Graham

Graham, currently an Operations Manager for Thera East Anglia, did not begin his career in social care. He spent time working in a range of different jobs; he laboured in factories and on construction sites and spent time working for the Royal Mail. At the time, like many of us, he didn’t know much about support work or people with a learning disability and was unsure how to respond when he did meet people and out about.

This changed when he got into social care. Graham had reached the stage in his professional life where he was looking for something new and he had a family member working for Thera at the time. They suggested he come and have a look at support work, and he happily obliged.

It ended up being nothing like he expected. Instead of ‘caring’ for people and telling them what to do or where to go, he found there was freedom, and a promotion of independence. People were being supported to do things that made them happy and were making decisions for themselves. The person-centered philosophy that drives Thera’s approach to support work was on show, and it created a drive in him.

He started as a Support Worker and soon started to look for opportunities to learn and progress. He wanted to create a great environment not only for the people he was supporting but also for his colleagues and be someone they could view and follow as a leader. He soon became a Senior Support Worker and then moved into management roles.

This attitude followed him right up to his current position, even with the self-doubt and imposter syndrome that can come from extra responsibility, Graham was able to take a step back and look proudly at his work – “All of a sudden it was like, responsibility. Sometimes it felt a little bit overwhelming, the responsibility that was there. But soon I started to realise, you know, I can do this. I can actually do it and I’m doing a good job. You start to feel self-achievement and self-worth.”

And he didn’t stop his development there, as he branched out when the opportunity arose and became a Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Coach. Graham has seen first-hand the benefits that PBS brings. Having first trained in PROACT-SCIPr 13 years ago, at the offer of his manager, he began learning more about supporting people with complex needs and behaviours of concern. Developing his approach with PBS more recently, he has seen the impact it can have on the people he supports. He found the theory behind PBS fascinating. With the new understanding into behaviour that PBS gave, Graham has seen previous interventions that used to be common, now used as the last resort. He now has a new understanding of why people act in the way they do and how to work with this to support their wellbeing and enable them to enjoy life.

This role has given him the opportunity to meet new people not just in Thera East Anglia but across Thera Group as he visits a lot of different staff teams and the people they support. Graham works with them to give them the tools and support to find the answers to any issues they may face. He works closely with support teams as well as family members, and other professionals such as psychologists and creative therapists.

This career path has changed Graham’s life. The people he’s worked with, from staff that believed in him to progress, to the staff that follow his lead now, and the people who have found his support invaluable have all enriched his life and made him a better person.

A lot of that is down to my colleagues that I’ve worked with through the years. I’ve worked with some brilliant people. I’ve had some great people working underneath me, and I’ve been supported really well by people who are at my level now, they bought into me.

And the effects of this belief are clear, In his own words:

It’s made me look at life differently. It’s 15 years ago that I started with Thera, and in that time, I think my own values, attitudes, and beliefs have all changed in the way that I look at things. I think I’m a calmer person, I think I’m a more thoughtful person. So absolutely I do think it has brought out the best in me.

Find our more information on how you can join such a life-changing career here