We’ve all needed support from a trusted friend before. Many times the best person to help us change and deal with difficult situations is someone we have a trusting relationship with, who can listen and show compassion.
At Genesis Trust, building trusting relationships is at the core of everything we do in our support of homeless and vulnerable people. Much of this trust building is done through our one-to-one work under our Life Thrive project, part of Genesis Life Projects.
Life Thrive consists of all the one-to-one meetings we have across Genesis Life Projects.
Genesis Life Projects manager Sue Fourie says, “An integral and very important part of the client journey and what we do at Genesis Life Projects is targeted, focused one-to-one support work.”
Our one-to-one sessions at Genesis Life Projects are individually tailored based on the client’s needs and interests. Sometimes all that is needed is a one-off session; other times a block of six to eight sessions or it may be more long term. Whichever it is, a one-to-one is about building trusting relationships and psychological safety. It’s where we strive to ignite hope and create motivation and engagement by identifying and working proactively on issues together.
If the situation is right our clients may be encouraged to engage in a six-month block using our Journey of Change programme. These clients may have a combination of general one-to-ones, Creative Art one-to-ones as well as home visits which are described below.
General one-to-ones
General one-to-ones are advisory sessions about lifestyle issues, housing, budgeting, employment and alcohol and drug use in partnership with other local statutory and voluntary organisations.
Keith (not his real name) had attended our Life Course which gave him the confidence to visit Lifeline to gain further one-to-one support. He had been out of employment for some time and needed help filling in online forms. As a result, he has just secured a job.
Home Visit one-to-ones
These are focused one-to-one work with hard-to-reach people who have varying levels of engagement. Their complex situations will have a person-centred approach tailored to their individual needs.
Creative Art one-to-ones
At Creative Arts one-to-ones, we offer blocks of six sessions using a variety of art and creative activities. Often our client’s past trauma makes it difficult for them to express themselves or talk through issues. Art and creative activities can help open lines of communication and aid clients to communicate their feelings and thoughts.
Matt Prescott, who runs these sessions, says “I have found working on an art or craft project helpful to encourage clients to open-up and talk frankly about their struggles.”
One client Matt is working with struggles with addiction and has been chatting with Matt during the Creative Art sessions about his participation in our SMART Recovery course. As they work on a creative model, they talk through some of the SMART tools he’s been implementing.
These sessions allow clients to unburden whilst focusing on a task and by doing so, seem to leave much happier after the session. By consistently working on a project over time, their wellbeing increases as they see their efforts and commitment paying off.
There is no “one size fits all” support program for people because everyone’s needs are different. The one-to-one meetings allows us to tailor all our support based on each person’s individual needs while journeying alongside someone inspiring hope for a better future.
