Articles by Ann Webster


Promoting Mental Health at Work

Depression

What is mental health?

Mental health is the mental and emotional state in which we feel able to cope with the normal stresses of everyday life. Mental ill-health can range from being a bit down to anxiety, depression and schizophrenia. The Centre for Mental Health estimates that the total annual cost of mental health problems at work is over £30 billion. It would be to their advantage if employers could encourage better mental health at work yet a 2011 NHS survey found that 43% of people said they would feel uncomfortable talking to their employer about their mental health (down from 50% in 2010).

Family Mediation at The Hope Street Centre

Jen Rumble

Jen Rumble is professionally qualified as a family mediator with the ADR Group, a member of the Family Mediation Council, to the standards approved by the Law Society and the Bar Council. Jen is trained to mediate on all issues in separation and divorce - arrangements for children and all matters concerning family finance. She comes from professional background in psychotherapeutic practice and brings to mediation her extensive experience in working with distressed couples and families, conflict and powerful emotions.

Jen co-mediates with Christine Graham LLB, LLM (Cantab), an experienced lawyer, where complex finances and issues of domestic violence are concerned. Inforation on Christine can be found below:

New to The Hope Street Centre - Kevin Spruce

Kevin Spruce

Kevin is a member of the British Psychological Society and he follows the code of practice of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy.  By abiding by this code of practice Kevin ensures that he works ethically and with confidentiality.

Kevin’s experience in counselling has been gained in his work with Charities counselling adults and children. Kevin has Life coached for 7 years with a military client base.

Kevin graduated with a BA (HONS) in Psychology in 1995 and then had a career in Law for 10 years ending up as a Prison Law Supervisor.

Kevin is also an Army Veteran who has served in Northern Ireland (1976) and The Falkland Island conflict.

Kevin offers group therapy and one to one counselling for all Veterans and their families.

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Help find John Lawton

John Lawton

John Lawton went missing on Sunday 8th April whilst running the Taygetos Challenge in Greece. His son and the search teams have been looking for him since he failed to finish the race on Sunday evening.

John is a runner with a local Sandbach running group and lives in Alsager.  The Hope Street Centre are featuring this information to support the effort to extend the range of people who aware that he is missing. 

John is an experienced runner and had been looking forward to this race. John is a much loved husband, father, grandfather and friend and everyone wishes the search team well in their search for John. Please comment and post this mesage to your Facebook or Twitter to keep John's profile out there.

A big 'Thank You' to Waitrose from Brightstone Clinic

Brightstone thanks Waitrose

Brightstone would like to say a big 'Thank You' to Waitrose in Sandbach, who kindly accepted an application be one of their 3 featured organisations in their Green Coin Scheme throughout March 2012. 

The donation will help the Brightstone team to raise awareness of the work of the orgaisation through newsletters, leaflets and attendance at events, enabling us to spread the word and support more people who want to access counselling across the North West.

About Brightstone

If you are currently considering counselling support but are concerned about the cost, then you may wish to contact Brightstone Clinic to discuss the option of low cost counselling.
The cost of each appointment is £25. Appointments are available on Saturdays and Sundays from 7.30am to 7.30pm.

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The importance of a great CV

CV

You can find a lot of information on the internet about how to write a good CV, but how do you write one that stands out from the rest?

In the current economic climate, whether you’re new to the job market, currently unemployed, seeking a new opportunity or thinking of a career change, the importance of a great CV cannot be underestimated.   Your CV is your one opportunity to make that all important first impression, so it makes sense to put the effort in to get it right. 

According to the BBC, the average number of job applications per vacancy in the UK in 2012 is 23 (source - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16342072).   In more competitive sectors, such as customer services, retail and secretarial, this number rises to as high as 46.

Crewe Women’s Aid - community programmes for children and young people

As part of Cheshire East Domestic Abuse Partnership, Crewe Women’s Aid are currently coordinating and working in partnership with other specialist services to deliver preventative and therapeutic community programmes for children and young people. All three programmes are currently running in various locations across East Cheshire. They are now accepting referrals for the next phase of programmes that will run from April 2012.
   
They would like to invite you to refer any child or young person you may identify as having difficulties as a result of being exposed to domestic abuse within the family or who are beginning to use violence and aggression to resolve conflict to one of the relevant programmes.
   
To make a referral please contact Michelle Richards on 01270 250391 or 07809480139 or if you would like any further information.
   

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Brightstone thanks Fragola's in Sandbach

Fragolas

Brightstone Clinic would like to say a warm 'Thank You' to Fragola's in Sandbach, who kindly donated a wide range of freshly baked, delicious food to help the launch.  Fragola's owner Ellie heard about the launch and was keen to show support for a local organisation.  The donation was widely appreciated and enjoyed by all who attended the launch, and Brightstone will certainly be contacting Fragola's as their first choice for catering at future events.

Fragola's can be contacted on 01270 763 321.

Tips for managing the Impostor Syndrome

Impostor Syndrome

“I have written eleven books, but each time I think, ‘Uh oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re going to find me out.’”
Award-winning author Maya Angelou

“At any time I still expect that the no-talent police will come and arrest me.”
Actor Mike Myers

“[I would] wake up in the morning before going off to a shoot, and think, I can’t do this; I’m a fraud.”
Actor Kate Winslet

In her book ‘The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women’, Dr Valerie Young argues that the Impostor Syndrome is more common in successful women than men. However, it is common to talk to both successful men and women who experience this self limiting belief.

Are you training in counselling or psychotherapy?

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Brightstone Clinic can offer up to 15 placements for students seeing between 1 and 3 clients each.  If you are currently training and are looking for a placement, you might wish to consider Brightstone.

Brightstone Clinic offers affordable counselling to individuals in the local community who might normally be excluded from accessing it.  The Clinic is a not-for-profit training organisation operating at the premises of The Hope Street Centre in Sandbach. It is supported by The Hope Street Centre but managed independently, and staffed by qualified and experienced therapists and supervisors.  Counselling is provided at the Clinic by Counsellors in Training.

What makes a training placement at Brightstone different?

We want to offer a truly safe and ethical service to our clients, as well as good quality training and supervision to our trainees. The benefits of joining Brightstone include:

What is counselling?

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Counselling (or counseling) is a term which has become very familiar through the media, usually mentioned in the aftermath of disasters ("…the survivors have been offered counselling…"). Although it has been portrayed as a panacea for all emotional distress, the reality is somewhat different.

Meet the Brightstone Team: Jessica Woolliscroft

Jessica Woolliscroft

Jessica Woolliscroft is a Co- Director of Brightstone Community Services CIC (with Maurice Tomkinson), a Director of Brightstone Community Clinic and one of its clinical supervisors.

Jessica started out by working in and then running therapeutic communities for four years from 1983. This was a highly intensive yet satisfying experience in which she acquired a solid grounding in the dynamics and systems of human relationships.

About Brightstone Clinic

Brightstone Low Cost Counselling

Brightstone Clinic is a new community based service – aimed at making counselling more affordable and accessible.  In February, the Clinic opened its doors for the first time.
 
Maurice explains how Brightstone Clinic came about: “Jessica and I have decades of experience in this field and are aware of how therapeutic services have changed. It can be quite difficult for the general public to access anything other than very brief interventions. The choice of therapies is also becoming restricted. We knew there was a need out there that was not being met for good quality counselling tailored to people’s needs and we were also being approached by counsellors in training looking for a safe place to practice under the supervision of qualified and experienced therapists. So we set up Brightstone Clinic as part of our not for profit Community Interest Company.”
 

New Year, New Website

Hope Street

At The Hope Street Centre we have been busy behind the scenes working on our new website, which launched at the beginning of the 2012.  We’d like to invite you, our regular readers to visit our new look site, which combines all of the established features available on our previous site with more interactive features such as therapist blogs and the option to comment on articles. 

You will notice that the site includes images of Sandbach and the surrounding areas.  When designing the site it was important to us to retain the community feel, and so we hope you enjoying looking at our pictures of the local area.

We’ve also added a dedicated section for Organisations and Healthcare Professionals, and included information on many of services which are new to the Centre for individuals and businesses alike.

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Launch of Brightstone Clinic – 18th February 2012

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Brightstone Clinic is a new community based service – aimed at making counselling more affordable and accessible.  In February, the Clinic will open its doors for the first time.

The launch of the Clinic will take place on 18th February 2012. Both founding Directors Jessica Woolliscroft and Maurice Tomkinson will be attending with their team to answer questions and talk more about the Clinic’s aims and objectives.

Maurice explains how Brightstone Clinic came about: “Jessica and I have decades of experience in this field and are aware of how therapeutic services have changed. It can be quite difficult for the general public to access anything other than very brief interventions. The choice of therapies is also becoming restricted.

What to consider when choosing a counsellor

For many individuals, the point at which they choose to begin counselling is also the point in their lives when their thinking is not as clear as it would normally be.   This may be due to a trauma, crisis, depression, or any other factor that led them to make the decision to seek support.

However, it is at this point when taking a step back and considering the counselling options available to you could really tip the balance between a positive experience and one that is not so positive.  Getting a referral from a friend, colleague or a healthcare professional is a route that many people take when choosing which counsellor or therapist to work with.  Whilst this is a good place to start it does involve a degree of luck, as the type of counsellor your friend, colleague or GP found useful might not work for you. 

Enhance your performance with 360 Degree Feedback

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Would you like to gain some insight into how you are perceived in the workplace?
Would you benefit from feedback from a variety of sources?

If you have answered ‘yes’ to the above questions, you would most likely benefit from 360 Degree Feedback.

What is 360 Degree Feedback?
It enables you to gain feedback on your professional performance from a selection your colleagues.  It provides valuable insight into how you are  perceived from a range of perspectives, which can ultimately help you to build on your strengths and identify your development areas.

It is particularly useful in increasing self awareness and provides more detailed feedback about you are viewed than the more traditional manager led appraisal. 

Understanding the Parent Adult Child Model

Parent Adult Child Model

The Parent Adult Child Model (PAC) which we discuss in this article is a part of Transactional Analysis theory.

Eric Berne, founder of Transactional Analysis, believed that each of us have 3 ego states (our Parent, Adult and Child). It is important to note here that the terms parent, adult and child have a slightly different meaning within the theoretical context than they do in normal, day to day language:

• Parent. The Parent ego state is comprised of the behaviours, thoughts and feelings copied from our parents, or other parental figures. Our Parent is made up of hidden and overt messages such as ‘you / I should’, 'under no circumstances', 'always' and 'never forget', 'don't lie, cheat, steal'. Our parent is formed by external events and influences upon us as we grow through early childhood.

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Stress Management Pack for Businesses

Would your organisation benefit from a FREE solution to workplace stress? The effects of prolonged stress upon employee wellbeing and productivity are well documented. The Hope Street Centre have produced a cost effective, easy to implement solution.

Your pack will include:

  • A guide to using the materials enclosed
  • A stress questionnaire
  • A manager guide to managing stress
  • A poster detailing the issues counselling can help with.
  • A set of business cards to hand out to employees

Contact The Hope Street Centre today to request a FREE Stress Management Pack, or click on the link below:

6 Human Psychological Needs

Sometimes, we do and say things that don’t make sense to others.  This is because as humans, our choices and behaviours are almost always driven by the need to meet one or more of our 6 Human Psychological Needs. Although not immediately obvious to others, through our actions, we are simply trying to get our psychological needs met. 

What are the 6 Human Psychological Needs?
Tony Robbins identified 6 Human Psychological Needs by studying 'Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs' which is a theory in psychology. Tony believes that everyone is, or can be, motivated by their desire to meet them.

The first four, certainty, variety, significance, and love/connection are essential for   human survival. The last two needs, Growth and Contribution, are required for human actualisation / fulfilment.

About us

The Hope Street Centre is an independent centre located in the attractive rural market town of Sandbach in South Cheshire, with easy access to the M6 motorway and the railway network at Crewe.  The centre is readily accessible from the neighbouring towns of Congleton, Alsager, Middlewich, Holmes Chapel, Knutsford, Crewe, Kidsgrove, Winsford, Northwich, Warrington and Stoke on Trent.

Our Address: 10 Hope Street, SANDBACH, Cheshire, CW11 1BA
Telephone:      01270 764003

Related Sites

Brightstone Clinic - a not for profit organisation operating from The Hope Street Centre premises, offering low cost counselling. Placements available to volunteers in training or recently qualified counsellors.
 
The Resilience Programme - resilience building programme for mindful employers looking to invest in the health and wellbeing of their workforce.
 

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