The International Federation of Social Workers’ European Conference 2019 was held in Vienna in early September. While there, 45 participants attended a presentation of the PREPARE Curriculum. Although A.R.T. was highlighted, other programs in PREPARE also raised interest and questions.Questions centered around the issues of training, the need to create a reasonable level of motivation among group members to achieve a good results, and the difference between treatment and social emotional learning.
Traditionally, professional social workers often concentrate on achieving a change in both attitude and behavior and a discussion led to whether the issue of learning was fully focused in social work today. Following illustrations of Skillstreaming, the Anger Control chain, and Moral Reasoning – including a presentation on how the process with groups works – a number of questions were raised around the practicality of running such an intensive program. This led to more interest in some of the other models in the PREPARE Curriculum such as Social Perception Training, Family TIES and Problem Solving.
All participants left with a clear reference to the PREPSEC International website.