Hi, I’m Nathan and I’m a PBS Practitioner with PBS4’s Clinical Team. In my role, I work with the people we support and their teams to enable them to achieve their goals. My average day could include hanging out with the people we support, designing and delivering training to their teams, writing and reviewing support plans, completing functional behaviour assessments, reviewing outcomes data to ensure our support is effective, and much more!
What I enjoy most about my role is how much of a difference we can make when everyone works together in a person-centred, evidence-based way. I love seeing the people we support to develop the skills, independence, and self-confidence they need to maximise their independence and quality of life. Some of the individuals I have worked with have had difficult backgrounds and seeing how far they have come with our support is so rewarding. It is about giving people the space and support they need to be themselves.
I wanted to work in PBS because I have seen the positive impact it can have when working with people with learning disabilities. Rather than looking at what people do, PBS looks at why people do things—that is, what is the function of their behaviours that challenge? Then we can help them learn new skills to meet these needs (or functions) and overcome any barriers to achieving their goals. So often people who require support are forced to settle for “good enough” (if even that…), but PBS offers a way to shape support that is bespoke to their needs and never stops trying until they realise their ambitions.
I decided to study for an undergraduate degree in PBS to learn more about PBS and how to apply it. I loved it, but I wanted to work somewhere I could put it into practice. So I came to work for PBS4 as a Practice Leader, working across different people we support to help role model and support their teams. I loved this, but when a job was advertised for an Associate Practitioner in PBS on the Clinical Team I had to go for it. I got the job and the role was terrific in helping me learn how to apply what I learned in my studies. Now that I am studying for my Master’s I have been promoted to a PBS Practitioner and I continue to learn and develop my skills every day.
Written by: Nathan Bunyan, PBS4 PBS Practitioner
To do what I do, I would say the most important skills are being able to problem solve, be creative, and constantly look for ways to improve your and others’ practice. But most of all it is important to be humble: to know that you don’t have all the answers and that often you just need to help guide individuals and those who know them to find the solutions themselves.
Check out our Instagram post here: https://www.instagram.com/pbs.4/
Sound like something you’d be interested in? We’re hiring a PBS Clinician, apply here today–> https://pbs4.org.uk/current-vacancies/
