Training and Consultancy
St Luke’s service delivery, organisation and community development work is all based on the strengths philosophy. We offer training and consultancy in strengths-based practice based on learnings from our own experience and that of other organisations involved in human service work.
We offer some basic training packages. We also consult closely with organisations or consultancies, regardless of the service delivery context or field of work. Then we design tailor-made and exciting workshops to meet their unique needs for front-line work, management, strategic planning or team work.
For information about training and consultancy:
Autumn School 2010 - Putting Strengths into Action
Basic packages
The Strengths Approach
2-day option covers basics providing many organisations with a sound beginning
3-day option consolidates ideas within the context of particular settings
Pre-requisites: none
The Strengths Approach explores the principles, processes and skills of the strengths approach which underpins St Luke's practice philosophy. It explores conditions for change and ways to remove constraints to change. It defines and explores client-directed, solution-focused practice and narrative ideas. It enables reflection on and exploration of the implications of the strengths approach for service delivery, the use of practice tools, case-planning, recording and other areas as negotiated.
Strengths-based Supervision and Program Coordination
2 or 3-day workshop
Pre-requisites: experience in strengths-based practice and a thorough understanding of solution-focused practice.
One of the central challenges of strengths-based work is how to be consistent with the principles of empowerment, self-determination and the strengths approach in our organisations. This workshop explores the implications of strengths-based principles, processes and skills for supervision and service coordination. It emphasises transparency and shared responsibility for the oversight service delivery and practice. It provides frameworks for implementing the strengths approach to service coordination and supervision. It looks at both one-to-one and group supervision.
Client Feedback- People Know What Helps
1-day workshop
Pre-requisites: none
Inevitably a power imbalance exists between workers and those they work with, so many people are not familiar or comfortable with giving feedback. If we want to hear people’s voices we sometimes need to help them to develop the skills they need to contribute to a genuine and authentic conversation. This workshop explores the challenges of getting feedback that helps us improve the way we do things as well as measuring people’s satisfaction levels.
This workshop:
- considers the context of the workplace and the impact this has on how workers ask for feedback
- reflects on the values and beliefs they have about asking for and receiving feedback
- considers the principles and values of a strengths approach as they relate to client feedback
- considers the ethics of asking people for information
- looks at a range of methods of collecting feedback
- considers skill development for clients to encourage genuine participation
- offers practice questions that enhance the likelihood of getting good quality feedback.
Community Building - Our Centre for Community Building offers consultancy and training. More information in 2009
Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI)
3-day workshop
4-day workshop also includes physical intervention component
Pre-requisites: none
TCI is a crisis prevention and management system developed by the Residential Child Care Project, Cornell University, New York. The training teaches staff how to:
- pro-actively prevent and/or de-escalate a potential crisis situation with a child or young person in Out of Home Care
- safely and therapeutically manage a crisis situation and
- process crises with children and young people to help improve their coping skills, to
- ultimately learn from crisis situations and teach new/better coping strategies.
It aims to develop a learning circle within the organisation and increase staff confidence in dealing with crises and potential crises. Training focuses on active participant involvement, using a lot of small group work, discussion, problem solving and role play, to facilitate practical learning using the TCI framework and tools.
For further information about TCI training:
Seriously Optimistic ® and other workshops
These workshops are offered by Innovative Resources, St Luke’s publishing arm and bookshop.
Useful texts
Through St Luke’s publishing arm, Innovative Resources, we have developed a range of resources and tools. These books focussing on the strengths approach are available through Innovative Resources
Wayne McCashen, The Strengths Approach, St Lukes Innovative Resources, 2005.
Wayne McCashen, Communities of Hope, St Luke’s Innovative Resources, 2004
What is the strengths approach?
Clients are the experts
The strengths approach means we operate on the assumption that people have strengths and resources for their own empowerment. But it's just as important to recognise that structural and cultural impediments constrain people's empowerment. These need to be addressed in ways that enable the people we work with to control the process of change. We call this 'client-directed' practice. In other words, clients, not workers define goals, and identify and mobilise strengths and resources. This means that workers and agencies need to be ever mindful of the danger we can be to people by inadvertently using power over others and approaching them as if we are the experts rather than approaching them as the experts.
Parallel process
St Luke’s has tried to bring the strengths philosophy and social justice principles into both our service delivery and our organisation. This is called 'parallel process'.
We have also been able to articulate our learning from our own experience and that of others in ways that seem to speak to anyone involved in human service work. We have done this through training and the development of resources and tools that are published by Innovative Resources, and also by carrying the strengths approach into our community development work.
What impact does the training have?
Learning is mutual
The people we train also inspire and inform our practice. We have learned so much through the networks and relationships gained through training delivery. One important thing has become clear. The strengths approach is most successful where there is parallel process at all levels of an organisation.
Restructuring organisations
Through the training many organisations have totally restructured to build a strengths philosophy into their work. Others have established new agencies or programs on the strengths philosophy or have made changes to the way they deliver services. Some now regularly send their staff to strengths-based training and others provide their own training using our resources.
For example, Family Works Northern based in Auckland and Kyabra and Indigo House in Brisbane, have undertaken training in strengths-based practice, supervision and training of trainers in strengths-based practice. They now train their own staff and others in their communities. Another important outcome is that there is now, in Australia and New Zealand, a substantial network built around the strengths approach.
Frameworks for supervision
The carriers of the culture of strengths-based work will generally be in the 'middle' of an organisation. So we have developed frameworks for strengths-based supervision and program coordination. We have established a long-term relationship with some organisations working over time with senior managers and across all areas of their organisation’s work.