Transformation Through a Different Lens
By Precia Stuby, LISW-S
Executive director of the Hancock County ADAMHS Board
Throughout time there have been inventors who have transformed our country. Think about how the automobile, the internet, and the use of airplanes have changed how we live each and every day.
The fundamentals of physics and math didn’t change. What did change is the unique lens of individuals/groups of individuals. As a result, they were able to rethink, reconfigure, and re-imagine the fundamentals resulting in transformations that have changed society as we know it.
The fundamentals of human relationships haven’t changed either.
Relationships succeed when they are built on mutual respect, acceptance, and growth. In these times of unrest, it seems that we are in need of looking at relationships through a new lens with a new goal, a new invention of sorts. I would suggest we embrace the lens of our local Cultural Humility and Health Equity Delegation. This is a lens that starts with humility and ends with belonging.
Humility requires that we don’t assume to know either the experience or the solutions without the input of the individual(s) involved.
For seven years, our Board has been working to help our community become trauma informed. The cornerstone of this work is to respond to individual(s) from a position of not asking what’s wrong with you, but what happened to you. What life events have contributed to an action?
This does not excuse a behavior or consequences as a result; however, it does provide an explanation and a deeper understanding. It moves the focus from the what to the why. You can’t get to the “why” without projecting to an individual that you “see them”; are interested in what they have to say and what their experience has been. In order to have good mental health, one has to be seen and heard.
It is only through humbly listening that we will be able to implement transformational change. We must not impose solutions; we must co-create them. We must balance what science has demonstrated as being effective with implementation strategies that are shared among all parties impacted. This requires bringing everyone to the table to jointly create solutions. It is not an us/them; it is a “we.” It is through these joint solutions that we will be successful in addressing the changes needed to ensure health equity and acceptance.
As we move down this path, the end result will be a community of belonging. Think about what it means to “belong.” It not just that you are present. It reflects that you are welcome for who you are and the unique, innate gifts and talents you bring. When all feel they belong, despite their differences, we will have true transformation. The diversity in all of us is the richness of our society. May we humbly find a way to create a seat at the table where all belong. Health will follow.
The collective trauma of COVID-19 is uncharted territory for all of us. In the Thriving Families blog, we aim to share messages of hope and tools to cope. Featured authors are local experts and community partners.
In March, our Hancock County System of Care grant project launched the inaugural Thriving Families Week. This week was dedicated to bringing local families and professionals together to talk about healing trauma, addiction, and mental illness.