IOA Offers Range of Ombuds and ADR Training in Philadelphia, October 2018

The International Ombudsman Association will offer three training programs for Organizational Ombuds and other ADR professionals in Philadelphia in mid October 2018. IOA's signature training, "Foundations" provides the primary training for new Organizational Ombuds. The second training covers skills in group facilitations and is open to anyone. The third course is designed for Ombuds who would like to build interviewing skills.

Three-Day Course

October 15-17

Foundations of Organizational Ombudsman Practice 

This course covers the fundamentals of the organizational ombudsman role by emphasizing the principles of confidentiality, neutrality, independence, and informality. Learn how to work with the visitor to the office as well as how to act as a change agent within your organization. Practice key ombudsman skills of listening, asking questions, clarifying, generating options, and moving to actions throughout the ombuds process. In addition, an experienced and highly committed faculty of ombudsmen will share best practices around setting up an office and evaluating and communicating
the effectiveness of the office.

Faculty: Donna Louden, Ombuds at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Tom A. Kosakowski, Associate Director and Ombudsperson for the Health Sciences, UCLA; Nick Diehl, Ombudsperson at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and an additional instructor to be named.

One-Day Courses

October 18

Working With Groups: Strengthening Your Ombuds Facilitation Skills

This is a participatory, skill-building workshop to identify, practice, and strengthen practical facilitation skills for ombuds working with groups. Participants will recognize groups that may benefit from group processes to identify issues, explore options, and clarify next steps. We will examine case studies where groups have improved communication and teamwork or changed abrasive behaviors, and clarify specific approaches for different scenarios. Participants will learn approaches for developing or rebuilding trust as the foundation of a healthy team and practice facilitation skills to prepare for group process, identify group activities that support engagement, blend varied agenda items, and support groups to get their desired results. 

Faculty: Rita Callahan, CO-OP, Ombuds with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

October 19

When the Conflict is Within: Motivational Interviewing Skills for Ombuds

Participants will be introduced to the spirit of Motivational Interviewing (MI) and its techniques. MI is an effective, short-term, evidence-based approach described as a conversation “designed to strengthen an individual's motivation for and movement toward a specific goal by eliciting and exploring the person’s own reasons for change within an atmosphere of acceptance and compassion.” Drawing from Carl Roger’s person-centered approach to counseling, MI was developed by William Miller and Stephen Rollnick, and has found application in a wide range of fields including substance misuse, mental health, medicine, coaching, education, and corrections. Participants in this training will be introduced to the central concepts and underlying assumptions of Motivational Interviewing and have the opportunity to engage is a series of experiential exercises that will deepen their understanding of the concepts presented

Completion of "Foundations" is a prerequisite.

Faculty: John Brelsford, PhD, therapist and member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers. 

(IOA Philadelphia Training Info.)