Firstperson Services has a goal of fostering and sustaining a network of practitioners in Person Centered Thinking in the northeast. This community of practice is a group of people who share a concern and passion for bringing person centered approaches into our ways of supporting people, and learn how to do it better through meetings, discussion groups and mutual support. One of our strategies is to build a network of trainers. Firstperson Services trainers are credentialed at a Mentor level by The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices for the 12-hour introductory course. This means that they can credential trainers within your organization. After having staff attend this workshop, you may want to consider sponsoring one of your staff as a trainer. By doing so, you’ll create a link between your organization and an international effort to promote person centered approaches. You also lower the cost of training as new staff come aboard.
Are You a Candidate for Credentialing as a PCT Trainer?
Consider some of these factors:
The Person Centered Thinking© Trainer Candidate must have skills sufficient to communicate effectively with the training audience. This includes having the skills to use verbal enhancers that more fully communicate and explain essential concepts and information, including examples and illustration, creative phrasing, analogies, quotation, rhetorical questions, and comparing and contrasting concepts. He/she must have demonstrated experience with training groups of adults. The candidate must know strategies to engage and involve participants who display resistance or lack of involvement, or who exhibit disruptive behaviors that interfere with the development of constructive group process. He/she must have demonstrated experience with managing group dynamics. Candidates for Person-Centered Thinking Two-Day Workshop facilitation will complete the following steps toward credentialing:
- Attendance at a 12-hour Person Centered Thinking Workshop (in-person or online) with guided observation with a Mentor
- Time Required: 16-hours (workshop attendance with discussion and review of learning and questions after session).
- Meet with Mentor Trainer to prepare for first training demonstration
- Time Required: 2 hours
- Self-Study of materials, notes and logistics needed to present the first workshop
- Time Required: Minimum of 20 hours for person centered thinking training
- Deliver Person Centered Thinking © workshop with a Mentor Trainer OR with another trainer candidate while a Mentor Trainer observes and provides guidance as needed
- Time Required: 18-hours (workshop with discussion and review at end of each session (or as needed) with Mentor Trainer)
- Self-Study of materials, notes and methods
- Time Required: Minimum of 20 hours
- Deliver Person Centered Thinking © workshop with a Trainer candidate partner OR alone with observation by Mentor Trainer for a 2nd
- Time Required: 18-hours (workshop with intermittent discussion and review at end of each session).
- Submit a Trainer Portfolio to the Mentor Trainer for review and feedback that includes examples of implementing each of the PCT skills. This is organized as two Person Centered Descriptions: one person centered description of the candidate themselves and the second of a person who is supported through services.
- Time Required: 6 to 10 hours to gather information and develop a description for each.
- Meet with Mentor Trainer to review activities and the evaluation process and complete TLCPCP final agreement.
Some Prerequisites
The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices asks that candidates for credentialing meet certain “foundational requirements”.
The Person Centered Thinking© Trainer Candidate:
- Must have lived experience either through their personal life or work with the target audience/sector for which they are becoming Trainers.
- Must have participated in a full 12-hour Person Centered Thinking© Training, and be using the skills in day-to-day work
- Must have the commitment to the time and effort needed to master the skills and develop the ability to train effectively.
- Must have passion for supporting people in a person centered manner, and willingly share that passion with others.
- Must be willing to contribute to The International Learning Community for Person Centered Practices and attend a Gathering
- Must be willing to become a member in good standing with access to the TLCPCP Trainer’s section of the TLCPCP website.
- Must be familiar with and have a willingness to embrace and support the TLCPCP Board’s Vision, Mission and Plan.
You can find a full description of the process in the Person Centered Thinking© Trainer Credentialing Process Handbook.
If you would like to learn more, please send us a message by using the form below.