BRIEF THERAPY NORTH EAST 12th ANNUAL STUDY DAY – 30 April 2010

See below for more details on workshop choices for the workshops where presenters have made extra information available

1. Beginning Solution Focused Therapy - Mark Shepherd

Through the course of the morning Mark will take people through the key ideas and practice tools of the Solution Focused approach. The workshop will be suitable for practitioners who have no prior experience of the approach and others who feel in need of a refresher.

2. Narrative Therapy - Liz Todd

This workshop will introduce you to the ideas, practices and maps of narrative therapy. These can be used in direct therapy but also can be applied in group settings and also in how you think about other kinds of work such as multi-disciplinary meetings. Narrative therapy takes the idea that there are always exceptions to problem stories, and works in non-structuralist ways to assist people to discover their preferred ways of being. Narrative works in a highly collaborative way with people. The workshop will not assume any prior knowledge but will be of use to people who already have some familiarity with narrative. Practical exercises will give participants the opportunity to explore the ideas and practices. There will also be video clips of practice.

3. Physiological Solution Focused Therapy - Unsticking Problem States - Nigel Hetherington

Moving from a problem to a solution is the goal of SFT. The clue is the word ‘moving’. Problem states invariably have an associated and accompanying physiology. By understanding just a little about the connection between the brain, the nervous system and problem states you literally can move people from problems to solutions. The brain has a point to point mapping for most sensory motor functions. Knowing that there is far more brain processing devoted to certain body parts allows the therapist to rearrange body posture such as to change problem states. By knowing the sequence of problem postures this can be interrupted by introducing resource states by way of new physiology sequences or exaggerating problem postures until the state literally blows itself out.

4. Staying Solution Focused - Andrew Callcott & Yvonne Greaves

It’s a regularly occurring theme. We are introduced to Solution Focused practice and maybe after a brief training return to the workplace keen to apply these new skills. Despite our best efforts, and for many understandable reasons we find ourselves slipping back to our old ways…….. This highly interactive and hopefully playful workshop is intended for people who are familiar with the basics of Solution Focused Brief Therapy and who are looking to make more or better use of their SFBT skills. The workshop will include a variety of games and exercises geared towards revitalising the Solution Focused practitioner within. Andrew is a Therapist working in Northumberland. Introduced to SFBT in 1993, he has pursued this interest clinically and academically. His experiences include using SF approaches with people who are suicidal or self-harm, working in primary care and also with a psychiatric crisis team. He is a graduate of Birmingham University’s SFBT MA course and currently sees a client group whose problems are deemed to be long-standing and complex.

5. Introduction to EFT - Andy Hunt

Details to follow. See www.emofree.com for more information on the approach.

6. Solution Focused Groups - Yvonne Greaves

Self Esteem and Anger Solutions groupwork resources – An introduction to strengths based frameworks created within tier two Child & Adolescent Mental Health provider service, with support of service users. The resource is now incorporated into the service resource library and cascaded to other agency settings for use in one to one interventions as well as groupwork.

7. From Surviving to Living - Matthew Moore

Matthew Moore has been qualified as an Occupational Therapist since 1996 and has been working in the South Tyne and Wear Valley Condition Management Programme for the last 5 years. He has become increasingly interested in the use of Solution Focussed Brief Therapy during this time and completed the BRIEF diploma in Solution Focussed Practice in 2009. Working with clients who are on sickness related benefits and are accessing the condition management programme Matthew has been struck by the way in which clients seem to shift from a state of just managing to “get by” on a day to day basis essentially “surviving” in often very difficult circumstances. This state of “surviving” is often typified by an apparent sparsety of activity, from domestic and personal care tasks to social activities and roles to planning and thinking activities. He has often noticed that clients will often tell him that a sign of progress will be “looking forward to the day” or a similarly “hopeful” statement. Exploration of these in terms of what, “difference that might make” has often been useful in constructing solution focussed conversations. This workshop will attempt to explore delegate’s experiences of noticing small signs of “hopefulness” and means by which they amplify and develop these to collaborate with clients in creating solution focussed conversations.

8. Becoming outcome informed in S F Therapy - Andrew Calcott

This workshop will look at some tools available for measuring outcomes in therapy that may be consistent with work that does not necessarily focus on pathology or client’s deficits. With an emphasis on Outcome Rating Scales and Session Rating Scales developed by Scott Miller and colleagues the workshop will introduce participants to these user-friendly tools and will discuss experiences using outcome and therapeutic alliance measures in practice.

9. Using the Emotional Freedom Technique to look after yourself as therapist/worker/coach - Andy Hunt

An opportunity for those already familar with EFT to apply it to themselves. More details to follow. Prior knowledge of the approach will be assumed, and workshop number 5 will be sufficient to cover this.

10. Using S F approaches with young people who self-harm - Julie McKenzie

Julie will provide a context for current national data regarding self harm, including definitions. Workshop will then present an overview of SFBT and specifically areas which are harnessed to assist in therapeutic encounters. The workshop will not cover basics of SFBT as it will be assumed that people are already familiar with the approach. Julie will provide handouts and references and use PPt and interactive tasks throughout the session, so expect a degree of participation!

11. Finding connections between SFBT and CBT - Janine Ross

The workshop will explore CBT & SFBT techniques/ideas and question if the CBT field complicates and mystifies commonly used techniques with clever sounding terminology.

12. Solutions Focus Coaching – A Tool for Unlocking Leadership Capacity in Organisations - Antoinette Oglethorpe

As budgets and headcount continue to come under pressure it becomes ever more important for leaders to create a positive organisation culture and empower their employees to deliver better performance. Antoinette will share her experience of how Solutions Focussed Coaching has helped the Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership and other NHS Trusts to develop the leadership capacity of their organisations