Strength Cards® Unlimited: A special offer for SOON readers!

Posted: 01/05/2024

Strength Cards® Unlimited takes conversations about strengths in all sorts of new directions. We know that each of us has strengths that can help us overcome challenges and solve problems—but strengths are more than just our personal qualities. They can include everything from our …Read more

When Ray found his clan

Posted: 01/05/2024

Ray Bowler is a name well known to long-term devotees of Innovative Resources’ products and training. His quirky, soulful illustrations and designs have helped thousands of people explore their feelings, prompted important conversations about strengths and mental health, and inspired people to share stories …Read more

Solutions on the high seas

Posted: 01/05/2024

‘I’m Dion, I live on a boat.’ That’s a pretty cool introduction for anyone, and not what I expected from a man who has spent the past decade and a half working in human services and, more recently, perfecting the “art” of solution-focused supervision. …Read more

Helping children express emotions through art

Posted: 22/01/2020

When children return to school after the holidays, the playground is often abuzz with stories about road trips to visit grandparents, movies with friends, hanging out at the pool, bike rides, camping with family, conquering of computer games, shopping trips, BBQs or just mooching …Read more

Respectful Relationships at Christmas

Posted: 05/11/2019

If someone were to ask each of us what Christmas meant to us, we would probably all have a different answer. We might talk about Christmas trees covered in wonky decorations made by our children, the ‘shushed’ wrapping of presents late at night or …Read more

Red Herrings

Posted: 22/07/2019

Red herrings throw us off the scent and distract us from what we need or want to be doing. What red herrings do you use? I picked up Inside Out: A journalling Kit and selected the card about red herrings. It made me think …Read more

Picture of the Future

Posted: 06/03/2019

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

POSTCARDS – Sometimes to Send, Sometimes to Keep

Posted: 15/02/2019

The original purpose of developing POSTCARDS From Me to You was to provide residential care workers, carers, youth workers and young people with a simple, fun and meaningful way of communicating with each other. With a postcard they can send a message that can …Read more

A Resource for Exploring our Darkest Moments

Posted: 27/06/2018

The stories of how people use materials developed by Innovative Resources never fail to inspire us with their practice wisdom. We received the following stories about using Shadows and Deeper Shadows in family violence situations: From Lili ‘I like Shadows and Deeper Shadows because …Read more

‘Smarty Pants, Kitty or Tiger?’

Posted: 06/03/2018

  Only under certain circumstances does Innovative Resources permit the reproduction of images from our card sets like those displayed in the picture book, Smarty Pants, Kitty or Tiger? Nicole Rotaru from McAuley Community Services for Women approached us and explained the amazing work …Read more

Metaphor: the beating heart of communication

Posted: 03/10/2017

‘A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn’t literally true, but helps explain an idea or make a comparison.’ (https://www.grammarly.com/blog/metaphor/) Once upon a time, in a land far away (to use a metaphor to …Read more

Using ‘Paperworks’ in Strengths-based Practice

Posted: 31/08/2017

All of the tools published by Innovative Resources have grown out of, or are compatible with, strengths-based practice. Also known as the ‘strengths approach’, this is a way of working that focusses primarily on strengths and hopeful possibilities. It does not ignore difficulties or challenges but the …Read more

Journalling as a Therapeutic Tool

Posted: 31/08/2017

In 1990 James Pennebaker from the United States of America conducted some of the earliest and most significant research into the use of journalling as a therapeutic tool. He found that for journalling to have physical and emotional health benefits, people needed to not …Read more

Note to Self : Potential

Posted: 28/07/2017

Potential is commonly though of as one’s capacity for achievement. We’ve all heard talk of rising stars in the sporting arena; their limitless talent and ‘huge potential’ paving the way to unprecedented success. Note to Self invites us to think of potential more broadly …Read more