News Archives - Page 6 of 28 - Wellspring Therapy & Training

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For more updates, see our latest blog posts below.

Comfort and the bleak mid-winter

January 27, 2021 By wellspring

It’s cold and dark at the moment and can feel even more difficult to motivate ourselves in the midst of winter. It’s feels like it’s time to hibernate and withdraw, and literally lock down.

If you feel like this, the chances are you are responding to the natural world around you, and also to the fact that your freedom is curtailed during a national lockdown. The chances are your stress levels are raised more than usual, for a whole variety of reasons. This can wreak havoc with our levels of anxiety and depression.

So if we can’t change the season, or the reality around us, what can we do to make ourselves feel better?

Well, it turns out, quite a lot. We can complete our stress cycle, rather than stopping in the middle of it. What does this mean? When we feel anxious, cortisol and adrenaline course through our bloodstream which stimulates our flight, fight or freeze response. We have little control over this prehistoric biological system designed to save us from peril. But we do have control over whether we stay there or not. We can complete the cycle to return to a rest, relax and digest state where cortisol and adrenaline dissipate.

And these are some of the ways to do this;

Run or move in any way. The fastest way to release tension having been primed to run away from the woolly mammoth.
Laugh. It’s a release!
Cry. Ditto. If you have trouble accessing these emotions, use music, films, tv to help.
Sleep. It literally regulates your emotional state.
Affection. Maybe difficult for some now, but if you are able to (within the guidelines), a 20 second hug is the prescription.
Breathe. Look on the internet for breathing exercises, you can do them anywhere and no one will know!
Visualise and imagine a better outcome. Your brain does not know the difference, even if you do… proven on brain scans.
Positive social interaction. Even zoom and phone calls work.

The good news is you do not have to do all of these to complete the stress cycle. If you struggle with sleep for example, don’t worry, pick a different strategy. Experiment, be curious around what works best for you.

If you want to learn more, try reading Burnout: The secret to solving the stress cycle by Emily and Amelia Nagoski

Written by Alex Brook-Dobson

See our Resources page for more support and links.

Our building is currently closed for face-to-face counselling until further notice. But we are still offering sessions over the phone or through Zoom. Please note that we have a reduced capacity at the moment. We are therefore only able to offer counselling to people based in Yorkshire, including those working online. If you would like to refer yourself for counselling, please use the link at the bottom of our Therapy page.

Brew Monday – ‘I’ll put the kettle on’

January 18, 2021 By wellspring

“I’ll put the kettle on..”

How often have we received that response having asked for some help? How often have we put the kettle on for someone in our lives when they have been struggling, ‘a bit down,’ in crisis?

Culturally we love tea, teatime, tea and biscuits, and of course, coffee. There are increasing numbers of gourmet teas and skilled baristas that take our hot drink consumption to a new level, and yes, the hot drink itself can be a comfort.

But what is the real comfort here? It is being listened to, being heard, taking time to sit with your problem whilst being supported to do so. And it is the meaning and purpose it gives us to help another person we see struggling. It is such a basic human instinct, to ask “what’s wrong?” and to make time to listen to the answer. No one needs professional training to spend time listening and helping. We could argue putting the kettle on gives us a distraction and a reason to spend a little time with another person, connecting properly.

Today has become known to some as ‘Blue Monday’ as it can be seen as the most depressing day of the year, and particularly this year we don’t need to spell out why. The Samaritans have launched an idea for ‘Brew Monday’ to change this story and encourage people to meet up virtually. It doesn’t have to be tea, or indeed Monday, but maybe we can all reach out to ‘put the kettle on’ for someone we know.

https://www.samaritans.org/support-us/campaign/brew-monday/

Written by Alex Brook-Dobson

See our Resources page for more support and links.

Our building is currently closed for face-to-face counselling until further notice. But we are still offering sessions over the phone or through Zoom. Please note that we have a reduced capacity at the moment. We are therefore only able to offer counselling to people based in Yorkshire, including those working online. If you would like to refer yourself for counselling, please use the link at the bottom of our Therapy page.

Dealing with disappointment

January 13, 2021 By wellspring

We find ourselves here again, not only navigating another lockdown and the way it impacts our lives, but managing the disappointment that we have returned to this place, again, after all we did last time.

Disappointment means literally “to undo the appointment’ and most of us were ready for more, not less, appointments! Last year, many people mourned the loss of social interaction, a key component of connection and meaning in our lives. And were looking forward to a return to sociability over Christmas and into 2021. For others the losses have been deeper. Whichever way we look at the new lockdown it is challenging to not feel some sense of disappointment to be here all over again.

Expectations are key… expectations of normality have changed again! What is normal for you is personal and the loss is personal, as well as collective for friends, family and communities.

We do need to mourn those lost opportunities and give respect to our feelings of disappointment that our immediate future has changed. However large or small those impacts are, they are real to us.

But setting up a permanent home and living in the gap between expectation and reality accentuates disappointment, frustration and sadness. Spending some time with the reality of the here and now allows for adaption and creative, flexible solutions for change.

Taking the pressure off, and working out what helped last time and doing more of it can help. So can asking others for their help.

Collectively we can shift our gaze from disappointment to change, as “this too shall pass.”

Here are a few ideas for inspiration:

This Too Shall Pass by Julia Samuel
Feel better live more podcast with Julia Samuel No.123

Written by Alex Brook-Dobson

See our Resources page for more support and links.

Our building is currently closed for face-to-face counselling until further notice. But we are still offering sessions over the phone or through Zoom. Please note that we have a reduced capacity at the moment. We are therefore only able to offer counselling to people based in Yorkshire, including those working online. If you would like to refer yourself for counselling, please use the link at the bottom of our Therapy page.

My Counselling Sessions during COVID

December 21, 2020 By wellspring

COVID has impacted the mental health of many young people in UK.

According to GOV UK’s research and analysis of mental health amongst children and young people, there is evidence to suggest that the pandemic has negatively affected the mental health and wellbeing of many young people with existing mental health conditions. (Although it is not yet possible to make a full, meaningful comparison to recent pre-March 2020 measures.) (1)

**One of our youth clients, Charlotte*, told us about the difficulties she’s faced. And how counselling has helped her through 2020.**

“During Covid-19 my counselling sessions moved onto Zoom. When everything else stopped, this was the one thing that continued. That one hour per week felt safe and familiar whilst everything else was chaotic.

My mum worked on the front line during Covid. There were nights when I felt really scared about what might happen. She knew I was worried, but I felt I could share my feelings more openly with my counsellor. I felt like my mum already had enough worries on her plate. These sessions helped me to cope.

I knew I could tell my counsellor what I was feeling and it would not upset her. These sessions helped me understand things better. I have learnt how to relax and about what things I can do to help me keep on top of everything. Since the counselling sessions I have been more able to cope with my school work, I have been able to talk more freely, I have stopped self-harming, had fewer panic attacks, and have started taking better care of myself. I am feeling much more optimistic about my future.”

If you would like to help us support more people like Charlotte, you can set up a regular donation over on our Donate Page. Thank you.

And if you are interested in exploring the possibility of counselling for yourself, please find out more about the Counselling Services we offer here.

* Name changed to protect privacy.

1. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-mental-health-and-wellbeing-surveillance-report/7-children-and-young-people

Vacancy: Children & Young People’s Counsellor

December 17, 2020 By wellspring

We are looking to recruit a Children & Young People’s Counsellor to provide individual, long and short-term counselling for children and young people aged 4-18 at Wellspring House. This post has been funded by BBC Children in Need and is an exciting opportunity to join a supportive and dedicated team.

Wellspring aims to be an affordable provision for families who might not be able to afford a full-cost professional counselling service. If you are looking to make a real difference in the lives of children in the Harrogate district, then this role could be for you!

The position will be based at Wellspring House (Starbeck, Harrogate) and will be for 18 hours per week, to be worked over 3 days outside of school hours, term time only. Job sharing will be considered.

For more details, please see the Job Description and Person Specification. To request an application form please email jobs@wellspringtherapy.co.uk .

The deadline for applications is midnight on 1 February 2021.
Interviews will be held the week beginning 8 February 2021.

If you have any questions about the role, please call the office on 01423 881 881 and ask for Sarah James.

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