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Frequently Asked Questions Q: How does it make sense for SMHA to serve in one agency such different people as:
A: They all face adversity in one form or another, and can learn to address the adversity more effectively by forming an alliance with members of our staff who assist them to identify and use their own strengths and community resources, and experience greater competence and positive connections with other people. Q: How do your staff members who work directly with program participants keep from getting discouraged by the slow progress and personal setbacks that many participants experience? A: We are fortunate to have attracted staff members who find the difficulty of the work challenging, and who continually renew their hope and energy by using teamwork and mutual support among themselves, and by appreciating the individual discoveries that program participants make about how to manage their problems more effectively, however slow the pace. Q: Compared to many mental health and substance abuse service organizations, SMHA is relatively small and cannot pay its staff as well as some larger non-profits and many for-profit businesses. How do you attract a strong staff and maintain good morale under these conditions? A: Individuals who join our staff typically do so because they like what we stand for, want to promote our goals, and appreciate that this society’s economic policies generally do not reward such commitments. The staff has developed a hope-sustaining culture that benefits both them and the people they serve. That culture is based on an appreciation of how important it is for individuals, families, and the community to discover previously unrecognized strengths, and to experience support for using these strengths. Staff members are challenged by the vision of assisting people to manage the adversity in their lives more effectively, and they are drawn together by celebrating the ways in which individuals develop greater competence and more positive connections with others.
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About Us |
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