Algeria SSLD program
I conducted an SSLD workshop in June, 2011 in Constantine, Algeria. Thirty participants attended the workshop. They ranged from doctors, psychologists, and psychiatrists with many years of experience to students who were starting out in the counselling field. The workshop consisted of eight sessions that covered topics such as interviewing skills, building therapeutic alliance, needs assessment and problem translation.
Participants found the theoretical aspects of SSLD easy to understand. One of the challenges that participants faced was practicing the concepts they learned. It was necessary to break down the learning process into smaller steps and focus on the participants’ skills deficits. It would have been beneficial if the workshop was longer. That would have provided more opportunities to practice the skills more thoroughly. However, many reported that they started practicing the skills they learned in their personal and professional lives, and have seen some improvement.
One of SSLD’s biggest strengths is that it is a system that can be applied across cultures. Most of the feedback regarding the workshop was positive. The majority of the participants wished that there were more sessions and hoped that such a program would be offered again in the future.
It was a great experience for me as a facilitator as I had the opportunity to hear from people about the challenges they face both in their professional and personal lives. I now have a deeper understanding of the society in Constantine and I can see myself offering many more similar workshops in various places.