I have been doing ad hoc sessions with the team for some time and, for the last 6 months or so, on a more regular basis, maybe 2 or 3 times a month. There are many reasons for this, and it means I get to meet the amazing people we support and see who the team talk about in the mornings or during training week.
I don’t call myself an Interaction Practitioner (IP) but an IP in training. I am keen to improve my practice and maybe one day be like Anne, Nancy, Luca, Tiw, Russell, Zoe, Anna, Lynne, Steve or Nicky with my practice.
I have worked with all of the team at one time or another and they are all brilliant at what they do, and they all have a unique style with which they approach the sessions they do. Some are pre-planned or prepared in advance, some just go with the flow, and some do a mixture of both. No way is right, and it is wonderful to experience all the different styles and hopefully learn some of them.
In the time I have been doing sessions I have not had the chance to go along and join a session with Anne, our Practice Manager. I had that privilege the other day, wow what a session. Anne in a session is something else. She is full of energy, treats each person like her equal, involves the group in what each other is doing and epitomizes Intensive Interaction and what I imagined it should be, I was in awe.
The session we had today was an hour and half with 6 people of different ages. We sang hello to each person and introduced ourselves, giving them all the chance to say hello to us and each other in their own way. We noticed and acknowledged who was looking at/seemingly interested in who and used this as a way of each person communicating their choice of whom they were focused on. We then went on to share something each person was doing with others in the group, creating a sort of “greeting chain”, the links of which were the looks between people and their actions. These were, Sam tapping his chest, Tom’s big smile, John rubbing his hands together, Doug’s singing, Sharon staring at the lights and Johns special handshake (hand hold with wrist tickling). Throughout the session I thought that each person seemed connected to each other, with Anne picking up sounds, actions or gazes between individuals, sharing them with each person and giving everyone a chance to take turns and be in the spotlight.
It felt natural and I am sure they left feeling special and heard which is what Us in a Bus is all about. One thing that really resonated was when Sam wanted to move around and wanted to mischievously touch the nearby objects.
At one point he thumped the glass frontage of a cabinet and Anne said, “you know glass can be dangerous; have we got a deal that you won’t whack that again?” She was not stern, just clear. He instantly stopped, nodded and vocalised what sounded like yes. He listened and understood, and part of Anne’s skill was to recognise that he had the capacity to understand the danger and consequences, and she therefore moved away from using Intensive Interaction and into a consequences discussion rather than distraction or physically maneuvering him, so the temptation was out of reach. It was amazing and joyful.
This session really heightened my understanding of the need for Us in Bus and what we bring to people’s lives.
By Trina Pearse
Fundraising and Events Manager
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