contents of the workshop Caregivers are constantly looking for effective instruments to handle the daily problems they are confronted with in the interaction with their patients. In the workshop you get acquainted with such an instrument: the Mat®. The Dutch training program Interaction Skills with the Mat aims to improve therapeutic interactions and co-operation between caregivers and patients suffering from a severe psychiatric disorder. The training gives participants the opportunity to reflect on and gain insight into the effect of their behaviour on the treatment goal. They learn to question themselves in concrete situations whether a patient was unwilling or (as yet) unable to meet (implied and/or expressed) expectations or agreements. This growing awareness creates a more subtle and realistic perception of the patients and their possibilities and limitations (unable/unwilling).Over the past 14 years over 4000 caregivers (and family members) have been trained successfully with this method in the Netherlands. In 2008 the program was introduced in Sweden. The main qualitative findings in the survey ‘Interaction Skills for caregivers’ (2007 – prof. dr. M. Grijpdonk, dr. B. van Meijel and drs. Y. Megens, RUU): positive effects of the training were reported in terms of awareness and insightfulness; the attitude of caregivers; the quality of the therapeutic alliance; job perception. The training program  was initially developed for caregivers of patients suffering from psychotic disorders. In more recent years programs have been developed for personality disorders (cluster B), autism spectrum disorders and substance dependence.
format In the workshop participants are invited to bring in problems of their daily practice and to work with it on ‘the Mat’. An overview will be given as to what the training contains.
aim At the end of the workshop the participant will have insight in the influence that handicaps have on the interaction process and how goal-effective his own communication is. The participant will also have experienced the working method of the Mat®.