1 of 9 Listening to the grassroots
“The further decision making is from people, the less likely it is that organisations can identify the right problem and find the right solutions.”
The grassroots-led nature of the PTS aims to level the power balance within organisations and presents an opportunity to listen to the experiences and nuances of person-led practice. This is done through the Wisdoms methodology which is a ‘psychology informed’ way of listening to people’s experiences without othering or steering the agenda. This deep listening and reflection ensures that the systemic barriers identified inform organisational thinking and the right problem definition.
Carrying out specific local Wisdoms enquiries with people before starting the PTS Response would bring the voices of people into the heart of the organisational understanding and instil the grassroots learning culture.
Experience has shown that we need to be strategically led by the collective voice of people and not by the latest sector backed innovation. Only through listening at a grassroots level and reflecting on the current system can we find solutions for those trapped/damaged within the social care, homelessness, mental health and criminal justice systems. We can only radically change the system when we see and feel what the problems are.
Coaches, where they are encouraged to be politicised, have the freedom to be social activists so that people we work with are less likely to blame themselves and internalise symptoms as pathology when they understand the wider context of their situations and therefore can heal from their trauma.
