Who is the Empower-Autism facilitator training suitable for?
Professionals who have:
an excellent up-to-date knowledge and understanding of: autism, lived experiences of autistic people and their families, and common supports for autistic children and young people
experience of running group-based programmes/interventions
ability or potential to adopt a therapeutic stance when running groups. This means being reflexive, flexible, responsive, empathic, open-minded, and able to sit with discomfort
willing and able to move beyond deficit-based framings of autism towards a more neurodiversity-informed approach
lived experience as a family member of an autistic/neurodivergent person or as an autistic/neurodivergent person yourself is not essential but would be valuable
“I just got a sense that parents were a bit more aware of their own kind of values, and therefore what they wanted out of life … there was definitely a sense that parents were a bit more aware of their feelings and allowing them.”
— Professional who has undertaken the facilitator programme
What is the process of becoming an Empower-Autism facilitator?
Please ensure you meet the person specification as outlined above. There are several questions on the Empower-Autism registration form where you can provide examples of this. If we can see that you meet the person specification, you will be accepted onto the training course.
After the training course, the Empower-Autism trainers assess whether you have demonstrated the skills required to become a certified Empower-Autism facilitator.
We will then contact you to inform you of the outcome of their assessment. Where individuals have not yet met the certification threshold, this will be discussed with them, along with the options available to them.
“Because of the ACT element, there’s this sense of offering people things that they can take and use as they choose … it feels very empowering for the parents, it feels like that it’s not about them being rescued.”
— Professional who has undertaken the facilitator programme
What does the training look like?
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This is usually configured as 3 days of 7 hours; however there can be flexibility in format in some circumstances. Please discuss this with us.
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Online
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Trainer led presentations
Direct learner interaction through video analysis of programme content
Group based reflections and discussions
Skills practice – rehearsing specific techniques
Experiential opportunities
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Day 1
introduction to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
experiencing ACT for yourself
learning how the ACT therapeutic stance is used in the Empower-Autism programme
Day 2
Empower-Autism protocol
Key psycho-education content and ACT exercises for:
Session 1 - Introduction to Autism and ACT
Session 2 – Autistic ways of processing; the education system and managing stress
Day 3
Key psycho-education content and ACT exercises for:
Session 3 – Communication, understanding and interactionDelivery of the ACT focused
Session 4 – Who or what matters to you?Key psycho-education content and ACT exercises for:
Session 5 – Your child, their world: sensory processing and emotional regulationSpace for reflection and next steps
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£1,000 per person for the training course and the Empower-Autism manual
Annual membership fee of £50 per person
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Quarterly group based online supervision sessions
Updates from the Empower-Autism team, with guidance on how to keep content updated and evidence-informed
Access to a nominated member of the Empower-Autism team to answer any queries
Access to an annual collaboration event to engage in peer support and sharing of best practice and experiences, with the team and other Empower-Autism facilitators
Please contact us with any queries or to request a registration form.
“My sense was that people were experiencing for the first time the realisation that they’re not on their own..”
— Professional who has undertaken the facilitator programme