Time for a Break
Updated: Oct 2, 2020
An Update from Mark
I have just completed a series of workshops and taking a moment now to reflect on our journey so far.
The BABCP Spring Conference in April was sadly cancelled due to Covid-19. I had been scheduled to deliver a workshop on the topic of ‘Living Life with Uncertainty’. This was based on our evolution of the transdiagnostic Intolerance of Uncertainty model of clinical anxiety into a trans-situational model of uncertainty distress in the face of real threat and real uncertainty. We had been working on this for nearly a year. Reference points in our thinking were caregivers (e.g. dementia, autism, parents of children with acute health conditions, etc.) as well as people with physical health problems and asylum seekers, etc.
And then the pandemic happened.
So, with the members of the Newcastle Treatment IU Development Group and UNiCORN to support me, and initial data from our test of the model (launched mid-March), we developed an initial workshop as a webinar – a first for me. Importantly, and many thanks to the BABCP and their professional partners, it gave me the confidence to think about rolling this out.
Since then, I have used the same basic materials, evolutions and adaptations of them in teaching at Newcastle University (MSc, PGDip and DClinPsy). I then delivered a series of online CPD workshops to various groups from the North East of England and Cumbria (but also elsewhere). Attendees included IAPT services and professionals from other areas in health psychology, occupational health, EIP, specialist therapy centers with various approaches, and some international collaborators.
The power of online delivery has been demonstrated; in less than 3 months, close to 900 people have attended on 9 separate days of training (some smaller teaching groups, some larger CPD events).
We have learned so much from the experience and especially the contributions from attendees; exercises using online polls, live chat, questions, reflections, and feedback. All of this has been recorded and reflected on, and some will be formally analyzed. It will all feed into development of the existing materials, new materials, and new products and articles. Thanks to all the participants, and the various coordinators who helped get their people signed up.
But now time for a break to recharge the batteries, reflect on the experiences gained, and regroup to think about what happens next.
Image by Kaboompics via Pexels