Education & Training Service

Relate have an extensive range of learning and development interventions not only for individuals and couples but also for organisations wishing to improve the standards of service they offer to both staff and clients.

We select our trainers for their interpersonal skills as well as their training ability. Our trainers create an environment where they encourage and enable course participants to join in group discussions and activities. Everyone is actively involved in the learning process and has full opportunity to develop knowledge and confidence, raise concerns, and practise skills in a safe, constructive and non-judgemental environment. Many of the training programmes also offer optional accreditation by the National Open College Network, or recognition from other professional bodies such as the Law Society.

The following course outlines offer a brief overview of the many courses available, however all courses can be tailored to meet the specific needs of each client.

Skills Development Courses

These courses offer an opportunity to develop a range of valuable skills, which can benefit both personal and working lives.

• Counselling skills for Non-counsellors
• Advanced Counselling Skills
• Stress Management
• Time Management

Public Services / Private Organisations

This range of courses can be delivered flexibly to suit the particular needs of our clients who range from private organisations to public services including Solicitors, Schools, SureStart, HomeStart, Youth Offending Service, Housing Associations, the National Health Service and Prisons.

First Impressions Content: The course develops telephone skills; raises awareness about the callers' needs; tackles practical and organisational issues, as well as dealing with some of the more difficult calls they may face Duration: 22 hours or to suit individual specification Accreditation: OCN Level III

Emotions to Solutions Content: This is a course for professionals who deal with emotional clients as part of their job. It will be of special interest to solicitors and others in the legal profession as it carries Law Society Accreditation. Other professionals such as doctors, public service and local authority staff would also benefit from this course. Duration: One Day - flexible delivery Accreditation: Law Society - 6 hours CPD

Understanding Relationships Content: This is a course for professionals offering underpinning knowledge and skills for working with couples and families. This course might appeal to social workers, probation officers, clergy, community psychiatric nurses, school nurses, health visitors and those working in family centres or similar settings. Duration: 5 days - flexible delivery Accreditation: OCN Level III

Family Support Skills - Skills for Working in the Community Content: The course aims to enhance the skills that volunteers use in their work with families, in a befriending and supporting capacity. The course was designed to give volunteers some knowledge, skills and awareness of the issues faced when working with young families. Duration: 22 hours - flexible delivery Accreditation: OCN Level I-III

Looking beyond the Problem Solution Focussed Helping Skills for working in the Community Content: This is a course for professionals offering systemic and solution focussed skills for working with couples and families. This course might appeal to social workers, probation officers, clergy, community psychiatric nurses, school nurses, health visitors and those working in family centres or similar settings. Duration: 22 hours - flexible delivery Accreditation: OCN Level III

Peer Listening Content: Peer Listening Schemes are designed to support anti-bullying and harassment policies both within schools and the workplace. This course combines skills development coupled with advice and support to set up a peer listening scheme. Duration: Three days

Prisons courseware

Prisoners and their children Content: This workshop is designed for primary carers whilst a child's parent is in prison and deals with the following areas: How to help make life better for prisoners and their children. How to help the Primary Carer to feel more confident and to have increased self-esteem. Increase contact between child and prisoner (where appropriate) Preparation for home-coming Duration: 2.5 hours

Together apart Content: Relationships are under greater stress when there is a period of enforced separation and many couple relationships break up during the prison sentence. However, the benefits of an intact couple relationship are evident to all. The workshop will help relationships stay intact, decrease conflict and develop new ways of communicating and ways of making more responsible choices together about lifestyle and family. Duration: 1 day

Inside Out- Relationships on Release Content: This is a day-long relationship workshop for prisoners and their partners prior to release. The aim of the workshop is to equip the couples to have a stronger, healthier and more responsible relationship when the prisoner returns home. Relationships are under greater stress when there has been a period of enforced separation and many couple relationships break up on the prisoners return home. However, the benefits of an intact couple relationship are evident to all. The workshop will help relationships stay intact, decrease conflict and develop ways of making more responsible choices together about lifestyle and family. Duration: 1 day

Re-connect Content: This is a short workshop for partners of prisoners who have returned home. This is a crucial period in the life of a relationship where issues of long term separation and issues of trust make having a normal relationship difficult. This short workshop supports partners as they discover that they are not alone in their experience. They learn how to meet their own and their partner's needs and they gain an understanding of some of the difficulties common to couples at this time. Duration: 2.5 hours

Personal Relationships

Couples courseware Content: This is modular course ranging across 5 objectives for couples who are about to get married or enter a committed relationship. It offers a chance to look at relationships before entering long-term commitment together, and provides an opportunity to learn about how relationships work and how they fail, and learn new relationship skills. The course gives couples an opportunity to find out about each other in every aspect of their lives together. There will be opportunities to practice skills and share concerns. Duration: Approx 2.5 hours per module

Taking charge of Your Life Content: This is a course for individuals who would like to increase their confidence, feel more assertive, cope more effectively with stress and manage their time more efficiently. Duration: 22 hours - flexible delivery Accreditation OCN Level III

Moving Forward - for divorced & separated individuals Content: This is a personal development course for people who have divorced or separated from their partner. It is informal, friendly and supportive and led by a professional Relate Trainer. It offers a chance to meet people going through a similar life stage and is designed to help you come to terms with the break up of a relationship. Participants have the opportunity to learn about themselves and develop new skills to enable them to move forward. Duration: 22 hours - flexible delivery Accreditation OCN Levels II-III

Parenting Skills

Partners to Parents Content: One of the crucial factors in parenting young children is the bond of the adult couple relationship. This course is designed to help parents with young children (0-6) build and strengthen their adult couple relationship, including how to find time for yourselves and how to transform your sex life. The course teaches and supports couples to strengthen the bond between them at this critical time. Research shows clearly that this will reflect in the well being of children. Duration: 22 hours - flexible delivery Accreditation OCN Levels I-III

Parents apart - for divorced or separated parents Content: This course is for parents who are about to or already have separated and divorced. It looks at the impact of divorce and separation on children and their parents. It offers an opportunity to share concerns and experiences as well as offering strategies for helping children cope with this change in their lives. Parents learn about how they can develop a new and different relationship with their ex-partner. The ultimate aim of the course is to equip parents to protect their children from what is often a painful experience. Duration: 5 Hours Flexible Delivery

Riding the Storm Content: This course is designed to help parents of teenagers re-build their relationships. The course offers knowledge and research as well as lots of practical exercises to show learning, and includes the impact of parenting styles, negotiation techniques, setting boundaries and handling conflict. Duration: 22 hours - flexible delivery Accreditation OCN Levels I-III

Parent Mentoring Content: This is course accredited for parents who would like to act as mentors to other parents in their own community. It develops skills in mentoring within a community, with a particular emphasis on befriending, building rapport, listening, and giving feedback. It is a very practical course, which will equip parents from all sorts of background to come long side, support and challenge those they mentor. Duration: 22 hours - flexible delivery Accreditation OCN Levels II-III

The Training Team would be delighted to hear from you and look forward to working with you.

To find out more about our training courses,

please call us on

01522 524922