One of the many things the team at MYRIAD does, and does well, is develop and deliver a variety of educational and practice based training initiatives relevant to a variety of social service areas. Many of our training and support initiatives are tailor-made and designed to be delivered in a variety of contexts.
Training, Consultation and Intervention Areas
Case Reviews and Case Consultation
MYRIAD team members have a wealth of knowledge, experience and success working with mandated social service populations. The therapeutic team offers an extensive array of intervention techniques and strategies for workers and teams that may be feeling “stuck” or “at a loss” on difficult cases or case situations, or simply want to increase efficacy in case planning and intervention.
Training in the context of a Relationship Based Strengths Approach (RBSA)
MYRIAD has been utilizing an RBSA to working with individuals, groups, organizations and communities for approximately 10 years. This value based approach offers a tangible, practical and effective way of working on a myriad of issues within a multitude of contexts. It is among the most respectful and dignified ways of working to assist others in meeting stated needs and identified goals for life and work.
An RBSA to Discipline with Youth
This workshop has been the most popular MYRIAD training since 2007. It has been offered to over 300 youth care workers and 1400 social workers, support workers and foster parents. This particular training has and continues to be endorsed by all four Child Welfare Authorities (North, South, Metis and General).
This training has been referred to by hundreds of social service workers as “one of the best trainings in child welfare” and as “the most practical and concrete approach for working with ‘difficult teens’ in care”.
An RBSA approach to Case Conferences
Known as “Life Planning” and “Life Plan Conferencing” this relational and strengths based approach to case conferencing has had profound impacts on increasing the engagement and participation of individuals and families within their respective programs and/or service areas.
This approach to case conferencing has proven to increase client interest, motivation, cooperation, participation and ownership while decreasing what has been commonly experienced as “resistive” or “oppositional” behaviours and interactions.
The life planning structure and process has also demonstrated a significant increase in the setting and accomplishing of important life goals, by participants.
Enhanced Case Management (ECM)
The most critical elements of case management are the goals, objectives and activities developed and articulated in the case plan. These are the foundations, which move children, youth and families forward in the pursuit of preferred changes and desired outcomes. While the step by step conceptual task(s) of goal setting may seem simple and straightforward, there exist many barriers to the effective and successful process of setting and attaining important and meaningful life goals.
This one day interactive workshop is designed for front-line child welfare social workers and supervisors. It is imbedded in an RBSA paradigm and is intended to build on and enhance the knowledge and skills acquired from core competency based training. Through the operationalization of RBSA values the ECM workshop focuses on the “how”, or context and micro interactive processes for success in meaningful and valuable goal setting and goal attainment.
Strengths Based Model of Supervision
The strengths based model of supervision is consistent with the principles of a Relationship Based Strengths Approach to practice. It is an approach to supervision which offers managers and supervisors an opportunity to provide supervision and systematic professional performance development simultaneously.
The feedback gathered from supervisors, managers and staff so far, indicate that this approach to supervision is more positive, productive, meaningful, relevant, motivating and effective than their previous experiences of approaches to supervision or performance appraisal.
Value and Strengths Based Strategic Planning
This is far from the common approach to strategic planning! This value and strengths based approach is innovative in that it combines Appreciative Inquiry with core social work values and strengths based principles. It is highly energizing, inspiring, positive and practical; a collaborative and inclusive approach for effectively shaping and aligning an agency and/or organization towards a preferred future of possibilities.
You may have to experience it to actually believe it! Here is what some people have said following a session for planning for their future:
RBSA TEAM Capacity Building
MYRIAD team members have facilitated over 50 team building initiatives in the last 5 years. Big or small, many teams have taken advantage of this strengths-based approach for building team capacity. All teams have been able to develop strategies and concrete plans for building on strengths, potentials and successes. As well, many groups have capitalized on the team-centred and capacity building process to enhance important areas such as communication, support, team cohesion, morale, and many other team-specific areas deemed important for development.
Some of the Groups/Organizations that Steve and MYRIAD team members have provided services for are: