Professional Training Opportunities

When All the Time You Have is Now: Narrative Practices at Walk-in Therapy Clinics Workshop With Karen Young, MSW Hincks-Dellcrest, Brief Therapy Training Centres-International For training and workshops see: http://www.hincksdellcrest.org/   Karen Young is a training and research faculty member with the Hincks Dellcrest, Brief Therapy Centres-International in Toronto.  Karen is the Clinical Manager at the children's mental health centre Reach Out Centre for Kids (ROCK) in Burlington where she is responsible for supervision of staff and of the Walk In Clinic at ROCK. Karen has been involved with ROCK Walk In Clinic since its inception 8 years ago.

On occasion, training may be restricted to staff only.

Karen Young

Narrative therapy ideas and practices provide therapists with ways of quickly engaging people in deeply meaningful and useful conversations. These practices are a perfect fit for settings in which just a brief encounter with clients possible, such as walk-in clinics or other short-term services. The presenter will share discoveries made during her eight years working at a walk-in clinic and providing two-session consultations, about what aspects of narrative practice are particularly useful in these settings. Remarkable conversations that are "enough” can take place in one meeting when the therapist has knowledge and skills that allow for respectful engagement in meaningful conversation quickly.

Participants in the workshop will learn about:

· Pre-session questions that begin to shift meaning and create change

· How to co-develop a useful and meaningful focus for the conversation

· How to see "away-from-the-problem” stories quickly

· A conversation guideline for time limited therapy

· How positioning family members as witnesses creates new opportunity

· Developing detailed, rich stories of people’s values, skills and abilities

· Taking in-session notes that create take-home documents for the client

· How to keep new discoveries happening outside of the session

· What walk-in clinic clients tell researchers is useful and meaningful in therapy

Videotapes of actual sessions from the walk-in therapy clinic will be used to demonstrate the guidelines and practices. Useful practice exercises will be included to develop participant’s skills in brief therapy conversations.

Preparing your agency for opening a walk-in clinic:

• Benefits of a walk-in clinic to the agency
• Effects on the staff and agency culture
• Impact on the community
• Co-ordination with community processes (such as centralized intake)
• Collaborative opportunities (initial and ongoing)
• Getting supervisors and therapists ready
• Preparing the administrative staff
• Finding clinical time for the walk-in
• Addressing clients on waiting lists for therapy
• Preparing the community
• Educating key referral sources and collaterals
• Advertising
• Timing the opening

Process and Paperwork:

• Role of administrative staff
• Role of supervisor(s)
• Staffing
• Process
• Options for structure of therapy sessions
• Questionnaires and other supporting documents/data
• Other agency services and their connection to the walk-in

Program Evaluation and Research:

Program evaluation that has been done at ROCK