The ‘Imagine Create Belong’ social program for neurodivergent adolescents – Part 1: Foundation

2 Day Online Workshop

9:30am – 4pm Thursday 12 June

9:30am – 4:30pm Friday 13 June 2025

Presented by Sophie Goldingay and Jesse Ivelja

*Start and end times are in Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra, UTC+10:00

About

This foundation workshop is for those who have not yet undergone facilitators training for the Imagine Create Belong (ICB) Social Development Programme for Adolescents. This workshop would be valuable for those working with tweens/teens who are neurodivergent and/or would like to develop socially. Professionals who often attend our workshops include social workers, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, psychologists, teachers, members of school wellbeing teams, youth mental health nurses and play therapists.

This workshop involves immersion into many of the activities within the ICB programme manual ‘Storying Beyond Social Difficulties’ to enable you to then facilitate tweens / teens through the programme confidently. A copy of the “Storying Beyond Social Difficulties with Neuro-Diverse Adolescents: The ‘Imagine, Create, Belong’ Social Development Programme Manual will be posted to each participant prior to the workshop. You will apply the ICB method in a small group throughout the workshop to create your own characters and story, culminating in creation of a movie by the end of the training, which you can record and retain for future use.

Included Resource

STORYING BEYOND SOCIAL DIFFICULTIES FOR NEURO-DIVERSE ADOLESCENTS: THE IMAGINE, CREATE, BELONG SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

This manual outlines the eight-session “Imagine, Create, Belong” program, that involves a range of activities designed to develop theory of mind, flexible thinking, empathy, and narrative ability. The program is suitable for young people aged 11 years to 15 years with social difficulties, such as those who are neuro-divergent, those who have experienced trauma, those with an intellectual disability, and those who present with Complex Communication Needs. The manual provides step-by-step guidance for practitioners to run the “Imagine, Create, Belong” program across 8 or 16 weeks. The manual will be posted out to participants prior to the workshop.

Pre-Workshop Activities:

A list of pre-readings, pre-recorded videos and a list of materials needed for the interactive workshop, to prepare you for participation, will be sent to you prior to the commencement of the workshop.

Post-Workshop Assessment:

Following the workshop, you will be invited to undertake a short online assessment and if completed successfully, you will receive a signed certificate from Learn To Play Therapy for your attendance and completion of the workshop.

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

DAY 1 – Introduction and exploration

What is Imagine Create Belong (ICB) and How does Imagine Create Belong work?
9.30-11.30 (2hrs)

• Exploring issues for neurodivergent tweens and teens: their characteristics, strengths, and challenges
• Working through the aims of the programme and how ICB will assist your tween / teen clients.
• Working through what is needed and basic principles for success.
• Exploring the structure and content of the programme in detail including how to use the Storying beyond social difficulties with neurodiverse adolescents: The “Imagine, Create, Belong” Social Development Programme Manual

20-minute break

Testing participants’ progress: The animated movie test.
11.50-1.20 (1.5hrs)

40-minute break

Planning for experiential activities and opportunity for questions
2.00-4.00 (2 hr)

• Outline of structure of experiential activities, what to expect, structure of the group, some examples from previous groups, and practice with the interactive technology (Zoom™ and Padlet™) plus sound effects and music.
• Opportunity for discussion and questions
• Information about NDIS funding for participants

DAY 2 – Immersion into the programme

Note: you will be placed into breakout groups according to discipline area and will be in a combination of a large group and small groups throughout the day.

You will also need to organise some inexpensive and easy to source materials for the interactive training day (details to be advised).

Immersion into sessions one and two
9.30-11.30 (2hrs)

• Setting the scene and development of the self as storyteller and self as creator of characters
• Small group work creating characters

20-minute break

Immersion into sessions three, four and five
11.50-1.20 (1.5hrs)

• Narrative and identity – creation of ecomaps, Tree of Life* and roles for character/s you have created
• Creation of context, plot structure, props and scenes in small groups via interactive technology

*Tree of Life is a well-known concept that has been adapted to provide a symbol for representation of a person in their family/community/Country by Wadawurrung woman Corrina Eccles.

40-minute break

Immersion into sessions six to eight
2.00-3.45 (1.75hrs)

• Further developing narrative and props, sound effects and music
• Bringing it all together
• The grand finale – filming the movie you have created together.
• Epilogue – extending the benefits and ideas for 16+ age groups (e.g., Dungeons & Dragons)

15-minute break

Debrief and opportunity for movie viewing discussion and questions
4.00-4.30 (.5hrs)

• including how the groups worked together and contingency plans.

WORKSHOP PRESENTERS
‘We operate from a strengths-perspective, drawing on theorists such as Vygotsky and Rogers, enlisting a person-centred approach involving unconditional positive regard.’

Sophie Goldingay
B.A, PG Dip SW, GCHE, PhD

Sophie Goldingay is an Associate Professor at Deakin University and the lead author of the Imagine Create Belong programme, the website www.imaginecreatebelong.com and the ‘Storying Beyond Social Difficulties’ training manual. Sophie is an experienced trainer of ICB facilitators and has facilitated ICB groups with young people in schools. Sophie’s expertise is in identity, well-being, and inclusion, especially for neurodivergent adolescents. She won the Vice Chancellor’s award for ‘Excellent Contributions to Equity and Access’ in 2012 and the Deakin University Vice Chancellor’s Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Education and Employability’ in 2022. She is also the recipient of three teaching awards and is a TedX speaker. See The transformative power of play and connection | A/Prof Sophie Goldingay | TEDxMalop St – YouTube

Jesse Ivelja (They/Them)
BForensicSc/BCrim, MSW, GCHELT

Jesse Ivelja is a Lecturer in Social Work at the National Indigenous Knowledges Education Research and Innovation (NIKERI) Institute at Deakin University. Jesse has worked as a mentor for Neurodivergent young people and has a passion for social and emotional well-being and inclusion. Since 2020 Jesse has been a principal researcher with the Imagine Create Belong programme and is a celebrated group facilitator and teacher of neurodivergent adolescents.