The Social Worker’s Practice Manual
Other books by Neil are available from here
Dr Neil ThompsonAugust 16, 2018
Neil Thompson’s Lesson for Living – Do a hassle audit
What I mean by hassle is anything that causes annoyance, slows us down or in any way reduces our quality of life. And, by an audit, I mean a means of weighing up the hassles we face, considering the impact they have on us and trying to do something about them. I am not proposing any sort of formal measurement system, just a listing of those things that give you hassle, a consideration of how significant each of these is and then some thought given to what, if anything, you can do about them. My career has involved me in helping people address problems and concerns that they are up against. This has often led to situations in which people…
Dr Neil ThompsonAugust 16, 2018
‘Give a homeless person a camera, and they will look at the city in a new way’
You’re worth nothing,” Colin’s stepfather used to tell him as a child. Even now, sleeping rough on the streets of Manchester, the words haunt him; as a child he started believing it himself, and is still racked with self-doubt. It’s easier not to think what demons might be plaguing a person sleeping rough. Much simpler to keep walking, pass them by: out of sight, out of mind. It’s the natural response, says Alex Greenhalgh, co-founder of social enterprise People of the Streets. “The norm is being ignored or sidelined,” he says. “Or pitied with an awkward smile. It’s a totally isolating experience.” The one perspective nobody ever sees, says Greenhalgh, is the one that really matters: that of the person in the doorway, the…
Dr Neil ThompsonAugust 16, 2018
Seth Godin’s blog – The motor
Here’s a simple hierarchy: The self-driving car Cruise control Manual driving Hitchhiking Bicycling Walking The arc? As you move down the list, it gets harder and harder to coast. It moves from “set it once and forget it” to “one step at at time.” The growth of audiobooks is outpacing reading. Why? Because audiobooks come with their own motor. Even readers are pointing out that they’ve forgotten how to read. But of course, that’s not true–we can still read a word, or even a sentence, it’s pushing ourselves through a chapter that’s difficult. Click here to read more
Dr Neil ThompsonAugust 16, 2018
Tips to help autistic people on public transport
Autistic people can get overloaded by everything around them. It's like all the senses are firing, all at once. Like there's no filter. Like they're getting too much information. The latest film in our Too Much Information campaign focuses on the impact unexpected changes can have on autistic people. Our film, starring Saskia, shows her becoming increasingly anxious due to the unexpected changes on her train journey. There are many ways you can help stop an autistic person from feeling overwhelmed on public transport... Click here to read more
Dr Neil ThompsonAugust 16, 2018
Improve wellbeing by becoming ‘conversationally intelligent’
Workplace conversations happen all the time of course, but “good” conversation – talking that makes change happen or calms conflict – is a real skill that often needs to be learned. As one NHS trust found, equipping managers with better conversation skills has also helped to cut absence and sickness levels, explains Rebecca Foreman. Workplace conversations aren’t in a healthy state. As the basis of our day-to-day experience and workplace relationships, conversations are fundamental to wellbeing, how we cope with stress and the rollercoaster of organisational life. While work technologies and management have evolved over the past hundred years or so of working together in formal environments like offices, our ability to have “good” conversations hasn’t moved on. Click here…
Dr Neil ThompsonAugust 16, 2018
The Social Worker’s Practice Manual
Other books by Neil are available from here
Dr Neil ThompsonAugust 2, 2018
Neil Thompson’s Lesson for Living – Don’t confuse experience with learning
It is commonly assumed that the more experience a person has, the more learning they will have done, and thus the more they will have to offer, but it’s important to realise that this is a very unsafe assumption to make. We don’t have to go far generally to come across someone who has a lot of experience, but has learned relatively little from it. There can be people with three years’ experience in a particular field who have done an excellent job of drawing out the lessons from that learning, of really making that experience count in terms of improving their practice and developing their confidence. But, there can also be people with thirty years’ experience who have done…
Dr Neil ThompsonAugust 2, 2018
Why UK doctors are doling out ‘social prescriptions’ to treat mental health
Family physicians in Britain are increasingly prescribing art classes, gardening clubs and walking groups — as an alternative to pills — to patients with mental health challenges. The practice, known as social prescribing, is covered by the U.K.'s National Health Service or NHS and is geared toward people with mental health challenges described as mild or moderate. "What we're looking at is non-medical solutions — where appropriate — for people that can often be more transformative than just giving them medication, which doesn't always get to the root of the cause," says Marie Polley, founder of the Social Prescribing Network, a group of health professionals involved with using the method. "Within the NHS, we have general practitioners who are all recognizing that people are coming back to see them over and…
Dr Neil ThompsonAugust 2, 2018
Eldercare is the new frontier of work-family balance
Eldercare is a growing workplace issue as the numbers of workers caring for an elderly family member rises. Carers UK reports that there are three million working carers, representing one in eight in the workplace; a significant proportion of which are eldercarers. With an ageing population, longer living, extended working lives and a squeeze on social services, the number of working eldercarers is set to soar. The organisation predicts that by 2037 there will be nine million carers in the UK. Around 85% of these carers, the majority of whom are women, are the ‘sandwich generation’, caring for offspring as well as elderly parents. And there is a growing number of the ‘club sandwich generation’ too; baby boomers taking care…
Dr Neil ThompsonAugust 2, 2018
