Why Scratch?
The name, SCRATCH, has been on my mind for over 2 years. The vision, however has changed and evolved. As most companies form, I initially saw a need, and felt I had the skills to fulfill that need. Working the past 6 years for Mental Health Consultants, an EAP company outside of Philadelphia, PA, I began to realize how powerful the workplace behavioral health platform could be, and how authentic the pursuit was for me. I always believed in the impact work can have on mental health, and also, how it could be healing.
I grew up thinking that if you loved your job, you’d never work a day in your life. This created an unrealistic expectation, or I perceived it that way. Throughout my career I feel I have truly been WORKING. There is a distinct difference for me between the work I do, and the things I do for pleasure and I DO love my job. I imagined Scratch for those who not only struggled to enjoy their job, but for work environments. Why should the job be creating a lower quality of life outside of the job? Granted, there are many jobs that are inherently unpleasurable, and at time, disgusting. I don’t expect to change the enjoyment level of the job, but to help companies build protective factors rather than risk factors for mental health issues.
The best way I’ve found to help anyone, or anything, is beginning from the ground up. The biopsychosocial assessment is a foundational skill for all social workers. When I was doing my internship, I began to assess the company I worked for. Naturally, I started evaluating it using the biopsychosocial tool.
How do you assess the biology of a company? Biology is simply the energy makeup of an entity. Within a company you have a lot of flowing energy, and I try to look critically on how that energy interacts in the form of the people it flows through. My mantra is from the ground up, but within a company, the ground is actually the top! Leadership is responsible for how products are produced, who produces them, and the systems they are using. Assessing the energy of leadership is the first step in approaching an organization, or individual.
Individuals who seek therapy are usually looking for guidance for how to change behavior. Behaviors often derive from narratives of self that were established in childhood. Self-image, or narratives/stories of self are internal leadership teams. Biologically, this is the prefrontal cortex of the brain. It controls executive functioning, and impulse control. When behaviors are self-destructive in any way, be it alcohol use, isolation, or challenges in communication, the prefrontal cortex is what behavioral health therapy primarily addresses first.
From an organizational perspective, the leadership team is the prefrontal cortex. It’s essential for the success of the organization to fulfill their mission that this team is healthy. This begins the psychological portion of the assessment. Starting with the leadership team, we can then look at the overall stability of the mental health within an organization. How does the leadership team feel about the company? How do they interact with each other? Do they respect each other? These are all related to emotional responses that exist within the organization, or the psychological health. The perceptions of leadership trickle down to every employee working there. We can then help leadership maintain a clear mission, and to honestly assess how their thoughts, feelings, and actions are serving this.
The social aspect is the largest protective factor for both organizations and individuals. Social health can heal and mend a lot of damage that was done within the two other factors of the assessment. Therefore I can thoroughly assess the ability for an organizations ability to succeed by how strong the relationships are within the company. This can be foundational at first, meaning that people can simply like, or enjoy the time they spend with colleagues. However, that’s the cornerstone for developing true and effective communication that can produce greatness. The most powerful form of therapy I’ve experienced and facilitated is within a group. This is because peer pressure is so real, and effective in changing behavior, that when the culture of a group centers around honest, assertive, and structured communication, people are highly motivated to adapt, and therefore change. We are inherently very social creatures, and that need can superseed old guiding narratives.
Using the biopsychosocial assessment is one way I’ve found to help organizations and individuals build themselves from the ground up to reach their potential. After the assessment is complete and treatment recommendations are made, the process lends to an often difficult, and uncomfortable pealing of barriers to change that have existed since the beginning. It’s a challenging journey that requires bravery, and perseverance. Ultimately, it’s one that’s essential in achieving desired growth.
I’ve encountered mostly negative or ambivalent feedback about the name of my company. Honestly, only AI said it was good. However, Scratch doesn’t need to sound good. It represent the process of growth and change , which are not always comfortable, enjoyable, or attractive. I believe, after some doubt, that time will tell how effective the name is in branding the services I provide. It’s up to my clients to dig in, have faith, and take the hard steps that lead to organizational and emotional health.
