Every step we take follows another. Every step we take precedes another. The smallest shifts—doing some dishes, putting something away, stopping something, starting something, taking a shower—can all be significant events on a continuum of ‘next steps’, representing our unique pathways through life. ‘A …Read more
“People, especially children, respond much better when given positive labels, even if it is a label they intend to pursue.” I’d been working with this family for several weeks and using the Solution Focused Approach. We’d seen marginal and inconsistent improvement in the boy’s …Read more
In 2023 we will be running a series of free 30 minute online workshops where our highly skilled trainer, Alison Krusec, will share a range of tips and tricks for using our most popular card sets, starting with Strengths Cards® Unlimited. Strengths Cards® Unlimited—the …Read more
Introducing the latest edition to our suite of strengths-based tools and resources—Strength Cards Unlimited! Everyone has strengths. But did you know that strengths are more than just personal qualities? They also include your relationships, culture, health, community, the natural world and access to supports. …Read more
At any given moment in a supervision session, we may find ourselves wondering, ‘What is the most useful question I could ask right now?’ This, however, begs another question: ‘What do we mean by a useful question?’ Questions are fundamental in constructing—and changing—social realities. …Read more
When people are accessing services, they are often disempowered in at least one area of their life. They may be experiencing poverty, exclusion as a result of mental health issues, addiction or family violence. Or they may be experiencing oppression or exclusion as a …Read more
When we are in the midst of a challenging conversation—a supervision session, a finely-balanced meeting with a family or a conversation with someone struggling with their mental health—having a few simple, practical and visual reminders to help guide the conversation in a positive and …Read more
Green Sea Turtle Using her hind flippers, the female buries up to two hundred eggs in the sand. After about two months, the hatchlings emerge and scamper across the sand, taking their chances on reaching the ocean as gulls and crabs prey on them. …Read more
Money? Happiness? Love? To be that special person in someone’s life or to have that special someone? There are lots of things we would like more of but isn’t RESPECT at the top of the list when we consider an intimate partner relationship? Intimate …Read more
Lillian Daley, a Grade 6 teacher in Darwin—the capital city of Australia’s Northern Territory—writes about the power of vulnerability and trust in the classroom. I first came across Innovative Resources when I was a pre-service teacher completing a placement at a school for disengaged …Read more
On Wednesday 29 May 2019, St Luke’s Innovative Resources and the Bendigo Reconciliation Committee hosted a forum on organisational white privilege. The forum was facilitated by Andrew Shirres (Practice Development Coach, St Luke’s Innovative Resources) and John Bonnice (Co-Chair, Bendigo Reconciliation Committee). The forum was …Read more
Davys and Beddoe, authors of Best Practice in Professional Supervision: A Guide for the Helping Professions (2010: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London), suggest that strengths-based approaches to supervision are different to an hierarchical and managerial model of supervision where the supervisor is perceived as the ‘expert’, who imparts …Read more
Picture this: You are in a room with your extended family. It might be a celebratory lunch, a special birthday, Christmas dinner, or some other festive occasion. And yet, it’s not quite as exhilarating, and definitely not like it ‘used’ to be. The children …Read more
It is with great sadness and deep respect that St Luke’s Innovative Resources acknowledges the passing of our friend and colleague, Wayne McCashen. Wayne died peacefully at home with loved ones by his side on 14 December 2018, aged 68. His beloved family—his partner …Read more
We all learn differently. Some people prefer to learn in a quiet place, some people prefer to listen to music while they learn. Some people like to learn in small bitesize chunks and some people like to swallow everything in one mouthful. Others love group …Read more
The Bendigo Reconciliation Committee has developed a FREE resource for mainstream community organisations to explore the issue of ‘organisational white privilege’. The development of this resource grew out of a Conversation Circle arranged by the Bendigo Reconciliation Committee (BRC) and member agencies during the …Read more
Scaling is a simple, highly visual and easily understood way of measuring and evaluating anything. Look around and you will see scaling being used in countless ways every day. A wall of a hospital might show a big temperature gauge to measure how fundraising …Read more
In this complex and uncertain world there is nothing more certain than the challenges of parenting. Long has it been remarked that this fundamental role in society is undertaken without the training, supports and qualifications required for much less demanding activities. However, as the …Read more
If you are a youth worker, counsellor, mentor, teacher, chaplain or welfare coordinator in a school, chances are you’ve come across the Reflexions cards somewhere along the line. You may even have a set kicking around in your tool bag of resources. A new …Read more
Organisations that work well draw on a dynamic combination of strengths. What are the strengths of your organisation? How well does your organisation do with strengths such as planning, leadership, fairness, communication, role clarity, and creativity? What about managing change and resolving disputes? Which …Read more
