Foster Care Training

As professionals we are often invited to slip into conversations about the people who consult us when they are not present. This training will focus on the real and possible effects of these second, or dual, dialogues. Participants will read and discuss a brief article written by Johnella Bird (“Professional Talk”) that outlines the dangers of this dual dialogue. We will examine the invitations to engage in professional talk, the effects of these practices, and strategies to avoid falling into a way of working with people that can objectify them. Cultural and political discourse that sustains dual dialogues will be exposed and discussed. The group will participate in an exercise designed by William Madsen (Collaborative Therapy with Multi-Stressed Families) around how we, as professionals, may inadvertently dis-empower those who seek our help. Attendees will leave with ideas to address these practices both individually and as an agency.