A Mattering Village.

 

It takes a village…

 

The phrase referenced above introduces the idea that a village is required to raise a child. A child that can flourish in terms of character, learning, wellbeing, develop positive relationships and make a contribute to other people’s lives. A child living in a village that adds value and feels valued. A village that matters. 

 

In other words, a Mattering village. These villages can exist to work with people going directly and explicitly through difficulties. They can also be more subtle indirectly supporting the grow of the self, to have a sense of worth, have positive experiences, maybe involve developing a craft or a skill and wellbeing. 

 

Mattering with intent is a “we” activity. A coming together between people who both benefit from the meaningful connection. Mattering with intent can help a person work through emotional distress, reclaim themselves after experiencing abuse, harm, bullying, poverty and so on. 

 

NB: This blog is not suggesting opting out of systems of health & care, but rather opting in and making people who work in the wellbeing/mental health field aware of the positive power of mattering villages. 

 

Mental wealth:  where does flourishing and wellbeing come from? 

 

It’s a serious question. Where does mental wealth come from? From a service, a treatment, therapy or a financial income or relationships, activities, learning, education, music? Just ponder this idea for a few moments. Ask a friend. Consider the services we access for health and wellbeing, could they possible provide all mental wealth? Should they even try? Again, I’m not saying avoid services, but consider the role & scope the systems work. Is it possible? Is it even desirable?

 

Mental wealth building often involves healing. Which often occurs before and during flourishing. Healing from emotional and/or psychological pain, requires people who provide compassionate care, caring conversations, closeness (often touch) and deep awareness of the other person’s feelings. Healing (which means returning to the whole) requires relationships and communities, and often specialist services that can nurture the individual (but not always available or needed). The latter requires the former to be imbedded, nurtured, and developed. 

 

Mental wealth requires the creation of wellbeing. The two leading wellbeing theories are Mattering and Self-determination theory. Firstly Mattering, which is adding value to other people life, and feeling valued (by other people). Based on a foundation of fairness. Mattering involves being noticed, validated and able to contribute. Which in turn develops wellbeing. The second major theory of wellbeing is Social Determinations Theory, which has core components of being autonomous, developing mastery and relatedness (or mattering). Firstly, ability to have independence to make decisions, a sense of freedom from control from others and the ability to set a course of action. Mastery is sense of valuing yourself by acquiring and developing mastery over a skill, or an ability. Improving your craft overtime. Practicing is at the centre of developing self-worth, efficacy, and sense of control over one’s life. Relatedness involves positive social relationships. Being connected to a community, tribe, or group.  

 

 

Social

 

Mattering with intent is a “we” activity. Relational and social in nature. Human-centred at its heart, that involve collective experiences that make a difference to the way we exist in the world. These social experiences often involve sense of play, fun and being creative. You will often hear laughter coming from a mattering village. Laughter is sensing and searching to see if we are still together, is the bond still strong. A laugh is like a gentle (metaphorical) reassuring hand indicating its ok. When we can’t comfort by hand, we can create a feeling of comfort by laughing together. 

 

 

Building villages

 

Each village has a focal point. Which could be a shared identity, geographical location, or shared interest. A common interest that bonds the group beyond the realm of the individual.

 

Villages focuse on an interest could be sporting activities, hobbies, cultural, arts. friendships groups and community groups. The difference with this is the intention to increase the experience of mattering, being valued by the group members and having opportunities to contribute. 

 

Village building involves creating and sharing our stories. Sharing stories allows opportunities meaning making and making sense of the world. 

 

Villages are built on human assets, as described by the incredible work of Cormac Russel and John McKnight (Russell &McKnight 2022). ABCD describe a framework setting out that large institutes aren’t best placed to solve complex social problems and are often part of the problem.  ABCD perspective acknowledges people have assets, that can be utilised to build communities. Assets can be gifts, something a person can give to another, listening, helping, supporting, validating are gifts. The role of associated life needs to be understood by the wider psychiatric industries. 

 

 

Ecosystem

 

A village doesn’t exist in isolation, it flourishes within a healthy environment, that can nourish the systems that feed into the village. Ecosystems based services need to include a detailed understanding of environment (physical, social, economic, and political) and a whole context approach (Caldwell unpublished) which understand the situational, meaning and sensemaking unfolding affecting a person life experience. 

 

Complex environment and the context of whole systems (including the mental health system) needs to focus to the social nature of mental health and wellbeing. Go beyond the institutions and infrastructure of large buildings that often don’t foster compassion and care, start to explore the meaning of people experiences, the “practices of their every daily life” (Creteau 2011). The richness of their lives and strengths and abilities they have to offer. A Mattering Village proposes a growth-based approach based more on Pedagogy, than Psychiatry. The human potential, what possible exist. 

 

 

 

The next revolution in mental health?

 

The next breakthrough that will revolutionise mental health won’t be found in a science lab, neither will it be found in functional magnetic resonance imagining (fMRI) centre scanning a brain, or within a strand of DNA or any molecules. The next breakthrough won’t be found at the level underneath the scale of a being human. We can’t be reduced to less than our meaningful entity, same as water, we are irreducible. 

 

Similarly, the human level of problems (and solutions) exists at the scale of a person. Consider that for a moment. Also, each person lives within a community. It’s going to be found at the scale of a village.  

 

I can hear people saying, “a village” I know people, live with people, see people” and “another attack on medication and psychotherapy”. Let me explain the concept and start to unpack this approach. 

 

The village I’m building for my own life and advocating for other to adopt, is a village with a particular culture, community practices and individual actions. The most important aspect of village building is Mattering – the real science of wellbeing. The concept alone encapsulates all three levels of village building -individual, community and culture. The concept of Mattering has been researched and developed by a respected psychologist Isaac Prilleltensky. The idea is wellbeing is created by “adding value” and “feeling value”. Living a life based on Mattering can be life changing. Adding in Mattering to your wellbeing and mental health support is essential. 

 

Are you at the centre of planning designing a Mattering Village for yourself requires reflections on these questions: who’s organizing your wellbeing or mental health creation? Is it a professional or family member or friend who has taken this role? You need to reclaim your place in your world. Then focus on mattering. How is value added or felt in the current set up? How can it be enhanced? What would you like to change to add value more? How could people/professionals make you feel valued not just cared for? Ask yourself these questions “within my relationships, community and support services, do I feel valued, and can I add value?” This might take a few times, a couple of conversation and sometime pondering, but stick with it. Is your plan to improve your mental wealth working? 

 

Mental health professionals are recognising the power of villages. NHS England have a 5-year plan: Community Transformation. Each area will create a version of this and will not address poor practice (e.g., unscientific) or service issue around power imbalances. The NHS England Community Transformation plan is an opportunity to influence the future of ecosystem-based services.

 

Community Transformational developments revolve around professionals with different conceptual perspectives, that contain a particular use of language (patient, client, service user or person) that give rise to meanings and behaviours that often create blind spots and biases. Phrases such as “we can’t meet everyone’s needs” reveal deep values and beliefs. We are missing an opportunity to create opportunities for people to flourish in, it does take a village. We all have a sense of this being true. 

 

The End 

(Followed by a new beginning ……somewhere)

 

 

 

A follow up blog sharing insights about my village building mentor, that was busy doing this long before I was working in this field, will follow shortly. 

 

Thank you for reading this (which I, guessing you must to read this section) and if this touched you, then please contact me and let me know. 

 

Dr Iain Caldwell

Chartered Psychologist

 

References: 

 

Creteau, M. de. (2011) The practice of everyday life (S.F. Rendall, Trans,; 3^rd ed.). University of California Press. 

 

Russell, C & McKnight (2022) The Connected Community -Discovering the health, wealth, and power of neighbourhoods. . Berrett-Koehler

 

Prilleltensky, I (2021) How People Matter – Why it affects health, happiness, love, work, and society. Cambridge university Press.