This two day workshop takes place on the 13th and 14th May with attendance required on both days.

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. 

This is an interdisciplinary collaboration between IASLT, IASW, AOTI, SCI and INDI and funded by the HSCPO, HSE. Social workers have been allocated 17 places. To register your intererst in attending the course, go to https://www.iaslt.ie/learning-centre/the-decider-skills-training-13th-14th-may-2024-portlaoise/ and follow the link to the social worker registration page. 

The Decider Skills training course aims to target a reduction in impulsivity and increase resilience and confidence through thirty-two evidence-based skills based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT). The skills are designed to enable participants to make changes to help manage distress, regulate emotion, increase mindfulness and effective communication. The skills are delivered in an effective, fun, and creative style that makes them easy to learn and teach.

Presenter information: Anu Community Healthcare Ltd.

The trainers are both Registered Psychiatric Nurses and the sole Irish Decider authorised trainers. They have delivered numerous courses to date and trained clinicians and professionals in Decider Skills throughout Ireland.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Be able to implement The Decider in practice
2. Run groups in order to teach clients Decider skills
3. Use the Decider website to access resources /teaching materials as required
4. Use Decider skills on a one to one therapy basis
5. Integrate Decider skills to other mental health therapy areas.

The two day workshop trains HSCPs using The Decider to help service users develop skills and better coping strategies to respond to impulsive behaviours such as self harm, avoidance, withdrawal and isolation, aggression, substance misuse and binge eating. These behaviours are often associated with anxiety, depression, anger, addictions, eating disorders and personality disorders and can have devastating consequences.

The Decider Skills program is based around four key emotional areas:

• Distress tolerance
• Mindfulness
• Emotion regulation
• Interpersonal effectiveness

The Decider is firmly grounded in CBT and DBT for which there is a wealth of evidence for their efficacy in treating a wide range of mental health conditions. The difference is in the presentation, the style of teaching, which makes the skills very memorable and user-friendly, helping everyone - including the non-clinicial population - to learn the skills so they are able to use them at times when they really need them.