13718 AI courses delivered Online

This day is relevant to anyone involved in the task of developing an Inclusion Policy. How to create a real policy built around shared vision with true community commitment. Participate in this very practical workshop to take your first very real steps forward. The day gives those present opportunities to reflect on their attitudes and practice in relation to the inclusion of pupils who are different and the policy and practice which currently exist. Course Category Strategic Work Description This day is relevant to anyone involved in the task of developing an Inclusion Policy. How to create a real policy built around shared vision with true community commitment. Participate in this very practical workshop to take your first very real steps forward. The day gives those present opportunities to reflect on their attitudes and practice in relation to the inclusion of pupils who are different and the policy and practice which currently exist. Testimonials Be the first… Learning Objectives Increased confidence regarding developing an inclusion policy Understanding of essential steps to be taken to make inclusion policy a reality Deeper understanding of core values surrounding inclusion of disabled children Who Is It For? Anyone needing to create an inclusion policy Course Content The course answers the questions: Why an inclusion policy? What is the scope of an inclusion policy? How can an inclusion policy become a reality? How do I roll this out? We will cover: Legal and ethical background Local requirements Vision and Values Aims and Objectives Scope Evaluation and monitoring Complaints procedures Community involvement Consultation Implementation Practical steps If you like this you may like: KEYS TO INCLUSION

Circles of adults is a process that ‘listens deeper’ to generate reflective problem solving that can create lasting behaviour change and effective behaviour intervention plans. This is a particularly valuable process for those looking to enhance their leadership and facilitation skills or to build such processes into their school or team approach to complex pupils. ‘The question is not should they be here anymore. Now it’s how can we figure out how best to include them?’ In this practical workshop session we will explore ways of problem solving around complex situations. The session will be practical and will aim to allow the sharing of experiences and good practice as well promoting innovative approaches to problem solving around systemic, organisational as well as individual inclusion issues. Behaviour problems, relationship challenges and personnel dilemmas can all be worked on with these team oriented problem solving processes. We will introduce participants to a powerful and effective approach. The ‘Circles of Adults’ approach addresses the need for a problem solving process that is able to take an in-depth look at meeting the emotional needs that commonly underlie challenging behaviour in schools. The approach is co-facilitated and is designed to enable the participation of teacher teams to reach a deeper understanding of a young person and to evolve a set of hypotheses and emerging strategies that better accommodate to unmet emotional and learning needs. The approach takes at least 90 minutes and is intended for use with the most challenging young people, those at high risk of being permanently excluded from the regular school system. Learning Objectives Increased confidence regarding problem solving around inclusion in mainstream settings Access to a wider range of practical strategies and techniques to impact on communication, realtionship, learning and behaviour issues Learn new problem solving processes Course Content The course answers the questions : How to set up and run a Circle of Adults process How can we work out how to include this child best? How can we understand what lies beneath their behaviour? Is there a more structured way to run this meeting? Can we explore the emotional impact the person is having on us and still agree strategies? How can I get unstuck from this problem?

In this course we explore Mental Health and address how such needs can be met in mainstream classrooms. Course Category Behaviour and Relationships Meeting Emotional Needs Description This is our lead workshop/training day on understanding mental health, behaviour and relationship work in schools other settings and is both a values primer and a practical guide to successful innovative strategies for improving behaviour and strengthening relationships for challenging children and young people of all ages. Not just another day on ‘Behaviour Management’ – Our Mental Health Day goes well beyond a rewards and sanctions approach to ‘behaviour’. We will be focused on those young people for whom rewards and punishments do not always work and who confuse the adults who work with them. We aim to take a relationships-based approach and to give those attending an opportunity to think more deeply about why young people do the things they do and what our part as adults is in creating, sustaining and changing these behaviours. The day gives those present opportunities to reflect on their attitudes and practice in relation to children’s behaviour and relationship building.   If your usual approaches to managing tackling mental health needs aren’t working with particular individuals then take a tour through this range of cutting edge strategies for bringing about positive behaviour change, and for meeting challenging emotional needs  Learning Objectives reinforce and affirm good practice re-energise, stimulate and challenge thinking about inclusion of challenging pupils and children increased understanding of mental health increased confidence in managing challenging pupils in mainstream schools access to a wider range of practical strategies to impact on behaviour problems opportunity to reflect on professional attitudes and behaviour towards mental health in families and pupils Who Is It For ?  Anyone concerned with understanding and meeting emotional and mental health needs  Course Content Circle of Courage – belonging-achievement-generosity – independence – model for understanding mental health Compass of Anxiety – understanding and going deeper Active listening – Listening to the person underneath the behaviour Involving other children and young people in solutions and interventions - Circles of friends: peer support, counselling and mediation Team Problem Solving – Solution Circles: a 30 minute group problem solving process to get Teams ‘unstuck’ and to generate positive first action steps Restorative justice and restitution: principles and practice of this approach to repairing harm and restoring relationships without reliance on punishment Understanding the effects of Separation, Loss, Trauma and Neglect on children’s learning and relationships in school and what adults can do to reach and support these children

One of the most frequent telephone queries we receive at Inclusive Solutions is from parents whose disabled son or daughter is about to make the transition from Primary to Secondary School. Typically there is a tale to be told of LA planning procedures that are too little and too late, and a severe lack of confidence from all parties that the transition will be successful. Little wonder that transfers from mainstream to special schools continue to peak at Year 7! Course Category Peer Support Strategic Work Visioning and Problem Solving Person Centred Planning Description One of the most frequent telephone queries we receive at Inclusive Solutions is from parents whose disabled son or daughter is about to make the transition from Primary to Secondary School. Typically there is a tale to be told of LA planning procedures that are too little and too late, and a severe lack of confidence from all parties that the transition will be successful. Little wonder that transfers from mainstream to special schools continue to peak at Year 7! Because of this we have put together a different kind of support plan that aims to maximise the chances of Primary/Secondary transitions being successful. In essence our approach brings together a person centred planning tool called ‘MAPS’ and a ‘Circle of Friends’ recruited from within the Year 7 tutor group. The Circle of Friends forms the core of the MAPS session and are central in developing (with parents and staff) a Plan for embedding the focus child in the new school setting. Community Circles bring together disabled and non disabled pupils in a network of mutual support. Peer support is an approach to impacting on inclusion and transition in primary and secondary schools by actively involving other pupils. Enjoy participating in a multi media workshop that will challenge, entertain and reach for your emotions. Watch young people doing their stuff! Testimonials ‘It had a huge impact on all levels’ ‘Very user friendly’ Learning Objectives To be able to understand the values and wider context of peer support To be able to set up and run a peer counselling scheme to reduce bullying To understand and be able to maximise the power of the peer group in supporting relationships, achievement and behaviour change Who Is It For ? Primary and secondary teachers Heads and Deputies SENCOs Learning Support and Guidance staff Advanced Skills Teachers Parents Local Authority Support Services Community Development workers Early Years and School based Practitioners Course Content The course explores the questions : How can we improve our transition arrangements? Practically how do we go about involving pupils in this process? Do you have any fresh ideas on transition processes? Take a tour through this range of strategies for bringing about smooth transitions, meeting challenging emotional needs and to develop inclusion. Circles of friends: peer support and inclusion. Pupils work to problem solve with and actively support the inclusion and behaviour change of one of their peers Community Circles of Exchange and Mutual Support set up between disabled and non disabled group Peer support, counselling and mediation: reduce bullying and address emotional needs as older pupils offer active listening support and interventions Cross Age Mentoring: older pupils offer supportive mentoring to younger pupils in the same school or in feeder primary schools MAPS and PATH as person centred planning for transitions

This is a workshop focused on getting the welcome right for children who are starting for the first time at a new school when we know the welcome will be difficult. Perhaps they have been excluded from elsewhere, they are new to this culture, they have complex needs or they are just very different or highly anxious? Course Category Meeting emotional needs Behaviour and Relationships Inclusion Now available as an online course Description This is a practical ‘non-medical’ day or half day workshop or twilight session for front line practitioners working with children and young people that will find starting at a new school or setting difficult.  Drawing from international research and literature, reports from inclusive schools and our own experience over many years as educational psychologists of the challenges of children with major social and emotional needs, we will explore together what the best practice can and could look like.  We explore: Creating a welcoming team or ‘committee’ of young people Training the team in effective ‘welcoming’ and supporting Building a support circle around a new child and running this circle effectively Auditing what makes for a successful welcome of any new child at the school Facilitating the involvement of young people in successful welcoming activities and preparation Links between this work and building ‘circles of friends’ and peer mediator training Testimonials Belonging and feelings are so important Definitely made me reflect a lot on the go-to behaviour management techniques we use! Excellent! Never thought of it like this before Learning Objectives Increased confidence regarding developing inclusive practice for newcomer children in mainstream schools The challenge of a good ‘welcome’ fully understood Access to a wider range of practical strategies to impact on settling an individual’s social and behavioural needs on joining a new setting Deeper understanding of core values surrounding inclusion of emotionally disabled children Opportunity to reflect on involving children and young people in effectively welcoming and including new students New skills, scripts and processes to make inclusion and relationships in school fulfilling and restorative Who Is It For? Practitioners working in schools and other settings with children and young people of all ages Key workers Teaching Assistants with support roles Heads and deputies SENCOs Advanced skills teachers Primary and secondary classroom teachers Parents Local authority support services Course Content The course explores the questions : What does it take for a child to: Feel safe and secure as they transition into a new school or setting?Feel supported by their new peer group?Understand how a new setting or school operates and to feel confident there?What else can we do to go about including high profile children or young people with challenging emotional needs?How can we best enlist the involvement of children and young people in the early work of inclusion with a new member of the school or setting? This course also explores practical strategies, concepts and language for key adults building relationships with individual pupils. This is a participative day that aims to be explorative and practical. Opportunities to develop empathy with the children of concern will be created. If you liked this course you may well like: FRESH APPROACHES TO BEHAVIOUR AND RELATIONSHIPS

This is a practical ‘non medical’ day for front line practitioners working with children and young people with serious attachment issues arising from loss, trauma and abuse. We look at what Psychology may help us in our understanding of children who have faced issues with love and attachment. Splitting, handling projected feelings, constancy and permanence are explored. Online Course now available via Teachable Platform – Understanding Attachment Learn at your own pace… lots of text and video support Course Category Meeting emotional needs Behaviour and Relationships Inclusion Teaching and Learning Description This is a practical ‘non medical’ day for front line practitioners working with children and young people with serious attachment issues arising from loss, trauma and abuse. Drawing from the international research and literature and our own experience over many years as educational psychologists of the challenges of children with major social and emotional needs, we will explore together what the best practice can and could look like. We explore the language of attachment and outline very practical classroom strategies. We look at what Psychology may help us in our understanding of children who have faced issues with love and attachment. We explore the feelings of being on a desolate island of relational poverty or to imagine swimming with sharks. We explore the themes of violence, anxiety and experience of being a victim as young people grow older. We look at telling lies and explore how we can respectfully understand this. We reveal the new and innovative compass of vulnerability – the cognitive errors to which some are much more vulnerable. We look at triggers, self regulation and unpack a range of strategies.  Transference and counter transference are examined along with splitting, handling projected feelings, constancy and permanence. We explore what young people with these difficulties really need from us. We also spend time looking at the emotional impact on practitioners working with children with such needs and what helps at an personal and team level. We can all do something – we do not have to wait for expert therapists to arrive!  Testimonials Very moving presentation I will always try and think behind the behaviour now It had a huge impact on all levels We all seem to need it Belonging and feelings are so important Very user friendly Excellent! Learning Objectives Increased confidence regarding developing inclusive practice for children with serious attachment needs in mainstream schools Simple understandable explanation of attachment understood Access to a wider range of practical strategies to impact on social and behavioural needs Deeper understanding of core values surrounding inclusion of emotionally disabled children Opportunity to reflect on professional attitudes and behaviour towards parents and pupils with complex emotional needs New skills, scripts and processes to make inclusion successful Who Is It For ? Practitioners working in schools and other settings with children and young people of all ages Key workers Teaching Assistants with support roles Heads and deputies SENCOs Advanced skills teachers Primary and secondary classroom teachers Parents Local authority support services Course Content The course explores the questions : How can we start to develop an understanding of children with attachment needs? What is the true impact of loss, trauma and abuse? What else can we do to go about including high profile children or young people with challenging emotional needs? What useful psychological constructs can we use to guide us? This course also explores practical strategies and language for key adults rebuilding relationships with individual pupils. This is a participative day that aims to be explorative and practical. Opportunities to develop empathy with the children of concern will be created.

This training is aimed at developing Person Centred Planning – for Local Authority, School or Multi Academy Trust professional teams. Parents and carers can also participate in this training. One day introduction to underlying values and practicalities of approach in schools – 100 people 2 Day skill training for 30 participants to learn PATH planning skills 1 day follow up after 3 months to problem solve issues and celebrate what achieved. Person Centred Planning (PCP) is a way of expressing a set of inclusive values through a unique range of tools and techniques. The most commonly used person centred tool with children is a PATH – and it shows these values in action. Why now? The Children and Families Act 2014 sets out clear principles for supporting and involving children and young people in all aspects of the support and planning of their special educational need. The Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 – 25 years provides the statutory guidance relating to part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014. Embedded in its principles is the need for a stronger focus on the participation of children, young people and their parents/carers in decision making at both individual and strategic levels. The use of Person Centred Approaches provides the opportunity to fulfil those principles. Working in this way ensures the CYP and their parents/carers are at the centre of all decision making and future planning. It provides an opportunity to engage directly with children and young people to discuss their needs, and plan how they can achieve the best possible outcomes. This should be integral to all planning for children and young people with Special Educational Need and Disability (SEND) throughout their lives. Education Health Care Planning processes are required to be truly person centred at every stage, including annual reviews, so understanding this way of working has never been more essential. Is this different to what we do already? This person-centred way of working offers a radical new approach to visualising planning, empowering and directly involving children and those that care about them throughout planning meetings and allowing for inclusive, creative methodology which builds on and challenges existing practice in schools. Core principles The focus of inclusive, person-centred working is first and foremost on ordinary needs and not solely on special needs. – Being somebody – Contributing by sharing gifts and capacities – Knowing people and having relationships – Having choice and control – Sharing ordinary places – being present in local spaces and having a valued role there The training is delivered by Inclusive Solutions who are Educational Psychologists with a national reputation for training and person centred planning with schools over the last 16 years. In this training, you will learn how to facilitate with a child, family, team or an organisation to think together around their preferred future or about a challenge or issue. Here is an opportunity to experience first-hand the person centred, futures planning tool – PATH (Pearpoint, Forest et. al. 1989). This course will provide participants with a practical introduction to person centred planning and approaches, including examples of best practice in using person centred approaches in schools. The course will explore the underlying values of person centred approaches, provide an introduction to the person centred planning tools and link this to national policy and guidance. Participants will gain: 1 Knowledge of person centred planning and approaches 2 An understanding of how person centred approaches can be used in schools 3 A basic knowledge of the person centred review process and where to find out more information 4 The skills to gather information about what is important to and for the children and young people they support 5 An understanding of PATH and situations in which this process could be used in school The course answers these questions: • What are person centred approaches? • How can we use person centred approaches in our school? • What is person centred thinking and how can it be used in schools? • How can we learn about what is important to and for the child or young person and share this information? • How can we make sure that the child is at the centre of their annual/transition review?

This is a practical ‘non-medical’ day for front line practitioners working with children and young people who have experienced serious trauma in their life. We work to strengthen understanding of children who have faced issues of trauma emerging from abuse, violence, loss and family breakdown. Online Course now available via Teachable Platform – Impact of Trauma Learn at your own pace… lots of text and video support Course Category Meeting emotional needs Behaviour and Relationships Inclusion Teaching and Learning Description This is a practical ‘non-medical’ day for front line practitioners working with children and young people with serious issues arising from trauma. Drawing from the international research and literature and our own experience over many years as educational psychologists of the challenges of children with major social and emotional needs, we will explore together what the best practice can and could look like. We explore the language and key concepts of trauma and outline very practical classroom strategies. We look at what Psychology may help us in our understanding of children who have faced trauma. We explore the themes of: Hyperarousal Intrusive thoughts Constricted lives We look at triggers, self-regulation and unpack a range of strategies.  We explore what young people with these difficulties really need from us. We also spend time looking at the emotional impact on practitioners working with children with such needs and what helps at a personal and team level. We can all do something – we do not have to wait for expert therapists to arrive!  Testimonials I had no idea… It had a huge impact Belonging and feelings are so important Excellent! Learning Objectives Increased confidence regarding developing inclusive practice for traumatised children in mainstream schools Simple understandable explanation trauma understood Access to a wider range of practical strategies to impact on social and behavioural needs Deeper understanding of core values surrounding inclusion of emotionally disabled children Opportunity to reflect on professional attitudes and behaviour towards parents and pupils with complex emotional needs New skills, scripts and processes to make inclusion successful Who Is It For? Practitioners working in schools and other settings with children and young people of all ages Key workers Teaching Assistants with support roles Heads and deputies SENCOs Advanced skills teachers Primary and secondary classroom teachers Parents Local authority support services Course Content The course explores the questions:What does it take for a child to:Feel safe and secureMourn the past traumaReconnect with ordinary relationships with children and adults?How can we start to develop an understanding of traumatised children?What is the true impact of trauma?What else can we do to go about including high profile children or young people with challenging emotional needs?What useful psychological constructs can we use to guide us?This course also explores practical strategies, concepts and language for key adults rebuilding relationships with individual pupils.This is a participative day that aims to be explorative and practical. Opportunities to develop empathy with the children of concern will be created.If you liked this course you may well like:FRESH APPROACHES TO BEHAVIOUR AND RELATIONSHIPS

This is our lead workshop/training day on behaviour and relationship work in Primary and Secondary schools and Academies, as well as Early Years, FE and adult settings and is both a values primer and a practical guide to successful innovative strategies for improving behaviour and strengthening relationships for challenging children and people of all ages. Course Category Behaviour and Relationships Meeting emotional needs Early Years Inclusion Description This is our lead workshop/training day on behaviour and relationship work in schools and other settings and is both a values primer and a practical guide to successful innovative strategies for improving behaviour and strengthening relationships for challenging children and young people of all ages. Not just another day on ‘Behaviour Management’ – our ‘Fresh Approaches to Behaviour and Relationships’ day goes well beyond a rewards and sanctions approach to ‘behaviour’. We will be focused on those young people for whom rewards and punishments do not always work and who confuse the adults who work with them. We aim to take a relationships based approach and to give those attending an opportunity to think more deeply about why young people do the things they do and what our part as adults is in creating, sustaining and changing these behaviours. The day gives those present opportunities to reflect on their attitudes and practice in relation to children’s behaviour and relationship building. If your usual approaches to managing behaviour aren’t working with particular individuals then take a tour through this range of cutting edge strategies for bringing about positive behaviour change, and for meeting challenging emotional needs. Testimonials ‘Thank you so much for the excellent training day you delivered last week. I found the whole experience quite uplifting and inspirational.’ ‘Thought provoking and empowering. Probably the best training day we’ve had in school’ ‘There was already evidence on the first day of school for pupils that staff were adopting a different approach. Thank you so much for helping us to make a difference.’ ‘Today has to have been one of the very best INSET days I have personally been to – full of practical tips and techniques to use in the classroom; and also proof that this approach does work in practice. It really was inspirational and an excellent start to the term.’ ‘Very motivating and exciting course.’ ‘Another fantastic Colin and Derek training session’ ‘Enjoyed this course very much. Derek and Colin worked very hard and I understood it. Thank you.’ Learning Objectives Reinforce and affirm good practice Re-energise, stimulate and challenge thinking about inclusion of challenging young people and children Increased understanding about behaviour and emotions Increased confidence in managing challenging pupils in childcare settings mainstream schools Access to a wider range of practical strategies to impact on behaviour problems Opportunity to reflect on professional attitudes and behaviour towards families and children and young people Learn new skills and processes to make inclusion successful Who Is It For ? Primary and secondary staff teams All Childcare Providers – Out of School club staff/Childminders/Youth Workers Early years and school based practitioners Heads and deputies SENCOs Advanced skills teachers Primary and secondary teachers Year Managers Parents Local authority support services Course Content The course answers the questions: Are there any new ways to include our most challenging young people? Should we focus on behaviour or relationships? How do we go about including high profile children or young people? Can we find an alternative to exclusion? What would a relationship policy look like? The following are some of the key themes and tools we are likely to explore during the day Getting the welcome right for the most challenging Encouraging – getting the best from the most challenging- Circle of Courage – belonging-achievement-generosity – independence Active listening – Listening to the person underneath the behaviour Compass of Shame – which directions do children and young people head when they feel shame? And what helps children work through these feelings in more healthy ways? Involving other children and young people in solutions and interventions – Circles of friends: peer support, counselling and mediation Team Problem Solving – Solution Circles: a 30 minute group problem solving process to get Teams ‘unstuck’ and to generate positive first action steps Circle of Adults: a process that ‘listens deeper’ to generate reflective problem solving creating lasting behaviour change and effective behaviour intervention plans. A particularly valuable process for those looking to enhance their leadership and facilitation skills Restorative justice and restitution: principles and practice of this approach to repairing harm and restoring relationships without reliance on punishment Understanding the effects of Separation, Loss, Trauma and Neglect on children’s learning and relationships in school and what adults can do to reach and support these children

Click to read more about this training, in which we demonstrate a live problem solving approach which is based on the active participation of family members. Course Category Inclusion Parents and Carers Behaviour and relationships Problem Solving Description In this training we demonstrate a live problem solving approach which is based on the active participation of family members. ‘Family Circles’ is an evolving new approach to problem solving with families and is based on our years of family work and the development and use of the Circle of Adults process. Inspired by our own Parent Solutions work and the Circle of Adults process as well as Family Group Conferencing and other Restorative Interventions we bring you Family Circles. Essentially the approach involves gathering a family together for a process that is facilitated but majors on the family members offering each other their wisdom and ideas. The approach is capacity focused, person centred approach to working with families rather than the dominant deficit oriented and ‘medical model’ of viewing and planning for or doing things to families. This training can be modelled with a group of professionals or better still with a family. In our work with families we develop the importance of naming stories or theories and seeking linkages and synthesis between what is found out and explored about the family situation and its history. We like participants to sit with the uncertainty, to reflect on the question ‘why’ but without judgement of each other. Deeper reflections may span a whole range of perspectives from ‘within person’ considerations, to situational or systemic possibilities. Health or emotional issues can be reflected on alongside organisational or transactional aspects of what is going on for the family. The better the shared understanding the better the strategy or actions which emerge from these meetings. Quality hypotheses with a close fit to reality lead to more effective implementation in the real world. We encourage ‘loose’ thinking, a search for connections, deeper listening, an ‘open mind’, speculation and exploration without moral judgements. From this stance self-reflection as well as reflection on the situation can produce remarkable insights. The quality of theories or new stories generated is directly influenced by family members’ experiences and the models of learning, behaviour and emotion, systems, educational development, change and so on that they have been exposed to.  Learning Objectives To provide opportunities for: Shared problem solving in a safe exploratory climate in which the family will find its own solutions. Individuals to reflect on their own actions and strategies An exploration of whole-family processes and their impact Emotional support and shared understandings of issues at a child, parent, family, school and community level. Feed back to each other on issues, ideas and strategies that are agreed to be worth sharing with them. Who Is It For? Anyone interested in working with families in a way that builds and makes use of their capacities rather than focus on their challenges and difficulties. Social Care teams School staff Community organisers Educational Psychologists Course Content True family empowerment Deepening shared stories and understandings Facilitating groups Problem solving process Handling family group communication Allowing direct feedback and challenge between participants in a safe way Building relationships Process: Family members are welcomed: Introductions are carried out, ground rules and aims clarified whilst coffee is drunk. A recap from the last session is carried out: To follow up developments and reflections after the last meeting. One issue is selected for the main focus Issue presentation: The family member who raised the concern is asked questions to tell the ‘story’ of the issue or problem. Additional questions/information from the group about the problem are gathered: Ground rules may need to be observed carefully here. Individual participants need to be kept focused and prevented from leaping to premature conclusions or to making ‘helpful’ suggestions about strategy. Relationship aspects to the problem are explored. Metaphors and analogies are invited. How would a fly on the wall see your relationship? If you were alone together on a desert island, what would it be like? Impact of previous relationships/spillage from one relationship to another are explored. Eg what situation they are reminded of? For instance, does this situation remind you of any of those angry but helpless feelings you had with your other son when he was an adolescent? This provides opportunities to reflect on how emotions rub off on other people. The parent feels really frustrated, and on reflection we can see that so does the child System/Organisation factors (Family system/school and community systems and so on): What aspects help or hinder the problem? For instance, does the pastoral system of the local school provide space, or time and skilled personnel able to counsel this young person and work actively with their parents? Synthesis. At this stage the Graphic facilitator summarises what they have heard. They then go on to describe linkages and patterns in what they have heard. This can be very powerful. The person doing the graphic work has been able to listen throughout the presentation process and will have been struck by strong messages, emotions and images as they have arisen. The story and meaning of what is happening in the situation may become a little clearer at this point. Typical links may be ‘mirrored emotions’ strong themes such as loss and separation issues, or repeated processes such as actions triggering rejection. This step provides an excellent grounding for the next process of deepening understanding. What alternative strategies/interventions are open to be used? Brainstormed and recorded. ’Either/ors’ need to be avoided at this time also. This needs to be a shared session in which the family member who is presenting the concern contributes as much as anyone. Care is needed to ensure that this person is not overloaded with other people’s strategies. The final selection of strategy or strategies from the brainstormed list is the problem presenter’s choice. Strategies might include: a special time for the young person, a meeting with the child’s parents to explore how she is being managed at home and to share tactics, a home-school diary, counselling, or an agreed action plan that all are aware of, agreed sanctions and rewards and so forth. Strategies may productively involve processes of restitution and restoration, when ‘sorry’ is not enough. Making it right, rather than punishments or rewards, may then becomes the focus. First Steps. The problem presenter is finally asked to agree one or two first steps which they can carry out over the next 3-7 days. It can help to assign a ‘coach’ who will check in with them to ensure they have carried out the action they have named. This is a time to be very specific. Steps should be small and achievable. The person is just ‘making a start’. A phone call, or making an agreement with a key other person not present at the meeting would be ideal examples. Final reflections. Sometimes referred to as a ‘round of words’ help with closure for all involved. Reflections are on the process not the problem. In large families this is best done standing in a circle. In smaller groups all can remain sitting. Passing around a ‘listening stick’ or something similar such as a stone or light heighten the significance of the process ending and improve listening. Finally the problem presenter is handed the ‘Graphic’ this is their record of the meeting and can be rolled and presented ceremoniously by the facilitators for maximum effect! If you liked this course you may well like: Parent Solutions