PHOENIX Institution

Phoenix Institution GmbH offers supervised accommodation for 26 adult women and men. The team consists of two men and three women with training in social pedagogy.

Our mission is based on the resources of our clients. A mission may be to accompany and support reintegration after a stay in hospital, to help with financial management, to accompany the search for a daily structure, or, where reintegration is not possible, to accompany the development of an adequate and positive attitude to life with the greatest possible exclusion of behavior that endangers oneself and/or others.

The apartments are located in Winterthur in a quiet, green residential area. Residents live in single rooms in shared apartments for 1, 2, or 4 people. There is a large common room with TV/video and internet.

How did we arrive at this approach?

We have examined the concepts of integration and reintegration and found that, in today's usage, integration is usually equated with

 

 

• performance
• adaptation
• ability the ability to sublimate deficits through numerous strategies.

But what happens to people who fall through this performance net? How do we deal with them?

For us, integration means being able to participate in life despite deficits, handicaps, mental illnesses, etc. Knowing one's limits and learning to live a good life within them. Causing as little harm as possible to oneself and others. Being proud of oneself. In this process, we want to provide a platform for stability.

Wherever the resources are, we want to provide the framework for development, for trying new things, for breaking new ground. We are convinced that many of our residents have a lot of potential. Sometimes it's just a matter of helping to unearth buried knowledge and occasionally demanding a little more than the clientele believes they are capable of. Winterthur has a wide range of services for people with mental health issues, and we want to make use of them and get the most out of them. We want to network because we are convinced that only by working together can we offer a platform that has a stabilizing effect.

This network brings together different professional fields. Through acceptance, tolerance, respect, and a willingness to learn about other professional fields/job titles, we can benefit from an immense pool of expertise.



mission Statement Phoenix Institution GmbH

Phoenix Institution GmbH aims to support and accompany people with psychosocial difficulties and the resulting behavioral coping strategies during a phase of their lives.

In small residential groups, we offer space to practice acquiring lost everyday skills and to expand the range of life strategies. We provide support and guidance where we are needed and where there is a clear need. In all other areas, we give residents as much freedom as possible.

We firmly believe that most of our residents know what the best solution to a problem is for them. Often, it is simply a matter of refreshing forgotten knowledge and accompanying them through the steps to their first successes.

We are a team made up of people from different backgrounds, family systems, beliefs, educational backgrounds, and life experiences.

But we agree on the following points:

 

 

• Not all people are the same, but they all deserve the same respect.
• We work with different people, and our work is geared towards these differences.
• Conflicts are a part of life. We resolve conflicts without losing respect for the other person.
• We are aware that professionalism consists of two essential factors:
• Training, education, acquired expertise
• The way in which what has been learned is implemented
• We reject violence, including verbal violence, as a solution strategy.
• Our team culture is characterized by respect, humor, transparency, consideration, and a willingness to engage with different values.
• We constantly remind each other that small steps can lead to big changes.
• We consider topics such as religion, spirituality, and lived forms of sexuality to be part of every person's private sphere.

How do you proceed if you are interested in Phoenix?

There are two options:

 

 

• Visit our website and print out all the forms you need to join.
• Contact us by phone to find out about available places, the admission procedure, costs, and other questions.

Fee schedule

Category Daily rate in CHF
Where 1 131.00 Full board including meal allowance
Week 2 154.00 Full board including meal allowance
Where 3 164.00 full board incl. meal allowance

Upon admission, clients are generally charged the daily rate for "Accommodation 3." A comprehensive assessment takes place after 1/2 year (3-month trial period + 3 months of observation in accordance with IBB).

The services offered include:

 

 

• Accommodation including basic room amenities
• Care, support
• Internal employment
• Cooperation with the entire client system
• Debt restructuring (if possible)
• Use of laundry facilities
• Healthcare
• Internet access
• Liability insurance for damage (fire, water, burglary) caused by third parties to those in care.

Meals are the responsibility of the resident.

These rates are an integral part of the residence contract.

Additional agreements are possible at the request of the cost bearer and must be agreed with the institution's management.

Accommodation

Our apartments offer space for 1 or 4 residents.

Each apartment has a kitchen, 1 bathroom with toilet, 1 separate toilet, and a balcony. The rooms are furnished with basic equipment (bed, table, chair, and wardrobe) and can be decorated by the residents themselves.

Care concept of the Phoenix Institution

Note: For the sake of simplicity and better readability, only the masculine form is used in this document.

The Phoenix Institution's care concept is divided into three phases (orientation, stay, and departure), which are in turn subdivided according to the individual descriptions. Other aspects of care include residential group meetings and the quarterly general meetings, which will be relaunched in September 2009 and at which both we as a team and the clients can express their respective concerns.

Orientation phase

The orientation phase lasts four months and is divided into two parts.

The first part (two months) is primarily about getting to know the institution, the team, the reference person, the roommates, and the rules. This part is a trial period for both sides. After two months, there is a meeting to determine whether the client will remain at Phoenix after the trial period or leave Phoenix.

The following two months are used either to find a suitable follow-up solution (if one of the two parties terminates the agreement) or to determine the structure of the stay, draw up daily, weekly, and monthly plans, and specify target agreements.

Residence phase

During the stay phase, we work according to a principle based on four cornerstones:

 

 

1. Daily structure
2. Physical health
3. Finances
4. Social contacts and leisure time

We see these four cornerstones as the pillars of the individual and as a barometer of independence and satisfaction. The less these cornerstones are "intact," the greater the risk of isolation, dissatisfaction, dependence, and dependency. We consider the order in which the cornerstones are built up, as described below, to be optimal. However, we start where the clients feel motivated and would like to take a few steps further.

The work on each cornerstone is divided into three sequences:

A) Initiation
B) Deepening
C) Concluding/evaluating

1st cornerstone: Daily structure

As a rule, clients who come to us no longer have a daily structure and need to relearn how to engage with regular structures. On the one hand, this involves keeping to internal appointments at the institution and, on the other hand, finding external work or employment of at least 40%. The process of looking for a suitable job is often very stressful for clients, raising many fears, questions, and doubts, and it takes days on end for them to be able to "log out" of the issue of daily structure. Nevertheless, daily structure is of fundamental importance. Having a task also means being able to discuss this task with other people and thus, for example, being able to participate in conversations about work, annoying bosses, and working hours. We have noticed that this little bit of "normality" – as our clients call it – can have a huge impact on self-esteem and a sense of responsibility. We also have clients who, for various reasons, are no longer able to integrate into a "protected workplace" or something similar. They fall through every crack, come up against obstacles everywhere, and can only integrate into a system to a very limited extent. Most of them have been in clinics and institutions for many years. With these clients, our work consists of working with them to develop their "lifestyle," examining the structures in their daily routine, and, above all, doing everything possible to ensure that these people can live their lives without endangering or harming themselves or others.

Here, too, we cannot work according to a specific support plan, but must constantly change course together with the clients. The goal is also to maintain a quality of life that allows clients to thrive in their everyday lives.

 

 

• Initiate: Find a daily structure of at least 40%. If this is not possible (e.g., due to illness or discomfort), define a personal lifestyle that excludes as much as possible any danger to oneself or others.
• Deepening: Maintain the daily structure, reducing absences and tardiness where possible. Or practice and consolidate the new lifestyle, which is necessary in the daily routine.
• Conclusion/evaluation: Evaluate the process and development.

2. Cornerstone: Physical health

We are convinced that physical well-being has a very significant influence on a person's overall experience. As long as clients are preoccupied with chronic pain without diagnosis, suboptimal medication settings, constant sleep disorders, or similar issues, it will be difficult to find them a job or help them build a circle of friends. In this phase, cooperation and exchange with family doctors and/or psychiatrists or psychotherapists are central . The aim is to define the "status quo" precisely, to differentiate between what can and cannot be changed, and to train clients to deal with the limitations that can no longer be changed – i.e., that are chronic in the medical sense.

This phase also includes adjusting the client's diet. The main focus here is on training the client to eat in a way that is both beneficial to their individual physical condition and in line with their limited budget.

 

 

• Initiate: Assesshealth status . Are any treatments (dental, gynecological, or other specialist treatments) pending? Obtain cost approvals if necessary, provide nutritional advice with regard to budget planning.
• Deepening: Undergo and complete treatments, pay regular attention to nutrition, adjust medication, maintain sleep patterns.
• Conclude/evaluate: Evaluate the process and development.

3. Cornerstone: Finances

Most of our clients are in debt to a greater or lesser extent, have lost track of their administrative affairs, do not know how to plan a budget, or find it difficult to stick to one. This leads to reminders and debt collection, an increase in the mountain of debt, and even more loss of self-esteem, which often ultimately results in more and more isolation. We advise our clients and try to work out the best possible approach for them when it comes to paying off their debts. Debt restructuring is not always feasible; sometimes it is also a matter of learning to live with debt. Another step is to avoid incurring new debts and to learn how to create a budget and live according to it. In our experience, many clients feel relieved when they have a clear budget to guide them.

 

 

• Initiate: Clarify financial situation. If possible, begin debt restructuring, practice administrative procedures, process deferral requests, create a budget plan.
• Deepening: Stick to the budget plan, pay bills regularly, continue with debt restructuring.
• Conclude/evaluate: Evaluate the process and progress.

4. Cornerstone: Social contacts/leisure time

This phase is about maintaining your existing social network or building a new one. Many of our clients have been involved in various institutions for several years. They take part in projects launched by institutions. This always has a stabilizing effect, and for many of the clients, it is good to be able to exchange ideas with like-minded people. At a later stage—depending on the clients' resources and interests—we believe it is important to reintegrate outside of institutional projects. Getting to know people who may not have any experience with psychiatry and who are interested in completely different topics. This also allows them to experience that not everyone on the street recognizes that they come from a clinic. This in turn increases their self-esteem and gives them the impression of being part of society, of being able to participate in social events and in life.

Statements from clients have inspired us to place more emphasis on this point. One client told me, quite surprised, that she had been taking a dance class for two months now and had already spoken to everyone there, and that the conversation had never turned to illness or problems. She had also been asked to join because she was so good at certain dance steps. Her astonishment that she was not perceived as "sick," "strange," or "disturbed" and her joy that strangers wanted to learn something from her were an incredibly beautiful experience for us. The experience described is only one example, and we have experienced numerous such situations.

 

 

• Initiate: "Inventory of the social network," accompany and, if necessary, initiate contact. Support in conversations with family members. Search for suitable hobbies, clubs, or associations.
• Deepening: Actively organizing leisure activities, maintaining contacts, ensuring continuity.
• Conclusion/evaluation: Evaluate the process and development

The individual cornerstones described above overlap and complement each other in some cases, because we perceive people as holistic individuals and not divided into "cornerstones, phases, or stages."

Our work involves focusing on specific topics and working on, training and trying out these topics in a targeted manner. It is often the case that working on one cornerstone resolves other issues. For example, clients may sometimes seem to stagnate in their development or in their work on various topics, and then suddenly, for no apparent reason, they take a giant step forward.

We considered whether we should limit the phases in terms of time. Ultimately, we decided against it. With a time limit, we would no longer be able to offer the high degree of individual work that is important to us and seems sensible. We want to start where clients show motivation and can and want to move forward (in the sense of de Shazer/solution-focused approach and C. Rogers, who refers to "unconditional positive regard" as a driving force). We know from experience that breaks are always necessary and that clients can also block progress. Sometimes, changing medication is enough to slow down the entire work process, and we want to do justice to these factors.

In order to be able to reflect on the process and clarify any questions that may arise, we maintain regular contact (email, telephone) with the cost bearers (if desired). Upon express request , we are happy to write a semi-annual report and refer to individual questions and the progress of the work on the various cornerstones. Cost bearers who do not request such semi-annual reports will only receive the discharge report from us, which provides an overview of the entire process and indicates what we consider important for the client's future.

Once a year, a status meeting takes place at our institution. If possible, the cost bearers and the most important reference persons outside the institution should also participate in this meeting. Additional meetings may be held in acute crises in which it is necessary to make new agreements together in order to develop a new approach and then stabilize it.

Discharge phase

Sooner or later, many of our clients raise the question of discharge, and it is important to initiate the discharge phase in the right way.

The discharge phase lasts between three and nine months. This phase is about putting in place everything that is necessary for discharge:

 

 

• Replanning the budget
• Find a new place to live
• Register and deregister
• Organize your move
• Intensify therapy if necessary
• Say goodbye to your roommates
• Clean and hand over your room
• Organize train passes, for example

During this phase, it is also important to revisit all the cornerstones, record the current status, and check where or whether there is a need to clarify and take care of any details.

We inform the external network, the doctors and/or psychiatrists involved, and close cooperation should take place once again to ensure that clients have the best possible start after leaving us.

Sometimes clients are convinced that they now have to leave. Even if this is not always in our best interests, we try to offer the best possible support. Here, it is also important to us that clients know that the "departure" project can be terminated at any time. We consider it essential that our clients sometimes try something new – as long as it does not take on auto-aggressive traits – so that they can experience for themselves whether they are ready or not.

In the case of a regular termination and a regular departure, there is nothing to prevent re-entry at a later date. We want to give our clients this security whenever possible.

In situations where we as an institution have had to terminate clients, reinstatement can generally be discussed. As a rule, this then leads to additional agreements that must be signed by the client. Reasons for termination on the part of the Phoenix Institution include, for example:

 

 

• Use of hard drugs
• Self-harm
• Violence against roommates, social workers, or tenants in the neighborhood
• Self-harm (this depends on the recommendation of the treating psychiatrist)
• Refusal to cooperate on even the smallest level

We do not limit ourselves to these 5 points. There are always new forms of sabotage, and we reserve the right to terminate the contract for other reasons as well.

In the event of an irregular departure, we will discuss the departure procedure with the cost bearers and, if necessary, inform the psychiatrist and family doctor.

Living group meetings

Purpose of the living group meetings

The shared apartment meeting serves, on the one hand, to address planning issues such as:

 

 

• Cleaning schedule
• Shopping
• Responsibilities for everyday tasks

On the other hand, it also allows us to identify conflicts at an early stage and, if necessary, initiate mediation discussions. We can also offer clients support in shaping their coexistence and help them to recognize dynamics that occur in residential groups and intervene in good time. Our clients all have their own life stories and, to a large extent, different diagnoses that can influence their everyday lives. Here, we try to mediate when there are difficulties in understanding each other, to be tolerant of different behaviors, etc.

Interval

The shared living group meeting usually takes place every two weeks.

The frequency may vary in the following cases:

 

 

• Under-occupancy of the WG, e.g., only one client
• A shared apartment in which everything is going well and the clients would like to reduce the number of meetings. In this case, however, a time frame is agreed upon for reviewing the chosen self-management approach.
• Absence of the person responsible for the shared apartment

Duration of the WG meetings

The WG meeting is mandatory for all clients. It lasts a minimum of 20 minutes. The duration of one hour should not be exceeded. A WG meeting may take longer if:

 

 

• it has been decided to have a game night
• it is planned to cook and eat together
• There is a desire to address a topic in depth (nutrition planning, budget, networking, etc.)
• There is a serious crisis that needs to be discussed (it is important to weigh things up carefully here. Sometimes, even in a crisis, it is better to take a break and continue the discussion the next day).

The WG meetings are also a tool that clients can use to raise their own concerns and discuss them together. Clients also have the opportunity to discuss any agenda items/topics for a general meeting in advance at a WG meeting, so that they can raise the issue with greater confidence at the general meeting.



general assembly Purpose of the general assembly

The general assembly is essentially a tool that clients can use to raise and discuss issues. These may be issues relating to social workers, but also issues relating to other clients at the Phoenix Institution.

For some clients, discussing a concern at a plenary meeting is not an easy task. Here, clients can learn to express their own opinions, find appropriate wording, argue for a concern, and deal with counterarguments. The plenary meeting is also a tool with which one can learn to accept the rejection of a concern. We are convinced that clients usually have strong resources at their disposal and that it is often simply a matter of activating the right channel and offering them a platform to express themselves and develop something in an appropriate way. Another key point is that we want to motivate clients to contribute to shaping their everyday lives and living situations and to gradually distance themselves from the attitude of "I am entitled to this and that, bring it to me" and "I am here, entertain me."

Duration and interval of the general meeting

A plenary meeting should last no less than 20 minutes and no more than 1 hour. This allows enough time to discuss issues. After the plenary meeting, there is still time to have a drink and chat a little if necessary, but this is optional.

The general meeting takes place every three months.