Participant welfare team

Overview

The participant welfare team exists to help event participants who are unable to enjoy the event due to mental health issues or emotional distress. When crew members in other teams need support for participants in emotional distress that exceeds their capability to provide help, they can request welfare team support via radio. Crew members who are experiencing distress themselves can contact welfare directly, either by radio or by visiting the welfare tent.

Since emotional distress often accompanies other problems, the welfare team will frequently give and receive referrals with other teams. Welfare team support may be one side of a larger picture, and there may sometimes be a “revolving door” pattern to interactions between the welfare team and other specialised teams within the PD structure. The recurring nature of welfare situations makes it important to track information about the history of interaction with participants to enable effective work by later team members, while maintaining the privacy of the individuals involved.

Members of the welfare team may have skills and experience in counselling, psychotherapy, or similar backgrounds. It is important to recognise, however, that the work of the welfare team at events does not aim to be therapeutic. Event participants and visitors to the welfare tent are not our clients or patients, and our work is closer to that of crisis helpline counsellors or of a good friend than that of a professional counsellor or psychotherapist. The goal of the welfare team is to assist participants move through the distress and help them attain a state where they can go back into the field and enjoy the event again, as quickly and as smoothly as possible. If that is not possible, and the best thing for them would be to go home, then the welfare team can call other teams to assist them in leaving site.

Guiding Principles

There are five principles that guide the work that the welfare team does.

Treat People as Individuals

It is all too easy to assign individuals to categories and then make generalisations and assumptions about them. This is to be avoided as it can lead to mistakes and oversights. Instead, treat the person in front of you as a unique individual, not just as a human being, but as this specific human being. By starting with the assumption that you know nothing about them, you will find yourself paying more attention to everything they choose to share.

Non-judgemental Acceptance

It is likely that someone suffering from emotional distress may have compounded their problems by doing something foolish. It is not the welfare team’s place to judge them for their past actions. Accepting a person for who they are means forgetting questions of right and wrong and instead focusing on what is real. This does not prevent us from having opinions about people’s behaviour, if we can ensure that criticism of behaviour is not misinterpreted as criticism of the person.

Focus on Needs

Everybody has both physical and emotional needs. When any of these needs are unmet, or our usual method of attaining them become unusable, we experience emotional distress. When all our needs are met, we feel good. While the conversation may wander in various directions, and the participant may want to talk about their experiences or history, the welfare team member should aim to focus on the question of needs. Which needs are being met? Which needs are not being met? Then the conversation can naturally progress to forming a plan of action that will help the participant achieve their unmet needs. It is important not to forget the basic physical needs; if someone is cold, wet and miserable then getting them warm and dry will often be the most effective means of improving their experience.

Autonomy

We all need a sense of control over what happens to us and the freedom to make our own decisions and choices, which helps us to feel in charge of ourselves rather than overwhelmed by life. Sometimes, people really want you to take their agency: decide for them; reinforce a prior decision; fix their problem. Members of the welfare team should, wherever practically possible, encourage participants to think for themselves and choose their own course of action. We can help by offering options and making recommendations, but the final decision must remain with the participant. We are not there to solve their problems for them.

Confidentiality

Except for the specific circumstances noted below, any information that is shared with a member of the welfare team must be kept confidential and not shared with anyone outside the team, either during the event or afterwards. You should therefore ask participants if it is ok for their whereabouts to be shared with concerned friends who come looking for them.

Information may be shared within the welfare team in case the participant returns when the original team member is unavailable. Discussion between team members can also help us evaluate and improve our methods, and act as a way for team members to release any emotional distress they themselves may be experiencing because of interaction with participants.

If a member of the team receives information that leads them to believe that a child is being neglected, abused or at risk of harm then this must be reported to a member of the management team and a missing child must be reported to security. Similarly, information about any other participant who is at risk of serious harm must be reported to first aid and/or security. If a participant informs the welfare team that they have been the victim of sexual harassment or assault at an event, then they should be gently encouraged to make a report to the conduct team. If they do not wish to make an official complaint, then the welfare team may make an anonymous report on their behalf.

There are also legal obligations that require disclosure of confidential information concerning serious crimes, particularly regarding the prevention of terrorism; members of the welfare team may disclose information to the appropriate authorities if it is required by law.

The circumstances noted above do not require permission to breach confidentiality. If a welfare team member believes that any other information should be shared outside the team then they must first obtain permission from either the participant who told them or from the head of the welfare team. Failure to follow this policy will result in removal from the welfare team.

Process and Techniques

While every situation is unique, the welfare team member should remember that the aim is always to get the participant to a state where they can go back into the field and enjoy the event. The methods listed in this section will be useful in most, if not all, situations.

Calm

Individuals undergoing overstimulation or emotional crisis often reach out toward anything they see as "solid" to reorient themselves with the world. Calm people with your presence and actions and example, not by telling them to calm down. It is hard to get people to calm down if you are acting anxious or angry. Never tell anyone to calm down. A useful warning sign is if you or the participant are starting to repeat yourselves. This may indicate something has gone wrong in the communication cycle. The speaker may feel misunderstood, or you may be getting overwhelmed or over-involved. If this happens, take a breath, slow down and ask different questions, or request help from another member of crew.

Building Rapport

Your communication can be effective only when received in a language the receivers can understand. You need to speak not in your own language or style of thinking but in the language and style of thinking of the receivers. The greater the matching of behaviours between two people, the more likely they are to feel themselves in emotional rapport, to like each other and be interested in what each other is saying.

Empathy, Not Sympathy

Empathy is a respectful understanding of what others are experiencing. The presence that empathy requires is not easy to maintain. Instead of empathy, we tend to have a strong urge to give advice or reassurance and to explain our own position or feeling. Empathy, on the other hand, requires focusing full attention on the other person's message. We give to others the time and space they need to express themselves fully and to feel understood. The key ingredient of empathy is presence: we are wholly present with the other party and what they are experiencing. This quality of presence distinguishes empathy from either mental understanding or sympathy. While we may choose at times to sympathise with others by feeling their feelings, it is helpful to be aware that during the moment we are offering sympathy, we are not empathising. Other common behaviours that prevent us from being sufficiently present to connect empathically with others include: advising, educating, consoling, diagnosing, and explaining.

Attentive Listening

Listen. Do not interrupt. Wait until the end of a story or a pause in the conversation to ask a question, clarify a point, or consolidate information. People in emotional crisis often want an opportunity to talk at length about what they are thinking and feeling. Give them the time. Be aware of body language and gesture; this can provide important clues to a participant's actual state of mind. Be open, but not coercive or overtly directive. Let them tell the story in their own time and style.

People in crisis often have an acutely keen sense for immediacy and sincerity. The simple fact that someone safe, sane, and sensible is paying close attention to them provides a powerful anchor in their internal turbulence. You need to bring your full authentic presence and focus to the situation. It can be hard to remain focused there, but compassion and patience are critical. You may not see the effect of your compassionate presence in their immediate presentation, but we are social creatures, and do not fail to notice when another human gives us their focused attention. If that attention is genuine and benevolent without attempting control, the internal effect can be powerfully reassuring.

Of course, your first goal in listening is to provide emotional support to the participant. But another important goal is to gather information that may be helpful as we figure out how to care for them. This could include information like what happened, who else was involved, where they are camped, whether they have friends on site, and pre-existing medical or psychological conditions, etc. Some of these things you may be able to verify, some you probably will not. If necessary, take notes so that this information can be shared with other team members.

Reflect thoughts, feelings, and behaviour. Reflection here means re-stating what a person has said using their own words and phrases. Reflection tells the participant that you are listening and care, giving them permission to discuss sensitive topics; it allows the participant to listen to their own thought processes and stories, heightening their self-awareness; and it allows the participant to confirm, correct, or amplify upon your understanding of what you have heard and seen.

Finding Solutions

Having built rapport and obtained information about the participant’s current situation, the next essential step is to ask the participant what their objectives are. When asking what they want, it is important to get the participant to think of goals which can be expressed positively and are specific, realistic, and achievable. Identify the first steps toward the goal and discuss how this might be achieved. If the participant has more than one problem, tackle the problems in order of their perceived importance to them.

Involve participants in the decisions of what to do whenever you can: if they have chosen something, then they are in control of at least part of their lives. Guiding them to choices that are helpful is better than making those choices for them. Leave them space to be humans with self-respect, without encouraging them toward any further danger.

Often, participants will solve their own problems. As you explore viable solutions with participants, you can have them rehearse a scenario of what each solution might look like. Be generous but truthful as to your own opinions regarding these solutions. Always ask the participant about what they realistically think the outcome of their proposed action will be, and whether it will be helpful to the situation at hand. If the participant doesn't know what to do about their situation, suggest some possibilities or engage in a little brainstorming. Remember, we are trying above all to help identify options for them, so they can solve their own problems.

If the participant suggests behaviour or solutions that are bizarre, detrimental, or violent then don't disagree; instead ask them what the chain of consequences from the proposed behaviour might be, and whether it will really solve their problems or improve their situation. Be patient, even if the participant rambles. Rambling is common as they are using the time to organise and process events, emotions, and memories. There is often substantial iterative mental processing going on, which does not necessarily lend itself to coherent, linear trains of thought.

Closure

Close the process with the participant themselves: re-narrate your understanding of their situation in brief terms to them as part of your farewell. They may have trouble tracking the whole thread of the crisis on their own - this wrap-up gives them a stable transition and helps frame how they will look back on it.

When handing off with other teams, give a concise summary, and expect the same when receiving a handoff. Start with the basics, even if they could see them for themselves, then proceed to the most important nuggets of information, including anything practical you have done for them, and keep it short and focused. That kind of focused communication is not only good for the participant, it builds respect and trust between teams.

Decompress - these can be emotionally intense experiences and swallowing them all alone is more foolish than heroic. We all have friends, and crew we respect, and the welfare team are happy to help volunteers find their own inner footing before it becomes a crisis. Give yourself time to sit down and run through the parts that bug you with someone else. Don’t do all that work alone. We all get into tough calls from time to time and are there to help each other back into our various grooves when we come out the other side of them. Respect the work you’ve done and allow yourself some support.

Joining the Team

Current members of crew are welcome to join the participant welfare team if they have experience of helping others using techniques similar to those above, are able to be emotionally empathetic to strangers, and can remain logical and objective in the presence of high emotion. If you have the relevant skills but wish to remain a member of another crew team then may be possible to be a casual member of the welfare team, who we can call on as and when needed. As with all crew members, you will be expected to be familiar with crew protocol, the guidelines on supporting players and PD's child protection information. For further information, please speak with the head of the participant welfare team, John Newton.

Head of Participant Welfare Team: John Newton