Beyond basic: 'PIEs Plus', or 'Enhanced PIEs'

The account of what makes for a psychologically informed environment as given here is deliberately formulated in such a way as to ensure - or so we hope - that all services working with the marginalised and excluded may recognise their work here, even if they may be only at the beginning of the 'journey' towards being a fully developed PIE.

In this way, we hope to ensure that services working in very short-term settings, and/or with clients who are at what has been called the 'pre-contemplative' stage of change - which is a very high proportion of the population - can find something useful here.

Nevertheless there are now many examples of communities that are more explicitly therapeutic in intention.  For the more extensively developed versions of this approach, the terms 'PIEs Plus', or 'Enhanced PIEs', have been suggested.

 

'PIEs Plus', or 'Enhanced PIEs'

Such communities - and they do typically see themselves as a community - will tend to be those that have gone further than simply adopting a psychological approach, and/or using a range of techniques derived originally from psychology and psychotherapy. They tend to have a specific and explicit psychological or psychotherapeutic model that unites and guides their practice.

Nevertheless, it is still important that any particular chosen model should arise primarily from a clear understanding of the needs of the users, and of what they themselves want from the service. To qualify as a fully developed 'enhanced PIE', we would suggest three criteria:

  1. Firstly, there must be a clear rationale for the adoption of this particular psychological model, based on an understanding of the most significant needs of the service users.
  2. Secondly, the users of this more specialist service must have had a real choice, with alternative options.
  3. Thirdly, to meet the needs of any one individual, the services and its staff must have at their disposal a range of skills and interventions that might not derive solely from the chosen model.

Further background reading/listening/viewing

Assessment of 'Enhanced PIEs'

For more discussion of the role of psychological awareness and techniques, see the 'PIES 2.0' PIElink pages HERE

For the Pizazz self assessment process, see the PIElink pages HERE

For more of the criteria for psychological awareness and a specific psychological model, see the Pizazz handbook, HERE

 

See also:

Short-term services as PIEs (PIElink page):  HERE

Library

Take a chance on me : HERE

Home Base (DCLG practice example) : HERE