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 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 workshop gives an opportunity to focus on the emotional needs of children and young people and how to meet these. We lift the lid on an emerging urgent inclusion issue, meeting the emotional well being of all children. In one year 1300 young men committed suicide in the UK. In the UK the commonest cause of death among those aged 16-35 is suicide. Online Course now available via Teachable Platform – Understanding children’s Emotional Needs Learn at your own pace… lots of text and video support Course Category Behaviour and Relationships Meeting emotional needs Early Years Inclusion Description This workshop gives an opportunity to focus on the emotional needs of children and young people and how to meet these. We lift the lid on an emerging urgent inclusion issue, meeting the emotional well being of all children. In one year 1300 young men committed suicide in the UK. In the UK the commonest cause of death among those aged 16-35 is suicide. 1 in 4 women experience domestic violence and 2 women a week are killed by a current or ex partner. We need to find ways to allow children to unclench their hearts and learn to experience, process, communicate and manage their own emotional lives for their own and for the good of the wider community. Testimonials Be the first…. Learning Objectives Increased understanding of emotional needs Access to a wider range of practical strategies to impact on meeting emotional and behaviour problems Deeper understanding of core values surrounding inclusion Opportunity to reflect on professional attitudes and behaviour towards children and their emotional challenges New skills and processes to make emotionally challenged children’s inclusion and achievement more successful Who Is It For ? Early years and school based practitioners 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 Shared experiences of teaching and parenting around emotional well being Circle of Courage as away of understanding emotional needs Fathers, mothers and sons and daughters Drinking and drugs, filling the emotional void Depression and suicide Anger and violence Solution Circle Problem Solving What children really need
Course Category Team Building and Leadership Visioning and Problem Solving Strategic Work Online Course now available via Teachable Platform – Chairing Meetings Learn at your own pace… lots of text and video support Description Meetings can be dreadful and bad chairing makes them worse. On this day we look at transformational person centred approaches to approaching the chairing of meetings. We provide deeper insights into the psychological processes that make this role challenging. ‘Best Saves’ for those really difficult moments when chairing meetings are creatively explored. We provide a practical, skill based and creative approach best delivered over 2 days. Testimonials “One of the most valuable things I have come across in the whole year” Learning Objectives To identify characteristics of meetings that matter- what excellent chairing looks like To strengthen person centred dimensions to chairing meetings To clarify the meetings we never want to be part of To create a visual graphic and words that uniquely illuminate what great meetings and chairing looks like To explore the various hats that group members and chairs can wear For participants to improve their chairing skills by receiving feedback To explore how to bring creativity into stuck meetings To Explore psychodynamic processes of resistance, projection, splitting and transference- as well as how to process these dynamics Who Is It For? Anyone who has to chair meetings Course Content Setting a Good tone/Exploring the ‘whole elephant’ – story so far of experience in chairing meetings – good and bad meetings – graphiced timeline and highs and lows of story so far Meetings I do not want – negative chairing…. Thinking Hats and Values – linked to role of chair – where are hats when things are going well and where are they when things are not? Our shared vision for great meetings and excellent chairing? Personal planning for future chairing – what do I need to get better at – what should I manage? Specific skill teaching – re when things go wrong – eg tears, personal attacks, talking in side conversations, silent members, lack of contribution, anger and so on…‘best saves’ explored with group – using live role play – with one chair Solution Circle demonstration – chairing skills/problem solving modelled – approach when teams stuck… Emotional elements of chairing – ‘its not personal’ – splitting, projection, transference explored and ‘handling projections’ activity Vision and Road Blocks – small groups chaired and minuted – creative problem solving – Blocks to vision of great meetings creatively removed or worked around
This is our latest lead workshop/training day and is an extremely innovative, participative and practical guide to successfully creating a truly inclusive classroom in mainstream school settings for children and young people of all ages. This engaging day will equip participants with ways of thinking and planning for the inclusion of all pupils within the curriculum. Course Category Teaching and Learning Inclusion Description This is our latest lead workshop/training day and is an extremely innovative, participative and practical guide to successfully creating a truly inclusive classroom in mainstream school settings for children and young people of all ages. This engaging day will equip participants with ways of thinking and planning for the inclusion of all pupils within the curriculum. There’s no better way to get set up, get trained, and get going on your inclusive classroom. The most knowledgeable trainers will teach you all the basics in face-to-face training sessions, and guide you through more advanced concepts and ideas. So whether you’re brand-new to inclusion, a seasoned pro, or somewhere in between, we will help take your skills to the next level. Testimonials ‘Yet again inspiring and opening more doors than I can go through’ ‘This opened a lot of avenues for thought and reflection. It will help me to help colleagues to see where they can improve practice to create a more inclusive environment within the whole school.’ ‘Some great ideas and restored my self belief! Fantastic’ Learning Objectives Increased skills in diversifying/differentiating the curriculum Reflection on attitudes to individual learning and the curriculum Linking learning style research to real classroom inclusion of high profile/need pupils Improved teaching skills for those with severe and complex needs and behaviour Challenge to attitudes and mindsets Who Is It For ? School based Practitioners Heads and Deputies SENCOs Learning Support Advanced Skills Teachers Primary and secondary teachers Parents Local Authority Support Services Course Content The course answers the questions: How do I begin differentiating? How do I include a pupil with very complex learning needs? How do we go about practically including high profile children or young people? Best delivered over the course of 2 days, ‘Inclusive Classroom’ introduces participants to 6 guiding Ideas that increase effective inclusion in mainstream settings. Setting the tone for learning Resourcing schools and classrooms effectively The essential 4 questions! What is the essential learning in this lesson? How do the students learn best? What needs modifying? How will students demonstrate their learning? Building on strengths and talents Beyond the IEP The curriculum content of inclusive classrooms If you liked this course you may well like: CREATING AN INCLUSIVE SPACE WHERE EVERYONE LEARNS
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
Need a PATH? A person-centred plan? This is a planning process not a training day. Let us facilitate your planning and refocus your story whilst strengthening you and your group, team, family, staff or organisation. This tool uses both process and graphic facilitation to help any group develop a shared vision and then to make a start on working out what they will need to do together to move towards that vision. Is your team or family stuck? Want to move on, but haunted by the past and cannot get any useful dialogue started about the future? Facing a challenging transition into a new school or setting? Leaving school? Bored with annual reviews, transition plans and review meetings? Want to find a way of making meetings and planning feel more real and engaging? Need an approach, which engages a young person respectfully together with his or her family and friends? Want the ultimate visual record of the process of a meeting, which will help everyone, keep track? Want to problem solve and plan for the future of a small or large group, service or organisation up to the size of an LA Give your team the opportunity to pause and reflect on what matters most to them about the work they do. The act of listening to each other creates relationship and strengthens trust and inclusion within the team – in creating a shared vision, groups of people build a sense of commitment together. They develop images of the future we want to create together, along with the values that will be important in getting there and the goals they want to see achieved along the way. Unfortunately, many people still think vision is the top leader’s job. In schools, the vision task usually falls to the Headteacher and/or the governors or it comes in a glossy document from the local authority or the DfES. But visions based on authority are not sustainable. Using the planning tool PATH (Pearpoint, Forest and OBrien 1997) and other facilitation sources we use both process and graphic facilitation to enable the group to build their picture of what they would love to see happening within their organisation/community in the future and we encourage this to be a positive naming, not just a list of the things they want to avoid. Outcomes To create a shared vision To name shared goals To enrol others To strengthen the group To explore connections and needs To specify an Action Plan To create a visual graphic record of the whole event Process Content PATH is a creative planning tool that utilises graphic facilitation to collect information and develop positive future plans. PATH goes directly to the future and implements backwards planning to create a step by step path to a desirable future. (Inclusion Press, 2000). These tools were developed by Jack Pearpoint, Marsha Forest and John O’Brien to help marginalised people be included in society and to enable people to develop a shared vision for the future. PATH can be used with individuals and their circle of support, families teams and organisations. Both MAP and PATH are facilitated by two trained facilitators – one process facilitator who guides people through the stages and ensures that the person is at the centre and one graphic facilitator who develops a graphic record of the conversations taking place in the room. Follow the link below to read a detailed thesis by Dr Margo Bristow on the use of PATH by educational Psychologists in the UK. AN EXPLORATION OF THE USE OF PATH (A PERSON-CENTRED PLANNING TOOL) BY EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGISTS WITH VULNERABLE AND CHALLENGING PUPILS The findings indicate that PATH impacted positively and pupils attributed increased confidence and motivation to achieve their goals to their PATH. Parents and young people felt they had contributed to the process as equal partners, feeling their voices were heard. Improved pupil- parent relationships and parent-school relationships were reported and the importance of having skilled facilitators was highlighted. Although participants were generally positive about the process, many felt daunted beforehand, possibly due to a lack of preparation. Pre-PATHplanning and post-PATH review were highlighted as areas requiring further consideration by PATH organisers. Recommendations to shape and improve the delivery of PATH are outlined together with future research directions.
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?
This workshop gives an opportunity to focus on the emotional needs of girls and how to meet these. We lift the lid on a less well explored inclusion issue, meeting the emotional needs of girls. Everyone knows a girl or woman. They may be pupil, daughter, sister, parent or partner. Course Category Meeting emotional needs Behaviour and Relationships Inclusion Early Years Description This workshop gives an opportunity to focus on the emotional needs of girls and how to meet these. We lift the lid on a less well explored inclusion issue, meeting the emotional needs of girls. Everyone knows a girl or woman. They may be pupil, daughter, sister, parent or partner. Girls will often withdraw, attack or even hurt themselves when under emotional stress and this is not always obvious in the way it is with boys. 1 in 4 women experience domestic violence and every week 2 women are killed by a current or ex partner. Whilst the world assumes girls have no problems processing their emotions, we lift the lid on this and question what is really happening for girls this century? Testimonials Learning Objectives Increased understanding of girls’ emotional needs Access to a wider range of practical strategies to impact on meeting emotional and behaviour problems Deeper understanding of core values surrounding inclusion Opportunity to reflect on professional attitudes and behaviour towards girls and their emotional challenges New skills and processes to make girls’ inclusion and achievement more successful Who Is It For ? Early years and school based practitioners 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 : Is there an invisible problem with girls? What can we do to meet the emotional needs of girls? What helps? What should our priority be with girls? This workshop will explore: Cultural and historical expectations of girls in our society Shared experiences of teaching and parenting girls Circle of Courage as a way of understanding emotional needs Fathers, mothers and daughters Solution Circle Problem Solving around girls’ needs What girls really need If you you want something similar, but not gender specific try: FRESH APPROACHES TO BEHAVIOUR AND RELATIONSHIPS or you may like: RESTORATIVE INTERVENTIONS
In this course we deepen participants understanding of systemic racism and the spectrum of privilege. It challenges the participants to examine their behaviours and take close looks at some of the views they have held since a very young age, e.g. this area is a “bad” area, because it has a high proportion of black/brown people living in it, or that young black men in tracksuits are “thugs”. We think about where these messages come from and how people are indoctrinated by the media. Course Category Inclusion Team Building Leadership Emotional needs Description In this course we deepen participants understanding of systemic racism and the spectrum of privilege. It challenges the participants to examine their behaviours and take close looks at some of the views they have held since a very young age, e.g. this area is a “bad” area, because it has a high proportion of black/brown people living in it, or that young black men in tracksuits are “thugs”. We think about where these messages come from and how people are indoctrinated by the media. We explore the reasons why white people are so defensive when it comes to talking about race. We discuss having racial biases and the implications of them, such as unconsciously insulting people around us in the workplace. When we become aware of how our behaviours can affect people, we then look for solutions. The course is designed for groups of professionals to come together as a team to try and take responsibility for the racism that goes on in their workplace – empowering the leadership to have difficult conversations with team members and create a paradigm shift across the entire organisation. Please come with an open mind, and you might be surprised at what you find out. We are striving for a world where racism is an open conversation and not a topic that we shy away from. Testimonials “That was a really insightful session and thought provoking. I would love to attend more sessions on racism. Thank you for the engaging questions and delivery” “Lots of things to reflect on!” Learning Objectives Participants will: Confront their own racism and unconscious biases Become aware of the ways they treat people differently based on race Think about practical changes they can make in their workplaces Who Is It For? Leadership teams seeking guidance and reflection Educators who want to get it right People who have had not had much contact with people outside their own race People who believe they are “not racist” Course Content Background – brief history of systemic racism Racism as a binary – the problem with thinking only “bad” people can be racist Trust – how do we feel around people we don’t trust? Difference – how do we act when we feel different? What do Good Manners look like around people of different cultures? What does Good Allyship look like in the workplace? Why don’t we talk about race? What does your race mean to you? Examining our privilege – activity Interracial friendship video Visioning – what does the ideal workplace look like? Setting Actions – what achievable actions can we set to bring us closer to our dream future?