lane easa peacehealth 2411 martin luther king jr blvd eugene, or 97401 lorraine kerwood lmsw, cswa...
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LANE EASA
PEACEHEALTH2411 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR BLVDEUGENE, OR 97401
LORRAINE KERWOOD LMSW, CSWALKERWOOD@PEACEHEALTH.ORGDESK: 541-682-5272 CELL: 541-214-5372
WHO YOU CALLING CRAZY?USING RESPECTFUL LANGUAGE IN TREATMENT SETTINGS
In my presentation, I will offer a positive and alternative view wherein we, as service providers, can ensure that the words and language we use is respectful, and that it accurately reflects back to participants the “whole” of who they are.
Language has great power to reshape the ways participants view themselves – providing feedback that empowers and offers new life stories that include possibilities and hope.
THE WORDS WE USE IN OUR CLINICAL PRACTICE, WHEN THOUGHTFULLY CHOSEN, CAN BE USED TO CHANGE THE CULTURE THAT CURRENTLY EXISTS WITHIN THE MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM AT LARGE, A CULTURE
THAT OFTEN SHAMES AND MARGINALIZES THE PEOPLE WE DESIRE TO SERVE.
-BENJAMIN WHORF
“Language is not simply a reporting device for experience but a defining framework for i
t.”
“LANGUAGE DOES HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE REALITY. THEREFORE, TREAT YOUR WORDS AS THE MIGHTY INSTRUMENTS THEY ARE…”
DAPHNE ROSE KINGMA
Language shapes the way we see and interpret the world. The pejorative and/or non-respectful language we use with and about our clients influences the way we think about them, and the ways they think about themselves.
While we may think we’re simply being “casual,” in fact non-respectful language dehumanizes clients and enforces the “power over” structures most mental health professionals would tell you they are working to mitigate.
WORDS HAVE POWER“Words have power. They have the power to teach, the power to wound, the power to shape the way people think, feel, and act toward others. When a stigmatized group of people, such as those with mental illnesses, is struggling for increased understanding and acceptance, attention to the language used in talking and writing about them is particularly important."”
—Otto Wahl
~ SAMSHA, THE 10 FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENTS OF RECOVERY
Community, systems, and societal acceptance and appreciation of consumers—including protecting their rights and eliminating discrimination and stigma—are crucial in achieving recovery. Self-acceptance and regaining belief in one's self are particularly vital.
IF THOUGHT CORRUPTS LANGUAGE, LANGUAGE CAN ALSO CORRUPT THOUGHT.”
GEORGE ORWELL
STEPHEN PINKER COINED THE PHRASE "EUPHEMISM TREADMILL" IN HIS BOOK, THE BLANK SLATE.
HE WAS ALLUDING TO OUR TENDENCY TO USE NEW WORDS TO REPLACE OLD WORDS THAT HAVE BECOME OFFENSIVE, WHICH THEN BECOME OFFENSIVE THEMSELVES.
AN EXAMPLE OF THIS IS THE TERM "EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED," WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY MEANT TO DESCRIBE PEOPLE WITH VARIOUS KINDS OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS. HOWEVER IN RECENT YEARS IT'S COME TO BE A PEJORATIVE IN AND OF ITSELF.
STEVEN PINKER COINED THE TERM:"EUPHEMISM TREADMILL"
WHAT DOES PERSON-FIRST LANGUAGE MEAN?
•Names the person first and the condition second; for example, a "person with a disability" rather than a "disabled person." It's about making the disability a secondary attribute, not a primary characteristic.
•The term "person-first language" originally appeared in 1988 as recommended by US advocacy groups.
WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF REFERRING TO PEOPLE AS ILLNESS?
MY BROTHER IS SCHIZOPHRENIC
MY MOM IS ANOREXIC
THAT PATIENT IS BIPOLAR
WHAT HAVE YOUR HEARD ABOUT “CRAZY” PEOPLE?
SHE’S SUCH A DRAMA QUEEN
HE IS SUCH A NUT JOB
THAT PATIENT IS BIPOLAR
• PEOPLE MAY INTERNALIZE THE NEGATIVE ATTITUDES
• PEOPLE MAY FEEL ASHAMED
• PEOPLE MAY BLAME THEMSELVES FOR THEIR DIFFICULTIES
• PEOPLE MAY LOSE CONFIDENCE IN THEIR ABILITIES
• PEOPLE MAYBE BECOME DEMORALIZED
• PEOPLE MAY DIRECT THEIR ANGER AND HELPLESSNESS BACK UPON THEMSELVES
EFFECTS OF NEGATIVE WORDS
• promote recovery and hope
• put the person first and her or his diagnosis or circumstances last
• recognize the individual's inherent strengths
• help people identify their challenges, needs, and barriers as a part of their experience rather than labeling them as weaknesses, problems, or deficits that imply that they are broken or their experience is "abnormal"
Recovery-based language is the use of words that:
HOW CAN WE PROMOTE BEST PRACTICES IN LANGUAGE USE?
• name the individual illness rather than label the person (person-first language)
• avoid generic stereotypes (i.e., not "the" mentally ill; there are many mental illnesses)
• recognize that people with disabilities have many differences: what they most often have in common is the prejudice they face
• involve participants in the mental health profession (i.e., use their voice in writing grants, editing articles, participating in advisory boards)
• model respectful language ALL the time, with EVERYONE
WHO CAUSES NO COMMUNITY DISTURBANCE MAY BE DEEMED “IMPROVED”
A QUIET PARTICIPANT
MAY BE CONSIDERED “UNCOOPERATIVE” “NON-COMPLAINT” AND, THEREFORE FAILED THE PROVIDER - RATHER THAN THE OTHER WAY AROUND
A “TREATMENT RESISTANT” PARTICIPANT
US - THEM TERMS
• decompensating: when “we” experience stress, we might not do well
• “we” may get bummed out, get burned out, be short with our co-workers, call in sick, or need a leave of absence
• “they” decompensate
LANGUAGE OF US/THEM BY MAYER SHEVIN
We like things They fixate on objects We try to make friends They display attention seeking behavior We take breaks They display off task behavior
We stand up for ourselves They are non-compliant
We have hobbies They self-stim
We choose our friends wisely They display poor peer socialization
We persevere They perseverate
We like people They have dependencies on people
We go for a walk They run away
We insist They tantrum
We change our minds They are disoriented and have short attention spans
We have talents They have splinter skills
We are human They are . . . ?
SOME MENTAL HEALTH STIGMATIZING WORDS TO AVOID ARE:
MENTALLY ILL WACKO DEMENTED
EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED
CUCKOO SCREW LOOSE
INSANE MENTAL BRAIN DEAD
CRAZY DERANGED HIGH OR LOW FUNCTIONING
ODD MAD DELUSIONAL
ABNORMAL LOOPY CASE
PSYCHO OUT OF IT DECOMPENSA
TE
MANIAC SLOW DEMENTED
LUNATIC NUTS MESSED UP
LOONEY DISTURBED SCHZIO
VIEW VIDEO AT: http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=Wv49RFo1ckQ&noredirect
=1
–FRED ROGERS
“Part of the problem with the word 'disabilities' is that it
immediately suggests an inability to see or hear or walk or do other
things that many of us take for granted. But what of people who
can't feel? Or talk about their feelings? Or manage their
feelings in constructive ways? What of people who aren't able to
form close and strong relationships? And people who cannot find fulfillment in their lives, or those who have lost
hope, who live in disappointment and bitterness and find in life no joy, no love? These, it seems to me, are the real disabilities.”
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