The 5-Step Method helps affected family members where they have
loved ones with addiction problems. It is one of the few methods that
helps gives support to family member for themselves in their own right
rather than being solely supporters for their loved one.
It is grounded in rigorous research and has a clear theoretical model
(the Stress-Strain-Coping-Support model) which underpins the
intervention. The approach is both simple and effective in filling a
gap that exists for family support. Practitioners in a range of
services who work with family members can use the 5-Step Method once
they have been trained.
Numerous international research papers have been published
about both the Stress-Strain-Coping-Support model and the 5-Step
Method. For a list of publications, click
here.
The current developers of the 5-Step Method are members of
Addiction and the Family International Network www.afinetwork.info
5-Step Method Training Courses and 5-Step Method
Accreditation
Practitioners working with family members in a range of services can
use the 5-Step Method. The training focusses on participants learning
about the 5-Step principles, the evidence base and on participants
practicing the skills needed for them to use this method effectively.
Feedback from training courses is very positive “Focused,
excellent practical model which is so helpful” “Liked the
research-based, structured approach and focus on empowering family
members”. Most importantly, family members find it very helpful
and report being less stressed, coping in a better way, and developing
helpful support. The 5-Step Method covers:
Courses are run for up to 18 practitioners and are generally 2 days,
with 2 trainers. The training has been run across the world (England,
Northern Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada). The
course assumes that participants have competent basic counselling
skills, so participants need to have these competencies in order to
come on a course, or there needs to be a preliminary course training
people in these counselling competencies. Practitioners also must have
a job which provides access (or have other ways of gaining access) to
affected family members with whom they can work, to use the 5-Step
Method once trained. In order to ensure the training has maximum
effectiveness, we need sign-up from both the practitioner who is being
trained that s/he will implement the training AND from their
organisation / line-manager, guaranteeing management support for the
time they will take in providing help to these affected family members
– this agreement covers time available, the collection of basic data
and of course that the practitioner has a job which involves seeing
family members.
We recommend that trained practitioners become Accredited
Practitioners. This involves submitting audio-recordings of sessions
carried out with consenting family members. Practitioners self-assess
themselves against key competencies and only submit once they assess
that they are competent. An accredited assessor then listens to the
recordings and rates the practitioner against the same key
competencies. Irrespective of whether they meet the competency
thresholds, a numeric score and useful feedback to improve competency
is given for each Step. Practitioners have told us that they find this
very useful and it has really helped improve their skills. Certificates
are given on completion and Professional Development points have been
gained in various countries (depending on country and
profession-requirements).
5-Step Method System
We can provide a system so either an organisation or a country can
become self-sufficient in 5-Step Method training and delivery. This has
happened in Ireland and has started in New Zealand. This is by
providing training in three areas.
5-Step Method Resources / Materials
All the materials below are only appropriate to be used after
practitioners have received training.
5-Step Method: Practitioner and Self-Help Handbooks
There are two handbooks. One for Practitioners and a Self-Help handbook for Family Members.
There is also a manual for how Accredited Practitioners
should use the 5-Step Method over video-conferencing instead of
face-to-face in person.” There is also a Self Help Handbook for Gambling which can be
adapted from the Northern Gambling Clinic.
5-Step Method: Family Member Questionnaire (UK) This is a validated questionnaire which is useful both during the 5-Step Method sessions, and (if completed either before or at the very start of the first session, and then at the end of the intervention) as a good way for practitioners, organisations, commissioners (and family members themselves) to assess whether the 5-Step Method has helped family members.
5-Step Method: DVD about the 5-Step Method. The DVD which has been produced has a number of sections, each of which has been loaded separately onto YouTube. Click onto the appropriate link:
5-Step Method: Practitioner Competency Assessment - These contain five information sheets.
If you are an Accredited Practitioner, you can also become an Accredited Assessor, and be able to assess whether other practitioners have reached the competency requirements.
5-Step
Guidance Assessor Accreditation Process
5-Step
Assessors Competency Form
Where to Find Out More Details
For more details, please email: gillvelleman@gmail.com.
Ireland run 5-Step training via zoom and some face to face courses. For details on these please email: training@fsn.ie
We have just discovered that the AFINet Membership application form has not been working for the last 6 months, due to a technical error. While it has been fixed now, all applications since May have been lost (we had assumed that the lack of applications was due to Covid!).
We are very sorry for this. If you have applied for membership and have not received a response, we would kindly ask you to re-complete and re-submit the form (to be found here: www.afinetwork.info/members/apply-for-membership). If you know of any colleagues or friends who have tried to join AFINet over this period, it would be very helpful if you could forward this information to them, and encourage them to re-apply.
The AFINet Trustees