PBS Matters

Part one: 
What happens when behaviour analysts stateside meet with the behaviour analyst across the pond? You get Cross Pollination Podcast! Paddy and Jo are joined by the hosts of the Atypical Behaviour Analyst podcast. We discuss finding common ground not just with ourselves, but the other lifeforms we come across in our journey. Expanding and improving one's range of knowledge and skill should be actively sought after through experience, supervision, and collaboration.

Guest - Doreen Kelly:
Doreen, the Founding Director of Beyond Limits; started her career as a nurse but soon moved to work in the voluntary and more recently the independent sector where she has worked to help people become full and active citizens since 1986. Doreen has been involved in setting up several small, person centred organisations in both England and Scotland to support people to get a life that makes sense for them and where they can be all they can be as opposed to institutional care and support which can often further damage vulnerable and disabled people.

Paddy, Jo and Doreen discuss what Individual service funds are and how they can be used to provide people with the support they want. Doreen shares her knowledge on how to access them and provides some examples of the differences good funding can make to people's lives.

Guest - Steve Wilson:
Hi ya, I'm Steve, 52 years young and my family (which includes my dog), road trips in our VW van, being outdoors, exercising to music and football make me happy. People with a learning disability have been in my life since 1992 when I started my Learning disability nursing course; all I have been striving to do since is support others to experience happiness and joy and to feel connected to others. I am a massive fan of David Pitonyak and Martin Seligman, with their work proving to be a source of inspiration and motivation for me. I strive to address Seligman's principle of 'it's not enough just to nullify disabling conditions,' by promoting PERMA within services so they can help those who they support to flourish. My long term ambition is that PERMA can become a way of life within all services who support people with learning disabilities.

Guest - Dr Joe Oliver:
Joe Oliver is a consultant clinical psychologist and founder of Contextual Consulting, one of the leading providers of ACT training in the United Kingdom.
He has been working for over 20 years as a practicing psychologist and is a program director at University College London. He also runs a busy London-based private practice, offering ACT therapy, coaching and consultations.
Joe is an active member of the Association for Contextual Behavioural Sciences and is a peer reviewed ACT trainer. He is co-editor of "Acceptance and Commitment Therapy & Mindfulness for Psychosis", and co-author of the self-help book, "ACTivate Your Life", and of the text books, "ACT for Psychosis Recovery", "Acceptance and Commitment Coaching" and "Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: 100 Key Points and Techniques".
He has also recently published a new self help book, The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Self Esteem.

Joe discusses with Jo and Paddy what Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is and how it can be used in our everyday lives as well as with people we support. We cove a range of applications including being aware of mindlessly scrolling on our phones to making a decision to act.

Guest - Andy McDonnell:
Andy is a Clinical Psychologist who has worked with people with intellectual disabilities, autism and their supporters for over 30 years. He has published over 50 articles in the area of challenging behaviour and restraint reduction. He is the CEO of Studio3 Training Systems and Studio3 Clinical Services, Andy is the originator of the low arousal approach to managing behaviours, his most recent book The Reflective Journey: A Practitioners Guide to the Low Arousal Approach. He also has an interest in applying models of stress and trauma to person centred supports. He routinely consults about behaviours of concern in the UK, Republic of Ireland, Canada and Scandinavia.

Guest - Leah Fennema Hall:
Leah is a Board Certifies Behaviour Analyst (BCBA) with 10 years experience of motivating people to engage in behaviours needed to meet their personal goals as well as those of their organisation. She has applied behaviour analysis (ABA) in multiple capacities including 1:1 coaching, training, mentoring and, organisational management consultancy. Leah is a Director of UK-based Lux Consulting, specializing in behaviour and culture change. She is also the owner of US-based Collaborative Behavioral Services where she has served as Executive Director since 2012. Collaborative provides 1:1 behaviour analytic therapy, coaching, training, and organizational behaviour management consulting services.

Guest - Luke Watts:
Luke is an adult social care worker and free thinker. He has a long history in social care and has extended his skills in supporting people who have needs that are classes as complex. He is passionate, outspoken, driven, idealistic keen to see the best support and is a sector leader. Luke is a fellow of the School of Social Entrepreneurs and feels social care should be led by the values of not-for-profit processes towards the best outcomes for the people supported and their families. Luke specialises in PBS and leads a Social Enterprise - My PESP CIC in East Sussex.

Paddy and Jo invited Luke to the podcast to discuss PBS and how it works as a manager within and organisation. However the conversation takes some interesting turns including the concerns Luke has with PBS ethical concerns and what the next steps should be. This episode led to the development of Episode 15 and the conversation between Luke, Paddy and Jo provides the context for "The Common Ground."

Guest - Deanne Weller:
Deanne is a qualified vision rehabilitation worker and has specialised for the last 17 years working with sight impairment and additional disabilities. After starting her career in social care straight after completing her A-levels, Deanne attended all on the job training possible until she completed her degree. She has worked for SeeAbility since, took on the post of the interim head of the specialist services team and is now the senior vision rehabilitation worker for the South East.

Part two: Applications of Visual rehabilitation
Deanne shares the story of a lady she has worked with for a number of years and how understanding her visual needs and working collaboratively with other professionals enabled the woman to walk as opposed to using a wheelchair.

Guest - Deanne Weller:
Deanne is a qualified vision rehabilitation worker and has specialised for the last 17 years working with sight impairment and additional disabilities. After starting her career in social care straight after completing her A-levels, Deanne attended all on the job training possible until she completed her degree. She has worked for SeeAbility since, took on the post of the interim head of the specialist services team and is now the senior vision rehabilitation worker for the South East.

Part one: What is vision rehabilitation?
Deanne introduces the role of a vision rehabilitation worker and what different types of visual impairments she has supported. She shares with Paddy and Jo how she asses people with visual impairments, including cerebral visual impairments. Deanne shares some general strategies that can be used to take account of people's visual needs including teaching people to use their functional vision more effectively.

Guest - Dr Dave Roberts:
A qualified Social Worker, Dave has worked in residential child care since the early 1990s. He became the head of the training department in 2006 and has led The Mulberry Bush to two National Training Awards, in 2007 and 2012. In 2020, he completed his doctorate from University College London. 
He was integral in developing the 'Foundation Degree in Therapeutic Work with Children and Young People', with the University of the West of England, for which he is programme leader. He is also a Specialist Leader in Education (SLE).
He has developed a range of training programmes that he has delivered across the UK and Europe and facilities reflective practice sessions for professionals from across Oxfordshire.

In part two, Dave introduces a story of one young gentleman and the difference attending Mulberry school made. Dave also discusses the connections the school has maintained with old pupils and some of the feedback they give to the school.
The typical length of the placement is two to three years and Dave explains that this time is used to understand the trauma the child has experiences. The pupil then moves on when they are ready to progress.

Guest - Dr Dave Roberts:
A qualified Social Worker, Dave has worked in residential child care since the early 1990s. He became the head of the training department in 2006 and has led The Mulberry Bush to two National Training Awards, in 2007 and 2012. In 2020, he completed his doctorate from University College London. 
He was integral in developing the 'Foundation Degree in Therapeutic Work with Children and Young People', with the University of the West of England, for which he is programme leader. He is also a Specialist Leader in Education (SLE).
He has developed a range of training programmes that he has delivered across the UK and Europe and facilities reflective practice sessions for professionals from across Oxfordshire.

In part one, Dave presents the history and ethos behind the Mulberry Bush school and how it aims to support children who have experienced trauma.
Dave introduces what we mean by trauma informed support and how effective PBS should consider the trauma someone may have experienced.
Paddy, Jo and Dave discuss reflective practice, dynamic thinking and how bringing people together is crucial for effective support.