FirstPerson Services | Person Centered Thinking New England
We are the premier resource in New England for organizations seeking to provide higher quality care to individuals and their families through a focus on person-centered thinking.

Guided by Roy Gerstenberger, an executive with decades of experience in human services, it is the first organization that is wholly focused on being a learning community and ongoing resource for leadership and staff seeking to integrate a person centered approach into everyday practices.
Training Your Staff
The Basics - Person Centered Thinking Skills
February 26 & 27, 2018
Implementation and ongoing support of person-centered plans and services is more likely to be a success for people when using these person-centered approaches.

Whether you are a family member , resource coordinator or support staff person, this 2-day training serves as a foundation for everyone who is involved in supporting people who are aging or living with significant disabilities .


Day One: 9:00 -- 4:00 ( 9:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. - Registration)

The focus of this day is on learning person centered thinking skills that support choice while addressing issues of health and safety. Using a series of stories participants will learn how to:
  • Strike a balance between what is important to and what is important for each person supported;
  • Clearly describe the roles and responsibilities of staff in implementing plans;
  • Evaluate their own efforts by looking at what is and is not working within the lives of those supported; and
  • Lead change within their organizations by creating optimistic discontent.

Day Two:   9:30 -- 4:00

The focus of this day is to practice mindful listening and using the information in describing what is important to each person and how to best support she or he.
  • Participants will apply and enhance their person centered thinking skills through a series of guided exercises.
  • Participants will learn skills that they will be able to use on an everyday basis when providing person centered services and developing person centered plans.
  • Participants will see how to grow plans over time by using “learning logs” and structured questions as well as practicing the traditional approach of gathering and synthesizing information.
  • At the end of the day participants will have a first plan that they have completed on themselves

Bring our own lunch | Click below for directions

 
Customized Person Centered Workshops
Arrange a Person Centered Thinking workshop at the times and locations that fit the needs of your organization or network.

The 2-Day format can be set-up as four shorter, half-day or evening sessions. Have workshop content reflect applications to mental health or services for aging citizens and Options Counseling that meet standards set by the federal Administration on Community Living.

About Roy Gerstenberger

A recognized leader in the field of developmental services and organizational development in person centered practices, Roy brings more than 35 years of experience to bear as he works to further person centered thinking practices.
As Executive Director, Roy dedicated more than 25 years to advancing the capacity of Community Bridges, a major non-profit based in Concord, New Hampshire, earning accreditation from the Council on Quality & Leadership while growing the organization.

In recent years, he served as the division director for the State of Vermont. He has completed Executive Education program courses at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government on performance measurement and leadership decision making and at the Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Institute on strategic perspectives for nonprofit management. He is a credentialed mentor trainer with The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices.