Michael trains mental health staff in New Zealand.

News item updated 1 November 2009

Michael Durrant has been involved extensively in training staff in government Mental Health services in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy in various places in New Zealand.

Michael has been engaged by Auckland District Health Board to train mental health staff and, up to the end of June 2009, he has conducted training for more than 300 mental health staff in a project extending over more than two years. These staff have all attended a 2-day course on Solution-focused Brief Therapy applied to work in the mental health context. Following this initial training, many staff have attended follow-up training and Solution-focused Brief practice continues to have a presence within Auckland DHB Mental Health Services.

Those who have enthusiastically received the training have been a large number of mental health nurses, social workers, psychologists and a number of psychiatrists, as well as some specialised staff (such as dieticians working in the Eating Disorders program). Solution-focused Brief ideas have begun to be applied in a variety of programs, including the Acute Adult Inpatient unit at Auckland Hospital, the Child and Family Unit, the 4 Community Mental Health Centres, a new home-based treatment program, a Rehabilitation Program, Maori Mental Health and the crisis teams.

In 2009, Michael also returned to Tauranga and Nelson, to conduct further training for Bay of Plenty District Health Board Mental Health and Nelson Marlborough Mental Health Services. Training in Invercargill (the southern tip of the South Island — and the training strategically held during Bluff Oyster season! — led to an ongoing Solution-Focused interest group within Southland Mental Health Services.