Gatekeepers for Mental Health
Training and Utilizing Non-Professional Caregivers
What Are Gatekeepers?
Gatekeepers are people who have access to functioning systems for the public in a community (agents of control). They can provide opportunities for growth and generally have a grasp on how a community functions on a day to day basis, as well as an idea of what its needs are. Gatekeepers can be realtors, school personnel, church organizations, post office workers, store personnel, police, political groups, lawyers, doctors, nurses, and ministers.
Since gatekeepers have an idea of what is going on in the community, it is important that community psychologists, who often function as observers and evaluators in a community to conceptualize the quality of life in a community, and work with them. Gatekeepers can provide info about the community’s demographics (such as racial, religious breakdown), educational levels, guiding values, self-image, physical size and characteristics (like available natural resources and transportation), network of communication (who contacts who in emergency situations), and the interplay of community forces (patterns of interaction).
Gatekeepers help find funding sources for programs. Here are some examples of services gatekeepers can provide:
- Drug and alcohol prevention for youths occur in school settings.
- Stress management programs are arranged for police officers.
Gatekeepers can help implement a program because they have an “inside” point of view. Outsiders often appear to be intruders in a community and are not easily accepted.
Training Gatekeepers
It is important to train nonprofessional volunteers in the delivery of crisis services after a disaster. Disaster planners should make use of existing, already trained volunteers (from hotlines, rape crisis centers, mental health centers, etc.) modeled after the National Guard, calling workers into action, according to a pre-existing plan.
Gatekeepers can be taught additional observation skills to identify key issues in the community, debriefing skills, and other skills to help minimize problematic circumstances. The gatekeeper could reinforce the ideas and methods used by the community psychologist and other personnel involved in improving the community, thus making a stronger connection between professional assistance and the community.
Board members, doctors, lawyers, etc., could be trained in problem-solving skills: stating the problem, finding solutions to the problem, and implementing a plan. Manuals and workshops can serve as a source of info and motivation. Bridge the gap between the expert and the gatekeeper.
Nonprofessional Caregivers
Family and friends may be caregivers. Caregivers can be prepared when a loved one is having major surgery by providing info about surgical procedures, feelings of isolation, and not being able to touch the patient. Preparing staff and surgeons will also alleviate stress.
As “ordinary community members” they are more in touch with needs, functioning, and attitudes. Though individually, they may have more narrow perspectives on issues or ideas, they can give a personalized and detailed view of what is happening in a community. They may have complaints about the gatekeepers and see them as part of the problem.
Citizen participation is key to help establish programs and can occur in work settings, health care programs, architectural environments (parks), community organizations (crime watch), educational settings (parents as board members), and other areas of involvement.
Issues Concerning Citizen Participation
- Citizens may interfere with procedures and are not properly trained to plan or run a program.
- Characteristics of the people who participate in these programs may not accurately reflect the demographics of a community and thus, certain issues from others not represented may be ignored or overlooked. It is known that those who have a more “formal education” and are from higher socioeconomic groups are more likely to be involved.
- The benefits of a program may be outweighed by the costs or losses.
- The environment may either facilitate or inhibit participation; citizens running the program may have the setting places in a part of town that is inaccessible to others who do not have a car.
Community participants may be trained in problem solving, recruitment to involve others, interpersonal skills, and other areas where citizen ideas may be translated into action.
Additional Resources
This information was taken from lecture notes from graduate courses taught by J. Waters, J. Steinberg, and L. Whitmarsh between 1998 and 2000. For related information, please read Basic Concepts in Crisis Theory.
