Life and Relationships Can Be Challenging!
However every year, we have the excitement of introducing professionals and their communities to Relationship Health and to the I Matter Framework as a powerful map and foundation for understanding how to reduce stress and anxiety and how to improve wellbeing and confidence for adults and young people. We focus on improving understanding as when you can see more clearly then everyday decision making becomes much much easier.
We are all capable of experiencing stress, worry and overwhelm. Without a deeper understanding, stress states can restrict our positive experiences of being human.
Now we are moving into a new phase with this project in order to share the importance of relationship health more widely. So don't waste any more time floundering around, just commit first to becoming better informed and then to becoming more confident. Start with the Free Training
Relationship Health is a new idea - so we are all learning - we are all Rookies!
In I Matter Training we often talk about the 'Missing Links'!
Relationship health, is an overlooked approach to improving adult and child mental health and wellbeing, helping with anxiety and managing difficult behaviour. It is exciting and it will get you thinking!
Relationship ill health, on the other hand can be very difficult - yet it is at the heart of some of our greatest wellbeing challenges. The current issue is, we have not been discussing it.
I Matter Training equips adults and young people with insight and skills for relationship health. We help those who want to feel better equipped for well-being and confidence in their important roles with good foundation training and coaching in the I Matter Framework. 
The truth is that even when you WANT to help yourself and others with more relationship health - it can sometimes be tricky to know where to start. So, what we need to understand is both the Theory and how to put Theory into practice.
So who exactly is this for?
We take a psychoeducational and a skills building approach and are working to support a shift in professional and personal thinking. So you could be:
+ Wanting to help individuals and families in a professional role, whether in health, education or community, or business
+ Wanting to prepare yourself and prevent problems in a home or work role, so as to avoid burn out and compassion fatigue.
+ Wanting to help a family member - a child or an adult where there are some additional needs
Or a combination...
We offer open education via the Relationship Health Matters podcast.
The core training in the I Matter Framework is available for those wanting to invest more actively in their own understanding.
Learn more via the Free Training
** The I Matter programme for additional needs for parents and carers is only via partner community hubs
So here is another missing link that it is vital to understand if you want to move forward with a relationship health approach.
If you want to help improve wellbeing for adults and children, a key detail is understanding the role and skills of the adults.
The science on wellbeing and on what helps children and adults to thrive makes this VERY clear.
The trouble is, the importance of this issue has been overlooked. So YOU may not have been helped to understand your role - and your own parents or carers may have not have understood much. Many professionals and policy makers have learned very little about this too. That means EVERYONE now has a lot to learn.
The I Matter Five Steps Relationship Health Learning Journey
So how do we work? Most of us hope that our life and important relationships will be simple, but actually life situations and relationships are often challenging - whether in adult-adult or adult-child, and whether at home or at work.
So, our recommendation is that to be successful in life and relationships it pays to make sure you first have some good foundations in place - or you can spend time going in circles.
Once the Fundamental foundations are in place it is much easier to understand what is happening in challenging situations - both personal and professional - and right now and in the longer term.
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The Five Steps offers a process for finding your way out of 'the Fog'.
Why invest in strong foundations for life confidence and relationship health in uncertain times?
Well.. because this issue has been overlooked, there is quite a lot to learn, and a lot to rethink. We find that most people have some knowledge but that they also have significant gaps or confusions that are contributing to the challenges that are experienced.
Training in The I Matter Framework Fundamentals thus helps adults and young people and parents and carers to understand common challenges through the lens of Relationship Health and with insight into the Five Stages of Development and the Three Dynamic Loops that impact all of our everyday interactions. The purpose is to prepare and strengthen people for helping themselves and helping others.
This understanding is important at all ages and stages but preparation will help you know what to focus on in challenging situations and uncertain times and early action will help prevent small difficulties becoming large ones. FIND OUT MORE
When you get clearer, stronger and more skilled, life is easier and your roles are more rewarding.
Everyone has a part to play.
Because, lets be clear, if you are in a challenging situation:
right now you going to need to build yourself more advanced skills.
The I Matter 'Wellbeing in Community Wheel' is a tool for self assessment and a way of thinking about joining up practices.
Relationship Health has many applications
Once you have a good understanding of the I Matter Framework Fundamentals and of the core principles for relationship health then there are many detailed areas of life to explore further.
We use the I Matter Wellbeing in Community Wheel (or I Matter Wheel for short) to help people complete their own process of self review.
What is going well?
What is going not so well?
What skills do I want to learn?
What skills do I want to help others to learn?
The Wheel can also help you think about which organisations you want to work with on specific challenges in your community
These skills from the Wheel, and many others, are developed in
The I Matter Deep Dive programme.
Values Matter
Our 'Top Plus Three I Matter Values': We treat ourselves and others with care and respect. This includes our minds and bodies
.Our Values:
This is a training in which we are clear about the values we aim for, which can be quite challenging:
+ We treat ourselves and others with care and respect. This includes our minds and our bodies.
+ We take personal responsibility and are willing to grow and change
+ We help each other and build strong partnerships
+ We respect and support the process of development
If you already do all of the above, you may not need this training - or it just may be reassuring to have a clear approach which feels a fit and can guide you in your roles.
One of the key reasons for developing this training was to help professionals and parents work better together to help young people and vulnerable adults - through some shared ideas that can be discussed.
However, this training will NOT be a fit for you (or will be difficult) if:
Commit to building your own understanding and skills -
as noone else can do your journey for you
When you commit to developing your own understanding...
you can better help yourself and better help others.
DID YOU KNOW THAT: relationship health is one of the best predictors of resilience to stress and trauma, and recovery from challenges, as well as the best defence against mental health challenges, drugs, early school drop-outs, violence, involvement in crime and other social struggles. The relationships we have with others impact the relationships we have with ourselves - and vice versa. These vital relationships change the way our brains function under pressure.
Who Am I?
Hello and Welcome - I'm Cathy, I'm a Relationship Health I Matter Trainer and Coach.
I have over 25 years of experience working with children and adults first in the classroom and later in child and adult clinical psychology services. However something wasn't sitting right with me. Eventually in the face of huge levels of unmet need, I concluded that there was something really important missing.
Back in 2009 I set out to try to understand what was missing. I revisited a huge amount of research and evidence to try to understand what it was saying. Slowly the pieces start to come together into something really useful.
One day it gained the name 'The I Matter Framework', which I started to teach, along with my colleague Jacqui Wilson, an experienced child and family practitioner, Jacqui and I now work together in the Kendal area with professionals and families. READ MORE
The Kendal Integrated Care Community has adopted the I Matter Framework as a foundation for our thinking about how to work together in our community to help those who are struggling. Professionals and non-professionals are learning together. It feels good.
Dr Amy Lee
GP Safeguarding Lead Kendal Integrated Care Community
The first time I completed the questions I didn't really understand what they were all about. By the third time I really understood what was being asked. At first we were really stuck. However It has been exciting to see the progress.
Parent
Parent of child with explosive behaviour
The I Matter approach of considering the adults needs alongside those of the children is such a useful way to look at things and has turned the dynamics on its head for me. I have realised my stress levels are having a huge impact on all of us as a family and learning to change this is starting to make a difference.
Parent
parent of teenager with challenges
EVERY teacher and parent would benefit from this programme. Parent carers are a group of people I would like to get this to. This would be a fantastic opportunity to bring a very isolated group of people together to improve the situation they are in.
Carer support professional
Children and adults of all ages
I am a HLTA but also a parent and foster carer. I work with primary aged children, have 3 teenagers, and foster toddlers! This programme has been so valuable for each and every relationship I encounter on a daily basis.
Higher Level Teaching Assistant and Foster Carer
Trained for work and home purposes
This programme has had a big impact on my own well-being which has meant that I have been more able to cope better with the expected and unexpected aspects of life in a calmer rational manner!!
School Leader
Key Stage 4 Leader and Parent
The registration questionnaire really got me thinking. I realised how isolated I had let myself become and that this was not helping me or my child. I took action the next day and phoned a friend. I also made another follow-up appointment to speak with my GP.
Anonymous
Parent
This training has been so much more than I expected it to be. I have learned so many things that have changed my understanding of myself and of my child. I have worked with many services before this but this has really made the difference. Now I know why I Matter
Anonymous
Parent of child with additional needs
If so, here are 3 ways to get started...
There are blogs and audio clips and
some free downloads
Sign up to Email
More Free Resources
Take a look at the ebooks and
master class starters.
Check out Ebooks
Sign up for Mini Starter
If you are ready to go deeper then the
I Matter Learning Journey is for you offering a step by step approach
Apply for Fundamentals
Progress to Deep Dive
1:1 Coaching
We send out ideas and offers and monthly news to strengthen you in progressing Relationship Health using I Matter principles.
Please note, if you sign up with a professional email, you will receive a monthly update.
If you use a personal email you will receive more frequent emails about ideas and opportunities.
I Matter free or paid course materials were developed strictly for educational purposes and should not replace guidance and help from other service providers. Feedback listed is unpaid and will not represent all participants. Read full Terms and Disclaimer CLICK HERE
Our training supports Action Takers. It equips people to become Relationship Health & I Matter Aware, Relationship Health & I Matter Informed and Relationship Health and as I Matter Deep Divers. We license professionals to become I Matter Links and I Matter Leads.
In addition, all persons, professionals and organisations with professionals trained in the I Matter Framework are required to make it clear to others that though they may have completed a training course in the I Matter Framework they act completely independently of I Matter Training and are fully responsible for their own decisions and services provided. Interpretations of the ideas set out in the training can sometimes vary and Dr Cathy Betoin and I Matter Training may not always agree with an individual’s interpretation – so each person is responsible for coming to their own conclusions, and for progressing their own learning over time, including the decision on who to work with and not work with.
We only license the use of I Matter resources for professional use to Link and Lead practitioners in organisations named on this site. i.e. I Matter Training Ltd and Relationship Health Matters CIC have no responsibility for the services or interpretation offered or choices made by others. If not listed here, professionals are not licensed by us and should not be using resources until ready to do so.
