The Resource Center for Suicide Prevention is excited to host Trish Smith from Counselling Now to provide a series of workshops for helpers in our community to build and enhance Interviewing Skills. Interviewing is fundamental to building client centered relationships that support those being served to achieve their goals. The workshop series offers three levels of skills development that can benefit everyone in the helping field. Some who would benefit include family support workers, case managers, social workers, school counsellors, outreach workers, youth workers, home support workers, and anyone whose job involves having conversations with clients or service users.
Seating is limited, only 15 participants per workshop, so sign up soon.
The Interviewing Workshop Series
Interviewing Skills Part 1 – The Basics – May 11th, 9 AM – 3 PM
Cost $120
This workshop is for anyone working or planning to work in the helping field who would like to learn or improve interpersonal communication skills. You will learn, practice and receive feedback on the skills needed to conduct any type of basic helping interview. Specific skills will include active listening, empathy, open and closed questions, providing purpose and direction, paraphrasing and summarizing. This will be interactive workshop with lots of opportunity for practice and discussion.
Interviewing Skills Part 2 – Interviewing for Strengths – May 31st, 9AM – 3 PM
Cost $120
This workshop is for people working in the helping field who already have basic interviewing skills. You did not need to attend part 1 to participate in this program. You will learn, practice and receive feedback on the skills needed to conduct a strength-based interview. Specific skills and content will include an understanding of a strength-based perspective, building a repertoire of strength based and solution focused questions and providing direction during an interview to maintain a focus on strengths and solutions. This will be an interactive workshop with lots of opportunity for practice and discussion.
Interviewing Skills Part 3 – Interviewing and Meaning Making – June 28th, 9 AM – 3 PM
Cost $120
This workshop is for people working in the helping field who have basic interviewing skills and would like to add some basic counselling skills. You did not need to attend part 1 or part 2 to participate in this program. Specific skills and content will focus on questions and conversations that assist those being served to identify meaning and values that may provide a path toward change. This will be an interactive workshop with lots of opportunity for practice and discussion.
Individuals can register for one or more of the workshops using the button below:
Who is Trish Smith?
Trish Smith, MSW, RCSW
Trish earned her Bachelor of Social Work from St. Thomas University and Master of Social Work from the University of Calgary. She is a Registered Clinical Social Worker and Approved Clinical Supervisor with the Albert College of Social Workers.
Trish has over 30 years’ experience in the helping field working with individuals, couples and families. Trish has worked as a Camp Director, a Child Protection Worker, a Learning Consultant, and a Mental Health Therapist. Currently she is the Owner and Operator of Counselling Now where she is a Clinical Social Worker and Clinical Supervisor. She has been a Sessional Instructor with the University of Calgary for 20 years . She has used interviewing skills in many settings including with mandated clients, to conduct adoption and foster care home studies, to help clients work toward change, to do single session counseling and to assess and treat people experiencing a variety of life challenges and mental health conditions. She has taught interviewing skills to social work students for several years. Students often share that this is some of the most valuable learning for their practice.
Trish uses a strengths-based approach to helping and to teaching and is grateful for the opportunity to hear people’s stories and facilitate conversations that assist them to move toward preferred ways of living. She enjoys teaching those in the helping field to build capacity for serving people in our community.