9.30am - 12.30pm
Online
The course has been funded by the HSCP Office, HSE. As such, places are available to social workers in the publicly funded healthcare service only. Tusla staff are not eligible for this course. Social Work has been allocated 6 places on this course.
This is an interdisciplinary event. The IASW are collaborating with Social Care Ireland, Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland, and the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists. We have collaborated on similar events in the past that have been very successful. Sharing learning from different professions views has many advantages. SFBT is an effective, respectful, and powerful tool for workers in the health and social care field. SFBT focuses on client’s resources and skills, rather than on their deficits and weaknesses to help them to find solutions and create preferred futures rather than dwelling on past failures.
The purpose of the training course is to up-skill staff who are supporting their clients to consider making changes in their lives. This is accomplished by introducing them to the concepts and skills of SFBT in a manner that builds on their existing experience and adds new ways of interacting with their clients. This model is particularly useful when working with clients who may be regarded as “stuck” or “difficult to work with”.
Aim: The emphasis of the course is to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to transfer their learning into useful interventions with clients.
Learning Outcomes: The course is designed to meet the following learning outcomes for participants. Feedback from people who have completed this training in the past has clearly indicated that these outcomes are achieved.
1. To broaden participants understanding of the theory of SFBT.
2. To realise when it is appropriate to use SFBT with clients.
3. To formulate their client’s difficulties and solutions through an SFBT lens.
4. To equip participants with the knowledge to apply the SFBT approach with their clients.
5. To experience the SFBT model through the use of skills practice.
6. To assess client progress using the SFBT framework.
Goals - Goals are all-important in the practice of SFBT. The worker may begin therapy by asking “How will we know when we are finished here” or “How will we know when it’s time to end”. The SFBT approach first aims to identify what the client goals are. The focus of the work will then centre on achieving these goals with the client.
Small Changes - Clients usually do not need to make a sweeping large-scale change within their life in order to cope more effectively with their problems. Small changes in their outlook, interpretation, or behaviours that are applied incrementally over time are usually sufficient to help clients feel more in control of their life.
Clients as Experts - SFBT theory regards the client as the primary expert within his/her life. The worker is regarded as having next to no expertise in the client’s experience and therefore depends upon the client for our guidance about what constitutes as progress and improvement.
The presentation of the course will be a mixture of group discussion, video demonstration, and skills practice and the facilitator will furnish all necessary equipment and resources and handouts. During the course, the participants will be exposed to the history, background theory and current practice of SFBT in relation to the concepts.
Facilitator: Brendan is an accredited counsellor, supervisor, and trainer. He has worked for over 30 years in the health and social care fields in a wide range of frontline and managerial roles in Scotland and Ireland. Most of the work he does is designed to help people who work in health and social care services to make their jobs easier and more enjoyable. With an initial qualification in addiction studies, he has completed master’s degrees in both health promotion and psychotherapy. In addition to his clinical work in counselling and supervision, Brendan regularly provides a range of training courses in Motivational Interviewing, Solution Focused Brief Therapy, Relapse Prevention, Community Reinforcement Approach, Suicide Intervention Skills, and Clinical Supervision.