Hi

I’m feeling ‘jumpy’, I hope I just don’t press the "send" button by mistake!

We had what was generally agreed to be a rather productive discussion at the PAI focus group in San Jose yesterday.

Catherine Blakemore, the E.D. of PAI, participated, along with Alison Brunner, the County PRA and host. There were 17 persons altogether, including Lynne, Jose, and myself from the A.C., mostly Santa Clara County clients. We tried to explain how PAI could extend its work program from a narrow focus on ‘rights’ & ‘benefits’ by incorporating a ‘respect’ & ‘trauma of treatment’ component. The discussion was wide-ranging, real and intense; many people had strong things to contribute.

I went in there having questions about how PAI would react to this discussion. A previous attempt to connect with them had failed. I was puzzled as to why (it seemed) they couldn’t ‘hear’ us. Also I understand that going this way is a risk and that it challenges many of their assumptions about how to do business.

The discussion was led by the clients, but about ¾ of the way through, Ms. Blakemore interjected the issue of the way people are treated in the Board & Cares. The energy changed, and a number of people spoke eloquently to this, to their own severe experiences. For me however a ‘red flag’ went up, because this was ‘same-old, same-old’; the very articulateness of the people is evidence that PAI’s traditional mission has been relatively successful. I pointed out that that issue is straying from the topic, that while ‘respect’ issues abound there, the matter of improving the warehousing is a separate programmatic concern.

So as I’m trying to reflect on & process the experience of this focus group, I come to the above-described psychological boundary point. We did a good clean job and the natural outcome is we reached below the rational facade of PAI: We ‘psyched them out’. The natural reflex is that their ‘unaware contents’ come out, and they make slips revealing their inner thinking. Hmmmm. Anyway that’s likely why I’m feeling so jumpy!

Another day, I shall be able to ‘interpret’ exactly what I saw there.

Respectfully

Andrew