"I feel a lot more confident and secure in my job. I actually feel that I could handle most situations or do better than I have in the past." -Educational Assistant
"Skills expected of participants such as showing dignity, respect, validating, listening, etc. were demonstrated by the instructor. Expectations were clear and concise." -Linda Randall, Behavior Specialist, Penninsula School District
The Guiding Philosophy of SECURE:
The philosophy of SECURE focuses on a proactive approach to crisis management and looks at the crisis holistically to prevent future crisis. Three guiding factors to ensuring an ethical approach to crisis management are:
- The intervention must meet the needs and preferences of the individual in crisis.
- We must constantly reflect respect on the individuals concerned.
- The safety of everyone in the environment is our highest priority.
The world of helping professions is full of different perspectives, techniques, and practices designed to support individuals and effect change in their lives.
At the most fundamental level — what are we? Good? Motivated by physical needs? Social? Seeking the approval of others? Competitive? Working for power over others? Creative? Our fundamental assumptions about people and human nature has a significant impact on our assessments of the motivations, needs, and techniques we might use to support an individual in crisis.
Beneath the concepts, practices, and techniques put forth in SECURE, our view of human nature serves as our central guide. We recognize that the actions of individuals represent their best efforts to meet their complex physical, social, and emotional needs using the most effective means they understand are available to them.
SECURE's 3 guiding philosophies provide continuity in philosophy for all. When supporting individuals to make more healthy choices or to use more efficient, socially acceptable, or safe ways to meet their needs, our interventions should be grounded in this universal concept.
SECURE's 3 guiding philosophies are embedded throughout the curriculum and assist us in utilizing this central philosophy to create effective interventions for the individuals we support to achieve their desired educational, therapeutic, and personal goals in a safe and successful manner.
The intervention must meet the needs and preferences of the individual in crisis.
As we discussed above, everyone works to meet their needs in different ways — but these needs form a central, and often strong, motivation for behavior. Behaviors that occur as both part of a crisis and part of daily life must be evaluated carefully to understand the particular need that they are meeting. Once this is understood, an intervention can be designed that will support the individuals needs in a more appropriate or effective manner.
We must constantly reflect respect on the individuals concerned.
As part of the central view of human nature put forth by SECURE, it is particularly important to remember that ineffective ways of meeting physical, social, or emotional needs are part of everyone's life.
The safety of everyone in the environment is our highest priority.
This guiding philosophy ensures that we communicate our regard for the individual and for ourselves at all times. We teach individuals that unsafe ways of meeting their needs are never acceptable and that we will, even in our intervention, place the highest priority on safety. This also extends to limiting interventions which might cause a further safety risk to the person in crisis or even to ourselves. When we do intervene with physical means, we do so in a way which will minimize likely risks.
How do we provide for a person's needs when they challenge us? How do we show respect in the face of adversity? How do we maintain safety in an unsafe situation? These issues are all addressed in the SECURE Curriculum.