Possibilities and challenges of dialogic approach training for child guidance center staff

Abstract

Parenting support and abuse prevention are pressing agendas in Japan. In the 1980s, open dialogue (OD) has emerged as a treatment option for mental illnesses in Finland. We held six training sessions using the OD approach at a child guidance center from 2017 to 2019. Each session consisted of a lecture and role-plays, and participants' reflections were gathered through a feedback sheet after each session. Moreover, we interviewed one staff member after the training. Our OD training with the child protection staff is reported, and the possibilities and challenges are discussed. The participants were 104 staff members of the child guidance center, and in total, 73 feedback sheets informed us regarding the achievements and concerns of our training session. The categories of awareness, new experiences, and trust to therapists emerged as achievements, whereas categories of questions, difficulties, uncertainty, and the need for further learning emerged as concerns. From a 102-min interview with one child guidance staff, we acquired his interest in dialogue, impressions, and feedback on our training. He informed us of the difficulties in dialogue between the families and facilities with authority, necessity of early contact, possibilities of OD in child protection, and suggestions for OD training. Our training was part of an exposure program. However, the participants deepened their understanding of the dialogic approach. As per our findings, we realized that OD and its training were suitable for the field of parenting support. The conditions of organizational training, such as costs, timing, location, and resource availability, should thus be improved.