When midwives broaden their focus beyond the purely physical parameters of pregancy and birth to encompass the psychosocial context in which they occur, a whole new paradigm for midwifery practice emerges: the world of holistic midwifery. Midwives become engaged, conscientiously and purposefully, in all facets of the couple’s journey to parenthood. Officious barriers are removed in favour of transparency and intimacy.

As holistic midwife, you become increasingly sensitized to your dialogue with clients, peers, employers and other health professionals. You may more often feel personally exposed or underskilled in negotiating emotionally confronting situations. Awareness of your own insecurities and enhanced skills for effective communication are required of you.

This workshop will provide you with simple and practical awareness and counselling skills, so that you can take the step into holistic midwifery with more confidence and enthusiasm. We will discuss, practise and role play using important prerequisites for effective dialogue: conducive posture, congruence, empathy, curiosity, neutrality, minimal response, active listening, mirroring, reflection of feeling, reframing, the “art” of asking questions, and “listening with awareness”. In particular, this workshop will explore some of your personal reasons for not being able to listen well and the subtle yet profound effect this may have on the communicator.

Through developing new skills and a sense of safety and trust in yourself, you will not only improve communication with your peers, but you’ll have the potential to become a tactful sounding board and powerful catalyst for couples experiencing the transition to parenthood in your care.

After completion of this workshop

• You will have developed a new awareness of the importance of enhanced skills for effective communication within the context of holistic midwifery.
• You will be able to discern the essential prerequisites for effective dialogue.
• You will have practised basic empathy and active listening in a safe group setting.
• In particular, you will have discovered some of your personal reasons for not being able to listen well at times, and what this tells you about yourself. This knowledge may pave the way for overcoming the “hearing problem” and assist you in your own personal growth.
• When you return to work, you will feel more competent in “listening to your clients and colleagues with awareness”. You will feel more courageous in navigating your way through emotionally confronting situations.

For further details of this workshop, please contact BirthRite Head Office (Australia).