Through the Shalem Centre of Excellence and Learning in Community-Based Mental Health, we seek to help equip communities, including churches, to enhance their “literacy” and skills in effectively taking responsibility for their relationship and mental health needs.
We offer mental health-focused workshops, both brief and in-depth, on a wide variety of topics, such as how to deal with depression, anxiety, couple relationship challenges, attachment, grief, child development, parenting, mental health and seniors, suicide, trauma, domestic violence, developing healthy relationships in community settings, and so forth. Contact Jennifer Bowen, Shalem’s Clinical Director, for more information and to tailor a workshop in your setting.
Community Training Tools
We offer in-depth practice training for community members, some of which result in certification:
Hold Me Tight
Hold Me Tight is an intensive weekend workshop for yourself and your spouse or partner. Couples invariably experience this weekend as a highlight in their relationship, and the helpful approaches they learn are enduring. Hold Me Tight is based on the “Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy” (“EFT”) approach developed by psychologist Dr. Sue Johnson. All of Shalem’s psychotherapy work with couples is based on Sue Johnson’s “attachment” model of supporting couples, and all of our couple therapists are certified or in the process of being certified as EFT psychotherapists.
Looking to enhance your relationship? You won’t go wrong with a Hold Me Tight weekend. For more information visit our Hold Me Tight page. Register for the next one here. And contact Jennifer Bowen, Shalem’s Clinical Director, for more information.
WrapAround Facilitator Training
By the end of this training (18 to 24 hours), and with the help of Shalem coaching, you will be certified to be a WrapAround Facilitator, supporting a family or an individual through the WrapAround process from beginning to end—and offering hope. The training and practice are certified by Wrap Canada, a national organization dedicated to supporting WrapAround initiatives across the country. Contact Elske De Visch Eybergen, Shalem’s Director of WrapAround Services and a Wrap Canada certified trainer and coach, for information about participating in or scheduling an upcoming training.
Restorative Practice Facilitator Training
By the end of Shalem’s three-day FaithCARE training, and with the support of Shalem coaching, you will be certified as a Restorative Practice Facilitator, equipped to work with a setting like a congregation to develop a framework for strengthening relationships and transforming conflict. The skills learned in the training are transferrable to other settings, including workplaces (Shalem’s Centre for Workplace Engagement) and schools (Shalem’s EduCARE). Suitable for lay people, pastors and any other interested persons, the training is offered in collaboration with the International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP), which provides certification. The training can count as credit towards the IIRP’s Master’s Degree in Restorative Practice. Trainings are offered at various times and in various places throughout the year. Contact Anne Martin, Shalem’s Director of Restorative Practice Services and certified IIRP trainer, for more information, and to set up a training for your setting
Professional Training Tools
We also offer training for human service and mental health professionals, including foster and adoptive parents, in addition to the trainings described above:
Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy
Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DD) is a best-practice psychotherapy approach for supporting children and youth who have significant attachment disorders, due to early trauma or neglect, and their parents or caregivers. DDP has been developed by psychologist Dr. Dan Hughes, a friend and mentor to us at Shalem. The training consists of Level 1 and Level 2, which are three days each. By the end of the training, as a psychotherapist, you will be able to deliver Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy with clients, and as a parent (with Level 1), you will be able to implement the DDP approach successfully with your child. Shalem’s express aim is to help build capacity across the child-serving sector in Ontario to implement attachment-friendly approaches, informed by DDP.
Shalem’s psychotherapist Betty Brouwer is one of two certified trainers in Canada in DDP. Contact Betty for information about the next training.
Solution-Focused Psychotherapy Training
Shalem’s psychotherapist Susan Winter-Fledderus is a certified trainer in solution-focused therapy. She has taught solution-focused psychotherapy at the University of Toronto School of Social Work and in a variety of human service settings, supporting workers to implement solution-focused approaches across disciplines. Her trainings consistently receive high marks by participants. Contact Susan for more information, and to set up a training in your setting.
