What is social prescribing?
Social prescribing is a way doctors, APRNs, therapists, and other health care professionals can connect people to their community. Rather than treating symptoms, a social prescription encourages preventative, holistic changes in behavior, custom tailored to each individual's values and interests. Social prescriptions are meant to be used in addition to, rather than replacing other medical or psychological interventions.
Social prescriptions are most beneficial when they incorporate
ART
MOVEMENT
NATURE
SERVICE
and BELONGING.
Social prescriptions are most beneficial when they incorporate
ART
MOVEMENT
NATURE
SERVICE
and BELONGING.
how does this work?
Let's start with Omaha and what we can do right now. Here is a small example:
I am a therapist. I meet with a client who is a single mom in her mid-forties who lives and works in North Omaha. She has two kids in elementary school, a full time job, and is taking online classes to get her Associate's in business. She came to therapy for help with anxiety and feelings of loneliness. During our conversation, she tells me that in high school she was in choir and has many happy memories of that time. We go onto the Resource List and find a mixed choir based out in North Omaha, located in a church off Fort Street that offers free babysitting during rehearsals. We call the contact person attached to the organization to confirm rehearsal times won't conflict with my client's work schedule. She continues in therapy and reports that she has made several new friends from the choir and is feeling better than she has in years.
In this example we have several points of support:
1. The person seeks out help from a therapist. This therapist is aware of social prescribing.
2. A basic biopsychosocial assessment helps the therapist identify passions, interests, and values of the client in addition to the more traditional diagnostic interview. An important question to ask is, what did you enjoy doing as a kid? What brought you joy? (in this case, singing in choir)
3. The Resource List is available for free, is accurate and up to date, and has specific interests tagged to efficiently identify all groups that could fit the client. The five aspects of social prescribing are a major search feature. (in this case, belonging and art)
4. Social, economic, financial, and logistical barriers are identified by both the therapist and organization, and given reasonable accommodation to remove these barriers. (choir meets outside of work hours, offers free childcare, is in a church near a bus stop)
5. The contact person for the organization has a reliable form of communication that allows for client to ask questions, and feel more comfortable attending before their first attendance. In therapy-speak, we call this the "warm hand off."
1. The person seeks out help from a therapist. This therapist is aware of social prescribing.
2. A basic biopsychosocial assessment helps the therapist identify passions, interests, and values of the client in addition to the more traditional diagnostic interview. An important question to ask is, what did you enjoy doing as a kid? What brought you joy? (in this case, singing in choir)
3. The Resource List is available for free, is accurate and up to date, and has specific interests tagged to efficiently identify all groups that could fit the client. The five aspects of social prescribing are a major search feature. (in this case, belonging and art)
4. Social, economic, financial, and logistical barriers are identified by both the therapist and organization, and given reasonable accommodation to remove these barriers. (choir meets outside of work hours, offers free childcare, is in a church near a bus stop)
5. The contact person for the organization has a reliable form of communication that allows for client to ask questions, and feel more comfortable attending before their first attendance. In therapy-speak, we call this the "warm hand off."
How do we start?
Omaha is chock full of amazing organizations that help slices of the community in creative ways. What we are missing is the integrated, operationally sustainable communication between health providers and community groups. The first step in establishing a social prescription network here is to better understand what we already have:
1. Who is here and what are they doing?
2. Who does this group serve? Is there a specific population that would most benefit?
3. Who is in charge of each group? Until we have a more active collaboration between providers and organizations, we will need to rely on the organization to let us know what they're doing.
Omaha has all the building blocks for an incredible social prescription program. I need your help putting the pieces together. Join us!
1. Who is here and what are they doing?
2. Who does this group serve? Is there a specific population that would most benefit?
3. Who is in charge of each group? Until we have a more active collaboration between providers and organizations, we will need to rely on the organization to let us know what they're doing.
Omaha has all the building blocks for an incredible social prescription program. I need your help putting the pieces together. Join us!