Training Workshops
Educational Seminars / Lectures (Universities / Colleges)
TRAINING WORKSHOPS
Workshop Schedule | Register for Workshops
Informative, brief, and affordable - In addition to CTA's Family, Individual, and Couples psychotherapy services, we offer the following Training Workshops:
CTA Clinical Training Workshops
Clinically based, participatory training sessions (see below for details). These workshops are intended for both experienced clinicians already working in the field, and for those new to these ideas and practices.
The Training Workshops:
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Give participants a thorough understanding of Narrative theory and principles
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Help trainees to develop practical skills, offering a solid grounding in the implementation and the specific applications of these skills
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Are structured to provide the maximum possible number of learning opportunities to a small group of trainees, within a short time, and at a reasonable cost
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The workshops are unique in that:
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We conduct a pre-workshop consultation with each registered participant in order to ascertain people's training needs, preferences, and level of knowledge about the subject matter that the workshop seeks to address
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The workshops are specifically based on the concept of 'hands on' learning through practicing - that is why we keep training groups to a maximum of 12-15 people
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We cater to a variety of different trainee learning styles by offering a combination of: live interviews, role plays, participation in Reflecting Teams, the writing therapeutic documents, and taking part in group discussion
NARRATIVE THERAPY TRAINING SERIES WORKSHOPS
CTA currently offers several workshops in the Narrative Therapy Training Series. These workshops are designed to add to participants' knowledge of Narrative practices and theory.
The workshops provide training opportunities ranging from the three-part 'Ideas into Practices: An Introduction to Narrative Therapy' series, to workshops covering more specific aspects of Narrative work such as Reflecting Teams, Residential Practices, and Putting (Persistent) Problems In Their Place: Narrative Therapy Practices With Adolescents And Their Families.
Each series of workshops uses a variety of didactic presentations, fun interactive discussion, and live interviews and exercises witihin an informal environment, to suit people's different learning needs.
An important part of our philosophy is that each group of workshops is designed to complement other Training Series workshops.
This series of workshops is suitable for those who want to increase their understanding of Narrative practices, or those who do not yet have any experience of Narrative how to put Narrative ideas into practice.
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Ideas into Practices: An Introduction to Narrative Therapy
Geert van der Veen & Natasha Kis-Sines -
Reflecting team Practices in Residential Contexts
Natasha Kis-Sines & Geert van der Veen -
Putting Persistent Problems In Their Place: Narrative Therapy Practices With Adolescents And Their Families
Geert van der Veen & Natasha Kis-Sines -
The Intersection of Meanings in Therapy: Deconstructing Definitions and Descriptions
Derek Stockley -
From Assessment to New Beginnings
Susan Allen -
Narrative Therapy with Youth in Residential Contexts
Geert van der Veen & Natasha Kis-Sines -
Reflecting Team Practices
Geert van der Veen & Natasha Kis-Sines
1. Ideas into Practices: An Introduction to Narrative Therapy
Geert van der Veen & Natasha Kis-Sines
In this multi-part workshop, our aim is to give participants a practical, hands-on experience of applying Narrative ideas and practices to a broad range of professional, every day, situations such as:
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Difficulties with School
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Problems described as ADHD, ADD
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Relationship challenges: Couples
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Relationship challenges: Families
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Working with youth in Residential settings
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Struggles with food such as Anorexia and Bulimia
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Trauma
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Sexual abuse
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Family issues
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Depression
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Anxiety and social fears
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The influence of Anger
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Attempts at Self Harm and Suicide
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Biologically influenced conditions such as Schizophrenia and Bi-Polar
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Involvement with the Court System
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Suicidal feelings
Our informative Narrative Training Series Handouts Packages© use examples that address many of these topics.
This Introductory Workshop contains:
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The Spirit of Narrative - A Brief Review of the Fundamental Ideas underlying Narrative practices
The influence of post-structuralism, feminism, and social constructionism on Narrative; the work of important theorists such as Bateson, Foucault, Bruner, Turner, Andersen, Goffman, Meyerhoff, & Geertz, and the application of this work to Narrative practice
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Basic Narrative Practices and Theory
'Constitutionalism'; The Literary Metaphor: Narrative as Story; the role of restraints; Relative Influence questions and Deconstruction: Naming the Plot; Externalizing the Problem; Re-Authoring practices: Naming the Counter- Plot; Unique Outcomes; Landscapes of Action, and Consciousness/Meaning/Identity; 'thickening' the Preferred Self/Alternative story; Outsider Witnessing/Reflecting Teams; Spreading the News - the use of Therapeutic Documents and Processes
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Putting it all Together: Working with Different Problems - Concrete applications of ideas including challenges and difficult situations
Reflecting Practices: taking part in interviews, reflecting teams, and other fun, informative and stimulating exercises; You as Narrative Practitioner - Your Narrative Skills Inventory; What to do When Nothing Seems to Work - Problem Checklist
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The Workshop has been designed to take place over the course of 5-6 separate sessions, but has also been successfully presented in a briefer length of time
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2. Reflecting Practices in Residential Contexts
Geert van der Veen & Natasha Kis-Sines
In this 1 session workshop, participants will learn how to flexibly apply understandings of Narrative 'Outsider Witness / Reflecting Team practices to many of the complex situations involved in Residential work.
The workshop includes the Narrative RefCard©, one of several training tools developed by Natasha and Geert. See Buy Training Materials for further details.
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3. Putting Persistent Problems In Their Place:
Narrative Therapy Practices With Adolescents And Their Families
Geert van der Veen & Natasha Kis-Sines
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Effective Strategies for Inviting Participation in Counselling
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Invitations to Participation in Counselling
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Strategies for Participation in Counselling
All workshops contain a variety of didactic presentations, fun, interactive discussion, live interviews and exercizes, and relaxed discussion in an informal environment, to suit people's different learning needs.
1 session
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4. The Intersection of Meanings in Therapy:
Deconstructing Definitions and Descriptions
Derek Stockley
In this workshop participants will explore how meanings are made within the context of therapy. A template for exposing multiple meanings will be developed with participants using postmodernism as a guide. Examples from Derek's work in the field of addictions will be provided, along with an opportunity for participants to begin creating their own template for exposing multiple meanings.
People in the listening/talking community with an interest in Postmodern ideas such as Narrative Therapy may find this workshop interesting. In fact (if you believe in facts) Curiosity has been invited to attend!
1 session
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5. From Assessment to New Beginnings
Susan Allen
Ever meet with individuals or families who are so overwhelmed by the troubles in their lives that hopelessness and despair have taken over?
Do you ever wonder how to begin conversations that respectfully discuss problems, and that develop an enhance stories that include the strengths and resources that people already have?
Important clues often arise in beginning conversations with clients about the struggles and challenges that they face. There are also often ideas about new stories or forgotten strengths that can counteract the existing, oppressive stories. These clues can be used to discuss new possibilities for alternative stories.
This Narrative therapy training workshop will focus on assessing problems (not people), the effects that these problems have on people's lives, and how to use the clues that sneak into conversations to develop or think about other possibilities that fall outside of problems' spheres of influence.
1 session
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6. Narrative Therapy with Youth in Residential Contexts
Geert van der Veen & Natasha Kis-Sines
The intensity and complexity of Residential work with Youth can simultaneously challenge workers and clients, and also create rich opportunities and exciting possibilities for change.
This workshop will build on the knowledge that those who work with Youth have, as a basis for generating multiple strategies and perspectives for meaningful work.
Ideas covered in the workshop include:
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Creating Positive Working Relationships with Multiple Systems
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Utilizing Worker & Youth Partnership Strategies: The Role of Restorative Justice Circles and Reflecting Teams in Residential Work
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The Role of Restorative Justice Circles and Reflecting Teams in Residential Work
1 session
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Geert van der Veen & Natasha Kis-Sines
In this 1 session workshop, participants will learn about the theoretical bases of Narrative 'Outsider Witness' / Reflecting Team practices, and will then put these understandings into practice by participating in Reflecting Teams, and by learning about Reflecting-Without-A-Team.
Ideas covered in the workshop include:
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The Origin of The Reflecting Team: Tom Andersen and the Norwegian Context
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Barbara Meyerhoff's concept of 'Definitional Ceremony'
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Guidelines & Principles
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Structure of The Reflecting Team: Michael White's Four Stages
2 sessions
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