Drop the disorder? – Towards a more informed & respectful response to emotional distress
A group for therapeutic and support professionals & other interested parties to discuss issues around the ‘biomedical’ model of mental distress. Feelings and thoughts about the language of ‘disorder’ , diagnosis, medicalisation and medication all welcome here.
“The relevant question in psychiatry shouldn’t be what’s wrong with you but what happened to you?” (Eleanor Longden)
For Jo’s full article in the counsellors cafe October 2016 click here!
Yesterday Sue and I repeated the trauma workshop with another lovely bunch of counsellors.
We looked at Judith Herman’s three stage model of working with trauma. Its a model i’ve found invaluable in my work, and it is always a pleasure to teach and share it with others. Sue’s afternoon on using art in trauma work was a creative and powerful session. Sue showed us how art can be used whilst still working very much with the three stage approach.
Thanks to Sue and thanks to all participants – you really made it a memorable day.
A one Day CPD event – for Counsellors, Psychotherapists & Mental Health Professionals (including afternoon session on using art therapy)
Dates – Saturday 21st May ’16 and repeated… Saturday 18th June ’16
Time – 9.30am – 4.30pm
Trainers – Jo Watson & Sue Akehurst
Venue – Alvechurch, Birmingham (full address and directions sent out after booking)
Price – £85 (reductions & free places available)
To book – Contact Jo jowatson03@aol.com 07769158565
All hours are valid CPD hours for BACP and UKCP (CPD Certificates will be issued)
This course is inspired by the work of Judith Herman and aimed at counsellors, psychotherapists and mental health professionals who wish to increase their awareness of working with clients who have experienced trauma and learn person centred creative techniques, to integrate safely and effectively into their therapeutic practice.
The morning session (Jo)
This session will introduce Herman’s 3 stage model of working with trauma was introduced to jo almost 20 years ago when she undertook a course delivered by Women and Girls Network (WAGN) London, in collaboration with Rape Crisis Federation of Wales and England and the London Open College Network.
“The course… ‘Working Therapeutically With Women Who Have Experienced Violence’ was monumental in my growth as a therapist and I have been using this model of working with trauma ever since on a daily basis. I later went on to deliver the same training with WAGN to Rape Crisis Federation member groups nationally. Judith Herman’s work is integrated into all the training on trauma that I have delivered over the last 10-15 years for various organisations that provide therapeutic services for people who have experienced trauma.” jo
Work by Babette Rothschild and will also be introduced as well as the theory around post trauma identity.
About Sue ..
Sue is an experienced counsellor & supervisor working within the person centred tradition. She has considerable experience of working with adults and young people. Sue has worked in education and health for over 30 years, qualifying as a counsellor in 1998, she has a broad experience of working with people of all ages and from many different backgrounds.
Sue is particularly interested in working creatively from a person centred perspective and provides training in this area to empower other therapists and supporters to access the creative practitioner in themselves!
Afternoon Session (Sue)
The afternoon session will offer participants a chance to work with a highly experienced therapist who uses a creative and art based approach in her person centred work
Sue Akehurst will facilitate a experiential arts based creative experience which will translate directly to empowering and expressive therapeutic work with your clients.
When words just aren’t enough
“The session will enable you to feel more at ease using art to help clients express and integrate their whole story and the traumatic memories. You’ll have the opportunity to experience some embodied ways of working with themes of safeness and resourcing alongside the processes of expression and symbolisation. We’ll be playfully serious and seriously playful!” Sue
LIMITED PLACES AVAILABLE 
HURRAY! – Jez Tromans is returning to repeat this little gem of a course for those of you who didn’t get the chance to attend last time. Date to be announced soon (watch this space)
You may be a fantastic therapist but are you marketing effectively?
What does your web presence say about you? Is it congruent with who you are?
Is your website (or lack of) a professional reflection of your business and services?
If a prospective new client searched on-line for you by either business name or your personal name, would you feel happy with what their findings would tell them?
Is your on-line brand working for you twenty-four-seven, with a resulting flow of new enquiries?
When you send an email, are you promoting hotmail, yahoo, google or your own business name?
If your target clients were to search Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or any of the main directory sites, would they find you or one of your competitors?
Where do you appear in the main search engines for both local and national searches?
If word-of-mouth is key to you securing new clients, are you fully leveraging the internet to amplify your word-of-mouth marketing?
Do you blog? Should you blog?
Does your on-line marketing strategy capitalise on youtube, vimeo, instagram and the numerous other sources of free leads?
Are you targeting your specific on-line niche?
This CPD event will explore how to take action towards better leveraged on-line branding and marketing whilst being mindful of the current ethical concerns for counsellors.
It is a one-off bespoke day, encompassing both one-to-one and group work, structured in response to an assessment of participants current levels of awareness and their current on-line results.
Trainers
Jez Tromans is a Marketing Consultant of over twenty years experience, with a particular interest in helping small businesses to market effectively on-line. He has focused extensively on web based marketing since 1998, consulting for several large PLC companies, along with a countless number of more local-market focused businesses. Jez himself also has the benefit of having ‘grown-up’ around therapy and counselling, affording him a useful perspective on the sensitivity and ethical issues when marketing on-line as a counselling professional.
Jo Watson is a psychotherapist, trainer and supervisor who has worked in private practice for 15 years. Via supervision and consultancy she supports counsellors in both the starting up and effective runnng of their private practice. Jo also facilitates monthly CPD groups for counsellors & psychotherapists many of whom are in private practice.
This training day is a direct response to interest expressed and limited spaces are available.
In February me, Jess and Jasmine delivered third repeat of this lovely little CPD course.
Its been a real pleasure working with Jess and Jass, they have brought such a dynamic energy which really inspired participants.
Its been a few weeks now and i am still receiving feedback about the effects of this course. Therapists are using the creative writing techniques that were taught with their clients (and in one case a group) and are experiencing a positive impact. One therapist told me that she had felt stuck for a while with one client she was working with and these interventions have ‘shifted the stuckness’ and there is movement in the process again. Its so good to hear!
In amongst the learning it also appears (see photos) that much fun was had!
So last month I found myself in the beautiful city of Dubai delivering training on self injury and eating disorders.
Participants included counsellors, teachers, psychologists & pastoral staff from a variety of educational establishments around Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Despite the serious nature of the subjects much fun was had!
The day aimed to both promote awareness and offer creative interventions and ways of working with young people. It also provided a much needed space where professionals were able to share their thoughts and experience of working with young people struggling with these issues.
I’m delighted that participants left feeling more informed about eating disorders and self injury and further empowered to continue the invaluable work with the young people they support.
