Ceci n'est pas un newsletter

There will be no monthly newsletters in 2018. Or not regularly, at least. The editor, Robin - who is also the manager or 'curator' of the whole PIElink site - is determined to wind down and work his way towards retirement in the summer.

There may be guest editors - perhaps bi-monthly - and we have invited a handful, who will bring their own perspective; that's what editors do. (Email us, if you might be interested in guest editing.)

But for now there are three or four major 'breaking news' items to pass on.

Firstly, there is now a directory of PIE trainers and consultants, for those wanting to boost their development as PIEs with extra in-put. You can browse the listings, find what might seem suitable, and then contact them directly. 

If there are any other PIElink members, trainers or consultants (or researchers) who want to advertise their availability here, just get in touch with us over the next few months, and then you can be included on the list. 

NB: Although the Directory is, for convenience, located in the Members area (HERE), you do not have to be a PIElink registered member to search it and use it to find support. (But it helps.....) 

You wait ages for a good book on trauma, homelessness and the dynamics of social inclusion, and three come along. There are new books on homelessness and complex needs coming out in early March, and two specifically on PIEs.

The first, Social Exclusion, Compound Trauma and Recovery: Learning from the application of Psychology, Psychotherapy and PIE to Homelessness and Complex Needs  is a collection of essays by Peter Cockersell and colleagues.

These essays address the institutional as well as the intra-psychic dynamics of exclusion; and make a strong case for seeing enabling access to psychotherapy as one of the potential benefits of developing a PIE.

The second, Cross-Cultural Dialogues on Homelessness: From Pretreatment Strategies to Psychologically Informed Environments  is also a collection, edited by Jay Levy with Robin Johnson, with contributions from several authors already featured in the PIElink Library.

These essays explore what similarities and differences there are between the US and the UK, 'divided by a common language'; and what we can really learn from each other. For many in the US, it will be their first chance to hear about PIEs. For the UK, a chance to hear more about the Pre-treatment approach.

The third book - we don't yet have the title - is by Adrian Bonner, Honorary Professor at Stirling University and Specialist Services Adviser to the Salvation Army's addiction services.

Bonner's original research area had focussed on mechanisms of brain damage, and the role of alcohol and other nutritional factors in cognitive function, but it has since been informed by working with homelessness services themselves, national and international. It underpins current research into health inequalities and the role of alcohol in adversely affecting wellbeing in vulnerable people.

Copies of Jay Levy's book* are available now via his own website (HERE ) and via Amazon HERE, and soon also on Kindle etc.
Copies of Peter Cockersell's are available HERE (the publisher), HERE  (Amazon) and elsewhere.
* Some excerpts are also available on the PIElink, in the 'Transatlantic Dialogues' pages HERE; and will continue on Linked In. 

Both these books will also be on sale at the Faculty for Homeless and Health Inclusion's 6th annual conference in London on March 7th and 8 (detailsHERE), with a 'Book club' session on the final day with Peter Cockersell, Adrian Bonner, Robin Johnson, and John Conolly.

Pizazz pilots

The PIEs Self Assessment and Service Specification framework - the 'PIzazz' - is now ready to be piloted and shared with whoever would be interested.

The Pizazz is an assessment tool, to allow you, your staff, partner agencies and users to assess how far you have travelled on 'the PIE journey'. But it is also a change management tool, and a basis for better informed discussion with commissioners. 

Many of the videos prepared originally for the Pizazz working party development group are now being made available, currently in the monthly essays of the PIElink itself (HERE). Further videos on applications of the framework in particular fields will be coming on stream over the next 2 months.

PIElink makeover

Finally, the wholesale overhaul of the PIELink itself is well underway.

The original motivation for the re-design was to reflect better the evolution of the PIEs approach, and the launch in 2018 of the up-dated model, PIEs 2.0 (and the assessment framework, the 'Pizazz'.)

But there is also a lot more content to add, and to re-arrange to make it more accessible. That work probably never ends; but it's well underway.