"One of our donors got her copy of the annual report yesterday, raved about it to me last night, and said she was going to send the Club a little extra money. She loved the pie chart and knowing where her money is going."

Board member, Boys & Girls Club of Fredericksburg

New compassionate assessment approach helps inpatient mental health professionals increase psychological safety and reduce restraints, confinements

SMHC not only has consistently earned the Gold Seal of Approval in hospital inspections, but it’s also a leader in taking the first steps beyond the generally accepted ways of dealing with patients.

Beyond basic requirements for physical safety, our goal is to also ensure the psychological safety of our patients. And beyond the traditional approach of using consequences to control misbehavior, we seek to not only defuse a difficult situation but also discover what led to the problem. From there we are able to help patients develop the skills they lack.

This compassionate assessment approach seeks to understand before intervening. Whether a kid throws a water bottle at a staff member or comes out of his room at 2 a.m. saying he can’t sleep, we can insist on compliance with rules or we can listen and try to find out what’s wrong and how we can help kids meet expectations.

For example, “Travis,” an impulsive six-year-old, had trouble going from free time to structured group time each day. Instead of using punishment to bring about compliance with the rules, a counselor might talk with him at lunch and help prepare him for what’s next. We might make him a set of index cards with symbols or words to help him anticipate transitions and feel more successful.