Clients have been encouraged by mental health professionals to talk about their mental health issues. Mental health workers suggested they could prepare their clients for the new environment (literacy program) by discussing what information the literacy program will need and what information the teacher will need. Mental health workers can help clients describe their coping strategies and any signals or flags to literacy program staff. Clients need to learn about themselves and get to know their own issues so that they can describe what a bad day is like and what a good day is like. (It’s a good day when…) Mental health workers recommended talking to clients about questions that it is all right to ask. They also said that clients need to know that a mental health worker is available to answer questions and to discuss any issues.
One of the goals of literacy programs is to prepare clients to move on by improving commitment to attendance, memory and concentration. Clients should be ready for this. Literacy staff suggested that mental health workers read Working Together.
Literacy staff expect learners to be accountable for their attendance and encourage them to make appointments outside the scheduled learning times. This is something that mental health workers could explain to their clients.
Comment:
Clients need to recognize that they need to make a commitment to learning. However, although literacy is probably one of the biggest things to affect a client, it probably will not get the most attention. Clients will always need to put housing and relationships first.
If a client has attended an intake interview at a literacy program and has not been accepted, it is important to find the reasons and work on the issues that were identified so that the client can try again when those issues have been resolved.
The Occupational Therapy Service at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre (ROMHC), in partnership with Urban Christian Outreach (UCO), offers an Adult Education Program at the ROMHC. Clients working with a ROMHC occupational therapist can attend the ROMHC/UCO Adult Education Program. The program offers ROMHC clients the opportunity to achieve specific learning objectives in literacy, basic education and high school upgrading, in a semi-tutorial setting. This on-site partnership means the instructor has instant access to an occupational therapist in the event of a student therapeutic issue or crisis. This program accommodates 15-20 students a year and can act as a bridge to programs in the community.
There is one drop-in program that is available at four different sites; Shepherd’s of Good Hope, St. Andrew’s Residence (residents only), Centre 454 Drop-In and Capital City Mission. This program is run by the John Howard Society. The goal is to make literacy accessible for people who are homeless, transient, socially isolated and under-housed.