How can you help peers think critically about their beliefs and assumptions?

One thing I have found helpful in overcoming self-limiting thoughts is to question my fears when I am trying to launch out. Many times, our fears wrap themselves around what we call Self-doubt and hinder us from achieving the impossible our mindset has painted as giants. It is important to question the authenticity of the fears, self-doubts, or self-limiting thoughts that stand in the way of what we want to achieve, or when we want to launch out. One way to assist people in this situation is to help them engage in a form of critical thinking and discover the falsehood around the lies that keep them from moving forward. Hence, discover themselves and realize their voice matters any time, any day.

What has helped me in the work place is trying to distinguish whether the belief/assumption I have is based off feelings, facts or others opinion. If it stems from a feeling, I try and get to the root of it. If it stems from a fact, it shifts from being a belief/assumption to a fact, thus I deal with it as necessary. If it stems from others opinion, I endeavor to form my own opinion based on the experiences in the work place!

Start by asking open-ended questions. Not to challenge or confront, but to explore. Questions like, "What makes you think that?" or "Have you considered a different perspective?" can open doors to new ways of thinking. Encourage peers to look at where their beliefs come from. It’s not about proving them wrong, but understanding the 'why' behind their thoughts. This understanding can be the first step to seeing things differently. Sharing different experiences and viewpoints can be eye-opening. It’s like, “Hey, I never looked at it that way before.” Lastly, remember it's a sensitive journey. We're dealing with deeply held beliefs. Guide, don't push. And sometimes, it's more about planting a thought and letting it grow in their own time.

2. There are a lot of factors that play into an individuals ability to confront their personal assumptions and beliefs. These factors typically are engaged through individual factors such as strength of conviction, their ability to control situations, their ability function outside of the norm, and their level of mental development. Within these factors, leaders are able to influence change through providing the employee with a safe environment that they are able to share their voice. Through open communication and dialog, employees build relationships and trust. Through understanding how individual factors influence beliefs, and providing a environment that encourages employee voice, a leader can garner perspective.

One thing I have found helpful is to acknowledge areas of shared agreement or common ground before offering a different viewpoint and approaching these conversations thoughtfully and empathetically can foster critical reflection in a non-judgmental way.

Our lenses color reality. Question seemingly objective truths - are they entirely evidence-based? Probe their origins. Surface concealed beliefs masquerading as fact through persistent inquiry. What long-held assumptions anchor your responses? Mine often hide in plain sight. Yet questioning reveals them, adjusting my blurry lens. Adaptive analysis refines judgment, continually updating, tuning understanding’s clarity. With refined vision, reshaped thought better reflects complex truth.

To identify beliefs and assumptions in peer support, use open-ended questions to encourage deeper reflection. Apply reflective listening to paraphrase peers’ thoughts, helping them recognize underlying beliefs. Probe gently about the origins and implications of these beliefs to uncover assumptions. This approach facilitates self-awareness and understanding in a supportive environment.

First I would like to point out that 90% of the peers that I have and will encounter have had to face trauma. Having Trauma-Informed Care perspective is highly important. Instead of asking or thinking "What is wrong with you" it should be "What has happened to you?" Many times we as peer supporters assume that the Flight ,Fight ,or Freeze response to our questions are an act of defiance, manipulation, non-compliance, laziness, resistance or a lack of motivation when in fact such a response is a result of a trauma. We must always use open ended questions but be ready not to re-traumatize our peers by assuming that these responses are from a different perspective than they truly are. This is where we need to be critical in our thinking.

One thing I have found helpful is to pose the question, “what if?” What if I were to think differently about this situation, what would that look like or how would that change my actions. By simply changing our thoughts or our rigid beliefs about something, we can become teachable again and begin to look at things with a new set of eyes. We may not realize what is no longer serving us when we are rigid in our beliefs.

One of the key enablers of effective peer work is understanding others own unique perceptions of their experiences, and that of others. Ongoing reflection is an important practise for those working with others including peer work, in understanding the 'why' before addressing the 'how.' It is of particular emphasis in working in the peer space as perceptions and experiences shape and inform the work, being aware of our own insights and willing to accept others of their own is a powerful tool and requires ongoing self awareness, and sought understanding of others perspectives and contributions in finding the way forward.

The nerd word is epistemology. In action, asking an individual how they reached their conclusion will help them walk through and evaluate their beliefs, assumptions, and information. Typically, it's more difficult to gloss over something when trying to explain it to a fellow human. In that explanation, when they hit a rough patch, it's not an "I told you," moment. It's an opportunity to ask, "How might this affect how you see [this topic]?" Proving wrong is rarely effective. Exploring opportunities will often lead to wonderfully unexpected outcomes.

Challenging beliefs and assumptions in peer support is not about proving someone wrong, but rather guiding them to examine their convictions from various perspectives. This process involves asking thought-provoking questions that encourage critical self-reflection. Furthermore, it can entail presenting alternative scenarios or viewpoints that prompt individuals to reconsider their beliefs. Additionally, cognitive restructuring can help individuals identify and replace negative or distorted beliefs with more positive and realistic ones. Employing these techniques with empathy and respect, peer specialists can assist their peers in gaining deeper insights into their beliefs and assumptions, ultimately promoting personal growth and resilience.

To challenge beliefs and assumptions in peer support, use the Socratic method by asking questions that reveal logical flaws or inconsistencies. Employ the devil's advocate approach to present contrasting viewpoints, encouraging peers to consider different perspectives. Cognitive restructuring can also be effective, helping peers identify and replace negative or distorted beliefs with more positive, realistic ones. These techniques foster critical thinking and a deeper understanding of personal beliefs.

Being aware of our own unique perceptions and assumptions is critical in how we receive and work with other's experiences. Linear thinking can be challenged by asking the "why" questions to seek understanding from other perspectives in ways that validate and acknowledge their own unique experiences, before supporting alternative thinking and reasoning to determine "where to from here"

Applying critical thought ensures our care empowers, not enables. People require scaffolding strengthening self-reliance, not quick fixes perpetuating reliance on us. Through analysis guiding compassion, we help template tools and patterns, so they construct solutions. We advise seeking inward wisdom too. With critical thinking, we become the leaders that support needs. Insight guides us to individualize assistance. We move beyond assumptions into catalyzing change, shining light so they find their way. This is the peer support that transforms.

I believe that everyone has the unique right to their beliefs and assumptions. We may not agree with them, and they may even conflict sharply with our views, but we must respect them. This helps us find a balance in how we judge and see other people's perspective of a matter. Gaining that balance will equip you with the modalities or approach you will implore to deliver your views about the matter, devoid of prejudice or judgment. I have discovered that this method helps me gain the confidence of my audience to listen, and eventually, change a wrong idea, or assumption of a matter as they view it from another lens of reasoning.

In mental health peer support, it's essential to respect and acknowledge the beliefs and assumptions of peers. Active listening, through eye contact and nods, demonstrates understanding and engagement. Affirming statements are key to recognizing their strengths, encouraging personal growth. Respectfully providing feedback, with relevant insights and resources, supports their mental health journey. This method fosters a supportive environment, promoting open and respectful dialogue.

Critical thinking is a wonderful aspiration, but isn't always accessible. As fallible humans, we have a healthy dose of emotion in most decisions. Critical thinking is an approach that can help us move the problem out of ourselves and examine it objectively; even if that means the solution negatively affects us. One approach is to appreciate and value critique as constructive, give it due diligence, and examine the degree to which that observation can be incorporated for the stated outcomes. Even when an observation is shared without grace, there may still be some helpful and actionable information being offered.

I remember a saying that the hardest thing to do is "thinking", and I have often questioned that if "ordinary thinking" is hard, how harder is "Critical thinking"??. Well, maybe not. Perhaps, what is needed of us is laying all the ideas or thoughts like a pack of cards on the table. We can then dissect our thoughts or ideas, in and out, pros and cons, and eventually arrive at a conclusion that forms an identity in us. This way, we can communicate our ideas better, get necessary feedback, and develop a growth mindset.??

Move to curiosity … and role model by challenging your own assumptions and beliefs. Develop a list of questions you can quickly “go to” in asking

What is the demand for leadership skills? I was watching "The Good Doctor, Season 5", where Dr. Claire asked Dr. Lim for advice if she (Dr. Claire) was ready for the position of Chief of Surgery in Guatemala. As the story unfolds, the lesson I took from that episode is professional skills are not the most important ingredient required to lead people. One essential character a true leader must have is Empathy. When one adds that with the technical skills needed for the job, you have a balanced leader. Empathy, will help you as leaders see beyond the obvious facts and understand the truth behind the action, and instead of judgment, you can learn accommodation, correction, and discipline without compromising the work ethic required.

The methods I use to inspire critical thinking can most succinctly be described as a combination of motivational interviewing, personal experience, and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy. Sharing stories of how I learned something I believed was wrong and how I resolved it. Explaining the connection between beliefs and emotions. Sharing the tools that I have found to ensure my thoughts/beliefs are as true and as useful as possible. All while remaining open and non-judgemental about the resistance that is met. Changing beliefs is inordinately difficult and rarely occurs due to external stimuli. An internal process has to initiate the change.

When it comes to identifying and challenging our beliefs and that of others, there are a few foundational but often overlooked things we need to do. We need to engage actively in ongoing dialogue and ask (urselves and others) open-ended questions. Challenging beliefs and preconceptions is not a one-and-done event - learning and changing is difficult, and we cannot expect something as essential to who we are (as beliefs, especially those we don't know we hold, tend to be) to be easy to change in one sitting or a single workshop. We also need to seek out and offer alternative perspectives - engage actively in discussions with diverse people. We need to ask ourselves and other open-ended questions - how? Why? Where? Explain?

Understanding lived experience in its own right and the unique perspective and expertise it brings to service delivery and opportunistic outcomes is key in all levels of organisational structure. In all areas of working with others it is important to continue to be aware of our own thoughts and perceptions. When working in a peer space it is critical in understanding that our own perspectives and individual experiences are often unique, and the importance of having awareness of ourselves in how we work with others to find their own answers and way forward both collectively and individually.