Self Detective, in partnership with Community Counselling Cooperative, has a wide range of training opportunities and facilitated group-work packages to suit the individual needs of organisations and community groups – within your own premises.

Each workshop can accommodate up to 20 participants, with each attendee receiving a comprehensive workbook during the event, followed by a CPD certificate on completion.

All our workshops are person-centred and experiential in their outlook and approach. They are undertaken in a safe, nurturing and non-judgemental environment, and are suitable for workers and service-users alike. Self Detective training places value and significance on learning through sharing insights and discussion.

Current list of self detective training opportunities

Breakdown of each training event

Person-centeredness

This workshop is a practical and interactive exploration of Carl Rogers’ person-centeredness. Can this approach by incorporated into our personal and professional lives to good effect? We will be using case studies, insights, exercises and group discussion to figure out how the core conditions of empathy, authenticity and unconditional positive regard might enhance the quality of our contact and communication with others. This training day also looks at how to create nurturing environments, to counteract the harm of hostile surroundings and allow people to flourish and reach their full potential.

Personal Development

How might we start to integrate self-care, self-awareness and personal development into our everyday lives? This training aims to give participants a hands-on opportunity to develop the skills and tools needed to address areas of their lives that have previously been neglected. We will look at our own values, beliefs and standards; explore the messages from our childhood; as well as examine the interconnections of our thoughts, feelings and actions. We will find out which questions would be the most useful for us to ask and answer, as well as working out what are unmet needs are. Before the training sessions ends, there will be an opportunity for everyone to formulate a mission or an action plan, so that you can continue your PD work outside of the training room.

Active listening skills

The benefits of being able to develop and utilise active listening skills in our own personal and professional lives can be enormous and profound. This training event is undertaken in an informal and non-judgemental environment. It allows participants to learn how to improve their attunement with other people - as well as themselves. Together as a group we will practice certain techniques and undertake a number of light exercises. In doing so we will be able to reflect on which aspects of psychological contact we are okay with and which areas we may wish to focus on.

De-mystifying counselling

From Freud and psychodynamics to Carl Rogers and person-centeredness through to Aaron Beck and cognitive behavioural therapy, this event aims to give participants a taster of the varied approach to psychological distress over the past 100 years. This training day will include some of the following insights and concepts: attachment theory, games people play, the false self and the divided self, creative expressive therapy, neuro-linguistic programming and solution -focused therapy. Rather than dry learning, this workshop encourages debate and practical participation in group exercises related to counselling theory.

The process of change

If you wanted to change where would you begin? How would you know you were on the right track? And do you even like change? This training day explores the notion of change from a theoretical and practical stance, examining different models in order to find ones that works best for ourselves. The workshop also looks to visualise and map out our landscape of change, so that we can see the hurdles to change and be able to measure our progress, in whichever area we wish to modify.

Trauma & recovery

In essence, this training will be useful to anyone wishing to help themselves or others who have experienced trauma, abuse or adverse childhood experiences. This workshop explores different types of trauma, its impact, the effect trauma has on the function of the brain and the body, and how people with PTSD relate to others. The second part of the day looks at how a new wave of neuro-therapies, are enabling people to recover from trauma and move on in their lives. There is also the option within this event to look at how an organisation might set-up its own Trauma Informed Care (TIC) and Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE).

Coping strategies

This workshop looks at different types of coping strategies and their potential to be either functional or dysfunctional to our lives. We will also be exploring the notion of a recovery toolkit, Iris Murdoch’s “un-selfing” and Richard Lazarus’ model of stress. Warning signs and triggers are also a feature of this day, as is the ability to increase our overall levels of resilience. Some coping strategies, such as breathing, sleeping, music and sound, will be explored in greater detail.

Relationships

‘It’s all about the relationship.’ If that’s the case, it would be useful to understand and explore exactly what is going on when we meet another person. What can help to create bonds within people and what can we do when things do wrong in relationships? Attachment theory, mentalization, games people play, true self vs false self, adverse childhood experiences, are all concepts that many people find useful in helping to explain functional and dysfunctional relationships. In this hands-on workshop, we will be encouraging participants to discuss their own experiences as well as taking part in exercises in smaller-sized groups.

Power and control

Undertaken in a safe, nurturing, non-judgemental environment, this workshop would be useful for any individual who wishes to become more aware of their own power/powerlessness, whether it be in the home, at work or within society at large. We will also be looking at how relationships can become abusive, unequal, toxic and mutually dysfunctional. Concepts such as power-over, power-with and power-within, mutual aid, hierarchies, cis, entitlement, will be explored and discussed alongside framework models of power from a feminist perspective, Michel Foucault, Hannah Arendt and Steven Laws, among others. There will also be an opportunity for participants to examine their own thinking, feeling and actions in relation to power and control, with a view to finding ways to decrease levels of inequality and coercion, while increasing levels of cohesion, cooperation, mutual respect and mutual understandings.

Self-worth

This training day gives participants the opportunity to reflect on their own self-worth and link this to messages and events that have shaped our ability to self-care and self-respect. As part of this workshop we will be exploring how we come to beat ourselves up and take things personally. We will also look at the notion of a poisonous parrot, an uneven playing field and self-sabotage. As shame, guilt and blame can be a big part of low self-esteem, there will be time to examine self-forgiveness, affirmations and other models of self-healing. Working in a safe environment, this training day gives each participant the opportunity to have a voice and to tell their story.

Self Detective training feedback

“This has been the most interesting and well-delivered training I’ve attended in many years.”

“I really think that [the person-centred approach] is the only way to work with people and I’ll be reminding myself of this.”

“The training was excellent, well-paced, great atmosphere.”

“Great training with a skilled professional – well-paced and interactive.”

“It’s been really enjoyable training, being able to participate effectively rather than being talked at.”

“Excellent attitude of trainer and relaxed atmosphere in which to learn.”

“Thanks for this. It is timely on a personal and professional level.”

“Very positive, good pace, opportunity to speak and share information.”

Contact Sharon
training@selfdetective.net