· Assertive communication
· Conflict management
· Emotional literacy

Address:

Mahlerstraße 7/19, 1010 Wien

Working hours:
Tuesday:   12:00–15:00 ; 16:30-19:30
Wednesday: 15:00 - 17:00 ; 17:30–19:30

Book an appointment:
psychotherapie - appointments

WORKSHOPS

The program of personal development - communication skills trainings

Effective communication skills are of particular importance for successful relations, integration and adjustment to the new the environment. Disputes and conflicts are an integral part of life, and in the encounter with other cultures, mentalities, and of course with language barriers, possibilities for disagreements and misunderstandings are significantly higher. With good communication skills, which can be learned, many potential conflicts can be avoided, creatively solved or accepted with more ease. With this aim, I organize and facilitate psychological workshops (seminars) on following topics: assertive communication, conflict management and emotional literacy.

The seminars are intended for all adults who are interested in personal development and development of skills that are necessary for establishing and nurturing positive and healthy relationships in both personal and professional life.

Method

Educational workshop with a small group of participants (maximum 8) in English language. It involves different didactic and interactive activities through: lectures, role plays, work in pairs, individual work and intensive discussions. This approach aims to engage actively all participants in learning and practicing new skills, as well as, to have fun in this process!

Assertive communication

Assertiveness is a mode of communication and a learnable skill of being self-assured and confident without being aggressive. Assertive communication involves expressing opinions, feelings and beliefs with a respect for the boundaries of oneself and others, and with an interest in the fulfillment of needs and wants through cooperation.

Assertiveness is a healthy "middle ground" between two known and prevalent communication style - aggressive and passive. Aggressive communication also means expressing opinions, feelings and beliefs, but in a way that threatens the rights and values of another. The goal of aggression is to establish control over the situation and the people, a demonstration of power, dominance and achieving victory over another person. On the other hand, passive communication implies disrespect and abandonment of one’s own rights, values, opinions and wishes in order to please other and avoid conflict at all costs. Passive style eventually leads to the loss of self-confidence, and often to the occurrence of anxiety and depression.

Assertive communication is the basis for the development of healthy self-esteem and interpersonal relationships based on mutual respect and cooperation. It presents a model of communication and skills that can be taught. During this workshop you will develop the key skills needed to become more assertive and learn how to apply this in a variety of situations.

Contents:

• Differences between assertiveness and aggressiveness and passivity and kindness;
• Assertive rights;
• Reduction of cognitive barriers and believes that prevent assertive behavior;
• Developing assertiveness skills and techniques:

Expected results:

• Strengthening confidence in relations with others;
• Developing communication and social skills;
• Reduction of passive and aggressive behavior in favor of assertive;
• Accepting own and others’ assertive rights;
• Strengthening the value system that highly values self-responsibility and the responsibility of others.

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Conflict management

Conflicts are an integral part of human relationships. They occur inevitably since people with different values, opinions, attitudes and interests, communicate, live and work together. In this sense, conflict cannot be avoided, but can be managed.

Prevalent perception is that conflict refers to the situation that involves two opposing parties and results with a winner and a loser. In fact, such an approach often leads, in the long term, to the losses on both sides. If, however, the conflict is perceived as an opportunity for change and is approached in collaborative spirit, the outcome can lead to creative solutions that will meet the interests of both sides and build positive relationship.

Collaborative approach to conflicts and "win-win" orientation are crucial for developing successful long-lasting relationships with significant others, and thus for a higher quality of life. However, “it takes two to tango”, so collaborative approach and win-win results are not always possible. Still, there are other proven techniques to resolve differences, reduce the potential for continued conflict and build positive atmosphere, which together constitute an effective conflict management style. The good news is that those skills can be taught, and that's the goal of this training.

Contents:

• The nature of conflict and conflict management;
• The dynamics of conflict - causes, symptoms, stages and levels of conflict;
• Different strategies and conflict management styles;
• Recognizing your personal conflict management style;
• Adjusting conflict management styles to the situation;
• Developing the skills of collaborative conflict management style:

Expected results:

• Better understanding of functional and dysfunctional conflict;
• Understanding of the personal dominant conflict management style;
• Development of collaborative conflict management style;
• Development of active listening skills;
• Development of negotiation skills.

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Emotional literacy

Emotional literacy helps your emotions to work for you instead of against you, by learning to allow, understand, manage, and control them. Development of emotional literacy increases self-esteem and sense of personal power, and improves the quality of relationships based on mutual respect and cooperation.

Integral elements of emotional literacy are emotional awareness and emotionally literate communication. The levels of emotional awareness can vary from lowest to highest awareness as follows: numbness (no awareness of feelings), physical sensations (experience of chaotic emotions without understanding them), differentiation (recognizing different emotions and ability to verbalize them), causality (understanding of what causes emotions), empathy (awareness of other people’s emotions) and interactivity (sensitivity to the flow of emo¬tions around and how they interact). Emotionally literate communication refers to the skills of sharing and engaging in conversations that include information about the emotional experience, allowing the development of close and honest relationships without manipulation and psychological "games".

Emotional literacy is not a "given gift”, but the skill that can be taught, developed and improved - which is the purpose of this training.

Contents:

• The connection between thinking, feeling and behavior;
• Biological basis of emotions and its functions;
• Difference between functional and dysfunctional unpleasant feelings;
• The positive functions of unpleasant feelings;
• Developing the skills of emotionally literate communication:

Expected results:

• Better understanding of desires, emotions and the ways to meet your emotional needs;
• Better understanding of thought processes, beliefs and values as parts of emotional responses;
• Better understanding of the positive features of unpleasant feelings and increasing tolerance to them;
• Development of emotion management skills – when to hold back and when to express your feelings, how to deal with numbness or turmoil;
• Development of emotionally literate communication skills to improve and deepen your relationships with important others.

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