Dovilė Daugėlienė, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas (Lithuania)

Mental illness is a challenging experience that can destabilize personal, professional, and social life. This poster shares experiences and insights about process of (re)building positive self-image through group work to develop social, emotional, and professional skills for people with mental illnesses.

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Chronic mental illness is a challenging experience that can destabilize personal, professional and social life of an individual. K. Charmaz (1983, 2000) pointed out to “loss of self” – a process when former self-image is deformed or destroyed which cause a deep suffering to an ill person, may led to social isolation and breakdown. The aim of this poster is to share experience and provide some insights about process of (re)building positive self-image through group work with aim to develop social, emotional and professional skills for persons with mental disabilities. 

“Friends of faith“ is NGO organization located in Kaunas, Lithuania which provide support for persons with mental disabilities. Since 2020 social rehabilitation program is implemented which aims to increase persons with mental disabilities independence by promoting their integration into the labour market, local communities and social life. Using social work with group method we aim to empower our clients to discover their strengths, resources, abilities, raise and pursue life goals. Certain theoretical ideas have influenced the planning and implementation of this group. First of al – combination of strengths-based and solution focused approaches.  As Chapin et al. (2015, 63 p.) claimed, "these two approaches work well together and may serve to reinforce each other because they each contain complementary principles that provide client-centred and holistic perspectives for social work practice." To emphasize strength and capacities of clients, rather than constant concentration on problems, pathologies and limitations (Kam, 2021) is important especially for those with mental illnesses, who experiencing not only disturbing symptoms of disease but also suffer from disempowerment in health care institutions, society and even in their own family. Client’s problems are not ignored, but the focus shifts to an ability rather than on inability, to possibility to grow rather than suffering, to transformations, rather than isolation.

Also ideas from classical sociological Ch. Cooley work on “looking-glass self” theory were included. According to Ch. Cooley (1964) individuals can establish their concept of self by observing how they are perceived and accepted by others. Group participants, leader and group environment itself became important, save and positive element for (re)constructing self, which was lost or deformed because of severe illness.

Circumstances of group work - 8 participants (the majority of them suffer from schizophrenia) took part in this skills development group. 10 sessions were planed and implemented. Themes of group work included: self-knowledge, relationship with others, illness self-management, internal and external resources mobilization, lessons and meaning arising from living with an illness, recognition and management of emotions, coping with stigma, recovery of general and special professional skills (IT , teamwork, agenda planning, critique expression and acceptance, performance of specific work operations).

The results of group work - Group members stated that the group helped them to overcome feelings of self-isolation, meaninglessness, allowed them to discover their strengths, feel competent, regain hope and faith in oneself. This poster may be interesting and beneficial to social work students and practitioners who work with persons with mental disabilities, to social project and program planners.