Courses & Training

A certificate to support children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. This is a modular, practical course for Counsellors, Teachers, SENCOs, Teaching Assistants or dedicated support staff with training from experienced and qualified therapists. Equips you to build strong relationships with children, to support learning and be a link to home. Interactive, hands-on training including; attachment theory & practice, motivation theory & relevant neuroscience, non directive & imaginative play (art, craft and clay, music, storytelling, puppets, drama), advocacy, transitions, child protection issues, anger management , anxiety, stress (including peer massage), recording including SDQs

Link and Support (Integrating Creative Play Skills with Counselling) See Above A 5 x 1-day course, leading to certification – £500 (Inc lunch)

WORKSHOP ONE

DATES - Tuesday 23rd April 2013 - 9:30am - 4:30pm - Hitchin Area
NB: New date for delivery in September.

Registration from 9am: Coffee and Tea on arrival

Participants will learn how to use Sandplay and miniature toys as a creative and fun intervention for children, young people and adults who want to explore their own feelings and life experiences.

In this practical, interactive day you will learn how to create a safe psychological space to help people communicate without words. For some, this may be the only way they can communicate blocked feelings. Uses hand-on approaches and case studies.

Sandplay can be used one-to-one and with groups in a classroom or therapy room.

WORKSHOP TWO - AN INTRODUCTION TO CLAY, ART & CRAFTS

Registration from 8:30am: Coffee and Tea on arrival

You will learn how to use clay as an effective tool for actively engaging children, teenagers and adults in the therapeutic process. Clay helps even the most inarticulate client to express themselves through what they create. Clay helps with the expression of anger, grief, fear, confidence, origin or family issues.

Through interactive, practical training participants will understand how art and craft can allow a child, teenage or adult to express their feelings and gain better self-awareness. You will learn how to offer a safe psychological space to help people communicate creatively. They may be working through issues of family, friendship, grief, confidence or anger. Participants learn practical skills, exploring art and craft therapy themselves and will hear case studies.

Trainers for both workshops

Nadja Rolli - Psycho Motor Activity Therapist ASTP, BACP, PTUK, Certified Sandplay Practitioner, Qualified Teacher.

Kathy Nelson - MBACP (Accred) Counsellor, UKRCP Registered Independent Counsellor/Psychotherapist, Certified Play Therapist, Filial Coach, Clinical Supervisor MPTUK

Costs: £10 per evening over 8 weeks. £80 in total (max group size 9).
Date: 22, 29 April 13, 20 May 3, 10, 17, 24 June 2013 8 weeks: Monday evenings 6.30pm to 8.00pm
Venue: Watford Community Housing Trust

Body image involves our perception, imagination, emotions and physical sensations. Building a better body image helps us feel more secure. Participants are supported into working with clay using tactile experience and multi-dimensional objects to represent real-life objects.

Through their sculpture participants receive immediate feedback about how they see themselves and they may then be able to adapt self-perception. This can help build a better self-image and acceptance of their imperfectness

In-school option: at your school for senior or primary (Y6 upwards) girls or boys.

Also suitable for female or male adult groups. Not suitable for mixed gender groups. Total cost £640.

Cost: £80 (Bring own lunch - refreshments are supplied)

Date: Tuesday 21st May 2013 9:30 - 16:00

Venue: Watford Community Housing Trust 59 Clarendon Road Watford WD17 1LA

This workshop offers essential creative skills to help children and young people learn how to express their anger using tools and techniques that do not shame or embarrass but are positive, achievable and transformational. The tools and skills are designed to help children and teenagers discharge their anger in a safe and reflective way.

Techniques include accurate self profiling of anger, including triggers and reactions. We look at what anger is and is not; managing stress; personal anger history; resolving conflict; breaking negative and addictive anger cycles; coping strategies; and the 6 golden rules of anger management.

WORKSHOP: AN INTRODUCTION TO BODY LANGUAGE

Cost: £80 (Bring own lunch - refreshments are supplied)

Date: Tuesday 30th April 2013 09:30 - 16:00

Venue: Knutsford School, Knutsford Avenue, Watford, Herts WD24 7ER.

This workshop examines the relationships between body movements and mental activity. Feelings and emotions are memorised in our body, which mirrors these emotions. Children and young people often express themselves through body language as they may lack verbal language skills. Learn how to decode body language signals and understand the hidden messages. We look closely at the three dimensions of time, space and energy. We look at movement development and how it affects emotional and cognitive development.
Through interactive and practical training, we will discuss ways of supporting distressed or anxious children and young people through dance or movement.

Who should attend these workshops? Counsellors, Therapists, Teachers, Teaching Assistants, Link Support Workers, Pastoral Support Workers, Children's Centre and Family Support Workers, Social Workers, NHS staff and other professionals who support children and young people

This coaching approach engages parents & appropriate carers as agents of change to improve the child(ren)'s emotional state and behaviour through non-directive play. The role of Parenting Thru' Play training is essentially preventative. Used in early stages of emotional, behavioural and relational problems rather than at a crisis stage, it is suitable for parents/carers of children aged 18 months to 15 years.

The Massage in Schools Programme is a high-quality inclusive programme that can be used creatively within all curriculum areas and age groups and links to areas of current government initiatives relating to children, such as 'Every Child Matters'. The Massage In Schools Programme is a fun, whole-school, preventative strategy for promoting respect and reducing bullying. The trainer will brief parents and teachers regarding MISP and have a question and answer session about it.
The course is run over 6 weeks, during which peer-to-peer massage will be taught to both pupils and their class teacher by learning up to 6 new massage techniques each week. The class teacher will implement the massage techniques during the following week. On completion of the course the children will invite their care givers in to demonstrate their massage programme.