IDEALS of Kentucky provides 5 days of professional training workshops to train mental health professionals in the Relationship Enhancement Method (RE) of therapy. The Relationship Enhancement® Method was developed by Dr. Bernard Guerney, Jr. and his colleagues at the Pennsylvania State University in the latter part of the 20th century. It has a long history of effectiveness. (See Relationship Enhancement in the 3rd column)
Combined, the five one-day workshops provide full training in the RE method. Individually, the workshops provide therapists with opportunities to integrate RE methods in with their current practice.
The five workshops are described below in their preferred sequence. However, it is possible to take any workshop independently.
Each day of training is $95 with 6 CE,$45 without CE, or $25 for students enrolled in mental health training programs. (Early Registration) To register, email admin@skillswork.org, or call 502-227-0055. These workshops are presented by Mary Ortwein, MS, LMFT, co-author with Dr. Bernard Guerney of several RE based programs, and RE therapy supervisor/trainer.
Upcoming Dates for Spring and Summer of 2010 are:
RE Therapy Basics: Skills to Change the Patterns–March 26
Dialoguing for Change–March 27
A complete series of workshops will be offered in the fall of 2010.
Below is detailed information about each workshop.
The 10 Relationship Enhancement Skills for Therapists
The foundation of all Relationship Enhancement interventions is the 10 RE skills. This workshop, aimed at professionals, teaches the rationale, skill steps, and therapeutic context for: Empathy, Expression, Discussion, Problem Solving, Self-Change, Helping Others Change, Coaching, Conflict Management, Generalization, and Maintenance Skills in one day.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of the training participants will be able to:
• Demonstrate Empathy, Expression, Discussion, and Problem Solving Skills
• Use RE materials to work with clients in each of the 10 RE skills
• Identify the rationale and context for the 10 RE skills
6 CE Agenda:
Morning:
Overview of Relationship Enhancement Interventions and the 10 RE Skills
Processes for learning skills: Experiential, Behavioral, and Skills Training Concepts
Empathy Skill
Expression Skill
Afternoon:
Discussion Skill and the Experience Diagram
Problem Solving, Self-Change, and Helping Others Change Skills
Coaching Skill, Conflict Management Skill, Generalization, and Maintenance
RE Therapy Basics: Skills to Change the Patterns
How do you use the 10 RE skills in therapy to transform troubled relationships? This 6 CE training teaches the basics of RE therapy, including setting up intakes so couples get down to work immediately, managing couple conflict in and out of your office, and enabling couples to have a different kind of conversation.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of the training participants will be able to:
• Conduct an intake that follows the RE process to start change in the intake session
• Use RE Coaching and Conflict Management Skills to immediately change conflict patterns
• Teach and coach Empathy, Expression, and Discussion Skills
6 CE Agenda
Morning
RE Therapy Overview: Time-Designated, Experiential, and Crisis Formats. Focus on Time-Designated Format
Demonstration of an RE Intake
Discussion of Intake Demonstration
Teaching Conflict Management Skill to Conflictual Couples
Practice Helping Couples Implement Conflict Management Plans
Teaching Empathy
Practice
Afternoon
Teaching Expression & Discussion
Practice
Coaching Initial Dialogues
Practice
Practice Conducting an RE Intake
Dialoguing for Change
How do you change a couple’s relationship by helping them have a different kind of conversation? In this 6 CE workshop you will learn how to combine RE skills, your own empathic capacity, and special coaching techniques to enable troubled couples to redesign their relationship while they talk through issues.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
• Model and prompt couples in dialogue to use RE skills
• Deepen dialogues by using your own empathic capacity to name what’s not quite been said
• Move couples from surface events to solutions that work for each person
6 CE Agenda
Morning
Video demonstration of couple working through issues in RE (P family)
Discussion to identify elements of intervention, use of Experiential Model
Techniques: Identifying underlying positives, Becoming, Identifying vulnerable and loving feelings
Dyad practice with techniques
Afternoon
Practice session in triads
Processing
Helping Couples Move from Discussion to Problem Solving Demonstration
Discussion
Practice session in triads
Processing
Advanced Relationship Enhancement Techniques for Couples in Crisis and Despair
This workshop for people who have completed 3 days of training in RE Therapy teaches advanced techniques often needed to work effectively with couples ready to end their relationship. These interventions include Becoming, Double Becoming, Laundering, and Troubleshooting.
Prerequisite: RE Therapy Basics and Dialoguing to Change (3 days of training).
Learning Objectives:
At the end of the training participants will be able to:
• Use Becoming, Laundering, and Double Becoming to enable couples to acknowledge and express intense negative emotions safely
• Use Becoming, Laundering, and Double Becoming to enable couples to access and express blocked positive feelings
• Use Troubleshooting to overcome resistence and increase flexible thinking
6 CE Agenda
Morning
Group creation of troubled couple scenario for the day
Intake demonstration of this troubled couple
Processing
Becoming and Double Becoming Demonstration, based on Created Troubled Couple
Practice in 4’s
Demonstration of Laundering, based on Created Troubled Couple
Practice in 4’s
Afternoon
Troubleshooting Demonstration and Practice in 2’s
Creation of a Second Troubled Couple for Practice
Last 2 hours: Triad practice, Based on Second Troubled Couple
Each person has about 30 minutes to be therapist
Processing
Working with Stepfamilies
Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will be able to:
- Describe how 10 Stumbling Blocks common to stepfamilies create a dynamic which requires different therapy interventions from lst time families
- Provide activities which help stepparents strengthen relationships with their children and stepchildren.
- Coach RE dialogues to help couples resolve stepfamily issues.
6 CE Agenda:
Morning
Introductions
Review of research based information about stepfamily dynamics
10 Stumbling Blocks for Stepfamilies
Strategies for Strengthening Bonds
- Couple bonds
- Parent-biological child bonds
- Stepparent-stepchild bonds
Afternoon
Strategies for Resolving Difficult Problems
- Discipline
- Role of the “Ex”
- Grieving children
Coaching Couple Dialogues