Collaboration with Nyree Robinson in Gibraltar. Brigid and Nyree will lead an experiential, creative, playful 2 day course, rich in personal development and tools to use with your clients. 

Who is this course for? 

• Mental Health Practitioners and Support workers, working with individuals who are impacted by many difficult experiences in their lives.
• Therapists and Counsellors, with some knowledge of, and interest in developing understanding of trauma and Survival Strategies
• People in helping roles, who recognise the complex difficulties their clients and service users have had to face, and want to offer ways of making sense of, and working with the complexity

1. Too much complexity - Strategies for managing complexity (Parts theory and practice)

- The service-user's early life / experiences caused social-emotional-cognitive disruption, which continue to impact negatively on their lives; they struggle with impulse control, aggression, rage, regret, risky behaviours or risk averse behaviours; they feel stuck and helpless; they blame others, rather than take positive action; downwards spiral / cycle

- The practitioner's / helper's role is quite broad, due to lack of resources; a variety of 'hats' are needed, and this can blur boundaries and expectations; can lead to feeling overwhelmed and as helpless as service users; to feeling stuck and ineffective

- The practitioner's personal lives may be full of challenges, due to financial / social / emotional pressures; burn out or disengagement; or resignation

2. Relationship challenges - Strategies for improving relational qualities and improving communication, without burning out (attachment theory and practice)

- The service-users 'blue-print' for how to feel safe in relationships is often an out of date survival strategy that can harm present relationships, and jeopardise future stability

- The practitioner can be the target of the service-user's anger (which can be related to shame and unprocessed loss), they can feel persecuted and self-protective and the relationship can break down

Effective Responses to these problems will include:

- Strategies for increasing self-awareness and self-containment

- Strategies for increasing our client's / service-user's self-awareness and self-containment

- Strategies for engaging with complexity and traumatised clients

- Strategies to avoid burn out - and increase trauma-resilience 

- Attachment and Developmental theory

- Parts Theory and healing past trauma

- Playful and creative techniques, to support neuro-plasticity and change

- Role of contracting / making agreements / engaging your clients

- Recording changes and evidencing efficacy

£230 - Early Bird, (before 30th January 2025) self-funded

£250 - Self-funding

£250 - Early Bird Organisation (before 30th January 2025)

£280 - Organisation funding (invoices provided)