Canadian Trainings

TRAINING POLICIES & GUIDELINES

• A prerequisite for taking any BSP training is a current membership in a  regulated mental health care profession. BSP Phase One and Phase Two training courses are specialised courses designed by Dr David Grand to teach Brainspotting techniques to mental health practitioners to use with clients within the practitioner’s current scope of training and practice. Brainspotting trainings do not provide basic training in trauma informed therapy or basic counselling skills. Brainspotting is a tool to add to your existing therapeutic skill set. 

• The BSP Training team presumes participants have a mature level of interpersonal competency, good communication skills, a working knowledge of therapeutic/counselling frameworks, and sufficient self-regulation skills to manage their own needs during the course.

• Safety is a necessary requirement for learning. It is the responsibility of the BSP trainer and assistant/s as well as all participants to establish and maintain a feeling of the safety within the group so that learning can occur. If a participant in a training is unable to self- regulate adequately, or demonstrates rude, disrespectful or disruptive behaviour, they will be asked to leave. 

• Scope of Practice Participants are reminded to use Brainspotting only within their existing scope of practice, both during trainings and in their practice..

• Experiential Practice Sessions: BSP training courses include experiential exercises. Your participation in these training exercises will help you appreciate the unique power and effectiveness of Brainspotting from both the client and therapist chairs. During demonstrations and practice sessions, as a “client” you will be using your real issues.  You are responsible for managing your own safety. You may opt to “pass” at any point on any individual or group activity or demonstration that you are not comfortable with. This is not a venue for deep personal therapy, nor for detailed academic debate. 

• Personal Therapy & Clinical Supervision:  It is presumed that participants can access  supervision and/or therapeutic support if they need it after the training for processing personal matters that may get brought up during course training exercises. Inevitably, when we are working with the subcortical brain, old issues may emerge.  It is the participant’s responsibility to avail themselves of appropriate therapeutic support after the training finishes. Please speak to the trainer if any personal issues brought up during the class become a difficulty.

• BSP Training Format:  In alignment with all International BSP Training, there is a combination of the following: Lecture with Powerpoint Slides; live demonstrations with volunteer trainees, practice of “Set Ups”  and techniques in pairs, using real issues (not role play); debrief, comments and questions. Trainings are not a time for detailed academic debate about any topics covered in the course, nor are demos meant to be full therapy sessions.

• Confidentiality:  It is expected that all participants maintain the confidentiality of all private material shared by all participants throughout the workshop.

• The above Policy and Guidelines are in part with thanks to Dr Roby Abeles and the Brainspotting Australia Pacific team.