How do I offer toiletries to someone who looks homeless?
On Thursday I’m doing a live Q&A for member organizations. Here is a question someone sent me recently and my reply: Dear Ryan, I work at a library. We have a patron who appears to be homeless. We have a bag of toiletries for him and an unused cart that he can use for his […]
Two types of aggression
There are two types of aggression. They have almost nothing to do with each other. Proactive Aggression Proactive aggression is violence (or the threat of violence) used as a tool to get what you want. Pulling a knife on someone in an alley and demanding their wallet is proactive aggression. It is done rationally, intentionally […]
Don’t approach from behind.
Last week, I interviewed Dr. Kathy Platoni, a clinical psychologist, about veterans and PTSD. If you would like to watch the recording, the link is down below. Here is what I learned from the conversation with Dr. Platoni: #1 – Sometimes PTSD is Caused by Bad Management This was an epiphany for me. In war […]
Rookie Mistake #72
I was Executive Director of a large homeless shelter outside of Chicago for nearly two decades. I kept a list of “Rookie Mistakes” (mistakes that new staff made that more experienced staff didn’t). Here is one of my favorites! Rookie Mistake #72: Not knowing when to shut up Situation: Mistake: Talking. I am amazed by […]
Schizophrenia and Stalking
I ran a large homeless shelter outside of Chicago. Several years ago, a delusional resident stalked one of our staff members. In the end, we had to work with the police to get the man sent to prison. It was a long and terrifying ordeal for the staff member. It was one of the hardest […]
Mental Illness Risk Assessment
There are three things you need to know to assess risk from someone who suffers from severe mental illness. FIRST: Most people with severe mental illness are not violent. 97.1% of people with a severe mental illness are not violent. If you add substance abuse to severe mental illness that number drops to 90%. So, […]
Emotions are contagious.
Our emotions are contagious. That isn’t a metaphor. Emotions are LITERALLY contagious. Let me give you the science behind it. Researchers at the University of Parma—which is in Italy and was founded in the 10th century—discovered that we have these things in our brains called “mirror neurons.” These mirror neurons fire when you experience an […]
No one wants to yell at you.
When I ran the shelter, I was yelled at…A LOT… Sometimes first thing in the morning (before I was even awake). Sometimes in front of an audience (residents and my staff). Sometimes by people twice my size (and scary!). Next time someone is yelling at you, I want you to remember one thing. No one […]
How do I handle repeat offenders?
Dear Ryan, I work at a coffee shop. There is a guy who lives in the woods nearby. Most days he will come in and buy a small coffee and sit around for a while. That is cool. What is not cool is that he keeps asking other customers for money. When we ask him […]
How to save the world (in 5 steps) – PART 3
This email is the final installment of my response to the question below. To read part 1, click HERE. To read part 2, click HERE. Dear Ryan, I am a college student. I see so many problems in the world (homelessness, hunger, racism, etc.). I want to use my career and my life to help. […]
