Change Agents Change First

Reflecting Upon Change

Change…..what a wonderfully charged word! It conjures up thoughts of “the change we can believe in” and the beautiful, dramatic and historic events of January 20, 2009.

It also brings to my mind a fine book called Changing for Good by Prochaska, Norcross and Diclemente that has helped many people overcome difficulties, from smoking and alcohol abuse to emotional distress and weight control. For me this book on the importance of moving in an orderly fashion through the six stages of change was a catalyst for quitting smoking after many years of precontemplation and contemplation.

Change also makes me think of a book with a horrible title: Change or Die by Alan Deutschman. By no means as depressing as the title suggests, Deutschman contends that some people will never move out of the precontemplation stage when they are denying that they need to change…not even to save their own lives! Instead, this author suggests that many people need hope, belief and inspiration, new skills and ways of thinking, not to be given facts or frightened into change. His method for motivating people to change involves just three key steps: Relate, Repeat and Reframe.

An important phrase that pays used often by those of us at Choices who are responsible for training and coaching staff and clients is CHANGE AGENTS CHANGE FIRST. We exhort care coordinators to model the changes they want to see in their communities and the families they serve. After all, if we are unable or unwilling to change, how can we demand it of others? Nevertheless we soon learn in life, change is not easy – not for individuals and especially not for systems. However our inspiration to change may be the hope and belief that we can and must change for the better, both individually and collectively as a nation, as our new President has so eloquently challenged us to do.

- Janet McIntyre, Director, Choices Technical Assistance Center

Needs Aren’t Services and the Phrases that Pay

Needs Aren’t Services is one of the most powerful practice guidelines known as the 18 Phrases That Pay. It brings to life other phrases like LISTEN, LISTEN AND THEN LISTEN! When families are truly listened to, they are more likely to join with the members of their child and family teams because they don’t feel that others are there trying to “fix” them. When the needs of the youth and family are the goals of care, the wraparound value “Needs Driven” comes to life.

Needs Aren’t Services challenge us to embrace the essential family needs before we offer the categorical array of services. And this in turn also opens the door to an appreciation of family strengths. Listening to youth and families articulate their needs can’t help but grow the team member’s awareness of the wealth of hidden and untapped strengths. Listening to the family’s needs is the key to helping teams become active participants in families developing their own solutions. Needs based services emerge from these solutions. Needs based services differ from traditional services in that they focus on the need first, not fitting the family’s needs into the traditional menu of services. The most evidence based practice comes when the family says, “Yes, my needs were met.”

And perhaps, within the layers of needs for learning, safety, a place called home, meaningful work, health care, benefits and necessary skill sets, there is the need for relationship and community. I frequently hear families saying, “If I had your supports I wouldn’t be here!” The needs for community and natural supports are not just powerful, they are the ultimate classroom in which successful outcomes grow and flourish. These needs aren’t services, they are the window to yet another phrase that pays: No Families no solutions – Know Families Know Solutions.

- Craig Andler, Director, Families Reaching for Rainbows