Source: UK Mental Health Report by Deloitte 2022
Source: www.engageforsuccess.org
Continuous improvement is probably a familiar theme for your organisation where you are looking for ways to improve processes and practices to achieve outcomes. In the private sector this might be increasing your productivity and profitability; and in the public or third sector this might be reducing costs and enhancing service delivery. However, in my experience, the key to any kind of organisational change lies, to a large degree, in supporting and enabling sustainable change in individual employees.
The ever present challenge in this is to balance the needs of your organisation with your duty of care to your staff and creating the conditions to motivate and support them to be at their best so that collectively you fulfil the organisation’s mission. There can, however, be a sizeable gap between the operational aims and objectives and what employees (and, indeed, the leadership!) actually say and do. If you are not paying sufficient attention, everyone’s unwritten rules - “the way we do things round here” - can unintentionally end up hijacking your operational aims and negatively impact your organisation’s success.
If this is something that resonates with you then I can help. My expertise and interest lie in the areas of embodied personal change, wellbeing and mental health, including safeguarding as a route to organisations being at their best. My unique approach has been developed over the last 15 years from a wide range of academic research, practical experience and proven strategies from the fields of neuroscience, psychology and somatics.
My aim is to balance investing attention at the individual level to maximise engagement and contribution at the systems, or organisation, level. The heart of my work is about conversations, relationships and engagement. It is rooted in the fact that feeling safe physically, emotionally and physiologically is essential for sustainable change. This is because it is only when we feel safe that our brain is able to focus our attention, take in new information or process and asses what is going on. It is only when we feel safe that we can fully be at our best. For me, the key is all about making use of the growing body of scientific research and evidence that:
- Explains the interconnection between body and mind.
- Helps us recognise and rectify any unintentional mismatch between what we want and what we get.
- is unequivocal about increased wellbeing improving employee engagement, performance and organisational success.
So if are asking yourself what changes could you or your staff make so that you are working at your best more of the time, then please get in touch with me for a free, no obligation conversation about how I can help you and your organisation be at its best. In supporting you to think about both the parts as well as the whole system within which you are operating it becomes possible for you to:
- Identify how your feeling and thinking patterns, beliefs and values influence your behaviour and the outcomes you get
- Distinguish between the parts of that system you can control from those that you cannot
- Understand and take ownership of what needs to be done to ensure that the desired change becomes sustainable over time.
I offer a range of services including:
- Off-the-Shelf Programmes – see below for further information
- Bespoke Programmes – these are tailored to your organisational needs and can be either just training or a combination of training and coaching
- Coaching which can be delivered either 1:1 or with small groups
- I also deliver a range of programmes with or on behalf of Wirral Mind – see separate box on the left.
My programmes vary in length and most of the standard times shown in the section below can be adapted to suit your specific needs.
I would love to work with you and I want to be sure I deliver what you need so please contact me using the form below if you'd like a free no obligation exploratory conversation, a quotation for a bespoke programme or to book me to deliver an off-the-shelf programme. I typically charge by the day, half-day or the hour for preparation, delivery and follow-up work. Additional expenses such as travel, refreshments, room hire etc are charged at cost.
Off-the-Shelf Programmes
Wellbeing – or being well – is rooted in the interconnection between mind and body. Having a better understanding of this interconnection and what supports you to feel good and function well is essential like never before.
Being At Your Best wwill enable you to understand:
· How your body and mind influence each other and how this impacts your wellbeing
· The biological and emotional impact of uncertainty on your mind and body
· Why and how feeling safe underpins your resilience
· How to tap into your own inner resources to support your wellbeing.
This workshop builds on my shorter Finding Your Inner Resources session. It is an experiential workshop using a mix of self-reflection, group discussion and embodied techniques. Through a combination of knowledge and practical tools it will support you to tap into your own inner resources and become more “resource-full”; turning new knowledge into practical action that makes a difference to you.
This workshop is 3.5 hours and can be delivered in person or online.
A powerful process that develops day-to-day life skills. Offersing a common language and a set of principles Protective Behavious:
- Promotes resilience in people of all ages
- Supports both team working or multi-agency working
- Improves both individual and organisational safeguarding
- Enables each of us to keep ourselves feeling safe as well as developing a protective culture & environment that ensures others feel safe with us.
The foundation programme is 2 days. You can find more information here: https://www.protectivebehaviours.org/
Anger - often misunderstood, hard to talk about and harder to deal with. Yet it is simply an emotion designed to alert you that something needs your attention. When safely expressed, anger can help you de-stress calmly and assertively. However, suppressed anger often gets expressed destructively impacting your relationships and mental health. This workshop explores all aspects of anger so you can begin to understand this emotion better:
• What it is & what is its purpose
• How anger can both support you and defend you
• What can trigger anger
• What happens in your brain & body when you feel angry
We will also spend time exploring your own experience of anger so you can begin to understand the different levels of anger and what other emotions it may be masking. I will also share some simple activities that can “protectively interrupt” your anger once it has been triggered and so help you express it in a safe way.
This workshop is 3 hours and can be delivered in person or online.
When you feel overwhelmed by feelings of anxiety, your ability to concentrate and deal with everyday life can be noticeably reduced. Sometimes you might feel that you are in danger even when you are safe. This workshop explores all aspects of anxiety so you can begin to understand your own anxiety better, including:
• What it is & what is its purpose
• What are the symptoms
• What happens in your brain & body when you feel anxious
• What triggers anxiety
• Some common anxiety diagnoses
We will also spend time exploring your own experience of anxiety and I will share some coping skills and strategies that can help reduce your anxiety and support you to manage it more easily.
This workshop is 3 hours and can be delivered in person or online.
Depression is a recognized mental illness that affects many people. It can have a devastating impact on your ability to do everyday things, feel pleasure and take an interest in anything. The good news is that we now know people can return to wellbeing by making positive changes for themselves. This workshop explores all aspects of depression so you can begin to understand your own depression better:
· What it is & what is its purpose
· What are the symptoms
· What happens in your brain and body when you are depressed
· Some common diagnoses of depression
· What are the causes of depression
There are a range of self-help tools that are known to help most people recover from depression and you will have an opportunity to try some of these out to see if they make a difference to you.
This workshop is 3 hours and can be delivered in person or online.
Connect 5 is an in-depth skills training course on ‘connected conversations’ developed by Public Health. It is underpinned by the Five Ways to Wellbeing and a cognitive behavioural model for understanding stress and distress. The three different levels of training will enable your staff to support their clients or patients to and increase their resilience so they can better manage their own mental health and wellbeing.
The course is suitable for people having either one-off, intermittent or ongoing wellbeing conversations with individuals requiring mental wellbeing support.
The programme is delivered over 1.5 days or through three 3.5 hour sessions. It can be delivered in person or online.
Enquire about Training for your Organisation
“Human resources are like natural resources; they're often buried deep. You have to go looking for them, they're not just lying around on the surface. You have to create the circumstances where they show themselves.”
Ken Robinson
