Workbook

The Practitioner Tightrope is an evolution of the original Adolescent version. This tool recognises the pressures created by the type of work and environmental factors that can increase the risk of burnout.

The aim is to support practitioner resilience through reflective discussions. Working around the areas of the tightrope analogy the discussion can consider:

• Goals for the future
• The values and motives of the practitioner that drives their practice
• The warning signs of burnout (falling off)
• Past positive experiences that provide a stable foundation for the practitioner
• Worrying experiences that make things more wobbly
• Practioner’s strengths to stay balanced
• Current compounding concerns and mounting pressures (steps making ladder higher)
• The people or organisational features that make up the safety net
• Identifying steps to move towards the goals

Download Practitioner Tightrope

this version uploaded 6 February 2022

Evidence based prompts

Similar to the Adolescent Tightrope, each of the areas of the tightrope are supported by prompts drawn from research. These draw on research and studies about professional and organisational resilience and pitfalls.

The materials in the workbook can be used in a variety of ways:

• During supervision when a worker is feeling stuck to support decisions for further action
• A self-reflective process regarding a specific service user
• Actively and interactively engage a worker in a discussion about their goals
• Following a critical incident to support increased resilience
• As part of an appraisal process or workforce development planning
• When there is a dip in professional performance to draw on previous good practice and identify any barriers to getting the worker back to previous performance
• As a group work or training exercise for practitioners to understand the different elements of professional practice.

Download printable prompts

“The leader can never close the gap between himself and the group. If he does, he is no longer what he must be. He must walk a tightrope between the consent he must win and the control he must exert” Vince Lombardi