MENTAL HEALTH
ON TRACK
I
n prison settings , addiction , substance misuse , mental health issues , self-harm and violence are unfortunately all too common . Selftracking tools provide a way for people with issues such as these to gain insight into aspects of their life that are important to their wellbeing , personal development , and behaviour modification . Simple self-tracking tools are something prison residents can be given to help them better navigate their custodial journey so they may effect positive change . This article provides an overview of how these tools can be implemented
TRACKER 1 – WEEKLY REFLECTION
and their positive impact .
The drug and alcohol recovery service ( DARS ) team at HMP Manchester in collaboration with the safer custody department and Jennifer Clark , who specialises in neurodiversity within prisons , created two selftracking tools for residents . The first of the trackers considers a weekly cycle of reflection . It has three scaled questions , scored from 0 to 10 , along with a chart to plot the total score . Each question relates to a reliable indicator , or psychometric measure , of how a person is doing in recovery ( see boxes ).
These trackers have been
Q1 : How was your personal sense of wellbeing over the last week ? Q2 : How were things in social settings over the last week ?
Q3 : How well have you done at connecting with positive and supportive people over the past week ?
TRACKER 2 – MONTHLY REFLECTION
Q1 : How stressful was the last month ? Q2 : How supported have you felt over the last month ?
Self-tracking tools can be a valuable way of improving mental health in prison settings , say Gearóid Carey and Lisa Ogilvie
used by residents at HMP Manchester for a number of years , and during this time it has been observed that engagement with them is most effective when conducted in a structured and social way , such as through peer mentoring , sharing circles and monthly community surveys .
PEER MENTORING At present , over 30 residents at HMP Manchester are engaged in self-tracking peer mentoring . This activity involves meeting with a peer mentor , referred to as a recovery peer , either weekly or monthly . During these sessions , mentees track and discuss their recovery using one of the self-tracking tools .
With these structured sessions serving as the foundation of their connection , mentors and mentees engage in a variety of other supportive activities . For instance , they might play chess , attend the gym together , or discuss recovery-related workbooks on topics such as managing cravings . Recovery peers are also available for a chat and a cup of tea if mentees feel they are at risk of breaking abstinence , and will do daily check-ins with mentees who are going through a difficult time .
When mentees are doing well and feel they no longer need weekly mentoring sessions , they are encouraged to switch to monthly self-tracking check-ins . This maintains their connection with structured peer support , helping them to sustain their momentum and stay on track for the long term .
SHARING CIRCLES A sharing circle is a weekly group , usually with around eight participants . At the start of each session , participants complete the weekly self-tracking questions and plot their total scores . They can then share their charts and talk about their week . They are also encouraged to talk about their plans moving forward and identify some action steps for the coming week .
Following each participant ’ s share , the rest of the group is encouraged to provide feedback
JellyPics
18 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • JUNE 2024 WWW . DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS . COM