To ensure familiarity with The Place2Be model and to help develop confidence for working therapeutically with children, we require all new Volunteer Counsellors to attend a two-day Volunteer Introductory Workshop (VIW) before starting their placement. This workshop offers participants the opportunity to:

• Enhance and transfer existing counselling skills to working with children
• Explore play as therapeutic communication
• Consider the different ways in which children might tell their stories
• Learn about making a contract with children
• Practice different therapeutic approaches within a safe environment

Additional induction days are arranged for volunteer teams to meet each other and familiarise the volunteers with their designated hubs and schools.

Volunteers are able to access further free training in the form of one-day workshops which are held on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the year. These offer both trainee and qualified practioners the opportunity to enhance their skills for working with children. In order to prevent non-attendance on these trainings (and in line with our Cancellation Policy) volunteers pay a single deposit cheque of 30pounds at the commencement of their placement. This is held securely by The Place2Be and only cashed in the event that a booked training course is not attended without being cancelled in advance.

One-day workshop topics include:

• Helping Children Tell Their Stories
• Working with Metaphor
• Children's Emotional Well- being
• An Introduction to Attachment Theory and Practice
• Working with Difference and Diversity
• Making Endings