Visitor wellbeing
Visiting people in detention can be difficult, and it is important for you to consider how they will take care of their own wellbeing, and be aware of the support that is available to you through your visitor group.
Visitor self-care
As a visitor you will need to come up with strategies to take care of your wellbeing. We asked long-term visitors what they do to support themselves after a visit - here are some of their practical suggestions:
Plan to take some time off after a visit, rather than go straight into your next task or back to work. This transition time can make sure you are able to process some of what has happened.
Write down what happened on your visit. Groups usually require some kind of report to keep track of issues that come up and actions to be taken, so you will need to write something about your visit. But this process is not only administrative - it can also be really important to get your thoughts on paper so they aren’t only ‘in your head’.
Take some time to ground yourself - take a walk, do some gentle movement.
Reach out to someone else to talk through your visit, whether another visitor, a group co-ordinator or a friend.
As well as being difficult in the moment and directly after a visit, standing in solidarity with people in detention can have significant ongoing impacts on your wellbeing, depending on your own past experiences, mental health and resilience. Learning to notice when visiting is affecting your mental health, and coming up with a plan of what action you can take is really important.
Support from your visitor group
A key part of the value of visitor groups is the emotional support that they provide to people standing alongside those in detention. By helping you to process the challenging feelings and experiences you will have visiting people in detention, these group support systems make it possible for people to stand in solidarity with those in detention for the long-term rather than burning out.
Groups are organised in different ways and the support they provide varies, but it might include:
A ‘buddy’ system where you are partnered up with another volunteer who is able to debrief with you after a visit.
Post-visit debriefs with another volunteer or co-ordinator.
Group de-brief or reflection sessions with other volunteers.
Access to professional 1-to-1 or group supervision or counselling.
If you are unsure what support is available to you as a visitor, speak with your group co-ordinator.
Support from AVID
AVID provides a national support system for all visitors and for groups through monthly members peer support spaces, online resources including the members google group and this handbook, an annual conference and 1-to-1 support from AVID staff. AVID also offers training in specific areas of concern for visitors, drawing on the expertise of other visitor groups and other external specialist organisations.
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