NLP KNOWLEDGE CENTER THE PROGRESSIVE FIELD OF NLP Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) was first constructed as a “meta-discipline” to provide ways to observe, code and thus be able to replicate, the excellent patterns of communication and behavior of outstanding human beings. It grew out of the poststructuralist developments of the 1970s that identified language as both a coding or representation system, and a force with a life of its own, that could influence people’s perceptions of reality, even create new realities in the experience of human beings.  The creators of NLP, John Grinder, Richard Bandler, Judith DeLozier and Robert Dilts, met on the Santa Cruz campus of UCLA. This was a rich and creative environment for new approaches to studying the social sciences, supported by a visionary education and research policy to integrate different areas of study such as linguistics, physics, biology and anthropology. The academic zeitgeist issued forth many new ways of thinking about and researching the relationship between individual and system and Grinder, Bandler, DeLozier and Dilts, managed to encapsulate many of these new ideas into practical applications for bringing about better results in communication, creativity, problem-solving and personal healing. Their main tools for exploration were the use of questions that revealed the inner sensing of a person in their process of constructing their reality, exploring the “how” of their subjective experience in making evaluations and decisions. Like Gestalt Therapy, this brought the focus on the internal processes that generate behaviors rather than on the “why” of constructs about behavior. In exploring the patterns of great communicators, the NLP developers designed their questions by observing and modeling the Gestalt Psychotherapist, Fritz Perls and the popular Family Systems Therapist, Virginia Satir. They called their system of questions the “Meta Model” in an attempt to describe its potential to decode other models of thinking and communicating. At the suggestion of the great anthropologist Gregory Bateson, the Meta Model was joined with practices of “perceptual positioning” to further model the work of the now legendary psychiatrist and psychotherapist, Milton H. Erickson. As NLP caught on, more contributors joined in developing the field, including Leslie Cameron, David Gordon and Todd Epstein to name but a few. Some others saw its potential for commercial enterprise and in order to pass on NLP in marketable training units, NLP began to be packaged as sets of procedures and techniques, contrasting its original intent as a fluid attitude and methodology that was infinitely flexible to individual and context. While these brief trainings remain popular to this day, especially in the business sector and arenas such as stage hypnotism, they represent something other than the essence and ethics of the psychotherapists that were originally modeled through NLP. These events prompted Grinder and DeLozier to create “NLP New Coding” which reclaimed the importance of “mastery” of mental and somatic relationship into management of attention and neurological state. In support of this movement, Robert Dilts added prolific development to establish the further distinction of Systemic NLP. These evolutions are often referred to as 2nd Generation and 3rd Generation NLP and they incorporate the further developments of Ericksonian Psychotherapists such as Stephen Gilligan who has added Self Relations to the stable of approaches that influence Neuro Linguistic Psychotherapy. Like the models of psychotherapy that inspired NLP, the presupposition central to “New Code” and Systemic NLP is that resources and expertise are within the client, rather than within a therapist’s theory or techniques, and that change is an inevitable process of ecological shifts in perception and experience brought about through a co-created field of communication. Contemporary NLP Psychotherapy is, like NLP, a transtheoretical model that focuses on “what works”. It is sectioned within UKCP as a form of Hypno-Psychotherapy as much of its influence comes from the work of Milton H. Erickson and his successors. Contemporary NLP Psychotherapy works with the naturally occurring creative and restorative altered states of the individual and provides an arena to utilize inner attention and imagination to stimulate internal reorganization, created entirely by the client. Most schools of psychotherapy are not about providing answers or cures, but about engaging in a relationship of benign curiosity and acceptance and offering questions and activities that invite a person to experience their world differently and to create for themselves new more satisfying solutions and meaning. Contemporary NLP Psychotherapy is a “post-schoolist” model that explores how different successful applications of psychotherapy achieve this. As much NLP was modeled on the beliefs, values, behaviors and language of leading psychotherapists, there are implicitly present in NLP many of the core presuppositions and models of the main modalities of psychotherapy such as psycho-dynamic, Gestalt, family systems, hypno-psychotherapy and solution focused therapy. NLP has always been the art and science of asking questions in order to study and model subjective experience and this additional acuity of the practitioner heightens their skills, whatever tradition of  psychotherapy they come from. Approaching these methods of seeing and working through the disciplines of NLP provide an opportunity to uncover the underlying patterns and differences in these models and flexibly utilize the strengths in each and observe too the limitations of each. Learning NLP with these additional nuances, frames and information supports the development of a more flexible and ecological application of NLP. At TriDeka NLP we believe that theory, model and intervention are useful as a way to begin with the client until the organic co-created process for the individual takes over. As Milton Erickson put it, when the technique fails – the psychotherapy begins! Within the unique system of each human being, we believe that “resistance” is a force field around important values that the client wishes to integrate into any change they decide to make, whether this happens consciously or unconsciously. Above all, the Contemporary Psychotherapy model prepares the practitioner and client for a “realistic clinical optimism”. We can afford this because in Contemporary NLP Psychotherapy we prepare ourselves with the best options for treatment that our field can currently offer, updating our possibilities as new information emerges, and then by stepping into a place of “not knowing”, to be guided by the client’s unfolding process, to honor and witness it, thus giving it permission and dignity. ABOUT CONTEMPORARY NLP PSYCHOTHERAPY AND SYSTEMIC NLP 1. CONTEMPORARY NLP PSYCHOTHERAPY AND SYSTEMIC NLP Contemporary NLP Psychotherapy is a practice continuation to broaden and deepen the scope of mental wellness, incorporating recent developments in Neuro-Science, Systems Theory, Ericksonian Psychotherapy, Cultural Studies and the Common Inter-denominational Wisdom of Personal Growth and Advancement. Whenever we speak of psychotherapy we must ask "which psychotherapy?" as the numerous and divergent modules of theory and practice are confusing even to the professional practitioner.  The last two decades have seen a greater integration of various denominations of psychotherapy resulting in a 'post-schoolist' movement where positive similarities are embraced more than negative differences are debated (Balick, A. etal, 2004).  Contemporary NLP Psychotherapy and Systemic Neuro-Linguistics affords the practitioner a set of skills and understanding that facilitates the informed adoptation of 'what works' with each individual client.  Drawing first on the client's unique map of the world and personal resources, the practitioner stimulates these through therapeutic alliance to promote healing of the past, development of lifeskills and meaningful achievements in well being and greater happiness.  RESPONDING TO THE LATEST ADVANCES IN CONTEMPORARY NLP PSYCHOTHERAPY Contemporary NLP Psychotherapy is such that is aware of and responds to the most useful current advances in the understanding of and practice with individuals, families, communities and organizations, while bringing a multiple perspective to assessment and treatment protocols. To this end, Contemporary NLP Psychotherapy teaches modeling skills advanced from the work of lbert Bandura (1977), developed further by Richard Bandler, John Grinder, Robert Dilts and Judith DeLozier (1976), whereby practitioners may observe and absorb from the client as the primary source of information, while drawing from the most successful approaches to psychotherapeutic treatment. This results in a model of psychotherapy that is constantly evolving and a practitioner’s self attitude as life-long learner. ADAPTING AND RESPONDING TO THE PROCESS OF THE INDIVIDUAL A psychotherapy that is flexibly responding “with time” observes that people and their conditions are never static but in constant process. Therefore a person’s identity is an evolving entity, for better or worse, and a condition, situation or Circumstance is seldom constant, but moving either further to or away from health and equilibrium. A person is as they are in this moment and locating and accepting the client’s experience of “this now” is a key skill operating from the practitioner’s trained acuity and authentic personhood. Similarly, recovery and personal development are not single events, but a series of events that may go through several stages over time. Treatment is likewise required to be responsive, appropriate and synchronized with the client’s progress. The Contemporary NLP Psychotherapist is trained in the practical skills of cognitive, linguistic and behavioral modeling offered through the work of Robert Dilts and Judith DeLozier in Systemic Neuro- Linguistics, to enable them to be accurately adaptable to the unique experience and functioning patterns of the client, constantly evolving their model of the client’s world according to the client’s process and communication. MEETING THE NEEDS WITHIN TODAY'S SOCIETY Contemporary NLP Psychotherapy seeks to adapt itself to best serve the most pressing needs of society and individuals Therefore a Contemporary NLP Psychotherapy embraces challenges and needs experienced by people through current prevalent circumstances as providing focus to its methodological and theoretical aspirations. Current examples at the time of writing may be considered as increasing prevalence of addiction, work-related stress, non-conformist family units, gender influenced challenges, minority group experience such as racism and cultural displacement and various political perceptions and anxieties such as global instability and conflicting positions resulting from wars and other major political conflicts. ATTENDING TO THE FULL LIFE COURSE OF THE INDIVIDUAL A psychotherapy that is “with time” works with the full life trajectory (“timeline”) of the subject and the internal representation of past, present and future that is present within the human mind. This promotes attending not only to past analysis and etiology, but focusing especially on motivational factors present in current experience of life – decisions, behaviors, stresses, resources and health – reaching progressively into time by attending to recovery outcomes through expectations, plans, future challenges and goals (Erickson, M. H. 1954). Therefore Contemporary NLP Psychotherapy focuses not just on causation, but especially on the immediate needs of the client and their short and long term well-being, concerning the client’s management of their condition or situation, recovery and personal development, for now and in the manageable future. For the purposes of this information, Contemporary NLP Psychotherapy shall be referred to as a product of this movement, defined generally below. Some key principles of Contemporary NLP Psychotherapy are... All people are unique and individual with personal criteria for happiness, productivity, and desired outcomes Positive change utilizes the resources of unconscious mind and must be internally driven, motivated by the beliefs and values of the individual making the changes People are usually not so much effected by the things that happen to them but generally more by the way in which they respond, process, and make meaning of the things they experience The past, present, and future exist for us in the way in which we process our memories, beliefs, perceptions, and imagination, which in turn influence our emotional and physiological states.  These determine the way we behave and communicate in our environment and relationships It is usually more important to ask 'how?' is this person processing unsuccessful patterns of thinking and behavior and 'how?' can they develop more fulfilling processes and solutions, than it is to ask 'why?' did they develop problems Human beighs are resourcefully and flexibly equipped to deal with the experiences they have and the challenges they face.  People are able rather than disabled.  People may just need the oppportunity, safety and know-how to recover and advance from past pain or trauma and to discover how to apply their personal resources in more effective ways, and to bring about more of the desired values, relationships, and results All behavior has a positive intention - that is, the value that drives behavior, the internal personal yearning, is always for something that is good, even though the behavior used to fulfill that value may be destructive or unsuccessful Effective therapy empowers us to utalize our individual resources, patterns, and processes and enables us to adjust effectively and authentically as we engage in life's challenges and opportunities 2. CORPORATE STANDARDS IN WORKFORCE MENTAL HEALTH The Welsh Assembly Government believes that developing a competent substance misuse workforce including both generic and specialist workers is crucial to ensuring high standards of service delivery.  Surg and Alcohol National Occupational Standards and orther relevant National Occupational Standards provide a set of standards for those working with drug and alcohol use and specify the standards of performance that all workers in the substance misuse field should be working to.  These standards also explain the knowledge and skills which workers need in order to achieve and meet the required standards.  It is for this reason and to assist orgaqnizations and individuals make best use of these standards that this guidance is being produced.  The guidance has been sourced from the following resources: DANOS (Drug and Alcohol National Occupational Standards) Guide: Skills for Health, 2005; A manager's guide to developing strategic uses of National Occupational Standards: TOPSS UK, 2000; NOS (National Occupational Standards) Factsheet: Skills for Justice. 2005 3. WHAT ARE NATIONAL OCCUPATIONAL STANDARDS? National Occupational Standards specify the standards of performance that staff are expected to achieve in their work and the knowledge and skills needed to perform effectively.  The standards have been agreed by employers and trade unions and approved by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). The units in National Occupational Standards have been developed by analyzing all the activities involved in delivering the key purpose of the sector and identifying the standards required to meet it. National Occupational Standards can be used for a wide range of purposes to support individual and organizational development and quality assurance at all levels.  The provide the benchmarks of good practice across the UK. They: describe best practices in particular areas of work bring together the skills, knowledge and values necessary to do the work as statement of competence provide managers with tools for a vast variety of workforce management, quality control, and specification tasks are the basis of training qualifications 4.WHAT DO THE NATIONAL OCCUPATIONAL STANDARDS LOOK LIKE? NOS (National Occupational Standards) are organized into units of competence.  Each 'unit' describes an area of work, with the activities separated into 'elements' with associated 'performance criteria' and 'knowledge understandings.' 5. HOW THEY CAN BE USED All National Occupational Standaards, including DANOS, can be used for a wide range of purposes throughout the human resource management and development cycle, as will as to support partnership development, quality assurance and the development of organizational culture. The following sections provide guidance on how National Occupational Standards can be used for commissioners, organizations, managers, and individuals: Organizational culture Organizational mental health and Social Care Change management Workforce planning and retention Job design Recruitment and selection Partnership development Performance management Seccession planning and promotion Training and development Continuing personal and professional development and performance Assessment Quality assurance 6. WHERE YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE STANDARDS? Useful websites to find relevant National Occupational Standards including DANOS are: www.ccwales.org.uk     www.skillsforjustice.com     www.skillsforhealth.org.uk TriDeka Corp NLP is an Institute for Contemporary NLP Psychotherapy Certified in the United Kingdom and Corporate Training and Personal Development in the United States, practicing in behalf of the general wellbeing and advancement of individuals and organizations.