For the past 18mths I have supported a person whilst in prison, and in May they were released to Probation Approved Premises (AP). During the period spent at the AP, they were very busy looking for accommodation and were extremely proactive, printing off pages and pages of advertisements. I asked about the response they were receiving and then I realised we had hit a brick wall because they hadn’t contacted any of the housing agencies or landlords, due to a lack of confidence.
So, together we wrote a short script, and I phoned a couple of the agencies, which encouraged them greatly to have a try. The following week when we met, I asked how they had progressed, to which they replied they hadn’t! This individual suffers with severe anxiety, and the fear of rejection incapacitated them from making calls and going into housing agencies. The situation called for a plan of action.
We visited a local coffee shop and sat on separate tables, each with a copy of the script; I then phoned them, pretending to be a landlord responding to their inquiry. Later they then phoned me, and we reversed the roles (together we caused quite a scene of hilarity as the table opposite us cottoned onto our role play). Now they were feeling more confident and able to phone a few of the housing agencies by themselves – result!
Later that day, the staff at the AP asked what is the role of a Community Chaplain? I responded, “Well today, it was all about role-play!”
Avril
