We are a specialised training provider, offering research and evidence-led workplace training services across family dispute resolution, mediation, relationship counselling, family violence and primary prevention.
We have considerable practice and expertise delivering customised workshops, programs for individuals, families and communities affected by mental health difficulties, trauma, grief/loss and family violence and we also deliver a range of preventative and early intervention programs. We provide expertise in training across family dispute resolution and mediation.
Our Training and Development team resources with a focus on embedding our articulated team vision into everyday practice which is:
We can provide workplace training across a range of topics including, but not limited, to those listed below.
The Family Law Act 1975 will be examined with opportunities for participants to consider statistics and population groups that are more likely to experience family violence.
Other key concepts include; perspectives of family and domestic violence, individual pathology and inter-generational perspectives of violence, social stressors and individual risk and effects of common beliefs on the person experiencing the violence.
This workshop is particularly suited to attendees who already have an understanding of family violence and/or work with family violence as part of their profession and wish to extend and deepen their knowledge in this area.
This will cover the identification of family violence, skills in how to ask the difficult questions and what this means for the client’s capacity to negotiate. It will also address how to tailor the negotiation process to maximise suitability and how to manage the clients’ participation in the process. Some dilemmas that involve impartiality and neutrality, whilst maintaining the best interests of children in parenting matters will be discussed.
Family violence can be a difficult subject to discuss with clients in any service. Within a dispute resolution context, it is particularly important to ask questions to identify family violence. Family violence changes the power balance of the negotiation process and impacts upon clients’ capacity and suitability to undertake the FDR process.
Participants will gain increased skills in:
FDR Practitioners, mediators, lawyers and people working with separated families.
Professionals who provide services for individuals or families often need to assess for risk of suicide in their clients or group participants.
For a number of services, assessing for suicide risk is a requirement under the relevant legislation and a clear process needs to be undertaken and documented. Increased suicidal risk has been identified in clients experiencing significant relationship issues as this often impacts upon their emotional health.
Assessments for safety and risk in clients also include the need to assess for suicide risk or engagement in past or present self-harming behaviours. In this workshop, a number of risk assessment frameworks will be considered to assist practitioners to make an informed decision about the level of risk and its impact on the service that the client is seeking.
Risk assessment frameworks will cover the assessment of suicide risk in:
Participants will gain increased skills in:
Counsellors, psychologists, social workers, family dispute resolution practitioners, mediators, lawyers, intake workers, group facilitators, education and health professionals.
This workshop introduces non-legal practitioners, such as psychologists, counsellors and social workers, to the requirements and legal obligations of writing court reports, attending court as a witness or support person, and your responsibilities to your clients. We will examine commonly-requested reports such as Parenting Reports, Child Assessments, Family Reports, and Intervention Order assessment reports. Consideration will be given to the laws which govern these reports, including the Family Law Act and the Children and Young Person’s Act.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Professionals who have been asked to attend court or write a report for a client. This includes psychologists, counsellors, social workers, family workers, allied health and medical staff.
At some stage over their careers, many people will find themselves needing to support or help a colleague or a friend who is in difficult circumstances. Counselling skills can often assist in the management of the colleague or friend’s emotional response to an issue or event. Other situations where a person may need to be the “casual counsellor” include helping a staff member who is a direct report, helping a student or parent in an education setting or assisting a client in a non-clinical situation.
This workshop will focus on how to respond to a range of emotions, language and behaviours that often accompany difficult issues. It will also cover how to recognise when you might intervene as a casual counsellor and when you should refer to other professional helpers. Finally, the workshop will also discuss how you can keep from being too involved with the situation and strategies to take care of yourself.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Staff in a range of workplaces including the community, education, health and business sectors who may need to support colleagues or clients.
Family violence affects a significant number of Australian adults and children each year. One in six women and one in 16 men have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence by a current or previous cohabiting partner (1). Furthermore, more than two-thirds (68%) of mothers who had experienced violence when they had children in their care said their children had seen or heard the violence (1).
Family violence can have profound short- and long-term physical, emotional and mental health effects on children, even when they have not been directly exposed to the violence. Family violence is also associated with an increased risk of children being victims themselves. Therefore, focusing on the safety of children is crucial when working with families experiencing family violence.
This workshop draws on recent research and case studies to explore child-focused, trauma-informed practice skills for practitioners working with families and children affected by family violence.
Counsellors, psychologists, social workers and case managers working with individuals, couples, children and families affected by family violence.
(1) Personal Safety Survey 2016. ABS cat. no. 4906.0. Canberra: ABS.
This “hands-on” workshop will provide you with skills to enhance your ability to conduct therapeutic groups. Your experience as a workshop participant will be a valuable tool with experiential exercises and role plays as an important part of your learning. We hold the view that having an experience of being a group member is the best learning to become an effective group facilitator.
The workshop will assist you to:
Professionals interested in developing their process skills in group facilitation.
The training includes interactive role plays, group discussions, self-reflection exercises, and breakout sessions, with all days incorporating case studies and roleplay vignettes.
Day 1 - Moving from individual work with clients to couple relationship work: The changing lens
Topics
Day 2 - Understanding the dynamics in couple relationships: What happens to the space between the adults?
Topics
Day 3 - Understanding the dynamics in the counselling session/room: What do you see?
Topics
Day 4 - Working with diverse clients: Language and perception
Consider the differing approaches when working with:
Conflict occurs when there is both a perceived difference between the interests of the parties concerned and a belief, at least initially, that both sets of interest cannot be met simultaneously. In the workplace, this can happen quite regularly as many people work in teams and need to complete tasks together. Conflict can result in both negative and positive outcomes, depending on how it is managed.
This workshop will discuss a number of practical strategies for managing conflict in different situations and provide participants with skills to implement these strategies. It will cover a clear process that participants can use to achieve positive outcomes and discuss when other conflict resolution processes may need to be engaged.
Staff in a variety of workplaces including the community, education, health and business sectors who deal with conflict from clients, customers, colleagues and management.
This workshop is designed for clinicians, social workers, community organisation workers, health professionals, youth workers, child and family workers and counsellors at any level of experience.
Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) is a complex process that requires a practitioner to manage challenging dynamics – subtle, bold and unexpected – to provide a safe and appropriate service, make ethical decisions, be an excellent listener, knowledgeable, tech-savvy, child-focused, well balanced, quick thinking, observant, responsive, flexible, reflective and all the while take good care of self as well.
This workshop is designed for FDR Practitioners at any level of experience, who would like to hone their existing skills and add new strategies to their toolkit.
If you are an accredited FDR Practitioner and you want to ensure that your practice is up to date, these short intensive sessions will help to refresh and enhance your knowledge and skills in FDR practice through information sessions, discussion and interactive activities.
Participants will:
Accredited FDR practitioners.
The program consists of three sessions that will cover a range of topics related to conducting FDR in practice. You can pick the topics that are relevant to you, and can attend either one, two or three sessions.
Are you supporting Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner (FDR) colleagues? Do you listen to their Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) practice concerns and client dilemmas?
Are you invested in providing professional support to FDR practitioners? If you’re interested in developing advanced skills in FDR Supervision, learning how to facilitate the FDRPs’ practice, assisting practitioners to consider their practice within an educative framework, developing evolving reflective practice for FDRPs and ensuring better outcomes for clients this workshop is for you.
Active participation, presentation, experiential component, group discussions.
Family violence is a significant and pervasive issue in our communities and in recent years there has been a growing demand for family violence prevention and response services. In Australia, one in six women and one in 16 men experience physical or sexual violence from a current or former partner, and on average, one woman is killed each week and one man is killed each month in a family violence situation.
Services that prevent and respond to family violence require workers who are skilled in recognising and assessing risks, and identifying the most appropriate interventions and approaches for their clients. Recognising the needs of the family violence workforce, this course equips workers with knowledge and practical skills for responding to victims/survivors of family violence, including children, as well as an understanding of perpetrator characteristics, attitudes and behaviours. The training provides information on current industry trends, standards and expectations along with opportunities to learn and practice new skills in a safe and supportive environment.
Participants will gain:
Professionals wishing to enhance their skills to work with clients impacted by family violence.
Everyone has the right to feel safe and free from abuse and violence in their relationships. Family violence is not only about physical assault but refers to an array of power and control which may include direct or indirect threats, sexual assault, emotional and psychological torment, economic control, property damage, social isolation and behaviour which causes a person to live in fear.
As well as the impact of family violence an individual’s personal life, family violence can also affect workplaces in a variety of ways. These include the need for time off from work to locate and access support services, the potential for parties involved in conflict to present at the other person’s workplace and demanding to see them. Workplaces can also be used as public drop-off points for children.
As well as affecting individuals and families, family violence can also impact workplaces, as it is likely that some staff will have experienced this issue directly or indirectly.
This training is designed to raise awareness about family violence, including what family violence is, the extent of family violence in Australia and how family violence can impact the workplace.
The session also includes information about how to respond initially to a disclosure from a person experiencing family violence.
It provides an in-depth exploration as to how to work with couples by demonstrating containment, working with family of origin and goal setting. It will explore some of the key differences between working with individuals and couples, to support practitioners to provide counselling effectively with couples.
In this workshop we will:
Our new series of Leadership Circles workshops are designed by experienced mental health professionals to enhance the knowledge and skills you need to support child/youth health and wellbeing.
We can deliver one, some or all of our customised workshops to staff and educators in your school community.
Our customised training offerings are designed to enhance support for children, students and school communities affected by mental health difficulties, trauma, grief/loss and family violence.
If you want to increase your understanding and competency as a wellbeing leader, gain confidence in talking to students, build your collaborative working skills and learn how to plan for safety, our workshops are for you.
Everyone gets frustrated or angry on occasion, particularly when they are under pressure. Most people deal with their anger and frustrations in ways that are socially acceptable and appropriate. Other people however, may deal with their anger and other strong emotions in unhelpful ways that do not lead to a resolution. They may even make the situation worse.
In this workshop, we will discuss and practice strategies that you can use to diffuse situations where clients, colleagues or community members may be exhibiting strong emotions and/or difficult behaviours. When using these strategies, it is important to have an understanding of your own particular triggers and how you can manage your own emotions.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
A range of workers in community organisations, social services, schools or businesses dealing with challenging clients or colleagues.
Difficult conversations can be uncomfortable. In this workshop you will learn how to apply skills to prepare for difficult conversations, and strategies to help you to manage your emotions and support others in the conversation. This workshop will also explore and unpack effective communication skills and common conflict management styles.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Staff in a range of workplaces including the community, education, health and business sectors who may need to support colleagues or clients.
Participants will gain a greater understanding of how individuals are affected by common mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, stress, mood disorders and suicide ideation. The workshop will also detail and discuss how workplaces can respond appropriately and assist people with these issues.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Anyone who may need to support a colleague or staff member experiencing mental health challenges.
In this workshop you will analyse different types and sources of stress and understand reactions to stress including physiological, psychological and behavioural.
This workshop will provide you with strategies that you can use to build resilience and manage your stress both at work and at home. Importantly, we will also evaluate the relationship between performance and pressure.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
A range of workers in community organisations, social services, schools or businesses managing stressful situations with clients or colleagues.
People can often manage negotiation and conflict from different perspectives.
This online workshop will help enhance your negotiation and conflict management skills. This will be done through an analysis of common conflict management styles and processes, understanding assertiveness and learning how to develop and then implement strategies to manage emotions.
The facilitator will work collaboratively with participants to seek and apply alternative solutions to conflict with methods that can be transferred to everyday life.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Staff in a range of workplaces including the community, education, health and business sectors who may need to support colleagues or clients.
This practical, interactive training is designed to equip eligible* family law, mental health and family dispute resolution (FDR) practitioners with the knowledge and skills to practise as parenting coordinators.
Knowledge of parenting coordination is also highly beneficial for professionals who work in related family and child-focused fields but do not meet the eligibility criteria outlined below to practise as parenting coordinators.
All participants will gain experience and relevant skills that can be used in their day-to-day work with families. Highly skilled and experienced trainers facilitating the course include both Australian and international professionals from the field of parenting coordination.
All participants will receive a comprehensive training manual at the start of the course.
The course is open to everyone who wants to learn about the parenting coordination process.
Please note that to qualify as a parenting coordinator at the end of the course, you must meet all of the following criteria.
If you meet these criteria, upon successful completion of this 4-day course you will be offered endorsement as a qualified parenting coordinator and your name will be listed on the Pacifica Congress register of parenting coordinators.
Parenting coordination is a child-focused management and dispute resolution process that is facilitated by a mental health or legal practitioner with training and experience in FDR or mediation.
The practitioner assists parents and families in compromised and/or high-conflict situations to create and maintain healthy relationships with their children, where it is safe and reasonable to do so.
This includes helping practitioners to:
During the 4-day intensive, you will:
Maintaining professional and personal boundaries can be challenging for social, community and health professionals who want to do everything possible to help clients. This workshop will explore the professional and personal boundaries of helping roles, why professionals need them and why it’s important for them to regularly reflect on their practice.
Professional boundaries are the legal, ethical and organisational frameworks that protect both clients and workers from physical and emotional harm, and help to maintain a safe working environment. Maintaining these boundaries is sometimes difficult. For example, if a client offers gifts, wants to extend the relationship beyond the service provided or divulges information not relevant to the therapeutic goals. Situations such as these require workers to clearly understand their role, and how to manage the organisational and personal risks.
Personal boundaries are the physical, emotional and mental limits people use to protect themselves from being drawn too much into clients’ lives and from being manipulated or violated by others. They allow professionals to maintain psychological safety for themselves and their clients and make objective decisions about the therapeutic process to most effectively assist clients in achieving their goals. This workshop will discuss strategies to maintain these boundaries, and the importance of self-care.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Therapeutic workers such as counsellors, psychologists, social workers, youth workers, health and mental health workers, and social program facilitators.
This two-day course is ideal for accredited Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) Practitioners with experience working with families around parenting arrangements.
This course will help to strengthen and develop your existing knowledge and skills with property and financial matters within FDR. It will also provide the opportunity to enhance your confidence through the practical application of skills in activities and role plays.
Participants will enhance their:
Accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioners.
Everyone has the right to feel safe and free from abuse and violence in their relationships. Family violence is not only about physical assault but refers to an array of power and control which may include direct or indirect threats, sexual assault, emotional and psychological torment, economic control, property damage, social isolation and behaviour which causes a person to live in fear.
As well as affecting individuals and families, family violence can also impact workplaces in a variety of ways. It is likely that some staff will have experienced this issue directly or indirectly and employees may need time off work to locate and access support services. Additionally, there is the potential for parties involved in conflict to present at the other person’s workplace demanding to see them. Workplaces can also be used as public drop-off points for children.
This interactive training is designed specifically for workplaces, to assist managers and staff to feel confident in raising and responding to family violence concerns with their staff.
Participants will gain knowledge about family violence and have an opportunity to explore and practice skills in the difficult task of responding to these situations, from both a personal and an organisational perspective.
Participants will learn about:
Staff in a range of business units within organisations that may need to respond to, and assist people experiencing, family violence at home
It is necessary to focus on achieving a beginning, middle and end to the way the session is organised. It is essential to narrow the data and approach the therapy with some pragmatism.
Participants of this workshop will engage with valuable strategies and tools that can be integrated into their practice.
This workshop is designed for clinicians, social workers, community organisation workers, health professionals, youth workers, child and family workers and counsellors at any level of experience.
This workshop is designed for workers in community and health organisations and schools who regularly work with children, adolescents and/or their parents. When parents separate, it can be a difficult time for them and their children. It is normal for separating families to experience a range of strong emotions and families often need to adjust to new living arrangements.
In this workshop, you will learn about the separation process, how it impacts on parents and children and how you can assist parents, children and adolescents to manage this change within your work setting.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Community organisation workers, school staff, health professionals, youth workers, child and family workers, and counsellors.
In this workshop you will develop a comprehensive understanding of the essential theories of grief and become equipped with strategies to help you analyse the grief experiences of others close to you. You will also work collaboratively with the presenter and other participants in order to learn how best to evaluate the impact of losses.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Staff in a range of workplaces including the community, education, health and business sectors who may need to support colleagues or clients.
The Tree of Life is an approach that enables people to speak about their lives in ways that make them stronger.
This narrative therapy approach enables people to talk about their lives in ways that do not re-traumatise them, but instead, strengthen their connection with their history, culture, and the significant people in their lives.
This involves encouraging people to draw their own Tree of Life, where they get to talk about their roots (where they come from), their skills and knowledge, their hopes and dreams, and the special people in their lives. Participants then join their trees into a ‘forest of life’.
You'll gain an understanding of the Tree of Life methodology and how to:
Counsellors, clinicians, social workers, community workers and health practitioners who work with vulnerable clients.
Psychological trauma can occur when a person is not able to cope with a distressing or overwhelming event, or process the emotions involved with their experiences.
Professionals including clinicians, frontline staff, supervisors and managers can experience vicarious trauma as a result of hearing about another person’s trauma and witnessing their associated distress. Over time, this work-related exposure to clients’ trauma can have a significant impact on professionals’ wellbeing.
This workshop will explore different types of trauma and how they can impact staff and organisations. Factors that enhance and undermine resilience will be discussed. We will also outline strategies that you can use to manage vicarious trauma and maintain your wellbeing at work.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Frontline staff, clinical staff, leaders, supervisors and managers.
Along with other participants you will work collectively to form strategies for supporting dads and build skills for creating more dad friendly programs and services in the community.
You’ll learn in depth about our fatherhood resources and professionals’ toolkit and, by the end of this workshop, will be able to:
A range of workers in community organisations, social services, schools or businesses who need to cater for the needs of fathers.
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To discuss your training needs or express your interest, complete our enquiry form below or call (03) 8573 2222. One of our education consultants will contact you to organise a time to discuss your learning needs. We will then provide a tailored training proposal, addressing your individual needs.
