1. fight back: overcoming long-term sickness & disability
Angie Usher, July 9th 2013

2. all these people live with long-term health conditions – would you deny them employment?
As part of the Work Programme, people with long-term health conditions and on incapacity benefit are now having to look for work. At Self-Management UK, we have been working with Careers Development Group to give groups of people with long-term conditions the skills to manage their conditions better. All of these celebrities live with one or more long-term conditions, and yet are employed, and leading full and successful lives, often with no-one knowing about their health issues unless they put them into the public arena themselves. Why? Because they are managing their conditions well, think positively and whether they realise it or not, are good self-managers.

3. facts and figures
We are not here to blind you with facts and figures. We are not here to promise that we can get everyone who is referred onto one of our courses via the Work Programme a job – we are not an employment agency. What we CAN promise is that after attending a Self-Management UK course, participants will feel more confident, more empowered, be able to communicate more effectively and think positively about themselves. They will also be able to manage their long-term conditions better, thus enabling them to feel on a more equal footing with other people seeking employment. We all know how hard it is out there for people looking for work, and I know myself that it is extra hard for people who have to also manage health problems.

4. mental health lack of self-esteem depression feelings of hopelessness
Participants are registered onto a Self-Management UK course with various long-term health conditions, but for each of these, there are also underlying mental health issues. Whatever the condition, this group of people turn up for week 1 of the course not really knowing why they are there, and these are just three of the many ways participants have said they feel when starting on the programme. They feel inadequate, beaten down by the system and as though they have somehow ‘failed’. Again, from experience, I can verify that these feelings are very real and Self-Management UK’s unique selling point is that the tutors delivering the courses live with long-term health conditions themselves, and have been through the programme. Although our conditions may differ, we have all experienced the feelings of depression, anxiety and fear about the future that the groups are feeling now.

5. outcomes
Self-management is the top priority for strategic commissioning for health, and the benefits for social enablement and return to work are clear. We are under no illusions – this can be a pretty tough nut to crack, and we are learning from each group we work with. We create a safe environment for members of the group to be honest and open. By dealing with subjects like communication skills, positive thinking, better breathing, relaxation, dealing with difficult emotions and depression, pain and fatigue management, at the end of 6 weekly sessions participants leave with renewed self-esteem and a positive enough belief that they CAN achieve to go and tell their work coaches and advisors what they want and which courses they would like to enrol on to better their employment chances. Participants are able to communicate more effectively with advisors, health professionals, their peers and family. Each course graduate received a certificate of attendance, and a small gesture like this makes such a big difference in giving confidence.

6. next steps
We have had some phenomenal outcomes from the courses we have delivered at CDG. We believe that we can do the same for other agencies. Participants have found paid and voluntary employment, become Self-Management UK voluntary tutors, and work advisors have been impressed at the positive changes they see in their clients. We realise that these coaches and advisors are ridiculously busy, but with some joined-up positive commitment from them, ourselves and the clients , and working together post-course, we can achieve even more! We have a file full of positive testimonials from people who have completed the course but they all worry about what will happen next. By working together we can continue to encourage and help them maintain their positive attitude to finding work.

7. any questions?
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Thank you