Staff Support Groups
Supportive, confidential spaces where staff can explore and share the impact and experience of their work, with others in similar roles
Sessions offer staff a safe, confidential space to process and reflect on how aspects of their work impact them personally and emotionally. Staff are supported to share their experiences and to develop their knowledge and skills through reflection and discussion with others, using a model that differs from formal training.
Staff support groups are best facilitated by an external practitioner as this enables a neutral, safe space for staff, which is entirely separate from management structures and processes. As the external practitioner is outside the organisational culture and dynamics, this more effectively enables new perspectives and ways of thinking about the nature of the work and how staff experience it.
who are the sessions aimed at?
These sessions are suitable for staff in any role, but the most common reasons for an organisation to provide this support for its staff are:
To provide support for staff whose day-to-day roles are not primarily about responding to people in distress or crisis, but who nonetheless do so on a reasonably regular basis
To support staff wellbeing - particularly in relation to change (e.g. COVID related working from home) or perhaps where a group of staff is temporarily without their usual line management support
workplace roles and settings
Examples of staff who benefit from these groups include: staff working on reception or welcome desks; workplace mental health champions and first aiders; HR staff who deal with employee casework and conflict; staff who are a workplace contact for issues such as harassment, discrimination and assault; workplace mediators.
I have extensive experience of working with professional services and academic staff within the university sector, where these groups are particularly beneficial for personal tutors / senior tutors, and staff working in services such as residences, careers, security and libraries. These groups are also helpful for staff who are the first point of contact for specialist student support services, for example staff who work on front desks for counselling, mental health and student well being services.
I also run these groups in the private, public and third sectors.
delivery
These groups typically run three or four times a year within an organisation, or perhaps monthly for a fixed period. Group size varies according to the nature of the work.
Groups might be for of staff who work in broadly similar roles across different areas of an organisation, or for an existing team.
Staff who work in similar roles but are from different organisations can also form a group. This option is particularly beneficial for staff who have a role that is not shared by others in their home organisation.
Groups can run face to face within an organisation, or online via Zoom.
summary of aims
A safe, confidential space for staff to process and reflect on how aspects of their work impact them personally and emotionally
To support staff well being and mental health
To enable staff to discuss and share knowledge and skills, and to consider how people in similar roles might think about and approach their work differently but equally effectively
To identify systemic issues that might be relevant to the wider organisation and management in terms of supporting staff and delivering high-quality experiences for staff and service users.
Please contact me to discuss staff support groups for your organisation, and for my fees.