Date Setting Tasks Working Your role Relevant Supervisor’s /

hours Learning Manager’s

Outcomes signature
On-site Shadowing on the 3 Talking support LO1-4
Professional Practice Values Work-Based Learning Logbook
25/4 registration/ sign in system
Talking with guests

Student Name Andreas

Reflections: Tzeremes
Noticed the service provision procedure. I found actively engaging and starting conversations with the guests
challenging. Especially when not enough time has been given to build a relationship with them. Some seem more shy than
Student ID others22553962
and will not speak a lot. I feel like some of them possibly have things to share but would feel more comfortable in a
private space.
WBL Supervisor Kate Whittenbury
On-site Talking with guests 3 Food service LO1-4
26/4
WBL Supervisor
Providing information
Contact Details k.whittenbury@mmu.ac.uk
Reflections:

On-site Serving food to the guests 3 Talking support LO1-4

3/5
Talking with the guests

Reflections:

22/5 On-site Serving food to the guests 3 Food service LO1-4

Talking with the guests

Reflections: Even though I sometime spend a lot of time in the kitchen and serve food to the customers, it somehow feels that
after my job is done our chat flows more naturally as if they feel I am more part of the team comparing to the times that I just
stand there and just start conversations.
23/5 On-site Serving food to the guests 3 Food service LO1-4

Talking with the guests

Reflections:

29/5 On-site Providing help in the kitchen 10 Talking support LO1-4

Serving food to guests

Talking with guests

Reflections: It is easier to build relationships and get to know the guests when it is a long shift like today. Especially after
some time of the day passed, it felt more natural to sit and talk.

5/6 On-site Serving food to the guests 3 Talking support LO1-4

Talking with the guests

Reflections:

6/6 On-site Providing help in the kitchen 3 Food service LO1-4

Professional Practice Values Work-Based Learning Logbook

How has your work-based learning experience helped you meet the following learning outcomes?

LO1: Critically evaluate the importance of a human rights-based approach and person-centred care in mental health. (Up to 500
words)

During my first visits at the homeless charity, I rapidly noticed the procedural system of service provision to the guests. On a
typical day, guests entered the charity space, signed-in or registered and proceeded to the dining area for the rest of their stay, unless
they received other services in other spaces of the building such as medical care, showers or haircuts. Interactions with staff and
volunteers occurred mainly i inside the dining area, typically after a service provider’s initiative, in a form of a casual chat, and
inevitably in the presence of others. From my first visits therefore, I noticed an absence in the development of a private space
dedicated to confidential talking with guests who express such a need.

Person-Centered Care (PCC) refers to a healthcare approach where the values and preferences of individuals are actively sought
and used to shape every aspect of their healthcare, helping them to achieve realistic health and life goals. It involves a dynamic
relationship between individuals, their significant others, and healthcare providers, where collaborative decision-making is informed
by the prioritization of the individual's desired level of involvement (Goodwin, 2015). According to Morgan and Yoder (2012), the
defining attributes of PCC are that:
i) It is holistic, which means that it views the person as a collective combination of their biological, social, psychological, and
Professional Practice Values Work-Based Learning Logbook
spiritual aspects (McCormack, 2003).
ii) It is individualized,
iii) It is respectful, meaning that it prioritizes freedom of choice for the individual over interventional directiveness and,
iv) It is empowering, in that it aims to enhance the individual’s autonomy and self-confidence

Overall the organization facilitated and promoted PCC at a high level, often by tailoring service provision to the unique needs of
the guests. In terms of mental health support however, I noticed that the sole active initiation of discussions by service providers
could potentially undermine freedom of choice and autonomy for some guests. From a Relational Dialectics perspective (Baxter &
Montgomery, 1996), the tension between contradictory needs inside relationships and explores the dynamic tensions that exist
within such relational transactions play a significant role in interpersonal interactions. Relationships are characterized by opposing
forces or dialectics that create ongoing struggles and contradictions which arise from the fundamental human needs for both
autonomy (independence) and connection (interdependence) inside relational transactions.

While active engagement in talks with guests shows great interest and promotes interdependence for those who need it, it can
also undermine independence. A combination of actively initiating talks and passively being available from the organization’s part
could address the dialectic tension between independence and interdependence for guests, by offering them the opportunity of
choice between both passively responding to the service providers’ active engagement as well as actively seeking for already
available support. The idea that I proposed therefore, was the creation of a talking therapy space for guests, where a service provider
would constantly be available to respond and help to guests who preferred to seek for mental support themselves in a more private
and confidential environment.
Professional Practice Values Work-Based Learning Logbook

LO2: Demonstrate critical awareness of professionalism, best practice, inclusivity, accessibility, marginalisation and discrimination in
professional contexts. (Up to 500 words)

According to a systematic review on professionalism by Wilkinson et al. (2009), four main factors that determine professional
behavior are identified: 1) following ethical guidelines, 2) successfully engaging with service-users, 3) effectively interacting with
colleagues and service providers, and 4) demonstrating reliability and dedication. Instead of being viewed as a collection of separate
abilities, professionalism can be better understood as a meta-skill that involves being aware of the situation and exercising
contextual judgment. This enables individuals to utilize the appropriate communication, technical, and practical skills for a specific
professional situation. The genuine expertise in professionalism lies not only in knowing what needs to be done but also in
determining the right timing to do so (HCPC, 2014).

Due to contextual factors, the principles of respect and competence of the BPS code of ethics and conduct (BPS, 2018) could
sometimes be undermined inside the organization. Firstly, when a guest decided to share personal information their privacy and
confidentiality could not be assured as interactions occurred almost entirely in the presence of others. My proposal for the creation
of a therapy space inside the organization aimed to tackle this issue, as it is also highly likely that openness and trust towards service
providers could also be undermined in the context of loose confidentiality. However, a realistic issue in the creation of a private
space in a separate room of the building would the inevitable sabotage of equal accessibility to all service users. Due to the building
itself, the only available way of creating such space would be in the upstairs area. Having only a staircase as an access point and
Professional Practice Values Work-Based Learning Logbook
limited funding for the construction of an elevator, disabled service users would inevitably face marginalization and unfair
treatment. Secondly, due the absence of an accredited psychologist , the possession of appropriate skills and care delivery would
often not be met in the event of discussion with a guest, as the service providers did not always the have relevant accredited training.
The limits of competence therefore, were such that valid knowledge claims and appropriate care could not always be guaranteed.

The proposal for the creation of a therapy space mentioned above was also made in regards to inclusivity of the homeless in
mental health care access. A large recent meta-analytic study which collected data from 39 different studies and 8,000 homeless
individuals across 11 high income countries, revealed important findings regarding mental health and homelessness (Gutwinski et
al., 2021). An impressive 37% of the individuals reported alcohol-related problems; an estimate 10-fold greater than the general
population, with drug abuse being the second prevalent category on 22%. Furthermore, intercorrelation between homelessness and
mental health was shown by significant prevalence of treatable psychotic disorders among homeless people (12.4%) as well as
major depression (12.6%). It is rather evident that mental health issues are highly prevalent on the homeless population, which
further justifies the necessity of creating a safe space for listening and talking for these people.

LO3: Competently appraise complex ethical considerations based on an awareness of evidence-based practice, values-based practice,
ethical and professional codes of conduct, and other guiding frameworks. (Up to 500 words)

Throughout my experience in the organization I developed relationships with several of the homeless service users. During one
of my last visits one of the guests with whom I had been developing a relationship, shared with me that he was going through a
phase of hopelessness, disappointment, and that lately he was suffering from passive suicidal ideations. As the conversation
progressed, the experience triggered me as I recall getting myself in a disclosure dilemma where I struggled to take a clear-cut
Professional Practice Values Work-Based Learning Logbook
decision regarding sharing this information with peers and supervisors at the organization.

Ethical dilemmas frequently arise in mental health professions, and ethical guidelines do not always offer straightforward
solutions. In the past, ethical decision-making models relied on a rational and positivist approach. Although these models have
evolved to consider contexts, they often struggle to sufficiently incorporate personal values and lack the flexibility needed for broad
application across various settings and situations (Riggin and Lack, 2018). For example, according to the APA Ethical Code of
Conduct, psychologists may disclose personal information of a client if they present harm to themselves or others as permitted by
the law (APA, 2017). However, the applicability of such guidelines is not equal across all settings, as contextual factors also play a
significant role. In my experience for example, I could not accurately assess the seriousness of the situation due to the influence of a
number of different factors such as my incomplete training in risk assessment, or the fact that suicidal ideation while a determining
factor it does not always ensue actual suicide attempts, especially in non-psychiatric populations (Hubers et al., 2016). In addition to
that, due to the nature of the interaction and the context as a whole, I did not have access to the mental health history record of the
person, nor whether he had attempted suicide in the past as well; our relationship was not strictly therapeutic and my role was not
strictly that of a therapist. Therefore, the decision-making in my experience was determined to a great extent by my personal critical
evaluation of the situation, where I decided to inform my supervisor.

Irrespective of whether decision-making frameworks prioritize rational or emotional processes, a common thread among many
prominent frameworks is the belief that professionals in the field must uphold a personal moral responsibility that goes beyond
simply adhering to societal and legal principles in order to act ethically (Riggin and Lack, 2018). That means that values-based
practice plays a significant role in the ethical adherence of a professional too, and positivist-based codes and principles are not
adequate themselves in explicitly addressing the multitude of unique situations that practitioners encounter. Consequently, it
oftenbecomes the responsibility of the professional to devise a resolution for ethical dilemmas.
Professional Practice Values Work-Based Learning Logbook

LO4: Reflexively evaluate personal values and professional development with regards to ethical and professional policies and
guidelines. (Up to 500 words)

One of the most important insights I gained from my work-based experience was the importance of language in the building of
rapport with the guests. Being a bilingual with English as my second language, and guests often using slang terms and unique
accents in some instances, I often struggled to understand their speech and build effective communication with them. This situation
often brought me in the dilemma of either asking for the person to clarify and repeat their question/ statement, or act as I
comprehended them and let them carry on with the conversation in the hopes that I would later understand what they wanted to
convey from getting a picture of the broader context.

At a first glance, one can claim that the second reaction can breach the principle of integrity due to deceiving the interlocutor into
falsely perceiving that their message has come across, however the principle itself remains somewhat subjectively vague in regards
to deception as it can be considered “ethically justifiable to maximize benefits and minimize harm” (APA, 2017). On the other hand,
another related challenge was the obligation to attempt and regain any mistrust caused by that as also referred in the APA code of
conduct, but due to the nature of service provision and the fact that the relationships built with the service users were not strictly
therapeutic, such recover of trust could not occur. It was therefore often that my course of action would be the repetitive request for
clarification from the interlocutor which in turn led to the inevitable rupture of the relationship, as the person struggled to be
understood and build effective communication with me.

Another notable factor in effective communication in such contexts is also the perception of shared identity (Greenaway et al.,
2014). From a self-reflective viewpoint, I realized that miscommunication and lack of understanding of the person’s use of
language, could result to weakening the relationship not only because of miscommunication but also due to the lack of shared
identity and the mutual understanding of the discussed constructs. Having not lived in the UK other than my years of studying, I
Professional Practice Values Work-Based Learning Logbook
have not familiarized myself completely with the British society and norms and overall, I believe that it played a role in building
rapport with the service users.

Nevertheless, the experience confirmed the importance of language in effective communication and therapeutic alliance.
Language style matching, or the subliminal linguistic mimicry between two parties, has been shown to significantly affect the
therapeutic relationship especially during the initial stages of therapy (Borelli et al., 2019). From an ethical and professional
development point of view, it led me to the conclusion that I shall either pursue the career of the therapist in my mother tongue and
work with clients of a more shared identity, or familiarize my identity more to the British reality in the scenario of practicing the
profession here.

Reference list
Professional Practice Values Work-Based Learning Logbook
American Psychological Association (2017) ‘Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.’ American Psychologist,
57(12) pp. 1060–1073.

Baxter, L. A., & Montgomery, B. M. (1996). Relating: Dialogues and dialectics. Guilford Press.

Borelli, J. L., Sohn, L., Wang, B. A., Hong, K., DeCoste, C. and Suchman, N. E. (2019) ‘Therapist–client language matching: Initial
promise as a measure of therapist–client relationship quality.’ Psychoanalytic Psychology, 36(1) pp. 9–18.

British Psychological Society (2018). Code of Ethics and Conduct.[Accessed Monday 10th July 2023] [Online]
https://cms.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-06/BPS%20Code%20of%20Ethics%20and%20Conduct.pdf

Goodwin, C. (2015) ‘Person-Centered Care: A Definition and Essential Elements.’ Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 64(1)
pp. 15–18.

Greenaway, K. H., Wright, R. G., Willingham, J., Reynolds, K. J. and Haslam, S. A. (2014) ‘Shared Identity Is Key to Effective
Communication.’ Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 41(2) pp. 171–182.

Gutwinski, S., Schreiter, S., Deutscher, K. and Fazel, S. (2021) ‘The prevalence of mental disorders among homeless people in high-
income countries: An updated systematic review and meta-regression analysis.’ Patel, V. (ed.) PLOS Medicine, 18(8) p. e1003750.

Health and Care Professions Council, 2014. Professionalism in healthcare professionals.[Accessed Monday 10th July 2023] [Online]
https://www.hcpc-uk.org/globalassets/resources/reports/professionalism-in-healthcare-professionals.pdf

Hubers, A. A. M., Moaddine, S., Peersmann, S. H. M., Stijnen, T., van Duijn, E., van der Mast, R. C., Dekkers, O. M. and Giltay, E. J.
(2016) ‘Suicidal ideation and subsequent completed suicide in both psychiatric and non-psychiatric populations: a meta-analysis.’
Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 27(2) pp. 186–198.
Professional Practice Values Work-Based Learning Logbook
McCormack, B. (2003) ‘A conceptual framework for person-centred practice with older people.’ International Journal of Nursing
Practice, 9(3) pp. 202–209.

Morgan, S. and Yoder, L. H. (2012) ‘A Concept Analysis of Person-Centered Care.’ Journal of Holistic Nursing, 30(1) pp. 6–15.

Riggin, B. M. and Lack, C. W. (2018) ‘Ethical Decision-Making Models Across Mental Health Treatment: A Review and Expansion.’
Current Psychiatry Reviews, 14(3) pp. 171–177.

Wilkinson, T. J., Wade, W. B. and Knock, L. D. (2009) ‘A Blueprint to Assess Professionalism: Results of a Systematic Review.’
Academic Medicine, 84(5) pp. 551–558.

Appendix – Placement Completion Verification

This email originated from outside of Manchester Met. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognise the sender and believe the content
to be safe. Please contact the IT ServiceDesk if you have any concerns, https://www.mmu.ac.uk/about-us/professional-services/itd/about/contact
Professional Practice Values Work-Based Learning Logbook

Hi Andreas, 

I am sorry for the late reply, I have had some time off work. 

Please accept this email as confirmation that you have completed 40 hours of placement with us at Coffee 4 Craig. Thank you so
much for your help and we wish you well in the rest of your studies. 

This email should suffice for confirmation with university. If you require anything further please let me know. 

--
Best wishes,

Sam Harkness (She/Her)

Guest Service and Support Manager
07738416246
'Who are we as human beings if we ignore the suffering of others?' 
The Meanwhile,
153 Great Ducie Street,
Manchester
M3 1FB 
Charity No 1167146 
Professional Practice Values Work-Based Learning Logbook
coffee4craig.co.uk

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