Shevin Consulting
	(315) 443-5179 info@shevin.org	Mayer Shevin, Ph.D. 275 Fellows Ave. Syracuse NY 13210 USA

INTRODUCTORY AND ADVANCED TRAINING IN FACILITATED COMMUNICATION
Mayer Shevin, Ph.D.

Note:  my training and consutation work in Facilitated Communication are usually done as part of the work of the Facilitated Communication Institute at Syracuse University.  Feel free to contact me directly, or through the FCI at (315) 443-9657.

INTRODUCTORY WORKSHOPS

One-day workshops are offered which provide basic information orienting teachers, staff, and family members who interact with people who communicate through facilitation.

Two-day workshops provide more extensive information for people who are likely to be directly involved as facilitators.

Both of these workshops are designed to complement the ongoing training in facilitation which an individual receives from an experienced facilitator.

Although workshops are customized, the one-day workshop typically covers the following topics:

• What is facilitated communication?
• Who are likely candidates for this technique?
• What does the physical support used in facilitated communication feel like?
• How do I know that real communication is taking place?
• How do I become a facilitator?
• How do I begin using facilitated communication with someone who has not used it before?
• How do I help an individual work toward greater independence in their communication?
• Addressing specific questions from the group.

Whenever possible, workshops are designed to include presentations by individuals who use facilitated communication.

In addition to the information covered in the one-day workshops, the two-day workshops typically include the following topics:

• Facilitated communication and emergent literacy
• How do I increase the number of facilitators in a person's life?
• Facilitated communication for people with limited or echoic speech
• Facilitated communication for individuals with challenging behaviors
• Facilitated communication and personal empowerment
• Group problem-solving

Both the one-day and the two-day workshops include extensive opportunities for discussion and question-and-answer sessions.  

ADVANCED WORKSHOPS

One-day or two-day advanced workshops are offered to expand the skills of individuals who are already involved in facilitated communication, either as facilitators, facilitated communication users, family members, or advocates, and who have already participated in introductory training.
These workshops are individually designed in collaboration with the sponsoring agencies, and typically include a strong problem-solving component.  Some topics which may be included in such workshops are:

• reviewing the research on facilitated communication
• understanding the issues of cue-seeking and facilitator influence
• legal issues in facilitated communication
• coordinating facilitated communication and other communicative approaches
• training and supervising facilitators
• designing agency policies to support facilitated communication
• designing support networks for facilitators and facilitated communication users
• incorporating facilitated communication into person-centered planning

ONGOING SUPERVISION AND MENTORING

I provide ongoing support to people who use facilitated communoication and the family members, staff members, friends and allies that support them.  The work toward greater independence and empowered communication takes time and the coordinated energy of many people; I can support that effort in many ways, both in person and by phone and email.