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Mindy Ritchie Posts: 8
12/10/2020
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Happy Thursday everyone!
I am currently struggling with an intern and their hygiene. PS teacher and myself have bought several items (toothbrush, deodorant etc.) for the intern to keep in her locker if needed. We have made several videos accessible to her which demonstrate and detail proper washing, personal care etc. and nothing seems to be helping. Any suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated. According to the school district, this has been an ongoing problem with her and her sister. She did a good job of hiding it most of HS (receiving assistance from the school nurse and not communicating with mom or teacher), we found this out after inquiring about a possible previous history with this issue. The intern is IDD. She also has a history of being dishonest with us about personal hygiene matters, but we see her potential and work ethic and really are confident she could be hired soon (2nd internship). This however hinges on her being able to positively manage her hygiene. We found out they do not have access to water at home, so we have tried to address that also. Hopefully in all these struggles someone will have some great ideas and possible solutions! Thanks in advance!
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Heather Morath Posts: 40
12/14/2020
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Hi Mindy  Thanks for posing this question to the group! The collective knowledge and wisdom of the Project SEARCH community is such an amazing thing!!!! I hope you get some great ideas.
Here are some of my thoughts for your consideration:
It sounds like your team has done some great work to try to set this intern up for success!!! Great job digging into the problem more to find out that access to water is an issue and for working to address this. This makes me think there may be other contributing factors as well that haven’t been uncovered yet. You may have already tried this, but I’m wondering if you’ve asked the intern for their thoughts and ideas on the problem.
I would suggest you consider trying a collaborative problem solving model. This really involves getting the intern to explore the unsolved problem and having them come up with suggestions for what may help. Often as helping professionals, we try to offer what we think will help without fully knowing/understanding the situation and what the student thinks. I’ve found that, though it takes it bit more time, using a model like this to explore the problem and collaboratively come up with solutions leads to interventions that are a lot more targeted to meet their individual needs/concerns and therefore more likely to be successful. I would suggest using the below 3 steps in the conversation (Note: this is adapted from the Plan B Cheat Sheet on https://www.livesinthebalance.org/paperwork).
Step 1 is the empathy step. The goal in this step is to gather information about and achieve a clear understanding of the intern’s concern or perspective on the unsolved problem you’re discussing. It often sounds like, “I’ve noticed that…(insert unsolved problem)… what’s up?” Getting more info usually involves reflective listening and clarifying questions, gathering information related to the who, what, where, and when of the unsolved problem. If you’re not sure what to say next, want more info, or are confused by something the intern has said, say something like: “How so?” “I don’t quite understand.” “Can you tell me more about that?” “Let me think about that for a second.” If the intern doesn’t talk or says, “I don’t know,” try to figure out why: Maybe the intern needs the problem broken down into parts, or maybe they need more time to think, etc. Don’t rush, even if it feels awkward, try to allow plenty of time for this step.
Step 2 is the defining the problem step. The goal of this step is to enter the concern of the second party (often the helping professional- you) into consideration. This often sounds like, “The thing is (insert adult concern)….” or “My concern is (insert adult concern)…” Most helping professional concerns fall into one of two categories: how the problem is affecting the intern or how the problem is affecting others. Don’t lecture or start talking about solutions in this step. You are just adding your observations/concerns.
Step 3 is the invitation step. The goal of this step is to brainstorm solutions with the intern that are realistic (meaning both parties can do what they are agreeing to) and mutually satisfactory (meaning the solution truly addresses the concerns of both parties). This often includes restating the concerns that were identified in the first two steps, usually beginning with “I wonder if there is a way…” Try to stick closely to the concerns that were identified in the first two steps. While it’s a good idea to give the intern the first opportunity to propose a solution, generating solutions is a team effort. It’s a good idea to consider the odds of a given solution actually working…if you think the odds are below 60-70 percent, consider what it is that’s making you skeptical and talk about it. This step always ends with an agreement to return to this discussion if the solution you’ve agreed on to address the problem doesn’t work. Don’t rush through this step either. It’s also important not to enter this step with preordained, “ingenious” solutions. Come with an open mind and come up with solutions as you both learn more form the conversation. In the end, don’t sign off on solutions that both parties can’t actually perform, or sign off on solutions that don’t truly address the concerns of both parties.
This whole process takes some practice, so it may feel a bit awkward at first. Like any other skill, it gets easier as you do it more and more. If you have questions about this, please feel free to reach out to me at Heather.Morath@cchmc.org. Thanks for your dedication to the success of this intern!!!
edited by Heather.Morath@cchmc.org on 12/14/2020
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