Course Overview
Whether you are a social worker, school teacher, psychologist or counsellor, the task of managing parents and other carers of your clients/students can be challenging and indeed, even intimidating. Unless you can secure their support, you will have limited success. Hence, although you are not responsible for the actions of the carers, it is nevertheless critical to learn practical skills to understand and manage them appropriately in order to reach your goal of helping your child effectively.
The workshop starts on a lively note with participants sharing some difficult carers’ behaviours that they have encountered. Participants will learn the difficult categories of difficult carers and understand the different common family dynamics that breed and condone such behaviours. Critically, participants must recognise that they are an important factor in the relationship. They will learn to reflect on themselves – know how difficult carers will affect their own actions and behaviour, know how to navigate the relationship, and how to to work safely and adopt appropriate postures.
A significant portion of the course will be learning interventions how to manage difficult carers. Skills such as de-escalation, using questions to motivate change in carers will be practised during the workshop.
Target Audience
- HOD Student Management, HOD Discipline
- School Counsellors, AEDs & Teachers
- Social Workers & Counsellors working in SSA
Duration
7 hours
Workshop Topics:
Part A: Case sharing
Participants are invited to share cases encountered at their workplaces and the impacts that resulted. Manifestations of different behaviours are identified. This section concludes by categorizing different types of difficult carers into broad groups. Their characteristics are examined.
Activity: Group Discussion
Part B: Emotional and behavioural manifestations of difficult carers (A family systems perspective)
Participants will be introduced to some common family dynamics, how these dynamics may be contributing to behavioural and emotional manifestations of carers. Participants will review the wide-ranging long-term and short-term impacts on the child: academic, emotional, social and behavioural.
Activity: Case study
Part C: How the behaviours of difficult carers affect YOU
Similarly, the long- and short-term effects on the participants are examined. Participants will be encouraged to be introspective and to reflect on how they feel, behave and think when working with difficult carers. Internal dialogues and self-reflexivity will be explored.
Activity: Self-reflexivity exercise
Part D: Strategies to manage difficult carers
Participants will be taught different strategies to engage and work with difficult carers. Some techniques from the Motivational Interviewing approach will be introduced. This approach emphasises using a directive, carer-centered style of interaction to promote behavioural change by helping them explore and resolve ambivalence. Specific strategies to work with the different carer types, manage difficult interaction with carers like escalating tension, aggression, manipulation or control will also be taught.
Activity: Role plays, skills practice and video discussion
Part E: Self-Care Techniques
This workshop concludes with techniques that participants can use for self-care.
Activity: More self-reflexivity exercises