A discussion with colleagues I work with UNB2602 LA1

Learning Activity 1 – Appendix 1 – Discussions with Colleagues

I was asked to:
have a discussion with colleagues I work with (recorded in my Learning Journal

So in various forms I asked the following questions. Some I asked face to face and others answered via email and still others via MSN. What follows is all the sum total of my discussions using various media put together.

A. What to you see as the requirements and competencies of my work role? In other words what skills and abilities and knowledge do you see is important for me to have to do the job I do?

Below are examples of the sorts of responses I got from different colleagues

I think you need huge empathy and sensitivity. And an ability to quickly articulate an appropriate response, and to research where necessary.
Your attitude has to be non-judgmental and unconditionally accepting. You need an in depth knowledge of your field and the ability to tailor the response to meet the emotional needs of the recipient.

You also need a very good insight into psychological matters in general (as well as within the context of the illness of PNI) so as to support staff and members alike. In addition to this, significant skills relating to running a web based discussion forum, which include the ability to keep accounts and to bid for money.

To have a wide range of knowledge and understanding of not only post natal illness, but other depressive states and tendencies which members may exhibit on the site.
To be able to give constructive advice on sensitive issues without judgment of the situations presented by the individual but at the same time show compassion and understanding towards members.

To have a high level of organizational skills in order to be aware of everything going on through the site, and identify members who may need extra support at certain times and encourage these members to seek extra support, whether this be through friends and family or through professional services such as GP's.

Communication skills – in writing, in person and on the telephone.
Ability to stand back and resolve conflict. Computer skills , to get the best from the system.
Honesty and diplomacy. Counselling skill (although not necessarily a counsellor)

To be up to date with current research into PNI

to be computer literate and to keep up to date with changing technology a necessary requirement for this role as the forum has many sections to it,
also the chat room. as more people join and new ideas are put forward, the forum needs updating to meet the requirements.

prioritize home and work- to be organizedmany things need doing as well as leading everyday life.

So to be able to prioritize your workload and complete tasks to keep the forum functioning effectively- ability to empathize, sympathize and give appropriate advicepeople come onto this forum with a whole range of problems.

Necessary to make them feel you understand and advise appropriately. Many people can't see what steps need to be taken to help themselves, so the ability to give appropriate advice is essential and many people don't know enough about the illness and are frightened by their symptoms, so also as well as educating them, kindness, empathy and sympathy are needed

B. What do you think the 10 things that are important in my job - can you list them in order of importance?

I thought I would ask my colleagues this question to compare and contrast what I felt were the priority of the 10 things important to my job – belongs in Learning Activity 2 really - not Learning Activity 1!

1 Ability to set up and maintain a web based charity/ Forum
2 Empathy with regard to having suffered PNI
3 Unconditional acceptance of the people who use the Forum
4 Ability to formulate an appropriate response to new members
5 Knowledge gained through continued support of others
6 Knowledge gained through personal study, research and professional development (conferences etc.)
7 Ability to mediate with regard to Forum issues
8 Ability to offer reassurance and support to staff members
9 Preparedness to be ‘yourself’
10 Account keeping


1 knowledge of illness/meds etc
2 empathy
3 kindness
4 organization
5 computer knowledge
6 knowledge of what help is out there
7 honesty
8 impartiality - so that you don't get too upset by what you hear

1 Understanding of issues
2 Excellent communication skills
3 Personal experience
4 Positive outlook
5 Multi-tasking
6 Knowledge of a range of mental illness
7 Prioritizing
8 Pro-active
9 Good delegation to moderators to help with work load
10 Knowledge of aid and services available

C. what skills and competencies do you feel that I have?

i.e. what areas do I do best? What key skills or knowledge do I bring to my job? What do I need to improve, change or get some counseling etc on?( be honest I really do want your feedback - don't worry if you do not feel you have known me on here for long enough - all comments are welcome

I feel that your ability to empathize with issues is an amazingly strong point of yours. ( thank you) People post on the forum with a huge range of issues and to make the person believe that there is someone there who understands is invaluable.The practical advice you offer is another strong point of the forum. You use your ability to research a huge range of areas and pass on this information to the person concerned.

Empathy and understanding. The ability to consider your responses and get things down on paper and the will to get things done.

All of the above!!!!

You have all the skills and competencies required
You have all the skills required – you do your job well and I do not think you can improve on the skills you have and I do not think anyone could do it better

I feel that you are excellent at empathizing with people on the forum and drawing on personal experiences in order to help others.

You always manage to add a note of positivity on bleak situations which is so important when dealing with people who may be so 'fragile'.

You communicate advice without being judgmental and comment sensitively on delicate issues such as rape and self harm.

I think it would benefit the site if professional counselors were made available as, although I know it is not a medical forum but a self help forum, certain people may find it easier to talk to people online as opposed to counselors face to face, particularly with the nature of issues discussed on the forum.Maybe add a link to sites that may do this? (Don’t know if any exist)*

(*note-sites for counselors - they do exist but:
With regard to links to professional counselors we could do this and we have considered it. But one of the problems is with this is professional counselors are either allocated through the NHS or the person would have to pay privately - and we are unsure about the ethics of pointing women who have varying income levels to private counseling.However there are a couple of web site s that do offer private counseling online but the only one I feel able to recommend at present is the one I am registered as a counselor on is:
http://www.kasamba.com/Advice/Browse/ViewCategory.aspx?desid=1&Catid=10341
I personally do not have a separate counseling Diploma but part of my initial youth work qualification contained the equivalent of a Diploma in ‘person centered’ counseling, so I do some private counseling work but really running the forum just do not have any time for it anymore, and this mans that I have less earnings as I do all my work for PNI ORG UK voluntary but when I counsel I get paid for this - however I believe very strongly that help and support for PNI should not be just for those who can afford to pay.)

D. What training might it be useful for me to undertake or what from what you know of me and my role/work here would it be helpful to improve

Can't think of anything - honestly. I love the site the way it is and can't think of anything that would improve it. Maybe running a helpline, so there's someone to speak to, but I guess that would require more people to be available and so that they're appropriately trained to take calls from individuals and offer appropriate advice.
Possibly look to do qualifications in counseling as I think you would be really great at this!*
(*note I do have counseling qualifications – I trained in ‘person centered’ counseling)

I think you need to improve the problem of role splitting – which is very hard. For example you respond to members and guests with your own experiences and can very involved will this. So it’s hard to take criticism then of the site without feeling emotionally drained with dealing with it

( This last one is so totally right??? I realy need to do this and very soon!! - supervision I feel is a way forward on this for me??)