ELSA Training & Supervision 6 Day Course

Course details

ELSA training is a 6 day course that aims to support practitioners in developing the emotional literacy and overall resiliency of vulnerable children and young people.

ELSA is a national programme of staff training to support children and young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs.  It was first developed in Hampshire by Sheila Burton and is well researched and evidence-based.  ELSA is a national network, of which Slough Educational Psychology Service is a member.

The ELSA project was developed to build the capacity of schools to support the emotional needs of their pupils from within their own resources.

ELSAs are trained to plan and deliver bespoke programmes of support for pupils in their school or setting.

The course will cover the following topics and all days will be delivered by an Educational Psychologist:

                An introduction resilience & emotional literacy

                Building resilience and self esteem – security and attachment, belonging, selfhood, motivation and competence

                Managing strong emotions – cognitive behavioural approaches and mindfulness

                Social and friendship skills

                Skills for effective therapeutic conversations

                Creative therapeutic interventions 

                Bereavement, loss and family separation

                Procedures and school systems to increase ELSA effectiveness

Trainees receive course notes and a copy of 'Emotional Wellbeing: An Introductory Handbook for Schools, by Gillian Shotton & Shiela Burton. Following the initial training ELSAs meet every half term (6 times a year) for a group supervision session with a small group of other ELSAs and an Educational Psychologist. This is 'clinical' supervision to support the ELSAs to develop their role in school, provide a psychological perspective and includes additional training elements. There is an additional payment (currently £180 per annum) for supervision, the first year of which is included in the course fee.

What ELSAs need from their schools?

When sending someone for training as an ELSA it is important that the school is committed to releasing that person from other duties so that they can deliver ELSA programmes. In most schools this will be for a minimum of one day per week (or equivalent) and this should include time to plan, deliver and evaluate programmes. This can be built up as the training programme progresses.