Self-Care Strategies

Looking after your own wellbeing strengthens your ability to care for others, and to have longevity in your visiting role.

Due to the nature of detention, it is important to be proactive in offsetting the stress you will likely experience through visiting.

Some strategies can include:

An internal ‘check in’

Why this works:

After a visit, you might have a lot of things on your mind - you have to write your notes, make a referral, go back to another job or personal commitments etc. These can increase your mental load, heighten your anxiety and disconnect you from your bodily sensations. By taking time to check in, you might realise that you are holding tension in your shoulders, your heart rate and breathing have increased or that your thoughts are racing. Once you identify these reactions it will be easier to engage in strategies that directly counteract this e.g. relaxing your posture and focusing on your breathing.

Plan to take some time off after a visit, rather than go straight into your next task or back to work

Why this works:

Having transition time can allow you to process the experiences you’ve had, regulate your emotional and physiological state, and then be present again in your next task.

Write down what happened during 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.

Why this works:

By writing things down, you are forcing your brain to structure and make sense of what has happened. This can help to ‘sort and store’ your memories and help you better reflect on what has happened.

Resources Tip

Use our Reflective Practice template to help you reflect on your visit.

AVID Reflective Practice Template.pdf

PDF · 293KB

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Reach out to someone else to talk about your visit, whether another visitor, a group co-ordinator or a friend

Be mindful to protect anonymity by focusing on what came up for you as opposed to sharing details of the person's experiences.

Why this works:

Similar to writing, talking to someone can help you make sense of your own thoughts. This can help you to properly integrate the experience in your memory, learn from challenges and improve your visiting, but it can also help you to better connect with people around you.

Engage in some form of movement e.g. stretching, taking a walk

Why this works:

Stress has a physical impact on your body. This can shift our body into a ‘flight, fight or freeze’ response, which is experienced as changes in your muscle tension, energy levels and breathing. Exercise can be a way of managing this and helping yourself reach a more regulated (or ‘normal’) state.

Proactively reach out for extra support

Why this works:

There will be times when the impact of visiting feels heavier than usual. Noticing these shifts early and reaching out for additional support can help prevent impacts from further building up.

Find more strategies in Collective Care

Visit Mental Health and Specialist Organisationsfor other organisations who provide mental health support.