of the resilient zone.
familiar feelings.
For some of us because of stressful or
traumatic experiences, we may feel bumped SKILLS 2: RESOURCING
out most or all the time. When bumped out
One of the best ways to learn how to develop sensory
of the Resilient Zone, a person may feel
vocabulary is through identifying personal resource
always on edge (stuck on high) and/or
and then noticing sensations on the inside.
depressed and tired (stuck on low), or ho
between the two, sometimes “stuck on high” ✓ A Resource is any person, place, thing,
and sometimes “stuck on low”. People memory or part of yourself that makes you
describe it like being on a roller coaster. feel calm, pleasant, peaceful, strong or
When we go back and forth between “stuck resilient.
on high” or “stuck on low” we may begin to ✓ A resource can be real or imagined
have problems with our family, our work and ✓ A resource can be internal or external
our community.
✓ Triggers can be almost anything that reminds There are two types of resources: external
a person of a traumatic or stressful event (a resources and internal resources
smell, sight, sound, touch, body position). 1. EXTERNAL RESOURCES: include
The trigger can be outside of awareness. Our positive experiences and can include people,
nervous system is designed to sound an alert places, spiritual guides, activities, skills,
if we are in potential danger. The alerts go off hobbies and animals.
based on past experience. The triggers are
 2. INTERNAL RESOURCES: include SKILLS 6: SHIFT AND STAY
experiences, values and beliefs that support
Shifting your attention from something unpleasant to
and give meaning to life. Personal qualities
something neutral or pleasant and staying there. as
that you like about yourself, such as,
you think about a recurring, slightly annoying event,
kindness, compassion and humor are also
you can do one of the following:
internal resources.
✓ Bring your attention to a place in your body
SKILL 3: GROUNDING
that is neutral, calmer, or has less unpleasant
✓ Grounding is the direct contact of the body sensations;
with the ground or with something that ✓ Notice how your body is making contact with
provides support to the body. the chair, sofa, floor or bad and ground;
✓ Gravitational security is the foundation upon ✓ Remember one of your internal or external
which we build our interpersonal resources, describing it yourself;
relationships. If our relationship to the earth ✓ Remember a self-soothing, non-harming
is not safe, then all other relationships do not gesture;
develop optimally.
✓ When we are grounded, we have a sense of
self in relationship to present time and space GENDER RESPONSIVE COUNSELLING
SKILL 4: GESTURING AND “Because social work practice involves the conscious
SPONTANEOUS MOVEMENT and deliberate use of oneself, you become the
medium through which knowledge, attitudes, and
“Most people have a gesture or a movement that is
skills are conveyed… You might have the noble and
made outside of awareness that brings person back
idealistic of motives, intending inly to serve another.
into balance. When you become aware of your
Nonetheless, if you lack self-awareness, you may
movement or gesture it can become another resource
unwittingly enact emotional or behavioral patterns
that can help you feel better in body, mind and
that harm the very people you hope to help” -
spirit.”
(Cournoyer, 2000)
✓ If you are feeling stressed, disconnected and
KEY CONCEPTS:
knocked out of your Resilient Zone,
intentionally make the calming movement. GENDER - Refers to the array of socially
✓ Many calming motions are made by the constructed roles and relationships, personality traits,
hands and can be repeated with intention attitudes, behaviors, values, relative power and
once you are aware of your calming gestures influence that society ascribes to the two sexes on a
to help come back to the Resilient Zone. different basis.
SKILL 5: RAMP DOWN/RAMP UP – HELLO ✓ Refers to the economic, social and cultural
NOW attributes and opportunities associated with
being male or female at a particular point in
✓ The strategies help the client focus on
time.
something else besides the distress and the
sense of being overwhelmed. SEX - Refers to the biological characteristics that
✓ The strategies activate other parts of the body define humans as female or male
and brain that help the person come back
FEMINIST SOCIAL WORK - The integration of
into balance. For example, slowly pushing
the values, skills and knowledge of social work with
again the wall, using the strength of your
arms and legs and the large muscles of the a feminist orientation to help individuals & society
overcome the emotional and social problems that
body, helps to regulate the nervous system
and bring it back into balance. result from the sex discrimination
GENDER INEQUALITY - Occurs when the
distribution of power, prestige and property are
arbitrarily assigned on the basis of sex, not on
individual merit.
SEXUAL ORIENTATION - Covers sexual FEMINISM: social movement and doctrine
desires, feelings, practices and identification. Sexual advocating legal and socio-economic equality for
orientation can be towards people of the same or women.
different sexes (same-sex, heterosexual or bisexual
Several Varieties of Feminism:
orientation)
LIBERAL FEMINISM: believes that the equality
GENDER IDENTITY - Generally, refers to ab
of women can be achieved within our existing society
individual’s feelings of being a man or a woman; it is
by passing laws and reforming social, economic and
a self-identification of gender
political institutions.
GENDER ASSIGNEMENT - Gender attribution
SOCIAL FEMINISM: blames capitalism for
at birth, based on genital characteristics
women’s inequality and says that true gender equality
GENDER ATTRIBUTION - Perceived gender can result only if fundamental changes in social
by others in everyday interactions institutions, and even a socialist revolution, are
achieved.
GENDER ROLE - Appropriate behavioral
expectations associated with gender categories RADICAL FEMINISM: says that patriarchy (male
domination) lies at the root of women’s oppression
GENDER PRACTICE - Doing gender in everyday
and that women are oppressed even in non-capitalist
interaction
societies.
GENDER BIAS - Refers to the socially constructed
MULTICULTURAL FEMINISM: emphasizes
preference for one sex/gender over the other. The
that women of color are oppressed not only because
practice of gender bias can be unconscious or
of their gender but also because of their race and
conscious.
class.
GENDER-BASED STERETYPES - Are socially
PROCESSING
constructed overgeneralizations of particular
behaviors attributed to a group, and they play a ✓ Gender definitions shape our ideas of how
significant role in the formation of gender bias. girls/women and boys/men should look like.
If the latter do not conform to what we have
GENDER GAP- Means a systematic difference or
been made to believe, our attitudes and mode
disparity between women and men.
of relating with them change, too.
✓ Gender identity is about the ways in which
individuals define themselves- male, female,
UNDERSTANDING GENDER: FEMINISM
both or neither- which may or may not be the
AND SEXISM
same as their anatomical sex,
FEMINISM: refers to the belied that women and ✓ Those with gender identity that is not the
men should have equal opportunities in economic, same as their anatomical sex are often
political and social life. discriminated and targeted for acts of
violence
SEXISM: refers to belief in traditional gender role ✓ Gender identities are diverse and fluid.
stereotypes and in the inherent inequality between Hence, the existence of a gender spectrum
men and women. that reflects diversity
KEY CONCEPTS: ✓ Gender diversity refers to the different ways
that people have preferences and self-
SEXISM: includes both prejudicial attitudes and expectations that are outside the
discriminatory behaviors based on gender. conventional gender norms for males and
✓ Out of sexism flow the stereotypes, social females (Gender spectrum)
expectations, value-laden attributes and ✓ Gender benders are part of the diverse
presumed abilities, social stratification, and gender spectrum. They are people who want
unequal distribution of resources and to express their gender identity outside the
rewards that constitute socially constructed male-female binary and stereotypes. They
gender inequality. include cross-dressers (Boidragon 2007)
 ✓ Regardless of gender identity, everyone has ✓ Refrain from using suffixes such as -ette, -ess,
inherent worth and dignity, and fundamental and – trix. Use the same generic noun for
human rights. As such, all should be treated males and females.
with respect and non-discrimination. Examples: Us 1. Actor instead of stress
2. Waiter instead of waitress 3. Sculptor
GENDER SENSITIVE LANGUAGE
instead of sculptress
“Gender as a social stratifier is also evident in ✓ Do not use lady, woman or female as
language, both oral and written” adjectives – as in lady doctor, woman
solicitor, woman driver, or female secretary
Language shapes and reflects the way we think of and of state-unless gender is relevant. (Wright
relate towards people. 2003)
“Language is the blood of the soul into which ✓ Describe the woman not as an appendage of
thoughts run and out of which they grow”- Oliver her husband but as someone autonomous.
Wendel Holmes Example: Juan Campos and his lovely wife
Moira attended the meeting. Replace with:
GENDER FAIR LANGUAGE Juan and Moira Campos attended the
PRINCIPLES: meeting.
✓ Do not use words or sentences that have
✓ Respect for the inherent dignity, worth and assumptions, hidden or otherwise, about
rights of all people gender.
✓ Inclusiveness Example: The social workers and their
✓ Gender equality husbands will be attending the meeting.
GUIDELINES: (Replace with” The social worker and their
spouses...)
✓ The use of “man” to refer to all human ✓ Avoid words and phrases that make
beings reinforces the invisibility of women. assumptions about how women behave, such
Replace with “person” or “human being” or as describing a man as aggressive or assertive,
their plural form, i.e., “persons” and “human while a woman is strident, shrill or bitchy; and
beings.” stereotypical terms and phrases like the better
✓ “He” ceases to be the universal pronoun. half, jus like man…” (Wright 2003)
Replace with “she or he: or “he and she”
ESSENTIALS QUALITIES OF A
✓ Use parallel language when you refer to men
COUNSELOR
and women at the same time
Examples: AIMS OF COUNSELING
a. Replace “man and wife” with “husband
and wife” INSIGHT: the acquisition of an understanding of
b. Replace “Mr. Marc Angeles and his wife the origins and development of emotional difficulties
Jane with leading to an increased capacity to take rational
c. “Mr. Marc and Ms. Jane Angeles” or control over feelings and actions.
“Marc and Jane Angeles” SELF-AWARENESS: becoming more aware of
✓ The order of your words should reflect your thoughts and feelings which had been blocked off or
stand for gender equality. denied, or developing a more accurate sense of how
Examples: “Always putting men first in such self is perceived by others.
phrases as men and women, boys and girls,
he or she, his and hers, male and female gives SELF-ACCEPTANCE: the development of a
the impression that women are afterthoughts positive attitude towards self, marked by an ability to
or somehow less important that men.” acknowledge areas of experience which had been the
(Wright 2003) subject of self-criticism and rejection.
Solution: “Alternate the word order… so that SELF-ACTUALIZATION OR
neither X women nor men always go first.” INDIVDUATION: moving in the direction of
(Wright 2003) fulfilling potentials or achieving and integration of
previously conflicting parts of self.
ENLIGHTMENT: assisting the client to arrive at TRAINED/INTELLECTUAL
a higher state of spiritual awakening. COMPLETENESS/GOOD
COMMUNICATOR:
PROBLEM-SOLVING: finding a solution to a
specific problem which the client had not been able Professionally trained: produce a counselee who will
to resolve alone. be autonomous not dependent.
PAYCHOLOGICAL EDUCATION: enabling STRENGTH TO DO COUSELING: counseling
the client to acquire ideas and techniques with which is “emotionally demanding”, saps up the energy, adds
to understand and control behavior. up to your problem so that it is important for the
counselor to be emotionally stable.
ACQUISITION OF SKILLS: learning and
mastering social and interpersonal skills such as SUPPORTIVE OF ANOTHER PERSON: gives
maintenance of eye contact, turn-taking in the client opportunity to talk encouraging opinions,
conversation, assertiveness or anger control. describing anxieties and fears without concern for
verbal retaliation or rejection.
COGNITIVE CHANGE: the modification or
replacement or irrational beliefs or maladaptive SENSE OF HUMOR: helps client to become
though patterns associated with self-destructive relaxed and enjoy incongruities in his environment
behavior. and the foolish aspects of his behavior.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE: the modification or COUNSELING TECHNIQUES
replacement of maladaptive or self-destructive
- Establishing rapport and eye contact
patterns of behavior.
- Having clear objectives
SYSTEMIC CHANGE: introducing change into - Conditioning one’s self by coming prepared
the way in which social systems (families) operate. and not bringing personal problem to the
situation’
EMPOWERMENT: working on skills, awareness,
- Asking questions in an appropriate and time
and knowledge which will enable the client to
fashion
confront social inequalities.
- Considering the physical (privacy) and the
RESTITUTION: helping the client to make psychological (readiness) of the client
amends for previous destructive behavior. - Being comfortable with silence
- Using verbal and non-verbal communication
as well as active listening
QUALITIES OF A GOOD COUNSELOR - Giving the person affirmation
- Imposing emotional distance when needed
EMPATHY: understanding a person with an intent - Considering the frequency, duration and
to understand his unique situation and feeling; intensity of the problem before making an
sensing accurately the client’s world, seeing the way assessment
the client does and verbally sharing his - Always end the session by indicating a desire
understanding. to see the client again at a time convenient for
RESPECT AND PPOSITIVE REGARD: him/her.
appreciate the client as unique individuals regardless ISSUES USUALLY FACED BY
of who they are. COUNSELORS
GENUINENESS: honesty; shedding one’s ANXIETIES: most beginning counselors have
expected role or image; does not use disguises or ambivalent feelings when meeting their first
mechanical responses to fool or manipulate client. Is clients. A certain level of anxiety demonstrates
appropriately spontaneous, non-defensive, open and that you are aware of the uncertainties of the
congruent in thoughts, feelings and actions. future with your clients and of your abilities to
CONCRETENESS: accurate, clear and specific. really be there for them.
SELF-DISCLOSURE: because you may be
self-conscious and anxious when you begin
counseling, you may have a tendency to be overly from your clients their rightful of making their
concerned with what the books say and with the own decisions.
mechanics of how to proceed. Inexperienced
GIVING ADVICE: quite often clients who
counselors too often fail to appreciate the values
suffering come to a therapy session seeking and
inherent in simply being themselves.
even demanding advice. They want more than
PERFECTIONISM: perhaps one of the most direction; they want a wise counselor to make a
common self-defeating beliefs with which we decision or resolve a problem for them.
burden ourselves is that we must never make
USAGE OF TECHNIQUES: when you are at
mistake. Although we may well know
an impasse with a client, you may have a tendency
intellectually that human are not perfect,
to look for a technique to get the sessions
emotionally we often feel that there is a little
moving.
room for error.
COUNSELING STYLE: be aware of the
LIMITATIONS: you cannot realistically expect
tendency to copy the style of a supervisor,
to succeed with every client. It takes honestly tot
therapist or some other model. There is no one
admit you cannot work successfully with every
way to conduct therapy and wide variations in
client.
approach can be effective.
SILENCE: silent moments during a therapeutic
VITALITY AS A PERSON AND AS A
session may seem like silent hours to a beginning
PROFESSIONAL: it is if paramount
counselor, yet this silence can have many
importance that we take care of ourselves, for
meanings.
how can we take care of others if we are not
CLIENT’S DEMANDS: a major issue that taking care of ourselves? We need to work at
puzzles many beginning counselors is how to dealing with those factors that threaten to drain
deal with clients who seem to make constant life from us and render us helpless.
demands. Because counselors feel they should
ANTI OPPRESSIVE SOCIAL WORK
extend themselves in being helpful, they often
PRACTICE
burden themselves with the unrealistic idea that
they should give unselfishly, regardless of how WHAT IS SOCIAL WORK?
great clients’ demands may be.
Social work is a practice-based profession and
AMBUGUITY: many beginning therapists academic disciplines that promotes social change and
experience the anxiety of not seeing immediate development, social cohesion and empowerment and
results. They ask themselves: “am I really doing liberation of people. Principles of social justice,
my client any good? Is the client perhaps getting human rights, collective responsibility and respect for
worse?” diversities are central to social work. Social work
engages people and structures to address life’s
COUNTERTRANSFERENCE:
challenges and enhance well-being. – IFSW&IASW,
countertransference, defined broadly, includes
2014
any of our projections that influence the way we
perceive and react to a client. This phenomenon It is well-established that effective relationship are
occurs when we are triggered into emotional essential to successful outcome. - Tedam, 2020
reactivity, when we respond defensively, or when
we lose our ability to be present in a relationship ANTI -OPPRESSIVE PRACTICE
because our own issues become involved. An approach to practice which involves
SENSE OF HUMOR: it is important to understanding of the complexities and origins of the
recognize that laughter or humor does not mean oppression that exist in our society and impact of
that clients are nit respected or work is not being individuals.- Campbell, 2003
accomplished. WHAT IS OPPRESSION?
SHARING RESPONSIBILITY: one mistake INDIVIDUAL: destructive attitudes and behaviors
is to assume full responsibility for the direction of individual person
and outcomes of therapy. This will leas to taking
INSTITUTIONAL: harmful policies, practices and WHAT POSSIBLY INFLUENCES
norms with various institutions. OPPRESSIONS IN PRACTICE?
SOCIAL/CULTURAL: promotion of certain UNCONSCIOUS BIAS: The attitude or
values, beliefs and customs that serves the interest of stereotypes that affects our understanding, actions
the advantage group and provide justification for and decisions in an unconscious manner. These
social oppression. biases which encompass both favorable and
unfavorable assessments, are activated involuntarily
“The social act of placing severe restrictions on an
and without an individual’s awareness or intentional
individuals, group or institutions. Typically, a
control. – The Kirwan Institute
government or political organization that in power
places these restrictions formally or covertly on Research suggests that there are 2 forms of bias:
oppressed groups so that they maybe exploited and
1. Conscious or Explicit Bias
less able to compete with others. The oppressed
2. Unconscious or Implicit Bias
individual is devalued, exploited and deprived of
privileges by the individual or group who has more Biases are not limited to race or ethnicity alone, they
powers. – Barker, 2003 exist toward any social group in relation to gender,
gender identity, age, physical abilities, religion, sexual
FORMS OF OPPRESSION
orientation, weight, to mention few. – Tedam, 2020
EXPLOTATION: social process whereby the
OPPRESED RESPONSE TO OPPRESSION
dominant group is able to accumulate and maintain
status, power and assets from the energy and labor INFERIORIZATION: internalization of
expended by the subordinate groups. oppression that caused oppressed people to act in
ways that affirm the dominant group’s view of them
MARGINALIZATIONS: exclusion of whole
as inferior and consequently, will led to process of
groups of people from useful and meaningful
interiorized person reproducing their own
participation in society.
oppression.
CULTURAL IMPERIALISM: it comes about
MIMESIS: oppressed group mimic or imitate
when the dominant group universalizes its
behavior and attitude of dominant group in attempt
experience and culture, and uses them as the norm.
to gain slightly more privilege status.
POWERLESSNESS: consists of inhibitions in the
IN-GROUP HOSTILITY: “poor person’s
development of one’s capacities, a lack of decision-
snobbery” that sets-up a superior-inferior
making power in one’s working life, and exposure to
relationship among oppressed group similar to that
disrespectful treatment because of the status one has
between dominant and sub-group.
occupies.
GUILT-EXPIATION RITUALS: some
VIOLENCE: systematic violence not only includes
oppressed persons will see the dominant order as
physical attack, but harassment, ridicule, or
sacred and immutable, and to atone for the guilt of
intimidation, which serves the purpose of
being able to become fully pledged members they will
stigmatization,. Also includes the constant fear that
engage in certain conscious or unwilling guild-
violence may occur, solely on the basis of one’s group
expiation rituals.
identity.
MAGICAL IDEOLOGIES: internal blinders
ETHICAL PONDERINGS
shield the person from confronting the real menace
“Many social workers struggle ethically with the causing his or her interiorized situation and lead the
power differential that exists in social work person on a search for magical solution.
relationships, and question how they ca practice
PSYCHOLOGICAL WITHDRAWAL:
anti0oppresivley while staying true to their ethical
oppressed person may adopt a cautious, low-profile
responsibilities – JONES, 2013
conservatism as a way of decreasing their visibility
and compensating for a disfavored identity.
SOCIAL WITHDRAWAL: oppressed persons
externalized identity conflict into the immediate
social environment. The oppressed persons will
develop repertoire of behavior for different
audiences.
-MOREAU, 1990

PROMOTING ANTI-OPPRESSIVE SOCIAL

WORK PRACTICE

VALIDATION:
- recognition of oppression
- validation of client’s experiences
- Listen and evoke further exploration
OPEN-HEARTEDNESS:
- Treating recipients with compassion
- Suspending judgement
- Embracing the unfamiliar
IDENTIFY THE ELEPHANT:
- The here-and-now disclosure
- Identify the uncomfortable conversations
CONTEMPLATION:
- Being mindful of power
- Engage in critical consciousness
EMPOWERING:
- Address internalized oppression
- Collaborate ion all matters
- Educate
SOCIAL SUPPORT
- Helping people overcome isolation
- Increase people’s connection to others.
- RODRIGUES & JONES, 2020