Mea Culpa!

If you watch a river or water that has spilled, it always follows the path of least resistance….staying true to a new practice or model can be a tough path that offers some challenges or resistances…. Humans are about 60 – 75% water (according to my online search) so…I’m just saying….

I’ve lost fidelity to process of wellness.  Ugh…I had such good intentions after my surgery but have “fallen off the wagon”.  It’s been a terribly hectic few weeks! I realized that I have not been paying attention to my wellness when I was lying in bed last night and feeling quite ill.  Thank goodness my Sammy (our black and white tuxedo cat) was there to curl up on my pillow and tuck me in.  As I was lying there practicing my breathing and listening to Sammy’s snoring/purring (a very interesting sound indeed), I started to reflect on where things had shifted.

I realized that I was again not getting enough rest, not eating properly, not exercising, not spending enough time with my family, not practicing my mindfulness and just generally trying to do too much.  No fidelity to my wellness practice and subsequently, some pretty poor outcomes.  So now what…back in line….set my alarm for an hour later, ate breakfast, ate lunch, slowed my pace, set time aside for family and friends today….

This is exactly what we can happen in evidence-based practice.  We can drift.  The important thing is not to drift to the extent that I just did.  Participating in clinical supervision of our practice, evaluating our practice, consulting with peers, reviewing our approach, and stopping and taking time to be mindful about our practice is what will keep us true to the work and lead to outcomes.

A great example of this is our Fear Busters program.  A program developed by some great service providers in Northumberland to help youth between 7 and 12 who may be experiencing challenges with anxiety.  We are seeing some nice outcomes from this program.  CAFAS scores are going down, clients and families are reporting high satisfaction.  Why?  This is an intervention that has been developed and implemented with integrity.  Good background theory and research have been used to develop the program, a program that they have manualized.  BCFPI and other data are being used to include only youth who would most benefit from the program.  Service providers are delivering the program consistently while making appropriate adjustments to ensure quality and that clients needs are met.  They are showing flexibility within fidelity. This is true evidence-based practice.