Wellness Readiness Action Planning (WRAP)
EDUCATION
Wellbeing and learning all wrapped up - first published June 2021 Teaching Scotland by Barry Carmichael.
“I was hooked. I really like the model, it just resonated with me, the simple tools that could be used to safeguard my own wellbeing which was being impacted by my own poor mental health. I just had to learn more about WRAP®.”
Wellbeing and learning all wrapped up
Professional learning is an essential part of lecturer professionalism. As part of the College Lecturer Registration Project, GTC Scotland is working with College Development Network (CDN) and EIS FELA Learning Representatives, to create a new, free professional learning resource: A-Z of Professional Learning in Scotland’s Colleges. Lecturer contributions are vital to help create this new national resource.
Here, we look at Barry Carmichael’s submission for ‘W’ on the Wellness Recovery Action Plan® (WRAP®). WRAP® is a five-step self-management tool to help take control of your life and wellbeing. It is based around the 5 key recovery concepts:
1. HOPE: people who experience (mental health) life difficulties get well, stay well and go on to meet their life dreams and goals.
2. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY: it's up to you, with the assistance of others, to take action and do what needs to be done to keep yourself well.
3. EDUCATION: learning all you can about what you are experiencing so you can make good de-cisions about all aspects of your life.
4. SELF-ADVOCACY: effectively reaching out to others so that you can get what it is that you need, want and deserve to support your wellness and recovery.
5. SUPPORT: while working toward your wellness is up to you, receiving support from others, and giving support to others, will help you feel better and enhance the quality of your life.
Once this has been accomplished, attention is turned to useful tools including creating a wellness toolbox; a daily maintenance plan; identifying triggers; noticing early warning signs; and what to do when things are breaking down.
Barry’s professional learning journey
When the opportunity arose to take a two-day course on the introduction to WRAP®, Barry didn’t hesitate: “I was hooked. I really like the model, it just resonated with me, the simple tools that could be used to safeguard my own wellbeing which was being impacted by my own poor mental health. I just had to learn more about WRAP®.”
WRAP® wasn’t Barry’s first journey into improving mental health and wellbeing: he has also co-delivered Scottish Mental Health First Aid. It was during a Mental Health Awareness session in 2015 when he was introduced to WRAP. After initially discussing his learning with the college’s People Team, Barry went on to implement the programme in the wider college, extending his sessions to both colleagues and students. “Fast forward to the present time and I am a qualified WRAP® facilitator and I can say it has been a revelation for me,” explains Barry. As a WRAP® Facilitator, Barry has delivered two-day sessions to the most disengaged learners as well as bitesize lessons to staff and other learners. To ensure everyone has access to the information, Barry has created an on-demand course on the college’s internal learning system. The three elements of the Professional Standards have informed Barry’s professional learning. By putting students at the centre of his work, Barry has managed to aid in their learning, retention and achievements. “I am a strong advocate of having students at the centre and as a result, I have to be in a position that I can match the expectations of the learners with the subsequent reflection, evaluation and feedforward. Part of my drive of being a lecturer is looking to innovate and inspire our students to be the best version of themselves, by offering a learning experience that is based on respect and trust.”
Barry has continued his professional learning by completing a course to become a Resilience Training facilitator. “I have threaded the full two-day WRAP® and Strengthening Personal Resilience course within the Future Skills College (FSC) course, an Introduction to WRAP® as an addition to the two SQA level 4 wellbeing units within Step into Care. I have also picked up WRAP® with staff, Students Association and as part of an ERASMUS project and have delivered Strengthening Personal Resilience to staff and the FSC.”
As part of the academic session 21/22, he is delivering WRAP® across courses in Children and Young People (CYP), Health and Social Care (HSC) and Performing Arts and working on new opportunities to deliver CPD sessions within the college. He can be contacted at b.carmichael@dundeeandangus.ac.uk
