“Kudos to those who put their heads above the parapet in our communities. It’s not easy”

We round off Mental Health Awareness Week with a thoughtful account from Joey Vines, our Lilias Gillies House Community Psychotherapist, about his Learning From Action (LFA) experience in Italy.

Each year a handful of staff experience what it’s like to live in a therapeutic community. Gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation for the realities of living in a close knit community; immersing themselves in the structure of the day, navigating often difficult decision making, engaging in group activities and forming social relationships with strangers.

(From left) Holly Moore, Lena Norman, Alistair Dinsmore & Joey Vines

In a beautiful, mountainous alcove just north of Milan (Italy) 30 plucky souls joined forces in a pristine convent to form a temporary therapeutic community for this year’s Learning From Action (LFA) experience.

I was joined by three of our Service Managers (Alistair Dinsmore, Holly Moore and Lena Norman) as we sat down for our first ‘community meeting’. Silence descended on the group as we exchanged unknowing glances. Those who were brave enough to break the silence spoke in English and Italian, some was translated and some wasn’t. And as we were to learn, that was kind of the point – to pick up on non-verbal cues as we developed our makeshift alliance as a community.

Soon we had split off into sub groups – one for cooking, one for cleaning and one for planning leisure time, and the focus shifted to planning these activities. The focus was as much about the unconscious processes that were occurring within our groups and between individuals as it was about getting the tasks completed. Lurching from one decision to the next, we were peppered with tantalizing and often cryptic clues and questions from the psychoanalytic consultants who joined us.

I, and I’m sure my colleagues, left with a new found respect for those who live in our communities. Decision-making was harder than expected and it took a lot of stamina to complete our tasks and, particularly for the introverted among us, to be in such close proximity with others for this condensed period.

And… I’ll confess, there were times when I got angry, sulky and didn’t want to reflect. So kudos to those who put their heads above the parapet in our communities. It’s not easy.

Days later and I’m still reflecting and digesting, humbled by the experience and grateful to every single soul who attended and, for those we support every day.

For what it’s worth, we made a lovely risotto.

Ciao

Joey