Introduction

The SupervisoryStructures in AMBIT are designed to counterbalance the potentially destabilising effects of privileging an Individual keyworker relationship with clients who are potentially disturbed and/or disturbing. Hence AMBIT stresses as equally important the need for a Keyworker well-connected to wider team. The principle way of developing coherence in a team is to develop a strong culture of disciplined communication about the work, which we call Thinking Together.

Learning Outcomes

(a) To understand the impact of affect on workers, and their own capacity to mentalize.
(b) To understand the value to a worker of being accurately mentalized by a colleague in relation to a specific clinical problem.
(c) To know (and have practised) the four steps of Thinking Together

Training Exercise 1:

• Discussion in small groups or pairs about the impact of clients upon workers, and the inevitability of anxiety on the work (10 minutes)
• The Passed-outwards Discussion - FOLLOWED by discussion of the Ripples in a Pond and the Dive Boat analogies to illustrate the effect of proximity to affect on mentalizing capacity, and the function of the team in this respect.

Didactic Teaching

A 20 minute didactic presentation to explain anxiety in the workplace, and the unhelpfulness of shame as a response to this. Then we describe the 4 steps of Thinking Together and show the two videos of 'Thinking Apart' and 'Thinking Together', followed by questions and discussion. Emphasise the "Airline Safety Talk" analogy (put your own mask on before attending to your child) - see Mentalizing the Affect.

Training Exercise 2:

Practise Thinking Together

Time allocation

90 minutes