Dear SE Volunteers,
We’re grateful you’ve joined our endeavor to bring healing to the lives of the men and women at COTS. They have suffered greatly, and are eager for help in turning their lives around. We’ve seen the benefits of SE in our sessions, and are eager for you to have your own similarly rewarding experiences. We wish you all the best in your experience here, and want to offer our support in appreciation for the time and energy you’re generously dedicating to this project.
The first level of support is the opportunity to develop a relationship with an experienced volunteer as your mentor. This can include observing sessions, being observed, or whatever you and your mentor together decide is workable, and will best support your readiness to offer sessions at our SE clinic. Please e-mail Carrie at carrieh@cots-homeless.org to arrange times when you can meet your mentor at COTS and prepare to work with shelter residents.
The mentoring period will familiarize you with some of the short-term trauma resolution protocols we use at COTS, and give you opportunities to debrief after sessions. We’re interested in getting a sense of (1) your understanding of the short-term models we use, (2) your self-regulation and therapeutic presence, and (3) your capacity to participate as part of a team. Generally, we’ll recommend that you observe one to four sessions. We’ve found that this will increase both your comfort level and the effectiveness of your work.
We’re interested in building a team of volunteers who are warm, compassionate, respectful, professional, and willing to collaborate with COTS staff and other SE volunteers. We want to inspire the shelter residents to trust us enough to try something new, and empower them to partner with us in their healing. When SE volunteers bring positive energy to their interactions with COTS staff and other SE volunteers, it builds trust and has a beneficial impact on the clinic.
If you observe a session, the SE volunteer will introduce you to the client, and explain that you are here to learn, and will soon be offering sessions. Your role will be to silently hold space, and energetically support the therapist’s work with the client — even if you don’t understand or agree with it. You might see a therapist using techniques or suggestions that are new or confusing to you, and/or you might have ideas about other approaches that would work in the moment. Obviously, there are many potentially useful interventions, but your role as an observer will be to simply embody a spirit of goodwill, and welcome the approach the therapist has chosen. It’s possible that the therapist might invite you to say something supportive (for example, if the client is concerned about being judged). If so, please be sincere and succinct. In any case, please hold all your suggestions and questions until the client has left the room. The therapist will invite you to debrief at the appropriate time, and will then welcome your questions.
The COTS staff has found that it’s helpful to tell clients in advance that an observer would like to join their session. They also give clients the opportunity to decline being observed. So far, nearly everyone has agreed to be observed. In the few cases where there have been exceptions, we honor the client’s wishes.
Wednesdays 6:00 to 6:30 pm & Thursdays 5 to 5:30 pm, COTS Staff Lunchroom
The second level of support is the opportunity to sit down with other volunteers and observers who have done sessions that day, and share your experience. What worked? What surprised you? What questions do you have? This is a great way to decompress after sessions, discover new ideas or refinements, and humanly connect with other SEPs involved at COTS. This group debriefing session takes place after every clinic (Wednesdays from 6:00 to 6:30 pm and Thursdays from 5 to 5:30 pm), and can be a very bonding, inspiring experience. Debriefings are guided by a senior volunteer who divides the time so that everyone has a turn to share and receive support as needed.
Scheduling SE Sessions at COTS
When you and your mentor determine that you’re ready to begin offering sessions, we’ll inform Carrie. At that point, you can e-mail Carrie at carrieh@cots-homeless.org to schedule session times. Carrie requests that all scheduling communications be handled via e-mail rather than by telephone.
Cancellations
As with any professional appointment, it’s important that you give plenty of notice if you’re not going to be able to keep your commitment to offer or observe a session at COTS. Clients arrange their work and childcare schedules so they can be with us, and they very much look forward to their sessions. Similarly, COTS will do everything possible to alert you about schedule changes. Unfortunately, the lives of shelter residents are often unstable and unpredictable. Still, we have a high rate of honored appointments. If last-minute cancellations occur that can’t be filled with other residents, COTS staff will do their best to fill in. They too benefit from and need our work!
Termination
We reserve the right to request that you discontinue your service at COTS if we feel there is a basic incompatibility. We will do our best to work all misunderstandings through, but in some cases, this might be the best resolution.
If you have any questions about these guidelines, or your service at COTS, please feel free to contact us. Thank you again! We so look forward to working with you!
With warm regards,
Deborah Boyar, Lee Wylie, Patricia Meadows
Deborah – deborah@deborahboyar.com or 415.492.2194
Lee – lee_avanti@yahoo.com or 707.823.8220
Patricia – pmeadowsca@aol.com or 415.833.8321