Philosophy

The North Wind and the Sun
The North Wind boasted of great strength. The Sun argued that there was great power in gentleness.
"We shall have a contest," said the Sun.
Far below, a man travelled a winding road. He was wearing a warm winter coat.
"As a test of strength," said the Sun, "Let us see which of us can take the coat off of that man."
"It will be quite simple for me to force him to remove his coat," bragged the Wind.
The Wind blew so hard, the birds clung to the trees. The world was filled with dust and leaves. But the harder the wind blew down the road, the tighter the shivering man clung to his coat.
Then, the Sun came out from behind a cloud. Sun warmed the air and the frosty ground. The man on the road unbuttoned his coat.
The sun grew slowly brighter and brighter.
Soon the man felt so hot, he took off his coat and sat down in a shady spot.
"How did you do that?" said the Wind.
"It was easy," said the Sun, "I lit the day. Through gentleness I got my way."

Here is a short DVD to explain the Low Arousal Non Aversive philosophy of WALK.

WALK With You - low arousal philosophy from WALK With You on Vimeo.

A low arousal non aversive model of care transcends all the services of WALK

Low arousal is:

• A non-confrontational way of managing challenging behaviour
• A philosophy of care which is based on valuing people
• An approach that specifically attempts to avoid aversive interventions
• An approach that requires staff to focus on their own responses and behaviour and not just locate the problem in the person with the label
• A collection of strategies that are designed to rapidly reduce complex behaviours

Philosophies of low arousal

• Humane Environment - It is the responsibility of the Organisation to provide a healthy, therapeutic, and nonjudgmental environment within which change may take place. The uniqueness of each individual is recognized and valued.
• Least Restrictive Environment- The least restrictive environment should be provided to all individuals. In cases where it is necessary in the best interests of service user to provide a restrictive environment them this is evaluated on an ongoing basis by appropriately qualified personnel.
• Systems Approach - We believe in a systemic, consistent approach to supporting people with complex needs. In this view, individual behaviors are given meaning in consideration of the context in which they occur. That context includes the individual personality system, the family of origin, the community, and the greater culture of which a person is a member.
• Neutrality- All intervention should proceed from a stance that respects the inherent value and potential of every person. A position of therapeutic neutrality is consistent with the systemic approach and provides the basis to maintain positive regard for people recognizing that they are more than just their behaviors. Such a stance also recognizes that human processes are reciprocal and needs seeking and disallows bias, side taking, and blaming.
• Family Perspective– Where appropriate all services are coordinated with and cognisant of the family role and importance.
• Individual Support Plans – These are designed with the involvement of both the needs, determination of core issues, and strategies designed to support and guide each service user in leading self determined lives.
• Diversity - All programs, services, and personnel must honor and respect the diversity of the service user and families served. Emphasis on diversity awareness and education is encouraged as an ongoing process