Vacant job

We are a non-profit organization for individuals with personal experience of mental health issues / disabilities.

In this discussion group, individuals with bipolar disorders, i.e., diagnoses such as bipolar type I or II, or schizoaffective disorder, meet, e.g., if affective influence is dominant.

From our program: "We meet for coffee & socializing in a relaxed atmosphere and try to find calm and space for safe conversations and secure fellowship. Led by members with personal experience as well as professionals. Day & time are determined together. Express interest. We will call for a start when enough people have signed up. Try it once for free."

The idea is to offer the opportunity to meet others and talk about thoughts and feelings, and share experiences and stories that one can relate to. But also to establish social contacts and exist in a supportive and validating social context.

The group meets one evening every other week around 6-8 PM, at Folkets Hus in Rågsved or Bagarmossen, for 5-6 sessions during the spring, starting in March. If we receive the grants we have applied for, there may also be social activities on the weeks when there are no meetings.

Important qualities are being calm, unpretentious, and having an easy time making contact. You need to be able to be passive and stay in the background, allowing participants to be seen and heard. You will agree together on the structure of the group, e.g., whether to have themes/topics to discuss for each meeting. The format of the group can vary, where one form can be with talking rounds where participants get the floor with a talking stick that goes around until the topic is exhausted.

Important roles as a leader, besides creating contact and conversation, are to encourage storytelling with techniques such as active listening, direct encouragement, and reflections (See Rautalinko - Conversation Skills), as well as contributing to affirming when needed, so that the storyteller feels that their story is received.

Meritorious with knowledge in developmental psychology, attachment theory, developmental psychopathology, interpersonal psychology, Malan's triangles. Also, understanding of agency, and how power is created and maintained, e.g., Bourdieu's fields.

You should at least have an education as a social pedagogue, but other education with a focus on human care such as doctor, priest, nurse, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, social worker, psychologist, psychotherapist, behavioral scientist, teacher, physiotherapist, mental health worker, housing support worker, leisure leader, etc., can also work.

You need to have experience of your own or a close friend's/family member's bipolar disorder. The conversations are conducted from a user perspective. Experience of your own mental health issues is meritorious if it is some time ago and you have recovered.

Hourly compensation. We process incoming applications continuously.

Open to all
We focus on your competence, not your other circumstances. We are open to adapting the role or workplace to your needs.