Warning, this post discusses sensitive topics such as self harm and suicide, please read with discretion.
Working with incompetent and apathetic colleagues in mental health support work, advice?
Hello guys first post, very interested in this subreddit. I'm currently working as a mental health support worker in the UK, and I am passionate about my job and my service users and colleges. I work with amazing people, both service users and coworkers, however many if nit most of my coworkers I believe are underqualifed for this position, and this has began to frustrate me. As a result, a lot of the work, supporting vulnerable individuals has fallen onto a few support workers, leaving us stressed and overworked. I specifically work with an individual who uses NSSI as a coping mechanism and can become suicidal, i am one of their two key workers. I won't go much into it, but suffice to say a great deal of care should be adopted when approached vulnerable individuals.
Most of my coworkers, who are muslims, however just ignore them, ridicule them behind their back, treat them as if they are a child and lacking intelligence just because they self harm or attempt suicide, they are actually incredibly intelligent and cognizant, and their overall attitude to this specific service user is honestly upsetting, throwing homophoc remarks at them or behind their back, and just overall not showing any care for them on even a professional level. When my service user starts to go into CRISIS, becoming upset, self harm or attempting a ligature, it is always a few specific support workers, including me, that is relied upon to support them too often, essentially if we weren't there it would be chaos. I am very happy to support my service user and will always do so, but recently due to the fact that soo many of my coworkers are incompetent and apathetic and quite arrogant it recently escalated. None of the reliable staff were at the facility as they were out with other service users and I was in one of my service users flats making a shopping list and about to head out as well, suddenly my other service user went into CRISIS and was attempting a ligature and because none of the other staff have ever tried to educate themselves they dragged me out before I was about to leave and left me to support them, which I did and everything was OK, but it has made it clear to me that if this was 5 minutes later when I and all other reliable staff were out then it could've ended badly, which is stuck with me for a few days. If they do attempt to support they just say in such a distancing way “STOP CRYING” or “WHY ARE YOU OVERREACTING”. These people are also facing their religious beliefs onto our service users which in turn is making them uncomfortable and often regurgitate in many ways directly or indirectly that self harm or suicide is “haram” and all you need to do is believe in God to be better, reducing their struggles, abuse and lived experiences to a simple lack of belief.
Many of then just sit in the office on their phones and actively ignore my service user even when they are in clear distress, this is not the first time far from it. I've made support plans that are incredibly detailed and clear, what techniques to employ and how exactly to handle the situation, seriously detailed guys. But most haven't read it and refused to, and won't allow me or any one else to train them in this regard. They display such apathy towards people who struggle with mental health, why work in such a field? Many of them claim to come from a culture that doesn't “coddle” people and their emotions. I don't care what culture you hail from, it's absaloutly no excuse to treat people terribly. I have presented many opportunities to help develop their skills and co confidence in these situations, providing support plans, to shadow us when we are supporting, join activities and events to develop good rappport with service users, constantly talking to them and giving advice in a friendly way. But a year in and nearly no one has taken it in, I didn't know what to do at the start either so I sympathize especially with the newer workers when they are too scared of not knowing what to so or handle the pressure, honestly even if it takes them months as long as I see that desire to learn I don't care how long it takes.
What advice would you guys give me for dealing in a situation like this? I've been told by my manager that who ever is scheduled to support my service user that day should deal with the self harm and suicide attempts, but I can't just stand back and watch them do nothing?