5.4.4 Principal Elements Of Meaningful Training

This Sub-Chapter describes what I believe to be the most important elements in formal training and/or courses designed by and delivered in an organisation committed to supporting families in our Focus Group. 

Emotional learning generally takes a long time – think of how long it takes to grow from a child to an adult!

And like the process of human growth, it is optimised by a multitude of experiences at regular intervals rather than separate or discrete modules delivered in short bursts – as might happen on training courses covering technological or business type fields.

It also takes some time to process the experiences. 

It is worth digressing briefly to explain what I mean here, because in cognitive learning – that is, learning done mostly by thinking things out rather than feeling them – there is also processing.  For example we may be learning mathematics and spend ages trying to solve a mathematical problem.  The processing happens when we distract ourselves with something else for a while (perhaps study another subject) and then when we go back to the mathematical problem the solution might come to us.  The same thing often happens doing a crossword puzzle, Our unconscious does the processing.

This processing is qualitatively different to the processing of emotional problems.

That is, once we get a cognitive (mathematical) solution, we get it, and can move on to a slightly more difficult cognitive problem, using what we have learned in solving the first one to solve the second.  This is called stepped, or linear learning. Emotional processing, particularly in people who are deeply hurt, is rarely as stepped or as linear as cognitive processing [1].

The principal reasons why it is different are to do with how emotional distress is held in the body. (I hope that as the Sub-Chapter is read the differences will become clearer).

Emotional learning done on our courses needs to mirror the type of support work that will be effective in healing deeply hurt people – even if the participants on the training are not as (obviously or evidently) deeply hurt as the people who will ultimately be the beneficiaries of the training.

Because of the time taken to process, the elements described in the following posts will need to be delivered in parallel with each other rather than in sequence.  For example, a course should, perhaps, deliver a Skill, then an Emotional element, then do a little on Ethos and then include another Skill, then do a Practical element etc.

[1]. This is one explanation as to why very hurt people such as those who end up in prison appear to take a long time to learn from their mistakes.

I mentioned design, in general, in a previous Sub-Chapter.

When designing courses that aim to train practitioners to support vulnerable people in families that constitute our Focus Group the experts consulted need to be both formally educated people, including academics, with some experience of community type work or have some relevant skill (to ensure that the professional boundaries are adhered to) and people who have direct experience of imprisonment (to ensure that the real, felt, world of imprisonment and all its aspects are included).

Both sets of experts should be afforded equal value.

If we are committed to two-way learning we need to be open to people’s oppositional type opinions and behaviour – the non-conformists – and determine whether the anger that usually accompanies such opinions/behaviour can be heard.

This is a good test as to whether or not we are open to real two-way knowledge flow. 

Or is it all aspirational, written in a mission statement but always, when the chips are down, deemed to be of secondary importance?

It is sad that people’s hopes might rise when they read a mission statement – and then they are dashed when they encounter the realities of training (not to mention the day-to-day work) in an organisation.

The next eight posts list elements that I feel are most important in training programmes.  Depending on the size and capacity of the organisation, there may be a major course that would include all the elements described below, but equally there could be shorter courses which would include a lesser amount, and of course, supervision (covered in Sub-Chapter Six below) is also training.

As students/participants, in all training delivered, the emotional elements of our experience need to be attended to.

The reason for this is that we will gain in confidence and competence in dealing with the emotional dimension that is, and will be, a central element of the day-to-day practice in the field.

One of the most important changes aimed for in our work is, after all, the emotional atmosphere in the family and home in general – and in particular individuals taking age appropriate responsibility for their emotions.

There are a number of elements that I consider to be of importance in the area of emotional education, and they will be present to some extent in all the others listed in the following posts. (That is, posts 5.4.4.4 to 5.4.4.10 inclusive).

It will be necessary to explore fear, how to recognise fear, and the link between fear and anger. Anger is very common in people who have suffered trauma (as we already identified in different parts of the website). It is helpful to identify the role of anger, how it manifests and how it can be used constructively and proactively. Because so many myths surround anger, the difference between anger and resentment, between anger (our emotion) and violence (our behaviour) all need to be explored.

Uncertainty can lead to anxiety which can also cause anger – so the implications of uncertainty will always be interesting! The rhythm and flow of training courses will have some built in flexibility so that we will experience the challenge of uncertainty – though always, of course, in a safe way.

I mentioned previously how time (or lack of it, or pressure to do something within a particular time) can lead to stress and then anger so time will be worthy of exploration also. Remember also, time is one of the root foundations of growth.

Shame is probably the most debilitating emotion that we experience. This will manifest in training in many different ways and is the reason why trainers need to be very skilled and experienced – particularly in the field of imprisonment and addiction. It is the principal reason why we do not favour the A – B – C assessment beloved of academic training.

Getting away from all the negative type emotions above, we also need to focus on joy, the role of joy, the experience of joy, and the importance of joy in healing and maintenance of good mental, physical and emotional health. Joy is an antidote to depression – so the difference between feeling good that brings joy and instant gratification that gives a short-lived high would be important.

And there is a spiritual dimension to joy. As participants we will derive great benefit from exploring the role of inspiration in our work. All training will benefit from the inclusion of play, playfulness and humour. And as we are encouraging hope and generosity, their emotional origins will be important.

There is an emotional dimension in being true to myself – sometimes it brings fear and a little defensiveness. Being authentic, or real, is usually a risk. The Johari Window is a very beneficial tool in our self-awareness – it assists us finding in out what we know about ourselves, and how others perceive us.

Self-Care helps us to stay fresh and enthusiastic.

The emotional impact of our work on ourselves as practitioners is important. There is a balance between do I need the job or does the job need me as well as proper use of supervision. There is a boundary between personal (including family) and work life including balance necessary between distance and immersion in the job (that is, bringing work to home and bringing home to work. The effects of working with people in deep distress include compassion fatigue, as well as secondary and/or vicarious trauma.

I discussed earlier how trauma seeps into teams. Sometimes this manifests in power struggles and conflict that is difficult to resolve. Very often, resolution involves logical, legal processes that are generally head-based and result in a I-win-you-lose result. Even the winners can be hurt in such processes.

Imagine if you had a bruise on your arm and rather than let it heal you hit it, every day, off a hard object. It would never heal! Sometimes I think that this is how we deal with trauma. Instead of offering compassion, hope, understanding and empathy by listening and encouragement, and allowing time to heal, we prod and prod and prod, raising anxiety and perpetuating the hurt from the trauma.

Garnering the emotional skills of dealing with trauma is probably the most important aspect of training of practitioners who work with very hurt and distressed people.

Finally, it is very important to include the nature and the role of crisis in people’s lives. There is always an element of choice in crisis situations – but people are not usually aware of this as thought processes in crisis situations are usually driven by unconscious forces.  People can initiate, stimulate and perpetuate crises.  Our aim is to encourage people to dream of a world beyond crisis.

Note:

All the above are included organically – that is, as they naturally arise over many sessions, facilitated by course leaders, rather than having a module on anger, a module on fear, a module on trauma etc. etc. This will model the nature of emotional learning.

And anyone reading the above might ask ‘how do we ensure that they are all included?’

Actually, all we need do is allow time and space for the root foundations to work away at their own pace and, with skilled facilitation, propagation will occur naturally as we described in Systems Theory.

It probably goes without saying that numerous skills need to be practiced in order to equip those who are attending courses with the competences necessary to assist people to cope with unexpected situations, ease their distress in life, and ultimately change the lives of people who have suffered deep trauma for the better.

In addition, emotional awareness will be greatly enhanced by being skillful.

The skills that need to be learned are summarised in the paragraphs below. Once again, this is not an exhaustive list – or the final word – but I believe that they are of some importance.

Listening is a crucial element of support. The essentials of listening skills need to be practiced in a trusting and yet challenging environment. The challenge will come from the warmth of the relationships in the training group. Closely related to listening are relationship skills themselves, i.e. making genuine relationships and enhancing them, recognising the value of dialogue in relationship, and the  importance of presence, attunement [1] and congruence.

In addition to congruence, the development of empathy is crucial. (In this, it is always helpful to know the difference between empathy and sympathy). The curiosity that comes from genuine interest and is not intrusive helps us understand people’s circumstances and walk in their shoes a little.

Any group of students can be considered to be a microcosm of family life in general in that people will inevitably adopt different roles. A wealth of learning can come from identification of our roles, how and why the roles are maintained – and perhaps, challenged, and how we resist change both individually and as a system.

A team is a system, so teamwork skills, how to work as a team, morale, trying to rid ourselves of the tyranny of comparison and being congruent in our relationships will be important. (In that respect, our goal is that our team will be a model of pro-social attributes).

One of the most important skills in working with individuals in the Focus Group is advocacy. This is because many people who have the characteristics as described may not be well practiced in the skill of having their voice heard. As I say a number of times, there are many staff members in statutory organisations who are committed, enthusiastic, idealistic and compassionate, that are partners in our work.

When we build relationships with agencies remember that the relationships are always with people in the agencies. An important part of advocacy is recognition of other organisations’ limitations and our acceptance of same.

In the Chapter on media I described at some length its effect on people in distress due to imprisonment and involvement in crime. I believe that we can learn skills in dealing with the media. Our aim is to use their considerable power and, indeed, concern – because there are many concerned and sincere media people – to make the lives of the Focus Group better. Mostly, media people are not that interested in positivity and good news – but some are!

We also need to practice outreach skills. Firstly, why bother reaching out at all?  What are our motives? Well – I believe anyway – reaching out to people in distress is a central part of our work; otherwise we will not be effective. When we reach out to vulnerable people we always need to be ready to deal with the unexpected – and the work will always include an above-average dollop of chaos.

There are, of course, special considerations of health and safety also – and all need to be included.

Finally, there are skills of challenging the organisation that are helpful for all of us workers. This is always a difficult process because we don’t want to bite the hand that feeds us so to speak.  We mentioned in a previous post that a community leader needs to stick to the mission and vision but staff also have a role in this.

[1]. Attunement is tuning in to what another is really saying – and feeling. The irrelevant bits are tuned out – for the present anyway. Like, for example, tuning a radio into the correct station with no clutter or what is known as white noise.

It is necessary to have a good understanding of, and to stimulate critical discussion on how society functions in order to ensure that people who are training become aware of how its structures affect families and in particular children in the Focus Group.

(You will twig that some of the topics listed below are connected to the subject matter covered in the Chapter on Power and Control in Society).

We often view compassion as a kind of optional extra instead of it being central in our work. I believe that compassion has a purpose in humanity and is of significant relevance in our organisations. But things often get in the way of compassion – usually when it is most needed. We might need to find out what gets in the way. Exploration of this is very fruitful in our work.

There are substantial power issues in society – and this seeps into the helping professions. (I have written about this already). The effects of power, how power manifests in different circumstances, how power may corrupt; and responsible use of power can all be learned experientially.

I already described what I referred to as disingenuous rooms.

Decisions made in such environments lead to the socio-political contradictions which many people would label as hypocritical that are so prevalent in our society. Therefore, exploration of the role of myth in perpetuating injustice will be of real value. The difference between peace and non-violence would be of interest.

Much injustice in our society comes from an inflated sense of importance – and then entitlement – that some members feel; i.e. a sense of being in a different class.

Such inequality leads to racism, discrimination, poverty and as a follow-on from that – higher involvement of certain sections of society in crime and anti-social behaviour. The fundamentals of anarchy, discussion on topics such as political correctness, activism, and action that is helpful to the Focus Group will all be of interest.

Related to the above would be knowledge of the difference between radical action and campaigning, including a discussion on what effect campaigning has on those who are the subject of the campaigning! This could lead to critical discussion on what we can do nothing about in society and what we can affect – in turn leading to how we intelligently use our time and energy. (See 12 – Work Ethic in this post)!

Since our principal focus is protection of children in families in the Focus Group, it will be helpful to examine the role of crime in society; what a crime-free society would look like; who would gain and who would lose in a crime-free society, and how society experiences the phenomenon of crime. The roots of violence in child-rearing and in society in general and a discussion on legal violence vs. illegal violence will raise people’s awareness of own prejudices that are linked to myths.

Finally, since we have posited the central role that the family has to play in child protection, it will be helpful to explore how the family has, over the centuries, perpetuated what the establishment wanted to prevail, both good and bad, i.e. promoting true democracy and maintaining docility in institutions.  Allied to this would be an exploration of what democratic families are like.

In the Chapter on Modalities I described different types of therapeutic intervention and I have already mentioned the type of modalities that will be to the fore in our training.

I’m not a great fan of the word intervention [1] myself – but I am using it here to describe what should be collaborative, two-way knowledge flow journeying.  It is necessary to cover various modalities relevant to the work that, it is expected, practitioners will be doing.

Firstly there is the very practical crisis intervention work – this also comes under the umbrella of skills. However there are different types of crisis intervention, and different helpers with different skills may have different roles. (For example, the mixture of the formal and non-formal mentioned already as being of benefit).

I have argued that in meeting people where they are at, and journeying with them, Person Centred Therapy and all its dimensions is our first choice in modality. PCT allows for acceptance of, and utilisation of chaos in family support work.

Another very helpful modality is cognitive behavioural therapy and all its different aspects in different environments.  It will be necessary to explore the strengths and limitations of CBT in the work with people who have had different experiences and who have different personalities.

While I have not included it in the Chapter on Modalities, a very useful approach in our work is solution focused brief therapy. What brief means, of course, is not that it is all over in 10 sessions, but rather how to make a difference in a brief encounter, even if it is only for 10 minutes. Related to SFBT are topics such as narrative therapy, motivational interviewing and what is often known as strengths-based work. In all the above it is important to recognise the benefits of quick-wins but the dangers inherent in them too.

Throughout the website I identify addiction as being of particular significance in the lives of families affected by imprisonment. Various models of intervention when assisting individuals and families who are affected by addiction need to be covered.  Also, the link between addiction and trauma. In meeting active addicts where they are at, the value of harm reduction, peer support, twelve-step approach all need to be considered. Exploring the role of the addict (and addiction in general) in the family would be of great benefit.

And remember, when we are self-aware enough to make a conscious choice in our use of language, dialogue and demeanour, and we recognise the uniqueness of each encounter, we enhance the safety of people in distress.

In all our practical work, trust enhancing, not fear inducing dialogue and body language are of paramount importance.

[1]. I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with the word, it’s just that it feels like a mechanic fixing a car, or a surgeon removing an appendix, and it has a one-way knowledge flow ring to it.  It is probably best used in the context of crisis where the receiver of the help is in such distress that, for a limited time anyway, the knowledge flow needs to be one way.

A general education and/or introduction to what has been happening in this field over recent decades, and, interesting inputs from relevant practitioners and people affected by imprisonment, would stimulate interest in further education in these fields as well as being relevant to the work to be done.

It would be important that we include the Family Support Shamrock. That is, the role of creativity, boundedness, and inclusiveness, and balancing all three, so that our work will attract those who most need our support.

As our work is intimately concerned with child protection, it will be necessary to cover child development in general and, in particular, protection of children in families where criminality and subsequent imprisonment is ongoing.

The Pillars approach to child protection needs to be explored and critiqued. (If we have learners from families affected by imprisonment it is possible that some may have experienced their approach).

In the post on emotional learning we discussed shame as an important emotion that has negative impact, and that we need to be aware of in self. Shame that debilitates (sometimes known as toxic shame) also, of course, impairs normal development in children.

But shame also has a role in growth and healthy development of conscience – so it is important that learners know the difference and the effects of both types on children.

We have referred to mental illness as emotional distress in a previous Sub-Chapter, and, I suppose, in the website in general I tend not to use the term of mental illness that much.

Yet it is very educational for us to have knowledge of different kinds of mental illnesses, (including mental illnesses in children) as defined by the Pillars. From my experience I know that such topics will generate critical discussion on diagnosis of conditions vs. journeying with families and the benefits of one over the other – particularly if people are of the opinion that support to families in distress needs to be offered over a long time.

Part of our overall education will be knowledge of, and discussion on good, common sense, health and safety principles in family support and crisis intervention work. Perhaps, if feasible, it may be useful to include first aid – including mental health first aid.

In all the above it would be useful to have input from someone who has been to prison, (and given our belief in the potential of prison staff to be change agents) prison officer, Garda, social worker, drug addiction worker, etc., all of whom have different roles working in this field.

An understanding of how adherence to common-sense boundaries (and other practicalities) assists growth is very important in our therapeutic support work.

Here I introduce the notion of good-will dialogue – or – our good will confidentiality contract. I first came across it during a course in supervision I did with Robin Shohet and I thought it fitted well with the work with families in the Focus Group.

It is of some importance in respect of boundaries and confidentiality and I believe that it is helpful for anyone in training to get what it means.

The essence of good-will is that, working in tightly-knit communities and extended families, it is impossible to hermetically seal information inside cells of practitioners – particularly if those practitioners include people who are rooted in the experience of imprisonment.

In fact, obsession about confidentiality and information sharing may harm the matching response that we desire when supporting vulnerable families.

But it is possible, and highly desirable, to speak in a genuine, respectful, positive and good-will way so that the well-being of others will be enhanced.

This is, of course, unenforceable. Observance to it depends on the camaraderie and commitment of the group who make it.

I have found, though, that people encourage others and after some time together the good-will can actually turn into solution focused rather than problem focused talk!

But that is not the only application. Here are a few others:

1. We have mentioned good design already. In good design, creativity, conservation of energy, working hard while preserving enthusiasm and commitment, maintaining liveliness, vitality, spontaneity, and the role of meaning – that is, what we find meaningful, i.e. what moves us – are all present.

2. As I said already, most people want their problem solved! So problem solving – gleaning the essentials of issues – examining own prejudices, sticking to the point, the feedback loop i.e. encouragement of two-way knowledge flow so that plans/programmes can be altered, checking relevance of work etc. all need to be included.

3. At the start of this Chapter I suggested that as we grow older we tend to get wiser. But that doesn’t mean that wisdom is the preserve of those of us who are of mature years.

Young people’s honesty has a wisdom of its own (or, perhaps, young people’s wisdom has an honesty of its own) which can be unsettling for older people who – even though increasing in wisdom – may have picked up a few harmful prejudice tributaries on the long and meandering river of life.

The importance of wisdom and how it can be fostered needs to run like a thread through the fabric of the training. This is done by having facilitators who can recognise and affirm wisdom in the different modules of any courses undertaken.

4. We mentioned sticking to the mission and vision already and there are always ethical considerations that are expected from staff that work with very distressed people implied in such statements, as well as the constitutions of organisations.

5. In the kind of courses that we are putting on – and with the participants that we have in our groups, there may be a need for a few sessions on learning to learn. This is because people who are training may have left school early and been away from formal education for many decades. (Actually, even though I have had a lot of formal education, I did a learning-to-learn programme once and I found it brilliant).

Finally, for organisations that wish to offer true comprehensive training to people who aim to have leadership or management roles the following topics (6 and 7 below) may be included – though these will often have been done on other courses.

6. Recording work done is becoming more and more important – and is vital for ongoing funding. Report writing, filing, using modern technology to its optimum, following office procedures correctly, security, data protection, and the link between common sense office procedures and boundaries, may be necessary in some courses.

7. All aspects of standard office procedures and organising, planning, and undertaking programmes whether formal or informal. Estimating expenditure of money, estimating how much time to allocate to events, programmes, activities, etc. are always useful skills – though they are not for everyone!

Because of its importance in family support, Leadership is covered at length in the previous Chapter. If the aim of the Course is to train people for leadership positions, the topics below will be covered in some depth. If not, obviously, less time will be allocated.

(All of the topics listed are covered in the Chapter on Leadership – and are linked for convenience).

Firstly we have the principles of leadership within the community setting, and in particular within the unique setting of the community of families affected by imprisonment. All the principles are important, but the first one – reality – (I believe anyway) lays the foundation for all the others.

Secondly, it is necessary for leaders, or those who aspire towards leadership, to be aware of the different types of intelligences and relevance of processing speed. How leaders deal with diversity, difference and dissent among staff is important.

Thirdly we need to train students in the role of emotions in leadership and how awareness of our emotions is linked to courage, confidence and clarity – particularly in respect of change in organisations.

Fourthly there is considerable attention given to power and control in the website. This is relevant for leadership so it will be necessary to include the importance of ensuring that power and control in leadership is healthy and of an invitational nature.

When I think of power and control in leadership I think of both wisdom and emotional intelligence. I believe that wisdom will lead to the healthy use of power and control that we desire – and is very good modelling.

Finally I have devoted a full Sub-Chapter to Reflection in the Chapter on leadership including the importance of reflection in decision making.  There is a difference between decision making in life in general and decision making in leadership. This is assisted by reflection.

All the above are important, but the most important is that facilitators model leadership in teaching how to be a good enough leader!

In the previous seven posts, I have described topics, or subjects that will be of importance in our training courses. The topics will not be delivered in sequence, or in modules, as might be on mainstream purely linear learning type courses.

Interactive and experiential, the methods of facilitation need to encourage stimulation of both the cognitive and emotional self – the head and the heart – that will ensure balanced left-brain and right-brain learning.

Because of our commitment to two-way knowledge flow, we encourage playfulness with topics/subjects, bringing our wisdom and experience to the learning.

Play enables the root foundations – which will ensure that growth happens!

One of the most stimulating environments is the Group. Working in large and small groups, (dyads and triads [1]) enabling critical exploration of our emotional experience in a safe environment will give us permission to be ourselves and trust our emotions.

Weekend workshops are always very helpful for learning, also building camaraderie, a positive, inclusive class spirit and opportunities to ensure that the resolution of conflict is a learning experience for all.

We usually like to share when it is safe and we are confident that we will be heard. It is always good to bring up topics that have meaning for us and share what our experiences have been. Sharing experiences will, in turn, trigger discussion and exploration of subject matter in larger groups – and will facilitate the inclusion of the emotional element mentioned here.

Facilitators, while encouraging sharing, will need to be alert to people who talk too much. This is always a challenging situation and experience is needed to ensure that all voices are heard. Talking, while enabling exploration, can get in the way of reflection.

Therefore, non-verbal forms of creative self-exploration will assist all – whether formally or non-formally educated – in accessing the unconscious and building trust as well as honing many skills desirable in support work with families.

Art and other creative materials, (e.g. drama) will be used. These are important to get us out of our heads. One of the benefits of formal education is that we get used to using the abstract (or symbolism) in problem solving. If we have left school early we may not have been exposed to this. But equally, if we have had a lot of formal education we may be inhibited in exploring our creative side.

All courses benefit from lectures and question-and-answer sessions with practitioners who have experience in a mixture of community, academic and general practice (in particular prison staff) to broaden horizons. Visits to other agencies and bodies involved in similar work are always of benefit too.

When we get to know each other, and a sense of class spirit and trust builds up, practice of skills in large and small groups will be possible. This will enable valuable feedback from peers and facilitators from which potentially great learning ensues.

What kind of assignments are advised for courses that wish to focus on creativity and non-comparative methods of assessment?

In my experience the assignments that both otimise self-exploration and self-assessment are creative assignments focusing on personal experience. These can be done individually or in group – depending on the situation. (There is a Sub-Chapter on assessment following).

Supervision is another element of professional practice. It is of such importance that a separate Sub-Chapter is devoted to that too!

[1]. A dyad is a group of two, a triad is a group of three.