Training
All of our training packages are jointly created and delivered by those with clinical experience and lived experience of the subject matter. While we are focused on meeting the needs of our clients, our preference is to avoid the dry delivery of facts and instead unlock the skills, knowledge and reflection staff need to perform and excel in their roles.
Working Effectively With People Diagnosed with Personality Disorder - 3 Days
A 3 day course focused on understanding the presentation often labelled as personality disorder. We include the skills required to be effective, including specific approaches to collaborative working, formulation and managing crisis. We aim to develop the reflective mindset essential for working with high risk clients while teaching the skills that our clinicians and service users have found to be effective.
Skills for working with People Diagnosed with Personality Disorder- 1 day
An abridged 1 day version of the above 3 day course with specific focus on the importance of building relationships, collaborative working, deescalation, interpersonal dynamics, validation, problem solving and effectively utilising DBT techniques.
Working with potentially lethal self harm - 2 Days
This 2 day course specialises in understanding and working with potentially lethal self harm. With emphasis on harm reduction, risk management without being risk adverse, and how to provide psychological containment for both clinicians and clients. This is delivered from a unique perspective of a client's frame of reference to understand the underlying reasons for 'maladaptive' ways of coping.
managing crisis presentations of suicidality and severe self harm - 1 day
A 1 day course concentrating on effectively managing crisis by understanding what is behind the presentation; illuminating what is being communicated by clients and sometimes reflected back by teams. There is a focus on developing skills to provide psychological containment for both clinicians and clients in emotionally charged situations and effectively utilising de-escalation techniques and risk management. Sessions will cover validation, problem solving and a range of skills to employ including 'When nothing seems to work'.
Why it all makes sense: Formulating Behaviour that causes problems - 1 day
Understanding how early life and past experiences are reaffirmed and play out in the present. Using theory that is accessible and understandable for all levels of staff, we will jointly create a narrative to facilitate insight and aid problem solving.
An introduction to mental health - 1 day
A brief overview of mental health generally; exploring wellness and illness, diagnosis, dispelling myths, and common interventions used within primary and secondary services. How you can help and how to refer on.
Restraint: The power of being held - 1 day
Exploring psychologically informed ways of minimising the use of restraint within inpatient facilities using effective communication and de-escalation with attention paid to a client's previous experiences and how those are played out in the present..
Thinking the unthinkable - Various
A facilitated discussion that examines and deconstructs established wisdom. Often used in a conference setting or as a team away day this gives staff the opportunity to play with concepts that are difficult to articulate in the workplace. Previous topics have included "Why are People with Personality Disorder so Manipulative", "Let's Allow Self Harm on the Ward" and "Personality Disorder is not our Business". We can create an engaging and lively debate that is relevant to you.
Bespoke Training Solutions - Various
You know your organisation best and we are eager to hear your training needs and respond to them. We are confident in our skills and experience in working with highly complex and high risk clients, however we are humble enough to direct you to other services if that expertise is located elsewhere. Feel free to contact us to discuss your needs and how we might meet them.
Facilitated Meetings/Away Days
Our presence can help teams in new ways and our Experts by Experience are adept at helping clinicians express ideas they might normally articulate. By working on what people think, as opposed to what they want people to think they think, teams are more able to address the issues facing them. We offer bespoke sessions or can facilitate entire days of team building and reflection.