Growing Through is founded on the philosophy that every individual’s life journey is unique and valuable.
For some people, the most significant moments of that journey include intense difficulty, distress and/or pain, including despair and thoughts of death. By approaching struggle and crisis, including suicidal intensity, as parts of personal growth, Growth Allies help people find value and meaning in the midst of pain, and maximize their own resources for recovery.
The Growing Through experience provides participants with the skills and confidence to be effective Growth Allies in a variety of scenarios, including those where issues of violence, self-harm and suicide may be present. Through focused, experiential exercises, participants learn to identify and reframe unhelpful terminology, develop positive listening skills and be authentically, helpfully present even in the most intense of moments.
Utilizing non-clinical language, best practices for suicide prevention, and the experience of those ‘who have been there,’ Growing Through provides innovative training for assisting others as a ‘Growth Ally,’ including effectively sharing one’s own experience. Growing Through skills courses are available for human services professionals, paraprofessionals, peer specialists, crisis workers and general public.
Growing Through Trainings Provide:
-A safe learning atmosphere keyed to participant experience and needs
-"Use of Self" applied mindfulness training
- Skills and confidence for connecting with others at times of distress and intensity
- A growth & dignity perspective on struggle that is respectful of identity and culture
- Practice on difficult situations where violence, trauma or suicide risk are a factor
- Structured approach to using personal shared/lived experience for support
Compatibility:
Growing Through is compatible and fully complementary with a variety of training modalities including:
- ASIST
- Intentional Peer Support
- QPR
- Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy
- Wellness Recovery Action Planning
- Motivational Interviewing
- Mental Health First Aid Peer Support
- Peer Specialist trainings
...and more.
Available Growing Through Trainings
Offering Presence - One Day Introduction
Community Ally - Two or Three Days
“One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.” ~Abraham Maslow