The Conference
For clinicians, social workers, health – and social care managers, professionals in education, and everyone whose work concerns the adjustment and wellbeing of young people.
'Beyond Behaviour' will familiarise delegates who are new to NVR with its philosophy, practice and different applications to some of the most serious and challenging problems facing professionals who work with children, young people young adults and families.
Focusing on the family, school and care environments, professionals who already use NVR will be introduced to the most recent developments within this exciting new systemic approach. International speakers will highlight the concepts of New Authority, the Anchoring Function of Attachment and Reconciliation Work to address a young person's unmet needs, and will present an emerging, promising evidence base.
NVR has been developed over the past 15 years by Haim Omer and his associates at the University of Tel Aviv. Drawing from family therapy and the principles of de-escalation, raising adult presence and reconciliation, this psychological intervention has proven to be especially useful when young people are uncooperative and refuse to talk to professionals. By utilising support around the family or care environment, and helping adults develop action to overcome their helplessness, anger and sometimes rejection of the aggressive or self-destructive child, NVR transforms the key relationships in a young person's life.
Systemic practitioners as well as proponents of attachment theory appreciate this refreshing new approach to aggression in families.
Introducing interventions ranging from working with the family, behaviour support in school and community cooperation, to looked after children in residential and foster care, 'Beyond Behaviour' will bring the approach to a wider UK professional audience.
Main Speakers
Haim Omer
is professor of psychology at the University of Tel Aviv. Haim and his team have developed NVR into a coherent therapeutic approach. His pioneering work involves new concepts of authority and attachment. A renowned international speaker, Haim's books include 'Nonviolent Resistance - a new approach to violent and self-destructive children' and together with Nahi Alon 'The Psychology of Demonization'.
Uri Weinblatt
developed the model of telephone support in the original Tel Aviv project and undertook the first outcome study on NVR. Now at the Couple and Family Department of Thomas Jefferson University and the Council for Relationships in Philadelphia, Uri holds a special interest in emotional self-regulation and nonviolence in couples therapy, and has recently developed different forms of the NVR 'sit-in'.
Barbara Ollefs
is a clinical psychologist and family therapist at Osnabrueck Children's Hospital. She teaches at Osnabrueck University as well as the Weinheim Institute of Family Therapy, Germany. Barbara has undertaken years of research on NVR, including a large scale outcome study, and has adapted the approach to working with chronic paediatric illness.
Peter Jakob
s a consultant clinical psychologist and lead for complex cases in the NHS, and director of PartnershipProjects. Having introduced NVR to the UK, Peter works primarily with heavily traumatised families and with looked-after children. In recent years, he has developed a child focus in NVR, by using reconciliation work for addressing unmet child needs.
Plenary moderation - Jim Wilson
We are especially pleased that Jim Wilson, one of the UK's leading family therapists and author of 'Child-Focused Practice', has agreed moderate the closing plenary panel, which will include the main speakers, parent representatives and the Oxleas NVR team leads.