A series of four, hour-long workshops facilitated by Kate Ahl of the Staff Counselling Centre, designed to help participants build sustainable practices to support their wellbeing and resilience in the face of life's inevitable stresses. These sessions were designed as stand-alone workshops that complement one another - so anyone may attend all four workshops or just one on its own. The workshops are delivered via Zoom as a mixture of informational slides and reflective activities to give participants a chance to explore aspects of wellbeing in the context of their own lives. Each workshop begins and ends with a brief guided mindfulness or relaxation exercise.
02 October - Workshop 1: The Concept of Wellbeing
This workshop starts from the premise that wellbeing is not the absence of suffering, but a sustaining engagement with activities that buffer us against life's stressors. In this workshop, we will focus on wellbeing in the context of our own lives, taking in our interactions with others; our engagement with the time and place we live in; our relationship with ourselves; and the values, principles, and beliefs that make life meaningful for us. Through reflective exercises, we will consider what we might like to do differently, to support our long-term wellbeing.
View the recorded talk here
09 October - Workshop 2: Self-Compassion
Self-compassion is a way of relating to ourselves with kindness, even when we experience the inevitable failures and setbacks that are part of life and learning for everyone. In this workshop, we will consider how self-compassion can help with nervous system regulation and increase our resilience. We will address common points of resistance to the idea of self-compassion, and introduce some simple ways to cultivate a compassionate relationship to ourselves.
View the recorded talk here
16 October - Workshop 3: Mindfulness and Emotion
We often regard emotions as inconvenient, or unprofessional. But our emotions can give us important information about our environment, and if we are able to identify them and tolerate them, we are less likely to 'act out', to become overwhelmed, or to get stuck in cycles of unhelpful behaviour. This workshop invites us to expand our emotional vocabulary and to be curious and non-judgmental about our emotions, with the view that the more we know about how we feel, the more choice we have in how we respond to our feelings.
View the recorded talk here
23 October - Workshop 4: Freedom and Responsibility
The feeling of being 'stuck' can cause great distress. This workshop looks at how we can identify opportunities for choice and freedom even in situations where our options may seem very limited. We will consider ways to take up our responsibility to ourselves, by making deliberate choices about how to use our time and emotional energy, bolstering our sense of dignity and autonomy.
Book your place here