“I liked the reflective approach of this training, and the space to share our experiences and learning”

We have experience in delivering a wide range of training to front-line staff, managers and commissioners. Most of our training, while based on existing packages, can be adapted to meet specific needs.

Training packages are usually focused on putting learning into practice. Trainees start by setting clear goals around what they want to learn and how they see themselves using what they learn. Learning materials are then presented and explored, This exploration can include skills practice and/or reflections on the challenges of putting the learning into practice. This process can be followed from start to finish in one relatively short (online) session, or repeated during a longer course.

Some in-depth training packages are organised into three stages:

1. a small amount of self-study guided by a workbook, access to audiovisual materials etc.
2. One or two days of intensive in-person training. These training sessions are usually supported by two trainers, but smaller groups can be led by one trainer (longer trainings with more skills practice are more likely to need two trainers). These sessions explore the self-study topics in more depth and focus on the implementation of the learning into daily work. This stage is often highly interactive with, as appropriate, skills practice, reflective discussions etc. At the end of this, trainees set goals and actions for implementing their learning into their work.
3. One or more short (60-90 minute) online sessions in smaller groups, a few weeks later. These are used to evaluate the integration of learning from the previous stages into trainees daily work. This includes evaluating how this has worked during preceding the weeks, discussing successes and challenges, and answering questions that have arisen. Finally, trainees set revised goals and a new action plan.

Some of the key training topics are outlined below:

Motivational Interviewing

“I would highly recommend this training to others and think it should be mandatory for any offender facing role, particularly for those working with IPV”

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based approach to engaging clients, and supporting behaviour change. The training we provide does cover the theory and terminology used, but tends to have a practical focus. Introductory trainings can be as short as a few hours, but a training this short is unlikely to have much impact on practice. Even longer MI trainings can have a limited long-term impact on interventions without support to integrate the learning into practice¹.

Because effective MI training needs to include support to integrate the learning, we recommend training packages that implement the three stages described above. The aim is, not only to increase knowledge of MI methods, but also to have had some experience, during training and during daily work of practising the MI approach and skills. MI training needs to provide opportunities to reflect on the challenges of implementing MI effectively.

The training outlined above can be a general introduction to MI, or focused on specific topics, for example:

• Engaging clients with low motivation and creating shared goals with them
• Using MI to guide and support (risk) assessment
• Using MI to increase change-talk and move from contemplation to action.

Mental Health

We are able to provide a range of mental health training to staff working with these clients groups. All the different client groups with high levels of interpersonal dysfunction have a high prevalence of mental health problems. Different mental health problems are seen in different groups, and between individuals within groups. Training packages can include a focus on:

• An introduction to mental health (e.g. for staff with backgrounds in offender management)
• Associations between various mental health problems and different client behaviours
• The assessment of key relevant mental health symptoms within these support contexts
• Strategies for working with mental health symptoms that are associated with risk e.g. emotional dysregulation, obsessional thinking, dissociality etc.

Multi-agency collaboration

Training can focus on the importance of multi-agency collaboration for effective risk management and behaviour change. It can also include methods for assessing and evaluating multi-agency collaboration, and strategies for improving multi-agency collaboration.

Risk and needs assessment

Training can be adjusted for a range of client groups and can include a focus on:

• building engagement while gathering information
• the importance of multi-agency collaboration (especially with services working with victims) for effective risk management
• the perspective of victims and how our clients might impact on them
• how assessment feeds into wider case management and into collaborating on goal setting with clients
• the risk management cycle
• the strengths and weaknesses of various assessment instruments
• system generated risk.

Footnotes

1. This issue is explored, for example, in the “Creating Learning Opportunities” section (pp. 192-195) of Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2002). Motivational interviewing: Preparing people for change (4th ed), Guilford Press, where it is highlighted as being an issue that is not unique to learning MI, and especially important for any work that includes behaviour change.
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