What Happened to You? A Story of Listening, Trust, and Empowerment

Helping Maisy by asking the right questions

DAY Programme Relationship Lead Tina Pearmine reflects on her work with a young person.

In DAY Programme training, practitioners are briefly equipped to utilise the Power Threat Meaning Framework when supporting young people. We encourage practitioners to utilise THIS resource pack from Irish organisation Jigsaw.

I was recently working with a 17-year-old girl, let's call her Maisy, and I was using the DAY programme as a basis for my sessions with her. The Power Threat Meaning Framework enables us to shift from a medicalised mental health approach, which focussing on asking people,"What's wrong with you?" This question can leave young people (and adults!) feeling that there is something wrong with them, when generally what is wrong is what has happened (or been done) to them. Instead, the Framework asks,“What has happened to you?”

With Maisy, this reframing of the question to "what has happened to you?" enabled her to see the roles of various kinds of power that operate in people’s lives, the kind of threats that this had posed to her and how she had learned to respond to those threats.

This led to Maisy disclosing that she had been sexually groomed. She shared that she had previously attempted to disclose to professionals, but the traditional methods used by professionals to interpret her behaviour and ongoing coping strategies (instead focusing on what was wrong with her) and stigma regarding a mental health diagnosis Maisy had resulted in her being ignored and disbelieved.

By using the Power Threat Meaning Framework Maisy gained an understanding of the role of power, threat and her experiences and responses to grooming.

Maisy courageously worked with professionals to disclose her experiences. By creating a safe space where Maisy was truly listened to, validated and believed, she was able to work with me, disclose her experiences and I was able to continue safeguardng her.

Maisy was empowered through gaining an understanding of what had been done to her and the actions she had take to survive and I was able support her to develop a positive narrative about her strengths and capacities so she could move forward.

Our next training event is in November. You can find out more here and book in HERE.