How Can We Work in Complexity

The story of Helen Keller is well known. Surviving an illness at 18 months she was left deaf

and blind. She did not develop speech or other forms of communication. At the age of 7 she was incontinent and displayed serious behaviour problems. She was not in school and her family was overwhelmed. She was treated and described as an undisciplined pet and was seen to need institutionalisation where she would die.

Yet as an adult Helen Keller was a university graduate, a social activist, a public speaker, an

author, a world traveller and was voted the most admired person in her country!

How so? Helen’s parents resisted institutionalisation and searched for an optimistic expert. Alexander Bell introduced them to Ann Sullivan who spent 30 days holding hands with Helen while repetitively doing hand signals with her. Vocabulary was soon developed, opportunities were provided and daily efforts sustained building on Helen’s strengths and competencies.

The results confounded the experts. Helen Keller became one of the great personalities of her era. Because of her numerous valued roles her handicaps were almost invisible to the point where she became a much-admired icon. Yet in her early life she displayed behaviours that would have had her fit neatly in our modern day ‘complex and challenging behaviour’ categories.

At A Place To Belong we want to respond hopefully and creatively to people who experience

dominating or disabling mental health experiences. What does inclusion mean for people

who experience limitations and who are shunned and disrespected in their communities?

How can we travel with people towards a good life when there are so many behavioural, emotional, social and health obstacles and challenges?

We know a woman who is difficult to understand due to her overpowering mental health

experience. She wanders her suburb visiting various groups and organisations but there are not many people who give her the time of day. Most people would not have the patience or time it would take to try and decipher what she is saying. Her experience of community and the systems around her has been one of benign neglect.

In the past few months two people have reminded us of the way forward. One of our

workers spent time with this woman and noticed how she was attempting to communicate. He found a means of communicating with her that meant she was more easily understood.

Importantly, he informed others who knew this woman that she is very conscious of what is

happening around her. This is significant as it meant that others would be less tempted to

demean or disrespect her thinking that she cannot understand what is happening around her.

Then another person began to spend more focused time with her, observing where she visits and getting to know her routines. This person also learnt more about what works and what doesn’t work in communicating with the woman. Before long we began forming a picture of a woman who lives life with dignity and who has formed many of her own connections.

Through this process a newer deeper climate of respect was forming around this woman.

Further, because communication was happening to a greater depth information was

being transacted about how the woman wanted to be assisted. She lives in poverty in housing that she loathes and she experiences significant health and dental issues. Now there is some planning happening with her about how her life opportunities can be improved and there is a greater chance of different issues being dealt with.

Along with this we are observing signs of her gifts and skills—her creativity, her advocate’s

heart and her courtesy. She is being seen more and more in a positive and valued light.

Here we see a model emerging – not dissimilar to the approach Helen Keller’s advocates took – for how we can respond in such difficult complex situations, namely:

• Love the person and spend time with them

• Listen to the person

• Learn what works and what doesn’t work

• Educate others around the person to build a growing climate of respect

• Then work on the issues that the person wants dealt with

• And observe and support areas of strength and capacity in the person towards positive social roles

This woman won’t follow the same path as Helen Keller – but working with similar principles

we can see possibilities of a better life emerging for her and her community around her as she contributes and offers herself.