Training
What training can we provide?
We offer a range of training and other educational sessions on dissociation, complex dissociative conditions and related issues. These can be commissioned by voluntary, statutory and private sector organisations to be delivered in-house either as part of your own training provision for staff / volunteers or as a locally organised event open to a wider audience. You can download a printable pdf version of our training leaflet here
We have two introductory level one day training programmes – Understanding Dissociative Distress and Supporting Someone with DID. Click here for a printable pdf document outlining these courses, including sample programme.
We can also provide brief awareness-raising sessions – anything from one hour to half a day. This can include a showing of our introductory training DVD – A Logical Way of Being - with q&a / discussion sessions facilitated by one of the speakers featured on the DVD. Or we can provide speakers, workshops and information displays for your own conferences and other training events. Occasionally we organise our own public access training events. When these are available you will find details here
Who is our training for?
Our training is designed to flexibly meet the needs of anyone whose patients, clients, service users or friends/family include survivors of childhood abuse or trauma who have or may have a complex dissociative condition. Our introductory level courses build participants’ confidence in using their existing aptitudes, knowledge and skills to understand and provide support to those with complex dissociative conditions. We do not provide training in clinical therapeutic skills but clinicians of every discipline will find our courses a useful introduction. Even those who are more experienced can benefit from the expert-by-experience perspectives which our trainings provide.
We train paid and volunteer workers from health, mental health, self-help & mutual support, social care, community resource, help-line, or faith settings and students training for any of these. For example:-
• Community mental health teams; mental health nurses and other ward staff
• Social Workers, Social Support Workers, STR workers, Prison staff
• Help-line workers, Listening support workers, Self-help group facilitators
• GPs, other primary care workers, Psychiatrists & other doctors
• Psychologists, Psychotherapists, Counsellors
• Nurses, Midwives, Health Visitors, Dentists & dental assistants
• Allied health workers e.g. occupational therapists and physiotherapists,
• Refuge, crisis, day care, employment project workers
• Pastoral & spiritual carers, advocates
• Survivors, service users, family, friends
What does our training cover?
We can be flexible to meet your training needs. Training may include for example:-
• Defining dissociation & the role of dissociation in surviving abuse and trauma
• Types of dissociative experience and their effects on survivor’s lives
• The spectrum of dissociative disorders with a focus on dissociative identity (multiple personality) disorder
• Self-help and coping skills
• Ways of supporting dissociative survivors
• Introduction to some theories of dissociation (illustrated from survivors perspectives)
• Myths and controversies about dissociative distress and related issues
• Prevalence of complex dissociative conditions and other research results
• Problems of non-recognition of complex dissociative conditions and inappropriate treatments
• Awareness of specialist dissociation screening & assessment tools and other useful resources
• Looking after yourself as helper / supporter
What about costs?
Our fees vary according to the nature of the session and the organisation booking it. Fees from our training help support our other activities. However, we are committed to providing education about dissociation as widely as possible and are happy to negotiate fair and manageable fees. For instance, if you do the photocopying of delegate packs we always offer a reduced fee. Brief awareness-raising sessions can sometimes be provided on an expenses only basis. In consideration of the difficult financial climate a one day training with the commissioning organisation doing the photocopying can currently be booked from as little as £250 plus our trainers’ expenses. Delegate fees when we organise our own public access training days vary depending on the venue and other costs we incur but we always try to keep these as low as possible.
Forthcoming First Person Plural Public Access Training
First Person Plural sometimes organise our own public access training days which can be booked by individual delegates, rather than being commissioned to run in-house by organisations.
In partnership with the European Society for Trauma & Dissociation – UK Network, we have developied a 3 day Foundation course, which includes FPP’s Understanding Dissociation training day, together with days on the Developmental Origins of Dissociation in Childhood and An Introduction to Assessment & Treatment. It is hoped that this course will be run at least once a year as a public access event, in addition to being available to commission as in-house training.
Details of this and other pubic access training we organise can be accessed on our Current Trainings/Events page
What about other organisations’ training on dissociation and related topics?
The following organisations also offer related training. This listing is provided for your information only. It does not indicate general recommendation or endorsement by First Person Plural of the training provided by these organisations. We commonly work in partnership with the European Society for Trauma & Dissociation (UK Network) in the design and delivery of their training programmes and our own one day trainings are included in their portfolio.
Clinic for Dissociative Studies
European Society for Trauma & Dissociation (UK)
Positive Outcomes for Dissociative Survivors (formely Partners of Dissociative Survivors)
The Pottergate Centre for Dissociation & Trauma
Trauma and Abuse Group see also their events page for a listing of available trainings from various organisationsin the UK