Speakers & Programme

Rebekka Ouer is a clinical social worker who specialises in solution focused work with the LGBT community. She has served as an adjunct professor at UTA’s School of Social Work and she is also a clinical supervisor for LMSW’s in Texas. She frequently conducts trainings about Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and the LGBT community and has authored a book from Routledge Publications: Solution Focused Brief Therapy with the LGBT community: Creating Futures through Hope and Resilience.

Specialties
 LGBT Individuals
 LGBT Couples & Relationships
 Trans Teens & Families
 Transgender Letter Assessments

Elliott Connie, MA, LPC is a psychotherapist that practices in Keller, Texas. He has worked with thousands of individuals, couples, and families applying the solution focused approach to help them move their lives from the current problems towards their desired futures. He is the founder and Director of The Solution Focused University, an online learning community that also conducts training to help professionals master the Solution Focused Approach in their work. He is recognised around the world speaking at national and international conferences and events in such places as throughout the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, South Africa, Russia, Switzerland, England, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Scotland, Holland, Canada, and Asia training practitioners to apply solution focused questions and techniques in their work. He has authored or co-authored four books including "The Art of Solution Focused Therapy", "Solution Building in Couples Therapy", "The Solution Focused Marriage", and "Solution-Focused Brief Therapy with Clients Managing Trauma".

I first trained in SFBT at BRIEF (known then as The Brief Therapy Centre) in London, circa 1993, studied for an achieved an MA on the worlds first SFBT Master course, 2000, Birmingham University, I have written and trained a fair bit, was a founder member of the UKASFP and of this conference....I love my family, including my spoilt dog, love curry, Spurs, play and coach badminton. www.solutionfocused.co.nz

Hi I’m Wendy. Married to Gordon, with 3 children, and many interesting life experiences, I’ve been working as a Counsellor in the Hawke’s Bay for more than ten years. Most recently, I have been working at Tamatea High School and seeing private clients. I feel challenged on a regular basis in my counselling work with teens and adults. My grandson Max (who was born during the 2020 edition of this conference) and my dogs keep me sane!

Hi. I’m Rob. I’m proudly married to Eth, and we have two married kids, two kids-in-law, two grandsons and a crazy Labrador. I have been working as a school counsellor since 2008. My introduction to SFBT was through Brent Gardiner in 2010 and 2011. I continue to learn and grow in using SFP as my main modality. Family life and volunteer prison chaplaincy challenge my edges regularly!

Hi, I’m Cate Walton. I am married to Chris and the mum of four awesome kids. I initially trained as a Counsellor, concurrent to doing my Registered Nursing training way back in the early ‘80’s, and I have recently completed a Master of Counselling at Canterbury University.

I have worked for many years in a variety of community and practice settings and currently work as a counsellor part time at Petersgate Counselling Centre. I also have a small private counselling practice.

I am a Solution-focused counsellor and continue to learn and train in this approach in order to keep up to date with the latest developments in this field. I am a member of the SFU, and passionate about the benefits of Solution Focused practice for my clients.

Kia ora! I was born and bred in Mϋnster, Germany, and trained in multi-systemic family counselling before coming to NZ. I have been living in Aotearoa for 20 years, mainly in Rotorua, and have been practising as a family counsellor and social worker for that long. I work for Family Works Northern, an NGO. Over the past years my chosen modality has completely moved to SFBT, which I now use with all my clients: children, teens, adults, families, groups. I particularly love using this approach with young people, getting creative while not losing sight of the clients’ best hopes and the disciplined and focused way of SFBT.

I have a Kiwi husband and two bi-cultural/bi-lingual teenage children. When there is any time left in the day, I love to spend it doing pottery or running with my dog.

I am Nicky, a social worker who is currently working and living in Brisbane with my whānau (family). Growing up we were encouraged to have a whānau hui (family meetings) every Sunday to korero (talk) to any 'take' and hui until there was a resolution. You learnt to listen to hear not listen to respond. We attended tangihanga (funerals) which over time become 'rite' and we learnt the same process occurred each time which I now know as wāhanga. Within my mahi (work) wāhanga is paramount to providing a superior service to whānau (families), it's the korowai (cloak) if you like of quality practice.

Hi, I am Andrea, a social worker who has practiced social work in Germany, England and for the past ten years in Aotearoa/ New Zealand. The solution focused approach has been paramount to my work in child protection. I am also a social work supervisor who provides SF supervision and social work to predominantly young people in care and their families.

My name is Anna Francis and I live in Darfield, just out of Christchurch. I have an online private practice, working with a wide variety of individuals and couples throughout NZ. I’m also the CEO of The SFU, a Solution Focused Brief Therapy online training organisation based in the USA. My passion for SFBT was born as soon as I learned about it during my studies and I have been obsessed with it ever since.

Raesha graduated in December 2020 with her Masters of Counselling at the University of Canterbury. She currently sees clients at Petersgate counselling and Canterbury Men's Centre. She has established her own unique way of counselling that aligns with trauma-informed care, bicultural and cross-cultural SFBT integration. Raesha has a passion for culturally responsive counselling. She also specialises in Unwanted Sexual Behaviours, Pornography Addiction and Betrayal Trauma due to internet infidelity.

Raesha has 18 years of experience in education as a primary teacher, tertiary health educator and teacher trainer. Overall holistic health and well-being is a significant part of her work.

After the loss of her brother during the March 15th Mosque attacks it is her best hopes to use this adversity to help bring more community awareness about being a Muslim in Aotearoa and what hope and healing looks like in Islam.

Denise J. Krause, LCSW, MSSW, Columbia University. Ms. Krause is the Associate Dean for Community Engagement and Alumni Relations and Clinical Professor at the School of Social Work at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. Some of her publications include: Krause, Green, Koury, & Hales, (2017), Solution-focused trauma-informed care (SF-TIC): An integration of models; Kazi, Coombes, Krause, & Anderson, (2015), Effect of solution focused training on the focused training on the permanency outcome in child welfare: A realist evaluation; and Randolph & Krause, (2002), Mutual aid in the classroom: An instructional technology application. Ms. Krause has been involved in several ongoing teaching and training initiatives in New York since 2000. She regularly offers workshops and presentations on solution focused practice and teaching at the university, community, national, and international levels.

Susan A. Green, LCSW is a Clinical Full Professor at the University at Buffalo School of Social Work. She is the Co-Director of the Institute on Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care (ITTIC) at the University at Buffalo School of Social Work and Buffalo Center for Social Research. Professor Green is the Principal Investigator (PI) on multiple grant projects for the implementation of trauma-informed approaches in various agencies, organizations and systems of care. She has been a contributing author and presenter for peer-reviewed, trauma-related publications and presentations. Professor Green practices and is trained and licensed in several trauma therapies as well as sitting on various committees and councils for trauma-related practices, curriculum, and community work.

Barbara Brontman is an LCSW and CASAC (Credentialed Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor) and is currently working in palliative care at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo NY. She has experience working with multicultural adults and adolescents in inpatient and outpatient substance use agencies; outpatient mental health clinics; and comfort care during end of life in the hospital setting. Barbara’s practices are centered in Solution Focused and Trauma Informed approaches and she is inspired by SFTIC’s positive impact on clients and coworkers in diverse areas of her work.