Counselling Service groups & workshops
The Counselling Service will be running the following groups and workshops in 2012:
| Name of group/workshop | Dates |
|---|---|
| 'Building your confidence as a learner' workshops | |
| Finding Your Voice* | Tuesday 28th February and 6th March - 10.15am to 11.45 am. Location confirmed on booking. Booking opens 14th February |
| Procrastination* | Tuesday 13th March - 12 noon to 2.00 pm. Location confirmed on booking. Booking opens 28th February |
| 'Build your confidence as a learner' drop- in groups | |
| ‘Can’t Work’ Group |
Friday 10th February, 2.00 - 3.30pm (NAB Room 319) Tuesday 28th February, 12.00 - 1.30pm (NAB 318) Friday 9th March, 2.00 - 3.30pm (NAB 318) Tuesday 13th March, 4.00 - 5.30pm (NAB 318) There is no need to book in advance for these workshops; they are on a first-come-first-served basis. |
| Exam workshop |
Tuesday 20th March, 4.00 - 6.00pm in the New Academic Building Room 326 There is no need to book in advance for this workshop; just turn up on the day, there are 40 spaces. |
| Other groups/workshops | |
| Stress and anxiety workshop* |
Tuesday 7th February, 12.00 - 2pm. Location confirmed on booking. Booking opens 24th January Tuesday 1st May 12.00 - 2pm. Location confirmed on booking. Booking opens April 17th |
| Self-esteem Workshop* | Tuesday 15th May - 12.00 - 1.30pm. Location confirmed on booking. Booking opens 1st May |
| Social Anxiety/Shyness workshop | Tuesday January 24th - 12 noon to 1.30pm |
| Therapy group | Thursdays between 2.15 to 3.45pm term time only. |
Each workshop lasts between 1½ to 2 hours. Students can choose which ever theme seems most relevant to themselves.
Booking details and further information will be sent out via the student electronic newsletter closer to the date. It is not possible to book for these workshops in advance. Once they are advertised in the newsletter (around two weeks before the date) you are able to come into the Counselling Service, room 1, 20 Laurie Grove to register for the event.
Structure
Participants are encouraged to gain insight into their own process of study and the ways in which their particular thinking, beliefs, emotional patterns and habits of behaviour help, or hinder them. Tools and strategies are given for changing unhelpful patterns, as well as practical tips.
Participants will learn in a number of different ways. Information will be given by the course facilitator about the topic which includes research findings and models. Structured exercises will aim to help students clarify their particular areas for development and offer ways to bring about change. Group discussion and work in pairs offers support and different perspectives from fellow participants.
Groups and Workshops in more detail:
Finding your voice in seminars and groups*
2 sessions - 12 places
This workshop covers anxiety coping strategies where the aim is to make anxiety work for you, rather than against you. We examine common misconceptions about ‘performance anxiety’. Techniques are given to support participants in taking manageable risks in speaking out. Participants are enabled to clarify thinking patterns, which may be undermining their confidence, and given ways to challenge them. The group will also offer practice in speaking in a supportive and encouraging group of fellow participants over the two sessions.
Procrastination*
1 session - 12 places
‘Can’t Work’ Group
4 places for each session
The Can't Work Group is a drop-in group for students who feel blocked or stuck in their work. In a group of 4, we will look at the emotional/psychological processes that may be involved in each individual's work block. Participants will be invited to think about their own study process, and to help with supportive inquiry into the work process of other members."
Exam workshop
1 session – 40 places
You will be given some ideas & tips for managing various aspects of the exam process. However the aim of the workshop is also to encourage you to think about your personal responses to exams, and explore your own learning & performance styles. You will be encouraged to think about your perceptions of exams, which of your various coping strategies work for you & which you might benefit from changing or developing. There will also be an opportunity to consider the blocks to changing unhelpful study habits.
The Counsellors will give brief talks on the following topics:
- Revision (including time management, note taking & reading)
- Motivation
- Memorising for exams
- Anxiety before & during exams
- Coping strategies during exams
Hand-outs are provided for all these topics.
Participants will then break up into small groups facilitated by a Counsellor to explore their own strategies for managing exams. You will have the opportunity to consider what works for you & what doesn’t, and to share ideas for overcoming difficulties.
Finally the large group will reconvene & group members will report back to the other participants the ideas, issues & suggestions explored in their small group.
This is a drop-in session. Places are allocated on a first come first served basis. We will send out information about this workshop near the time via the student batch system. There is no need to book up for this workshop- just turn up on the day just before 4pm.
*Stress and anxiety workshop*
1 session (repeated each term) - 12 places
The workshops offer an opportunity to learn more about what makes us stressed, to share experiences with others who find life stressful and to discuss and try out practical approaches to reducing our levels of anxiety. There will be opportunities for pair and group work as well as whole group discussion and activities. By the end of the course, the aim is that you will be able to look at your anxiety in a new light, feel more understood and have information and some very practical coping ideas. The aim is also that the workshops offer a supportive and unthreatening atmosphere in which to share experiences and pass on advice.
Each workshop will involve a mixture of pair, small and whole group discussion, sharing and activities. There will also be some information giving and lots of useful handouts to take away. Topics covered include:
- The nature of stress, where it comes from and how we need some stress
- The beliefs about ourselves which make our lives too stressful
- Assertiveness: what it means and why it is so difficult
- Time management, work/life balance etc
- Relaxation exercises and other creative relaxation ideas
- Looking after ourselves and the importance of diet, sleep exercise etc
- Some information and tips to cope with panic attacks and phobias
The workshops run twice a year for two hours in each session, usually in the autumn and spring terms. You will be notified via the batch email system a couple of weeks in advance and informed of how and where you can sign up. It is important to move quickly as the workshops tend to get booked up fast.
Self-esteem Workshop*
1 Session - 12 places
Do you give yourself a hard time over difficulties and mistakes and blame yourself even for things which aren’t your fault?
Do you find it hard to praise yourself but all too easy to put yourself down?
In this workshop we will learn how to challenge some of our negative thoughts, self-defeating beliefs and behaviours. We will look at how we can become kinder and more supportive to ourselves and how each of us can improve our own self esteem and confidence.
Social Anxiety/Shyness workshop
1 Sessions - 12 places
The workshop is for people who find social situations of various kinds, awkward, embarrassing or intimidating. The aim of the workshop is to find some ways to overcome shyness by recognising our own particular ways of being anxious in social situations, understanding what can cause shyness, and developing some practical approaches and techniques to help us. There will be some sharing of experiences in the workshop but it will be specifically designed not to be intimidating or too stressful.
We will understand some of the causes of shyness and some of the ways it develops and keeps going.
We will learn to identify and then challenge some of the thoughts, belief and images which we hold in social situations.
We will learn and practise reducing the focus we tend to have on ourselves when in social situations.
We will gently tackle some of the ways we try to keep ourselves 'safe' by avoiding social situations.
We might look at some of the physical signs of social anxiety in social situations and try to help change some of this behaviour.
Group members will be encouraged to try out ideas between and during sessions but in a relaxed and informal atmosphere.
Therapy group
Weekly term time only - 8 places
A counselling group takes place on Thursdays (term time only) at 2.15pm. The group lasts for one and a half hours. The group consists of a maximum of 8 people who meet weekly in term-time.
The group is faciliated by Geraldine, one of our counsellors. If you are interested in joining the group or want more information about it, please email Geraldine directly (mcs01gcr@gold.ac.uk) It is not necessary for you to be or have been in counselling in order to join the group. If you are seeing a counsellor here already you could talk to them about continuing your counselling in this way. You can either refer yourself directly by contacting Geraldine, or your counsellor can pass on your details to her. Either way you will need to come and see the facilitator for a short informal talk before firat attending the group.
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