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Psychologically Informed Environment

Over the past few years, we have been developing and embedding our approach so we are a Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE).

The PIE framework was developed as a guide to ensure we are doing all we can to improve the psychological and emotional well-being of our customers accessing, and our staff working in, services.

This approach was chosen as it aligns with the St Paul’s Group values of: person centred, loving, holistic, hopeful and community focused.

There are 5 different areas of PIE which we call pillars.

  • Psychological Framework
  • Environment
  • Training & Support
  • Evidence
  • Relationships

PIE is each of these pillars, individually and collectively for example, looking at our buildings, our inside and outside spaces, thinking about how our policies and procedures are written.

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Staff trained within this model work more efficiently with customers experiencing complex trauma, helping them to better understand their behaviour, take responsibility for themselves and develop positive relationships. It also helps staff to understand their own motives, response and feelings more.

To support this, all staff attend training in our psychological framework. This is a

Compassionate Mind Training based on Compassion Focused Therapy. This approach helps us to understand that our early life experiences are things we did not choose, where we lived, who raised us, our education. It also helps understand we have brains that were not designed by us, these are not our fault but we do have a choice. The compassionate underpinning is described as, “ a sensitivity to suffering in self and others with a commitment to try and alleviate it and prevent it.” (Paul Gilbert, founder of Compassion Focused Therapy)

Relationship breakdown is often one of the main factors that impact on our customers. This approach helps to rebuild trusting, safe relationships, which ultimately will help our customers to support them during their time residing at the YMCA and after, as well as supporting our staff.

For further information please see: The Compassionate Mind Foundation & Balanced minds