What is Flip The Script Friday?

Flip The Script Friday is a weekly event where we invite organisations/adults onto our website/social media to answer the questions that young people have for them.

Why is it a thing?

This is an opportunity for young people’s voices to be heard and to have their questions answered. But equally, it’s a chance to destigmatise the discussion of mental health, highlight the great work that organisations are doing and to make reaching out for support from them less intimidating.

This week…

We collaborated with Jen Daffin, she works in Child Psychology in Mental Health for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, in a team called Gwent Community Psychology, and she is here to answer all of your questions!

Who’s Jen?

“I grew up in Newport and I went to school at St Joseph’s RC High School. I live in Cardiff but I work in Newport at the moment. I love outdoor sports and I play Roller Derby in my spare time. If you don’t know what that is it’s a bit like rugby on skates with a human ball! Its loads of fun! I’m not a very good cook but I like to give it a go!”

A note from Jen:

“To really understand mental health we need first to look at our circumstances. We do this by seeing what is going on around the person, do they have a safe home, food to eat, can they go to school, are they being bullied or discriminated against, or are they worried about things that are happening in their family?  It means asking what has happened to you. Not what is wrong with you. Many of the children and young people growing up in these circumstances are powerless to change them. They will not be in a position to ‘think their way out of their problems’ through the use of traditional psychological therapies.   They are in survival mode, as are their families. We are working to develop new ways of working alongside children and their families in their communities as well as to help others in their lives, such as their teachers or social workers to create the right psychological conditions so children, families, and communities can thrive.”

Q&A Time!

We had so many questions sent in by young people to our Instagram @platfform4yp and here are some of the highlights!

What do you think of the idea Flip the script?

I think it’s brilliant. Sometimes us professionals can hide away in our ivory towers and it can be really confusing to know what we do and where or how we do it. This project tries to break that down which is great and really important! We are just humans at the end of the day but if you work in mental health it’s easier to forget people don’t always see or know that because of things like – all the old spooky buildings some of still work in.

What is a 'Community Psychologist'?

So a psychologist is a different kind of doctor to a psychiatrist. We don’t do medication we look at what’s happened to people and we help them make sense of that by using our understanding of how our emotions work and how they impact our minds and bodies.  A Community Psychologist is a Psychologist who works in a way that understanding people’s mental health, wellbeing and distress by looking at their circumstances rather than seeing it as a problem within the individual. We work with children, families and their communities not to look for individual solutions but to look at how we can create the right environments for people – free from stress, distress, oppression, trauma and abuse. We do this both to prevent people from trauma and distress but also people need to right conditions to begin to heal from their distress too.

What is your favourite genre of music?

I used to say I liked indie and rock music the most but to be honest I like to listen to lots of different kinds of music now depending on my mood or what I’m doing.

What do you think needs to change for people to receive better mental health support?

There have been many changes over the years and some of them we are still waiting to see the benefit from. We’re trying to work in a way that recognises mental health is about our circumstances. It’s about being able to go to school and not being bullied but getting an education or your own job, living in a safe home with parents who aren’t stressed out about keeping their jobs or debt and having food on the table as much as it’s about having good relationships and feeling like you belong to your community and are valued.

What then needs to change is the old story of mental health because it’s no longer fit for purpose. We need to see not just mental health services but all services starting to ask what has happened or is happening to someone and not what’s wrong with them. In order to do this, we need to see services working together and not off on their own. We call this approach a whole systems approach. This approach means services working together but communities and people too. So we believe this needs to be a community embedded approach – which means we all need to work together in the places where people live, and where children go to school.

It’s not just about more 1:1 therapy, counselling or access to MH services. We cannot continue to look at mental health in isolation.  Children live in circumstances that they are powerless to change – they can’t think their way out of their problems and they are dependent on the adults around them to help.

What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning and do the job you do?

When I was one year old how l live my life now was still officially listed as ‘mentally disordered’ – I identify as LGBTQ+ and I am married to a woman. I’m in my early 30’s now – I know that can sound old but actually it’s not that long ago.

I’m motivated by a passion for equality and justice. For me, mental health is a human rights issue. Everyone deserves the chance to reach their potential and live a life they love. There is a lot of work to be done to achieve this but I continue to be motivated by the brilliant people around me fighting and working for the same thing every day.

What is one piece of advice you were given that you will never forget?

That would probably be the poem if by Kippling…If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs….if you can trust yourself when all ‘men’ doubt you but make allowances for their doubting too….A very important person to me introduced me to this poem and it really helps me keep perspective on life!

What was your favourite subject at school? Why?

I really loved PE – I love sport and I enjoy doing anything sporty outdoors. I used to do swimming when I was younger and more recently took up ramp skating and play Roller Derby. I was lucky enough to have the chance to play for Wales in the last World Cup. If you don’t know what Roller Derby is I recommend definitely googling it!

What do you think of the ‘drop the diagnosis’ movement, is there a middle ground?

This is a complex problem!! Definitely not answerable in a tweet! It’s a process and a journey but there is plenty of evidence to support the notion that mental health is a circumstances issue but services are organised around diagnosis. It’s also complex because diagnosis can also be about identity. Sometimes this can bring positive or helpful things and sometimes it can be really destructive and really unhelpful. It’s because it can mean different things to different people in their own unique circumstances that these ideas bring up such strong emotions. It can be more helpful sometimes to think about what the movement is trying to achieve – which for me is that we cannot look at mental health as an individual issue or in isolation. Drop the disorder for me speaks to the ideas that there isn’t something wrong with you. We are all different and have different experiences. These need to be valued. But when someone is presenting with distress or mental health issues it’s really important we ask – what has happened or what is happening for this person and in their life and ensuring they get the right support from the right people at the right time. The discussion becomes more complicated when we look at neuro-diversity and trauma-related epi-genetics and when these interface with concerns about someone’s mental health.

How do you look after yourself and your mental health/wellbeing when working?

It’s really important to take time to do this. In work, we try to make time to hang out with each other even though the day is busy and there are lots of demands to get work done. This is really hard at the moment because we are all working in different ways and some of us are at home. It’s really important that workplaces are what we call trauma and distress informed, especially in mental health. The people I work with are really supportive and we try and check in on each other – mostly it’s just to have a moan and a groan but it’s really important to connect with others! Outside of work I try to make sure my work doesn’t take over my personal life and that I plan in time to do the things I love as well. This can be hard sometimes when you’ve had a busy and stressful day and you just want to sleep on the sofa!

How do you look after yourself and your mental health/wellbeing when at home?

As a mental health professional, it can be really hard not to bring your work home with you – bring the stresses and distresses home. As a family, we like to plan fun things to do together – in lockdown this mostly means bike riding. I have a young son who has just learned to ride and so we have been making sure we can get out and do things like this together. A change of pace and scene is really important as well as making time to see family and friends. Also, I try not to binge-watch too much TV. Netflix is amazing but I try to look after myself by spending hours and hours absorbed in all the brilliant films and series they have on-demand! – it’s really hard!!!

What is your favourite colour?

I really like black! I know it’s not what you’re supposed to say!!

Do you believe in astrology?

I’m not sure I’ve seen any evidence for it?

What is your spirit animal?

Hm….My son says I should be a polar bear…. I really like the snow so he’s probably on to something there.

If you had the opportunity to send a message to young people what would it be?

It’s not your fault. Children and young people live in circumstances that they are powerless to change – they can’t think their way out of their problems and they are dependent on the adults, their communities and society around them to get it right for them. If I’d have known this growing up I think I would have blamed myself less and this would have helped me.

Do you think of the people you support once you leave work?

There are lots of people’s stories that stick with me over time that I carry with me always. It’s really hard not to think about the people you’re working with, people using services or staff etc – it’s human!

What is the first thing you will do when the lockdown is completely over?

Aside from going on holiday I really want to go to the beach! I’m waiting for the 5-mile rule to be lifted!!

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

You mean aside from my psychology mind-reading skills right 🙂 – OK that’s not a thing….I’d love to fly!

Have you got any advice for someone who wants to try roller skating?

Roller skating! – Well – the first thing you need to know if you’re going to fall and you’re going to get it wrong. We all did and still do and that’s OK. Those who fall the most learn the most. So be kind and forgiving as you get frustrated you can’t do it. It will come especially when you get into it a bit more and can relax – oh and wear your pads and helmet!!!

Does co-production play a role in your work?

Always. And its core to the way we work. We always try to work in partnership with others, including young people. It’s hard to get right and not be tokenistic. We’ve been trying more recently to think about genuine and meaningful collaboration – what does that look like….if you have ideas let us know.

Would you seek professional help if you were struggling with your mental health, or with your education/training can you help yourself?

You’d think after all I’m a psychologist right that I’d be on it and be able to help myself? That’s not how it works. We’re social being and it’s all about relationships. People heal people. Whilst I try to make sense of things for myself in reality we need to connect to others – that’s what friends are for. The same goes for if you’re really struggling – you might be able to ask a friend or a family member or someone else you trust but sometimes they won’t have the answers or you might not have those people you can trust in your life at that point. That’s what professionals are for and that’s when I would reach out.

What is one thing you would change about the mental health sector in an ideal world?

That’s a tough one – if it had to be one thing it would be that everyone knew and worked in a way that let go of the old story about mental health. Mental health is about our circumstances and so we need to create the right conditions for people to thrive. Not put the problem in the individual. If the whole sector worked in that way I think it would be really powerful and help a lot of people out too.

27. Can you explain/what do you think about déjà vu?

Erm, no not without googling it and I think that’s probably cheating? Something about how our brains process memory!

What do you think the barriers are for young people accessing services, and what would you do to break them?

This would be really dependant on the service because we all work in different ways. I think clinic settings can be really difficult and challenging for some people but that’s not true for everyone. What do you guys think?

Do you think that our dreams have any significance in our lives?

I’m not sure of the exact science but I think they are related to the events happening in our lives but all jumbled up and exaggerated so that would be a yes…also I think cheese can play a part too…

Do you enjoy what you do?

On the whole I do – there are lots of complex issues that can make our work challenging. Not just people’s stories I mean demands on us as employees and all that stuff. I think if the NHS and Wales could truly become trauma and distress informed this would help a lot of things!

That's a wrap! Thank you so much to Jen and Gwent Community Psychology for taking the time to do this Q&A and for supporting Platfform4YP

Want more content from Jen and GCP?

Follow them on Twitter at: @Jendaffin and @GwentCommPsych

Go show them some love too!

Missed out on asking a question this time? No Worries! Keep an eye on our Instagram @platfform4yp for the next Flip The Script! Want to ask a specific individual/organisation questions? DM us and we will make it happen! Until next time! 😀