When Your Stumped: Providing Creative I&R 35th I&R Annual Training and Education Conference Hilton Portland & Executive Tower, Portland, Oregon Sunday June 2, 2013 John Plonski, Suicide Prevention Coalition of Long Island Hicksville, New York Jplonskisist@gmail.com Paper-free Workshop

Same old Networking time – What is the most boring part of your job? What is the most creative thing you did? What is the most creative thing you wanted to do but didn’t? What has “Stumped” you?

Rules! If u r a boss take off your boss hat…we wanna have fun! Say what you think don’t think about what you will say. Be creative!

Let’s Define a Few Things Stump Creativity Information and Referral Creative Information and Referral

Definition - Stump The bottom part of a tree left projecting from the ground after most of the trunk has fallen or been cut down. A place or occasion for public speaking Be too hard for; baffle.

Definition - Creativity The tendency to generate or recognize ideas, alternatives, or possibilities that may be useful in solving problems, communicating with others, and entertaining ourselves and others. From Human Motivation, 3rd ed., by Robert E. Franken:

Three reasons people are motivated to be creative: Need for novel, varied, and complex stimulation and maintain interest Need to communicate ideas and values Need to solve problems

To be creative, we need To be able to view things in new ways or from a different perspective. To be able to generate new possibilities or new alternatives. To be flexible,tolerate ambiguity or unpredictability, and enjoy things unknown.

Definition - “Information and Referral” Programs whose primary purpose is to maintain information about human service resources in the community and to link people who need assistance with appropriate service providers and/or to supply descriptive information about the agencies or organizations which offer services.

Definition – Creative Information and Referral

Basic Drivers That Can Force Creativity The boundaries of I&R - what they can reasonably expect themselves to accomplish and what is beyond their control Feelings of helplessness and frustration can and do result from certain types of interactions That there is not an ideal solution for every problem, and some problems may have no solution We have no control over whether an inquirer follows through or will eventually receive the help they need The need to be aware of personal triggers I&R cannot “turn” people’s lives around.

Rules to Follow When Being Creative The worker and client are equals. The client determines the pace of the interaction and can make their own choices and decisions. The worker “mirrors” the client through Active Listening (That “Empathy” stuff) Empowerment

What Is the Major Block to Creativity?

So Let’s Be Creative!

That Was Fun! Let’s Try Something Else! Let’s make a creative definition for…I&R!

STUMPED IS BAD... MMM KAY?

Same old