Resistance to the new paradigm from the other? Personal reflections on becoming a disability psychotherapist
| Date | 03 May 2016 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/AMHID-09-2015-0048 |
| Pages | 199-206 |
| Published date | 03 May 2016 |
| Author | Erica E McInnis |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Learning & intellectual disabilities |
Resistance to the new paradigm from the
other? Personal reflections on becoming
a disability psychotherapist
Erica E. McInnis
Erica E. McInnis is a Clinical
Psychologist at the Central
Community Learning Disability
Team (Health), Central
Manchester University
Hospitals NHS Foundation
Trust, Manchester, UK.
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to reflect on putting a paradigm shift into practice to become a
disability psychotherapist (Frankish, 2013a).
Design/methodology/approach –A personal reflective account.
Findings –The author suggests seven conditions necessary or advisable for growth of disability
psychotherapy (DP) within the workplace.
Originality/value –Strategies to help implementation of DP have not been published to date.
Keywords Learning disability, Intellectual disability, Disability psychotherapy, Emotional disability,
Frankish model, Reflections
Paper type Viewpoint
Setting the scene
At the joint Congress of the European Association for Mental Health in Intellectual Disability and
IASSID[1] in 2011, Dr Pat Frankish reflected on a 30 year struggle with colleagues to encourage
recognition of the emotional lives of people with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) (Frankish, 2013a).
Competing paradigms seemed to neglect the emotional maturity neededto live in the community
with support, or needed to be able to make effective use of other therapeutic approaches
(Emerson and Einfeld,2011; O’Brien, 1987; Stenfert Kroese et al., 1997). It is argued this lackof
recognition often increased: the likelihood of failed psychosocial interventions, use of restrictive
practices and/or settings, emotional distress in staff and prompted repeat referrals for the same
clients (Bromley and Emerson, 1995; Robertson et al., 2005). It seemed not considered, that
emotionaland behavioural problemswould persist in a highly anxiouspre-individuated personwho
had not reacheda sense of self. When individualsreach a sense of self they can:be away from their
carers with manageable anxiety, know what they want distinct from their carers and take into
account the needs of others rather than to be predominantly omnipotent (Frankish, 2016).
The present day competing paradigm to working from an emotional disability perspective seems
the Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) movement (LaVigna and Willis, 2012). Although, a
preferred position would not be to consider PBS as a competing paradigm, rather another
beneficial and effective paradigm in which to integrate interventions where appropriate (Allen
et al., 2005, 2013; LaVigna and Willis, 2012; Jones, 2013). This is apt, as the primary function of
PBS is to improve the person’s quality of life often by preventative strategies such as: first,
matching the environment to the person’s needs (e.g. noise levels, who they live with and décor);
Received 20 September 2015
Revised 23 January 2016
Accepted 7 March 2016
DOI 10.1108/AMHID-09-2015-0048 VOL. 10 NO. 3 2016, pp.199-206, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 2044-1282
j
ADVANCESIN MENTAL HEALTH AND INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES
j
PAGE199
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