The Supporting Net for Students in Turku Vocational Institute and Experiences of the Coping with Dep

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The Supporting Net for Students in Turku
Vocational Institute and Experiences of the
Coping with Depression Course for Adolescents

• 29th ISPA Colloquium
• Meeting Individual and Community Needs
• Tampere 25.7.2007
• Miia Lappalainen and Anne Syvälahti
• Turku Vocational Institute, Finland

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Turku Vocational Institute- a multi-disciplinary
centre of educationTurku Vocational Institute
isa centre for vocational training and education
consisting of 4,500 students and 600 professional
instructors.The Institute isone of Finlands
largest upper-secondary educational institutions
with approximately 1,400 new admissions each
year.Turku Vocational Institute offersboth
young people and adults a broad spectrum of
training and education programmes with active
on-the-job training schemes in the fields of-
business economics and catering services-
technology- health and welfare
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VaSkooli - Development of an Education and
Training Guarantee System for Turku and Salo
RegionsThe objective of the project is to
develop a regional model of education and
training to offer a place of study for every
young person finishing his/her basic education.
The model is based on multi-vocational guidance
and support, flexible co-operation in working
life, support to educational responsibility as
well as enhancing the students' life management
and increasing their experiences from working
life.To reach the objective, new methods of
issuing and receiving information as well as
guidance and support services will be introduced
during the project. New models and good practices
encourage young people to seek education and
training, as well as reducing the number of
students who interrupt their studies, and
enhancing the opportunities for employment. At
the same time, young people are assisted in
finding educational opportunities.The VaSkooli
project is implemented in Turku and Salo regions
in Southwest Finland from 1 November 2004 - 31
December 2007. The project is part of the EQUAL
programme to be implemented throughout the
EU.The administrative organisation of the
project is Turku Vocational Institute, which is
also responsible for co-ordinating the
international activities related to the
project.Further information http//www.vaskooli
.fi
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STUDENTS SUPPORT NET
Teachers
Tutor Teacher
Parents
Study Counsellor
Tutors
Head of Education and Principal
School Health Care
STUDENT
School Priest
Other personnel
Students Support Team
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SUPPORT TEAM
ORGANIZATIONS OF SUPPORTING PERSONS AND OTHER
NGOS
YOUTH PSYCHIATRY
TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF ADDICTIONS (E.G.
DRUGS, ALCOHOL, GAMES)
SOCIAL OFFICE
2. SOCIAL WORKER
STUDENTS SUPPORT TEAM
1. PSYCHOLOGIST
THE SOCIAL INSURANCE INSTITUTION OF FINLAND
CENTER FOR CRISES AND OTHER NGOS
COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOLS
COMPANYCONNECTIONS
YOUTH OFFICE
5. STUDENT SECRETARY
3. CAREER ADVISOR
STUDENTS UNION
EMPLOYMENT OFFICE
HEALTH CARE
SCHOOL PRIEST
EMPLOYMENT SERVICES UNIT
4. STUDENT WELFARE OFFICER
SCHOOL POLICE
DRUG AND INTOXICANT ABUSE TREATMENT AND
PREVENTION
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1. PSYCHOLOGIST

• supportive discussions with students, who have
  e.g. learning difficulties or mental problems
• consultations with teachers and other personnel
• discussions with students parents and other
  supportive net
• guidance to longer treatment when needed
• crisis work
• groups (depression, anxiety, young mothers)

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2. SOCIAL WORKER

• help with economical problems
• guidance in difficult life situations
• child welfare
• guidance for students becoming independent and
  looking for an apartment
• discussions with students parents and other
  supportive net
• crisis work
• groups (depression, young mothers, life skills)

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3. CAREER ADVISER

• transition point guidance
• from comprehensive school to upper secondary
  level
• from Turku Vocational Institute to working life
• career changes within Turku Vocational Institute
• guidance for students who drop out from
  vocational studies
• discussions with students parents and other
  supportive net

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4. STUDENT WELFARE OFFICER

• intervention in class atmosphere problems, e.g.
  bullying
• support measures to prevent school interruptions
• preventive methods against drugs

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5. STUDENT SECRETARY

• contact person with Students Union
• training and co-ordination of student tutors
• groups (life skills)

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Mood Skills Course
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Mood Skills Course

• based on the Coping with Depression Course
• the main goal in the course is prevention of
  depression
• the course is educational and skills-training,
  not treatment or therapy
• students learn how to regulate ones mood by
  examining which thoughts and actions influence
  their feelings
• students study methods how to change their ways
  of thinking and acting
• students study these skills in a group consisting
  of 10 meetings (2-2,5 hours once a week, with
  coffee break) and at home by doing their homework
  with the help of the Coping with depression
  workbook
• part of students free-choice studies (2 credit
  units)

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Mood Skills Course Contents

• Class 1 Introduction
• rules in the group, motivation
• the purpose of the course
• what is depression?
• how common is depression?
• Becks Depression Scale (rBDI)
• Class 2 How activities effect mood?
• what are pleasant activities?
• relaxation techniques
• Class 3 Increasing pleasant activities
• planning pleasant events (not waiting for
  inspiration!)
• trying out a self-change program

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• Class 4 How thoughts influence mood?
• thoughts sentences we tell ourselves
• learning to recognize different types of
  thoughts constructive vs. destructive, necessary
  vs. unnecessary, positive vs. negative
• learning to recognize typical thinking errors we
  make when we are depressed, e.g. exaggerating,
  overgeneralizing, ignoring the positive,
  pessimism, blaming oneself, not giving oneself
  credit
• keeping track of thoughts
• Class 5 Learning to change thoughts
• methods to change ones thoughts, e.g. self
  reward, thought interruption (breaking disturbing
  chains of thought), the worst that could
  happen, time projection
• the A-B-C-D method
• an argument for optimism

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• Class 6 Problem-solving methods
• changing problems to goals
• brainstorming solutions to get to the goal
• Class 7 How contacts with people affect mood?
• lonelyness cause or effect for depression?
  
• social support
• how do you come across?
• assertion saying what you feel appropriately
• Class 8 Increasing interpersonal activities
• increasing pleasant contacts with people
• places and activities where one can meet
  others/activities to which one wishes to be
  invited
• what are your basic needs?
• planning your life the way you want to live it

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• Class 9 Planning for the future preventing
  depression
• basic assumptions about life
• how to use skills learned in the course in real
  life?
• setting goals individual/interpersonal,
  short-term/long-term
• recognizing destructive goals, e.g. perfectionism
• Class 10 What does your toolbox include?
• what skills have you learned in the course?
• feedback to the students, feedback from the
  students (questionnaire), rBDI
• Extra meeting
• Doing something pleasant together,
• e.g. playing games, watching a film, bowling,
  picnic..

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From theory to real lifeThe Daily Mood Graph
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Mood Skills Courses years 2006-2007in Turku
Vocational Institute

• 8 trained group instructors in Turku Vocational
  Institute (2 psychologists, 1 social worker, 3
  school nurses and 2 career advisers)
• 8 groups (max 8 students in a group), one
  together with Youth Psychiatric Clinic
• 8-12 meetings/group and one booster
• 44 students passed the course (10 boys), 6
  students dropped out
• students ages 15-35 years
• before the course students were interviewed and
  their depression was scaled (rBDI)
• students had depressive symptoms, some of them
  have had major depression in near past
• some students had dropped out of school because
  of depression
• a research project about this intervention is
  starting in august 2007 by Department of
  Psychology, University of Turku

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How helpful did students find the course?
1not helpful at all, 2helped a little, 3helped
quite a lot, 4very helpful, 5extremely helpful
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Other Feedback
1poor, 2sufficient, 3satisfactory, 4good,
5excellent
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• Thank You!
• miia.lappalainen_at_turkuai.fi
• anne.syvalahti_at_turkuai.fi