Discourse Analysis with Unconditional Positive Regard Erasmus Project

Project Title

Discourse Analysis with Unconditional Positive Regard

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Health and wellbeing

Project Summary

The aim of this project is the application of discourse analysis and unconditional positive regard in order to promote the critical thinking of mental health experts and other experts who work in the social/educational field. The goal was to think critically about vulnerability, to exchange good practices and to improve everyday working field. The combination of various different qualitative methodologies were thought that they might be used as an critical evaluation tool that would improve not only the everyday skills of the practitioners but also the ability to attend more closely the vulnerable groups they work with. DAUPR is also innovative because in every stage of the project there are various and different techniques that would measure the implication and dissemination of the project from all the partners (Huddle, stakeholder committee, quarterly reports, problem solving meetings among and between partners, evaluation reports for each meeting, evaluation reports from the training). DAUPR program enhances the exchange of good practices at all levels and train the partners who participate in the proposed methodologies but also to other important topics from the social scientific field. It combines theoretical psychology, clinical work and psychotherapy. More specifically the topics that there were covered in the C1 training activity were:-Discourse Analysis-Unconditional Positive Regard and Rogerian psychotherapy-Social constructionism-Feminist critical psychology-Appreciative Inquiry-Cognitive approaches to psychotherapy.All the partners trained each other according to their special training skills. So all the partners were also lecturers in the C1 training. There was also a constant critical discussion among the partners about how all these different methodologies can be applicable in their everyday work. These topics were then taken from each partner in order to train accordingly their target group. MHC trained mental health experts. More specifically they trained two groups in Agrinio and one in Lefkas. In total 44 experts participated in the training. Each group had a 40 hours training in the above mentioned topics.ODYSSEUS trained teachers coming from the first and second grade education. More specifically they trained two groups in Agrinio. In total 33 experts participated in the training. Each group had a 51 hours training in the above mentioned topics.MIND trained vulnerable groups. More specifically they trained two groups in UK. In total 33 experts participated in the training. Each group had a 40 hours training in the above mentioned topics.ASTRA trained one group of police officers (10 people) and one group with sex trafficking experts (10 people) in Beograd. Each group had a 40 hours training in the above mentioned topics.SENTPRIMA trained two groups with experts who work in the rehabilitation field in Ljubljana. 20 people participated in the training. Each group had a 40 hours training in the above mentioned topics.Discourse analysis is a difficult and time consuming experience that needs spoken extracts. For this reason it was further decided that each partner would run a scientific group consisting of maximum ten people. This group would act as a focus group. They talked as a group about vulnerability. Their discussion was recorded and then transcribed in a word file. The analysis of the discussion was promoted in the training sessions of each partner regarding the discourse analysis topic.The results of the program included the evaluation reports of the meeting, of the stakeholder committee and the evaluation of the project. After the end of the training the participants of all the training groups among the partners declared that they gained new theoretical and practical skills and that they want to apply these skills in their work. Furthermore the Best Practice Guide will be used to share the projects’ methodologies with every person that wants to learn more about the DAUPR program. 5 newsletters were produced. The newsletters covered every step of the project’s implementation. The newsletters were distributed by each partner to their applicable networks. As part of the program a webpage www.daupr.com was created. The webpage offers valuable academic information regarding the proposed methodologies and other important facts about the implementation of the project. The website will continue to be fed after the ending of the program. The partners of the project, the stakeholder committee and the training participants all agreed that the impact of the program is beneficiary not only because it improved their skills and knowledge but also because it can be used as a reflective tool in their everyday life. A big part of the participants declared that they are further interested to apply in their everyday work what they learnt. They also said that they would be interested to use furthermore the proposed methodologies. The impact of the program hopefully will lead to a new Erasmus project but it can also lead to an accreditation process if the partners are interested. All those who participated in the project shared with each other that they feel more optimistic because their social network was enhanced. When we talk about the impact of the project we have to add that after the local events and the final conference the community of each partner participated in the dissemination of the DAUPR program. The impact of the program was also obvious in the Media. Many newspapers published information regarding the development of the program and interviews regarding the program were also taken. 5 meetings took place. 2 in Agrinio, Greece, 1 in Plymouth, U.K, 1 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, 1 in Beograd, Serbia. In all the meetings the partners discussed about each phase of the project regarding implementation, dissemination and evaluation. In each meeting we used a learner’s diary for everyday of the meeting to be able to check what it worked and what can be improved.Another important aspect was that all the partners were able to think critically about the importance of language in shaping reality and identities and about mental health constructions. In the planning of this project all the partners agreed that it was important to run a project that would involve actively all the various groups that each partner works with. That was the main reason that it was decided that each partner would disseminate the training in two groups (at least 10 people each) that they work with. Nearby the end of the program all the partners agreed that it was very crucial and helpful that different groups with different characteristics shared the training (mental health experts, teachers, vulnerable groups, sex trafficking experts, police officers).At the end of the project a Best Practice Guide was created that can be further enhanced after the ending of the program. This guide can be helpful when used to evaluate critically social constructions about stigma, social problems, vulnerable groups and mental health.The dissemination of the training in various different communities and groups will enhance different social networks. It is also something that in the near future will lead to further dissemination of discourse analysis and unconditional positive regard as critical evaluation tools for people. The more people who were trained use these methodologies in their work and everyday life, the more these methodologies will be disseminated, promoted and evaluated.4 different EU countries participated in the project at an event in Plymouth, UK. The participants received Europass Mobility Certificates detailing the learning outcomes of the training program. The training evaluated by all participants who feed this back to local stakeholder committees.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 70485 Eur

Project Coordinator

Mental Health Centre – General Hospital of Aitolokarnania – Nurse Unit of Agrinio & Country: EL

Project Partners

• Devon Mind
• ODYSSEUS – Centre for the prevention of abuses and the promotion of psycho-social rehabilitation
• ASTRA – AKCIJA PROTIV TRGOVINE LJUDIMA
• SENTPRIMA – Zavod za rehabilitacijo in izobrazevanje