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Conferences & Events
AASW CONFERENCE NOTES
Mupervision
PEP
PAST EVENTS
International psychiatrist, psychotherapist and trainer Ben Furman presented three very entertaining workshops on 19th & 20th March 2009 in Brisbane
"This is an inspirational and positive working tool to promote better parenting". "A parenting program that I can implement with confidence." "A refreshing approach to using strengths based practice". "Ben was excellent...funny and interactive". "I'm looking forward to trying out the Kids Skills ideas". "A very practical and simple set of procedures to work with parents, staff, children and care providers". "It confirmed for me that having fun is a great way of learning". "My perception is that this sort of approach isn't mainstream in psychiatry/spychology and I appreciate this move forward in a positive, empowering direction". "Thank you for this knowledge of an easy, positive and accessible parenting program". "Thank you for the practical skills, it was excellent". "I loved it, life was meant to be simple so why do so many want to make it hard". "Thanks, we had a ball. Ben is a very entertaining speaker". "Ben was awesome". "I gained so much both personally and professionally". Ben is a psychiatrist, psychotherapist and trainer of solution-focused psychology and psychotherapy. Ben's publications include, among others, "Kids' Skills - Practical and Playful Solutions to Children's Problems", "It’s Never Too Late to Have a Happy Childhood" and "Solution Talk - Hosting Therapeutic Conversations". In addition to his work in the field of solution-focused psychotherapy, Ben has also been active exploring other applications of solution-focused psychology such as coaching, leadership training, team building, education and parenting. Together with Tapani Ahola, Ben's most recent book, "Change Through Cooperation - Handbook of Reteaming", is a manual for the solution-focused coaching method. They have also developed a concept for teaching solution focused leadership and communication they call the “Twin Star”. Ben has also developed a number of methods to help children and adolescents overcome problems. “Kids' Skills” is a solution-focused approach to helping children solve all sorts of problems together with their family and friends and “Steps of Responsibility” is a constructive way of dealing with the wrongdoings of pupils at school. Ben teaches and lectures in his own country as well as abroad. In Finland he is well known for his informative psychological program on national TV which he hosted for several years during 1990's and 2000's. Ben lectures internationally, is fluent in English and is known for his humorous presentation style and his willingness to interact with the audience.
October 2006 Strengths Based Practice Conference "Weaving the Threads" - click here to view details
There are a variety of human service approaches that share the emphasis of strengths-based practice on the development of respectful, strengths-focussed, just and client-directed relationships. This conference "weaves the threads" of ideas from strengths-based, narrative and solution-focussed practice, as well as the stories and experiences of community members.
Building on themes of strengths-based gatherings in both New Zealand and Australia, this conference:
· enabled community members to share their stories and experiences of strengths based practice
· further developed the application of strengths-based values and principles in an organisational context
· provided opportunities for workers to explore the relevance of strengths-based practice in work with individuals, families and communities
The Absent But Implicit - A Source of Inspiration in Therapeutic Consultation. In this workshop Michael reviewed the concept of the absent but implicit, and various categories of the absent but implicit were be defined. The scaffolding of conversations that draw out the multi-layered nature of people’s expressions were be described. Various illustrations of the relevance of this concept to therapeutic practice were given through stories and videotapes of interviews. There was also some focus on the relevance of these ideas in working with community members living with mental health concerns.
November 2008 Aletha Solter Workshops
Discipline Without Punishments or Rewards. Learn how to raise cooperative, responsible, and self-disciplined children without being authoritarian or permissive (either a "dictator or a doormat"). We will discuss the pitfalls of punishments and rewards, and review the basic techniques of democratic discipline with mutual respect between adults and children. Discover the three reasons for inappropriate behaviour, and learn how to change children's behaviour by recognizing and meeting their needs.
Helping Children Heal from Stress & Trauma. Stress and trauma early in life can alter children's neurobiological systems and lead to anxiety, aggressive behavior, hyperactivity, attachment disorders, sleep problems, learning difficulties, depression, and physical illnesses. Luckily, children know how to heal from trauma if we give them the opportunity. We will review the major sources and symptoms of stress and trauma during infancy and early childhood, and discuss the conditions required for children to restore emotional health. The focus will be on reducing stress, creating emotional safety, and facilitating children's spontaneous stress-release mechanisms of play, laughter, crying, and raging.
Aletha Solter, Ph.D. is a Swiss/American developmental psychologist, author of four books, and founder of The Aware Parenting Institute (www.awareparenting.com). She studied with Dr. Jean Piaget in Switzerland, where she obtained a Master's degree in human biology. She holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of California. Dr. Solter is recognized internationally as an expert on emotional development and non-punitive discipline. Her books have been translated into many languages, and she has given talks and led workshops for parents and professionals in twelve countries. She lives in Goleta, California and is the mother of two grown children.
July/August 2006 Michael White Workshop
Addressing the Consequences of Trauma - A Narrative Perspective. Many people consult therapists in their efforts to address the consequences of trauma in their lives. These consequences usually include a diminished sense of identity, and pervasive feelings of emptiness, worthlessness and personal desolation. This is associated with a loss of a sense of personal agency; with a loss of a sense that one is able to affect the shape on one’s own life, and with a loss of a sense that the world is in some ways responsive to the fact of one’s existence. In this workshop, Michael reviewed these and other consequences of trauma from a Narrative perspective. He described and illustrated approaches to the restoration of a sense of personal agency, and to the reinvigorating of an experience of self that provides people with a sense of personal intimacy, with a basis for relating intimately to others, and with a foundation upon which to proceed with their lives. During the workshop, Michael demonstrated these practices through live consultations with local people whose lives have been affected by trauma. Workshop participants were invited to contribute to these consultations as outsider witnesses. This focus on approaches to the restoration of a sense of personal identity provided an opportunity to review special applications of a range of narrative practices.
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