Year 1 Reflection

 Already had a student year, under my belt,
 But I didn’t have confidence, nervous I felt.
 I’d previously considered ACT, chose another path…
 I have to admit now, I know that was daft.
  
 I’d opted for Level 10, success felt a given,
 Little did I know, Level 11 could be Heaven!
 I thought it would be too hard… Too much stress,
 Looking back I’d worked myself, into quite a mess.
  
 I was nervous submitting the application essay,
 Am I good enough? My referencing can be messy!
 I got accepted! Delighted! Maybe I am good enough, 
 Crisis averted, no need for a strop or a huff.
  
 Being online’s had its lows and its highs,
 Safe in my living room, no socially awkward goodbyes.
 I thought I was really busy before,
 But boy has my workload increased – more, more, MORE!
  
 I’ve enjoyed the reading, always challenging myself,
 Often reflecting, not recognising my previous self.
 I can’t put my finger on what exactly has changed, 
 I just know I’m feeling a lot less deranged. 
  
 A lot more reflective. Balanced and calm.
 I am now much more proud of the person I am. 
 Balancing 2 placements has been a juggling act,
 A time consuming roller coaster - that is a fact!
  
 Someone’s ‘missus’, mother, daughter, sister and friend,
 Full time teacher, trainee counsellor, the list doesn’t end.
 But in amongst all this is little old me,
 For the school summer holidays, I thought I was free!
  
 Studies and client work, shall continue on,
 Slowly transforming me from duckling to swan.
 Assessment, analysis, case formulation,
 I’ve not got it mastered, there’s still hesitation.
  
 And then there’s my lovely, trusted Supervisor,
 All my crazy ramblings, she can decipher. 
 So, here it is, year 1 has come to an end,
 That in itself, is pretty hard to comprehend.
  
 See you all in September, for diploma – Year 2
 Lots of love and best wishes, to each one of you! 

The Sweet Pea

 I am a seed, planted in the ground
 Its dark and it’s quiet
 Sheltered away from any sound
 But then one evening it started to rain
 And the ground got wet and I was fearful of pain
 It hurt just a little however the soil didn’t let me drown
 I felt supported and refreshed
 With this new insight I had found
  
 Then came out the sun, I could feel it prickle at my sides
 As I started to grow and reach for the skies
 I broke through the earth and took a deep breath
 I was amazed at the sights, a different view from the depths
  
 I thought I knew it all, back there in the ground
 However up on the surface, was there more to be found?
  
 The wind said hello and tickled my face
 Oh look at that! I have leaves and stem, growing with PACE
 But where are my flowers, shouldn’t I be more?
 It started to look fearful as I looked at the floor
  
 I started to worry why I had no flowers yet
 That’s when the gardener soaked me so wet!
 The water trickled down my spine
 Under the soil, down to my roots, all in good time
 “My roots?” I whispered into the wind
 They’re under the ground, what could they possibly bring?
  
 With a jolt I was lifted into the air
 Shovelled up from my pot, my roots hanging there
 Swinging in the sunshine, dancing and free
 I saw what I didn’t know I needed to see
  
 I realised then just how I had grown
 All my history all this time down where I was sown
 I was placed back down and snuggled back in
 This time in a garden, what a journey it’s been
  
 I realised how I was being held up
 And bowed my thanks to the gardener for helping me take a look
 He then put a cane into the ground
 A tool so helpful for me to grow around
  
 Then my flowers started to bloom
 And how beautiful they were, even under the moon
 It just took some tools, some care and nurture
 In helping me feel prepared for the future 

By Laura Murray

Can I Walk Beside You Now?

 When the thunderstorm was bright and loud you asked,
 Can I walk beside you now?
  
 At every turn when the rain came down you asked,
 Can I walk beside you now?
  
 When it was sunny, no room for frowns you asked,
 Can I walk beside you now?
  
 The clouds are sadness, hopelessness, pain,
 That threatened to bring on the rain,
 Often looming above my head,
 Telling me to just stay in bed,
 Wondering if it was worth it at all,
 And telling me I would surely fall. 
  
 The thunderstorm is hurt, anger, rage,
 Like a tiger forced to live in a cage,
 It burst from my chest and swallowed me whole,
 And I knew that was anger taking its toll,
 Seeing in myself those I had feared,
 Who had caused such pain for all those years.
  
 The rain is vulnerability, shame, despair,
 Oh, how I wished the rain wasn’t there,
 The guilt that I’d let my feelings show,
 Letting to the surface what I felt below,
 But I learned to feel the rain on my skin,
 Because that’s when the light streams in. 
  
 The sun is joy, change, love,
 Shining down from up above,
 At times it shocked me so,
 That I was able to feel its glow,
 The rain, the clouds, the lightening gone,
 Though I knew they’d been there now the sun shone.
  
 And through the weather, you walked besides,
 Not judging if I laughed or cried,
 Through rain, hail, shine and clouds you asked,
 Can I walk beside you now?  

By Jennifer Slann

Lobster Magic

 Little lobster
 Swimming
 Oceans wide and 
 Oceans deep
 Through blues and greens
 And midnight dreams
 With heart 
 And soul
 That weeps
 Little lobster
 Swimming lost
 Which way to go?
 Don’t know
 Indigo blues
 Can’t see through
 Dark tides
 That ebb and flow
 Sea life all around her
 But none who know the way 
 She swims
 She spins
 Life pulls and drags 
 Should she fight it
 Should she stay?
 Little crab
 He’s feeling sad 
 Think’s he’s just no good
 Can’t walk straight
 He’s always late
 He’s full of musts and shoulds.
 Octopus
 He has two hearts
 But neither 
 Loves enough
 He’s tangled
 Twisted 
 All conflicted
 Pretends
 Tries to be tough.
 I’m so unloved
 The shark proclaims
 People think I’m scary
 They don’t know me
 Don’t even try
 The rumours make them wary
 Little lobster swimming
 Learning every day
 It’s not just her
 We all have ‘stuff’
 Struggle
 In our own way
 We all have insecurities
 Beliefs that pull us down
 Into the depths
 The darkness
 Black waves
 That try to drown
 Little lobster 
 Shell so tight
 Hurting
 Feeling trapped
 Can’t move
 Can’t grow
 She doesn’t know
 Her potential
 Still untapped
 Uncharted waters
 Tightening shell
 Down she swims
 So deep
 It’s tough
 She’s tired
 The ocean bed
 A place to rest
 To sleep
 Boulders large
 Boulders small
 Safe shelter
 All around
 Finds her comfort
 Safety
 Peace
 A spiritual home
 Found
 Breathing out
 Let the old shell
 Crack
 Don’t fear the pain, it heals
 Feel the freedom
 Don’t hold back 
 It’s time to simply feel
 Little lobster
 Just be you
 Accept yourself
 Embrace the new
 You’re safe
 Enough
 Respected
 Loved
 Be brave
 You’re strong
 Be weak
 Be tough
 You’re safe
 You’re home
 Your boulders
 Have got you
 Be vulnerable 
 Many hearts
 Will hold you
 Be bold
 Try on
 That brave new shell
 Those many colours
 Suit you
 Well
 Give it time
 To grow and fit
 Ever changing 
 Newly lit
 Phospheresent
 Inner glow
 Purples, teals
 Shining
 So
 Little lobster swimming
 Back towards the light
 Confidence is growing
 Belief 
 Is in your sights
 Loving
 Giving 
 Listening
 A heart almost as good as new
 Little lobster 
 Always learning
 To one day
 Be
 A boulder too. 

The Journey

She stood facing out towards the unknown. The world around her was unlike anything she had witnessed before, certainly not as familiar as it had been. She had worked for years to get here. It felt surreal to be standing at the starting point.

 Laden with as many bags as she could carry, she felt ready for the journey ahead, despite her stomach twisting like trapped serpents. Perfectly prepared, she thought to herself. The bags she carried were cumbersome; she had them her whole life, though, and barely noticed the discomfort of them.

There were so many stories about the journey she was about to embark on: that it disrupted relationships, ripped you into pieces and forced confrontation with demons. However, she had heard that at the end of the journey that she would emerge as someone new. That in sticking with the journey, and taking it in her stride, she would become who she was meant to be.

So it began.

It was not long before the first challenge presented itself. Mirrors surrounded her on every side, but the reflections were not quite what she expected. In one mirror, she stood glaring at herself, older and wrinkled, arms folded, a sneer of disgust on the reflection’s face. The mirror showed her as a punitive parent. “You are not good enough,” the reflection spat. “You should be further on in life, you should be more successful!”. The words were like a scorpion sting.

In the next mirror, a little girl was curled up in the foetal position, as small as she could get, sobbing gently. It was her as a vulnerable child. “You can’t do this,” she sobbed. “What is the point? You really are not good enough.” Seeing herself so small and helpless caught her breath.

The next reflection stood with a middle finger forced angrily outward, a look of ignorance etched on her face. It was the rebellious teenager. “Do what you want. Nobody really cares anyway, so why should you?” The words dripped with distain and burned like acid as they dropped.

Facing these reflections was difficult. She felt a sense of shame, yet fascination, at the parts of her that were revealed. She had a choice: should she stay, and allow the reflections to call the shots, try to appease them? Or did she choose to move on and leave them behind?

There was a place for her to leave a bag before moving on, in front of one last mirror. She was not ready to leave anything behind. Not yet. The reflection smiled and said, “It’s okay. You will be ready soon.” The reflection was reasonable and understanding. It gestured toward the path, giving an encouraging nod. She moved on, the negative words ringing in her ears.

The path ahead began to grow darker, the clarity from the beginning of the journey faded. Despite having everything she thought she needed, there was no way for her to light the path ahead. “All this stuff and nothing that helps,” she heard the hiss of the punitive parent. It stung, but she chose to press on. With trepidation, she approached the next challenge.

She stopped in a clearing where four paths stretched off in different directions. Each entrance had a sign above it. The first read Secure, which led to a lush green and brightly lit pathway. Then there was the Ambivalent path, where the light would grow, and fade, and a storm rose and fell in front of her eyes. There was the Avoidant path that was narrow, bare, and harsh looking. Then there was the Disorganised path, full of thorns and darkness.

The storm ahead in the Ambivalent path called to her. It was familiar to her: how it swelled and roared for attention, for acknowledgement of its existence, only to then fade away. She crossed the threshold and saw another area for her to lay down her bags. It was only then she noticed the weight of them all on her. She chose to leave one, a smaller one, but felt relief from dropping some of the baggage she had.

She moved forward as the storm battered against her.  She felt raw, exposed, and uncomfortable. Still, she pressed on.

Onwards she went, each challenge becoming more difficult. She was exhausted, more tired than she could ever remember feeling before. She had lost sight of what she was even doing on this journey. It was too tiring, too difficult. She questioned whether she had the energy to get there.

She reached the bottom of a huge, black mountain. A small sign pointed up the vertical slope: Perfection. She looked up and could not see the top of the mountain. There was black, heavy smog hanging in the air.

Was she really going to attempt the climb? What would the top look like? Maybe, it would be worth it.

She made a start. The rocks were rough and difficult to grip. The pain she felt, the exhaustion, it was overwhelming, but she was determined to climb. She gave it everything she had, desperate to get to the top. She dared to look down and was distraught to see the ground was as close as it was before. She pushed herself harder and harder, trying to ignore the agony, the strangling feeling of the smog around her.

Eventually, she slid in resignation to the ground. Hot tears scorched her cheeks. As she lay there, she tilted her head and realised that there was another path. It had been hidden by the smog, which had cleared slightly since she gave up trying to reach Perfection.

Good Enough, the sign read. The path was clear, and almost accessible. The entrance meant that not all her baggage could come through. Realising that throughout the whole journey, the baggage had held her back, she dropped the bigger bags. The feeling was cathartic. Bags of pain and confusion collected over the years were shed, allowing her to move forward.

She still had some baggage and some of the smog from Perfection had clung to her clothes and would come on the rest of her journey with her, perhaps staying on past the end if she did not find a way to leave it behind.

A clearing appeared on the path, offering her respite from the treacherous journey. She rested against a smooth rock that seemed to mould to her shape. There was time to reflect.  

A tough journey it had been indeed, but she had survived it. The scars proved that she was capable of overcoming challenges, no matter how difficult. She was still here.

More challenges lay ahead, which made her nervous. But she had stopped to rest now and knew that when the time came to embark once more, she would be stronger, and ready for whatever was to come.

By Kirsty McCully

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This article is a case study about a young client struggling with anxiety. It discusses how he and his therapist found a way to communicate with one another through the use of drawing therapy.

Jake and his overwhelming anxiety

Jake was too young to be one of my clients, unfortunately he was also too old to fit into the paediatric mental health team and the teenage support group for anxiety was overwhelmed.

 Jake had a bad experience and didn’t trust therapists

Jakes mother  described a boy who every morning thought he would get up and go to school and by 9:05 had failed.  He was then stressed all day about having to go to school the next day and couldn’t concentrate on his schoolwork at home, even if his granny sat and helped him

The start of CBT therapy

Jake`s mother and I agreed not to tell the services that I was working with him in case it stopped him from obtaining more appropriate input.  We also agreed she would sit in on the sessions as a silent observer.

Jake didn’t say much either apart from telling me how he’d been let down by other therapists who had promised a phased return to school with him in control – but this hadn`t happened. I told Jake that I didn’t really care whether he went to school or not, all I cared about was helping him get through the time period until he felt ready to do so.

I did the standard CBT things using Zoom at Jakes pace, he was very anxious before our sessions and quite often came into therapy feeling upset, and sometimes he cancelled, hiding in his bedroom.

How drawing therapy became part of his CBT

Once I discovered Jake could draw things changed.  Using the shared whiteboard he could depict his feelings and could use the subsequent image to explain what he meant.

Several of these drawings changed things greatly for both of us, the first picture showed how he felt about anxiety and the treatment of it.  He drew a very cross looking person with steam coming from his ears.  After we discussed it  I asked him whether he wanted to continue working with me.  There are no words to describe the rewarding feeling I had as I watched smiley faces prop up on my computer screen as he drew, miles away, in his own sitting room.

CBT Drawings to express and understand anxiety

Today Jake and I talked about anxiety, or rather I talked and he drew. I thought I knew what it felt like to be anxious, I’d been anxious before exams, been a bit stressed if I didn’t know the outcome of a dilemma, and I’m scared of the dark. Anxiety is huge, scary, unstable and destructive. Jake drew his “ monster” on the shared whiteboard.

The first thing I noticed was the Boris hairstyle – my interpretation, Jake just wanted to make it look stupid. It wasn’t very big either but had a foot in the door. The front door which was open because the anxiety had come with a reasonable-sounding request. Once Jake allowed the anxiety in it talked and talked to him and even when he tried to make it leave by another door it never stopped telling him something was wrong. In the end, Jake simply stopped opening the door.

He wasn’t frightened though, his anxiety was stupid, annoying and persistent, but never scary, destructive or unstable.

I guess anxiety is just a word, but a picture is a thousand words.

AUTHOR: Emily Cobb

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

If you are looking for therapists who offer Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for a range of mental health issues you can read more about it on this page. We offer therapy at Act Counselling and CBT Services and are happy to speak with you today should you wish to find out more and book in with one of our therapists. Get in touch with us today via our online contact form or call us on 0141 554 0838.

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There was a room full of people, looking as scared as me, I was nervous about what I was about to feel, do, say and see. 

As the weeks turned into months, the friendships and bonds grew, we learned about each other, and the things we’d each been through. 

We get into our groups, and each module Gillian would change us round, who knew that we’d learn so much, and the personal growth that would be found. 

Then in March the virus hit, we had to stop the club, but just for a little bit. The structure changed and we were now on zoom, we were worlds  away from our safe cosy room. 

 A world pandemic wouldn’t stop our club,  for nearly every week we all turned up. Even With all the different walks of life, facing sickness, uncertainty, heartache and strife. 

We supported each other on a Tuesday, through the week and in the chat, Gary’s Jokes made us all laugh when we felt flat. 

Now it’s the last week and we

See each other through the screen. How much I wish I could hug you, and show how much to me, you really mean. 

Some weeks have been a challenge, even to get out of bed, but I’m so glad I did, just to feel the love that was so openly spread. 

Now it’s time to say goodbye as we each go out into the world, to show off our knowledge, courage and  new self that this course has unfurled. 

I wish you all so much love and luck, it’s been so amazing being your friend. This club has been my saving grace with my heart now on the mend. 

Thank you for all you’ve done for me, you’ll never really know,  how much the power of our club, has changed me and helped me grow. 

– By Ruth Whyte

The post The Tuesday club poem appeared first on ACT Counselling and Training Services Ltd.

Frank didn’t do feelings. He was a man at all times. Anger doesn’t count as a feeling, Frank did anger. Frank knew why he did anger – it was necessary to protect himself and his family. He did sometimes regret what he did in anger. I’m not sure why Frank came to therapy, I know why he said he came to therapy – to deal with his need to check things all the time.

Not a talker

Frank didn’t do talking much either, at least not about feelings. He was a large man, pleasant and smiling, easily laughing, Successful in his occupation. After some time Frank did do the talking, even about feelings. He felt things that he had buried since childhood. He didn’t so much as “sit with the discomfort“ but seem to shrink into himself like a little boy.

Frank was fearless

Frank was fearless, he could stand up to anybody. He knew what was right, he knew what was wrong. He knew who had to be stopped and he knew who had to be protected and he knew it was his job to do that. He didn’t know why sometimes he went too far. Frank was not a bully, he was not a violent man so he began to avoid situations where he might need to defend somebody. Frank has a lovely family and didn’t need to go out socially. He was able to check whether he was likely to get himself into trouble before he went for a walk, he didn’t need to go for a walk very often anyway. His wife was pretty good at making sure he was never anywhere where there was conflict. He was a minefield made as safe as possible. There was always the possibility of something unpredictable so Frank had to be on high alert all the time.          

The well-trodden path

Frank didn’t do talking about emotions, he did do pictures and he did do analogies. Frank described his behavioural experiments as walking through a field that was overgrown. There was a path in it that was well-trodden but lead to thistles. He had to stop himself going down that way and tread out another path. This was quite difficult the first time, but Frank noticed that the more times he did it the easier it became until he had two well-trodden paths, then three and four.

Frank didn’t do feelings, but he did face the buried monster. He realised that he was burying it. He drew a picture. The picture had a man digging a hole and putting the soil in a pile in front of him to keep the monster away. Frank commented that “I’m so busy digging to pile up a wall in front of me that I don’t notice the great big hole I’ve dug out  behind me that I’m about to fall into”   

Making friends with the monster

Frank stopped building his wall, he tolerated with the feelings of fear and trepidation that engendered .Instead of running away from the monster he stayed and watched his approach. He saw that the big dog running towards him with his teeth showing wasn’t growling, just panting in the heat. He drew the dog and as he looked at it he laughed saying, “ that doesn’t look like a dog, that looks like a teddy bear!“         

Frank walks alongside his monster, it isn’t a very nice monster but it is nowhere near as bad as he had originally thought. Frank keeps an eye on the monster so that it doesn’t get out of hand again .

Frank is brave

I enjoyed working with Frank, he was brave and worked hard to understand what was happening underneath the layers of rules and walls.He was Open, honest and generous with his self reflection. The confusion, desolation and horror of the core belief was almost palpable. The courage he showed when he stopped building the wall to keep the monster away and waiting until it appeared to face it  was difficult to believe.

I have often used his analogy of the path in the field, The monster becoming a teddy bear and the concept of making a wall to keep the monster out but creating a big hole and falling into it as a result of this.

Frank’s ideas have helped other clients understand.  Frank’s ideas have helped me understand.

Frank doesn’t think he does feelings, Frank doesn’t think he can talk, especially not about feelings. I think Frank is wrong, in vulgar parlance I think Frank “nailed it”.  

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One of my favourite things about counselling is the serendipity of working through a problem or difficulty with someone only to discover there is a big lesson in there for me – a lesson that teases me out of hypocrisy and forces me to practice what I preach.

One such lesson followed on from an input from Andy on the “responsibility pie”. I was working with a client at the time who was extremely resilient but had taken on more responsibility than she could manage, her wellbeing depending on her ability to make sure everyone in her life was okay.

Rules for living and core beliefs

We talked through what she could take responsibility for in her current situation. We explored how much control she really does have in any situation and the impact of other people (and their free will and choices), of the situation and of the choices that we make (some of which are unconscious). We objectively thought about her choices and how they were impacted by her conditioning (her rules for living and core beliefs) and considered that she did not always make her choices consciously and never with bad intentions. In this way she found relief from guilt and shame and from her own expectations of herself.

The love of pie

She really identified with the responsibility pie, as an analogy and we took it to the n^th degree. We discussed how much she loves pie, how much she keeps for herself – not sharing with others. This sense of being “greedy” flipped her situation on its head, it became juxtaposed with her rescuer / helper sensibilities and helped generate a discussion about empowering others by withholding our need to take responsibility.

This lesson, given to me by Andy and my speaker is helping me to share pie – to empower others and to empower myself – keeping any need for validation safely out of my practice. A client’s difficulty became a positive learning experience for the client and an opportunity for me to engage in true reflective practice, providing us both with a catalyst for growth.

Share that pie

So basically – don’t eat all the pies, sharing pie is good for everyone, but eating all the pie is okay as long as we learn from it. This is permission for us to feel less guilty and create space to be what we are inspired to do.

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Age, occupation, interests, culture, and religion. We use all of these or none of these to connect to another. As curious, social beings we instinctively gravitate towards making contact, finding love in many forms, and searching for meaning.

Death is certain

Despite this, we are born alone, and we must die alone, the only thing certain in life is death. Depending on your perspective contemplating this can be debilitating or liberating. Dr Irvin Yalom recognises through his work with cancer patients that being so acutely aware of the end drives people to live in the now. Within this there is a challenge, to embrace this mindset before there is illness, diagnosis, or prognosis. Keep the end in mind to drive you to do more, to think more, to feel more. Keep the end in mind to focus on your own life process, to let go of the expectations you have of yourself and of others. There is almost nothing you can do about the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others but you can control you and now is the time.

You are you, and I am I

Daughter, sister, friend, colleague, wife. As we go through our own life process, making contact, finding love, searching for meaning, there are but 23 words first uttered by Fritz Perls to remember, You are you, and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, it’s beautiful. If not, it can’t be helped.

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There was a little empath named Sharon, who had witnessed many troubled times as a young girl, teenager, and young woman. She realised at an early age that she had special powers: a desire and the skills to help other people feel better.

Her dream was to reach the top of the Magic Mountain where she would achieve her Diploma in Counselling Skills. From here, she would be able to see far and wide across the land, and she felt she could reach out to help others as a qualified Counsellor. But first, she must climb to the first level of the Magic Mountain by successfully completing the COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills. The little empath set off on her first quest.

The COSCA cave

She found a reputable course provider with excellent reviews and travelled far, into deepest darkest east end Glasgow. There, she was met by her two empath Godmothers, Alison and Claire. They were both very wise in the ways of counselling and they were to be her guides. Through the glass doors, and into the COSCA cave, she met a lovely group of other empaths. She was soon to realise that they too, had the same special powers to help other people. Very soon, the little empath felt right at home.

Lots of learning

For the next ten weeks there was a lot of learning to be done. The little empath thought she had always been a good listener, but, working more intensely with her supportive triad she realised there was much, much more to it. Always the one to give advice, she saw that she must quietly listen with a range of attending and responding skills. She must not ‘fix’ things and instead, must truly be there with her speaker. After all, the answers lie within. It was just her job to help the speaker reveal them. She loved using the Guided Fantasy and has used this back in her own kingdom with the young people she teaches. They were then able to uncover some feelings they had not known were there, and were also able to put a name to an emotion that they were unable to talk about in traditional one to one discussion.

The wise Godmothers

Soon, the wise Godmothers bestowed another gift. In order to reach level one of the quest, the little empath must truly know in her heart the core principles of counselling: Acceptance, Genuineness and Empathy. Luckily her magic powers allowed her to feel empathy for others readily. Sometimes this was a bit too much and she knows she has to protect herself in order to not feel drained and be of more use to her speakers.

Remember to relax

Genuineness was interesting to learn about as the little empath thought she came across as open and interested. However, her study of her recorded video clip revealed a stern face and closed body language. Her supportive triad said she just looked professional and was maybe a little nervous in front of the camera, and that she didn’t look stern to them at all. The little empath was relieved to hear this as she really wanted to look as genuine as she felt inside. She made a decision to remember to relax her body and face and to never cross her legs or lace her fingers again.

Acceptance

Acceptance was the real stumbling block as her deeper judgements of others were revealed. The Godmothers gave out tiny pieces of folded paper, but they held monumental discussion points. Emotive names were inside and this made the little empath shudder. Could she honestly put her triggers to one side and help the horrible trolls or the wicked witches of the world? After all, they have feelings too and someone has to help them. A lot of self-reflection is needed to answer this, and suddenly for the first time, the Diploma at the top of the Magic Mountain seemed out of reach. Would she ever get to the top to achieve something she was once so certain of?

Disaster struck

Then, one day, disaster struck! The land was cursed with a virus and all the empaths and the Godmothers were banished to self-isolation and social distancing. What was to become of them? Luckily, the Godmothers found a way to sprinkle magic Zoom dust on all the laptops and the empaths rejoiced as they were reunited by way of digital media. Hurrah!

The little empath misses the energy of her tribe in person, but is thankful for the mystical power of technology to help her continue in her quest.

How things changed…

In the beginning of Module 2 of the Certificate in Counselling Skills, the little empath and her tribe had settled into a ‘stay at home’ routine. She could not believe how quickly the sands of time had passed in the last ten weeks, and she settled down to review how that had been for her.

Having spent fifteen long weeks staying safe at home, the little empath also conducted all of her full time work as a teacher online. In addition to the COSCA course she also committed to another online distance learning course. The amount of screen time was proving to be a challenge for her and left her feeling a little overwhelmed at having to be such an integral part of the digital world. Sometimes she feared that the prophecies were coming true and that human and machine would indeed merge as one. She made a promise to herself to allow more study time for the next module and try new ways of learning to help overcome the intensity she felt around being online so much.

Positive energy…

Her new triad provided a calm and positive energy from the beginning. She loved watching the confidence of her triad grow with each skills practice as she herself even started to feel more relaxed watching her recordings. After consulting the ‘feelings wheel’, she could now identify with a feeling of optimism rather than being critical of herself. Progress already?

The cycle of change…

The middle of Module 2 was proving to be more in-depth in terms of content and discussion. Complex topics around sexuality, feelings, the grief cycle, change, values and ethics sparked lots of interesting discussion for the tribe. The cycle of change and the change curve were insightful tools for the little empath to consider. It helped her see some reasons why she had not been able to make the changes she wanted in her life, and she was eager to try this out for herself, and also within a counselling approach. The little empath likes to think about change from all possible angles and this can sometimes leave her feeling exhausted about all the ‘what if’s. She found the motivation grid very useful for this and has used it to make a decision about looking for another job in a different school. This gave her clarity and more confidence in her decision and she was thankful to her godmothers for bestowing these gifts.

A wave of emotions…

Sexuality was a topic that opened up a wave of emotions for the little empath. She realised that a wicked witch had tried to poison her mind with untruths in the past around what it meant to be a sexual being. By challenging her thoughts, she uncovered deep-rooted feelings that she had forgotten about. While saddened by this at first, she now sees it as a positive as she has been able to look back at her changed attitudes more deeply and this will hopefully help her to be more genuine and empathetic in a counselling approach.

Time to reflect…

The ending of Module 2 was mixed emotions for the little empath as she was invited to consider how to say goodbye to her triad. Following what felt like a more intense part of the course the triad had time to discuss how they felt and what progress they had made. Through this safe space the little empath realised that while she felt on one hand that the module went by so quickly, she also discovered that she had soaked up so much information that it was likely to be slow burner for her as she allowed herself to revisit the theory and reflect on how it has affected her personally as well as in a counselling approach.

Looking forward to a two-week break to recharge, the little empath knows that another beginning is just around the corner in the form of Module 3 and she is eager to explore the content with her tribe and another new triad.

The End

By Sharon Kirman

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

If you are looking for therapists who offer Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for a range of mental health issues you can read more about it on this page. We offer therapy at Act Counselling and CBT Services and are happy to speak with you today should you wish to find out more and book in with one of our therapists. Get in touch with us today via our online contact form or call us on 0141 554 0838.

The post Sharon’s Magic Mountain appeared first on ACT Counselling and Training Services Ltd.

There is so much noise.  It is deafening.  Communication is in overload.  We have a global catastrophe here and now.

I invite you to stop, pause for a moment and consider your life, your presence in humanity and your capabilities just now and as we go forward. You may not be unwell, you may not know somebody in hospital, you may not know someone who is ill.  You may feel this will not impact on you or you will get through it because you are young or you have a healthy lifestyle or you are not taking this seriously for a variety of other reasons.  You may be infected, you may fall ill, and you could die.  At the same time conversely, those in higher risk categories due to cancer treatments/therapeutic drugs or older age may come through it.  We do not know who will survive and who will not, and this is the reality which we each must face.

Come together, respect each other

I am invested in the outcome for me, my family, my relatives, my friends, my neighbours, for you, for your family, your relatives, your friends and the future of our human race.  This is so much bigger than just you and me.  This is about us coming together now, respecting each other and offering our strengths whatever they are for the greater good.  I believe that you  have  something to offer from a smile to a kind word shared,  to your time, skills, knowledge and personal resources with a willingness to learn,  giving freely for no other reason than the wish to contribute of yourself and help make a difference to the outcome today tomorrow and when it finally ends whatever that will look like.   I believe in your capacity to put aside your own fears and issues and focus on the strengths you have in going forward to enable healing and compassion, sharing and supporting each other.   Already, this is happening, it is alive and growing.   We are connecting, recognizing it is down to each of us and that each of us can make a difference.

Be kind to yourself

For those of you who are struggling for personal reasons or reasons out with your control, be kind to yourself and reach out for help enabling a friend or a professional to share your pain and help you accept yourself for who you are just now.   Today, may not be your time to shine, but your time will come and then it will be your turn to share your strength and acceptance for another.  I cannot within these words, reach out to everyone and I know there are those who feel the situation is out of their control and this may be.   Take what control you can back into your being and space no matter how small that is.   Do what you need to do without causing harm.  Consider your strengths and put them to good use.  Identify the tasks that you need to address and deal with them one by one.  Call out your unmet needs and share and they will be met.  Trust in humankind.

Reflect, reassess

From operating as an individual to operating as a community, and we can stop and reassess what we are doing.  What has got us to a place with too few ventilators, not enough PPE, too few drugs, people not self-isolating/social distancing, funerals with no one to attend them, frontline staff at risk of dying.  This is for analysis and but not just now.  In seeing the problems, we can identify solutions which are realistic and achievable.  We need big thinking and a joined-up approach locally, nationally and globally.  We need to sustain an effort for this acute phase and going forward into a more chronic ongoing stage.  

I ask you to Identify your strengths and play to them. 

• Those who can coordinate, coordinate
• Those who can innovate, innovate
• Those who can dream, dream
• Those who can labour, labour but do it now.

Start today, this is not an unscheduled holiday for some and a crisis for the few who are fearfully fulfilling their professional role whilst inwardly fearing for their lives and the lives of their families.  What can you do for you, your loved ones, your neighbours, for your country men and women, for humanity?  This is not a dress rehearsal. 

What you can do

Consider your mortality.  Look at death in the eye and hold onto life.  Let us thrive in a new way, living together compassionately and kindly.  

Our shared vision and positive coordinated action can make a positive difference for humankind. It is not too late.

Now is the time.   Look after your neighbour and friends as you would like your own family members to be looked after.  Who are our neighbours and friends?  They are all of humankind.

I am a mother of 5 young people, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a cousin, a friend, a neighbour, a citizen of the world.  I am also a nurse and a trainee counsellor.

By Siobhan Campbell – year 1 diploma student

The post Inviting You to Share Good News appeared first on ACT Counselling and Training Services Ltd.

As Therapists or other professionals move further along their journey of personal development, self-awareness and ultimately work towards self-actualisation it might be fair to say that we become less vulnerable. In relation to the vulnerability/stress model this leaves us more predisposed to taking on higher levels of stress, none more so in the stories we hear from our clients. Of course, some client’s stories touch us more than others and what of the ones about abandonment, neglect, abuse, trauma, emotional deprivation? It is our job but also in our nature to empathise with our client’s. With regards to empathy, the paradoxical theory often stands up in that our greatest strength is also our greatest weakness.

Dealing with Vicarious Trauma as a therapist

We empathise with the hard end of human suffering on a consistent basis. For some Therapists/Professionals, this might be daily. This often comes at a price. At ACT Counselling Services we often hear stories from colleagues of ‘taking the client home with me,’ which of course means thinking about the client in one’s own time. We also hear stories of colleagues having nightmares, rescue fantasies etc. A lot of professionals will take issues of vicarious trauma to Clinical Supervision and whilst this might well be helpful there is so much more that can be done.

Can we learn from Buddhism?

Traditional Buddhism has been a long advocate of the ‘suffering’ involved in being a human being, yet Buddhist Monks appear to remain compassionate and optimistic. What is their secret? Furthermore, can we as Therapists/Professionals learn from Buddhist Monks in order to offset Vicarious Trauma? Also, are there more practical steps that can be taken by Therapists/Professionals and their organisations to create a culture that protects us from the impact of Vicarious Trauma?

Do you want to learn more about Vicarious Trauma?

To find out more about the above and answers to the questions posed, visit our CPD Events page on this website and register for the ‘Vicarious Trauma’ CPD event scheduled to be delivered in Dunblane on Friday the 25th of August 2017. You can call us here at ACT Counselling and CBT Services in Glasgowon 0141 554 0838 or contact us online here.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

If you are looking for therapists who offer Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for a range of mental health issues you can read more about it on this page. We offer therapy at Act Counselling and CBT Services and are happy to speak with you today should you wish to find out more and book in with one of our therapists. Get in touch with us today via our online contact form or call us on 0141 554 0838.

The post Vicarious Trauma appeared first on ACT Counselling and Training Services Ltd.

The ACT Counselling Services Team are looking forward to the delivery of another 1-day ‘Introduction to the Theory and Practise of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)’ short course in the coming week. This is a very popular course with workers from various helping professions nowadays being asked to have a basic understanding of what CBT is and to be able to integrate some of the techniques into the roles that they undertake with their service users. Furthermore, the course is very popular with Counsellors/Psychotherapists from different modalities who wish to add CBT techniques to their practice.

What the course offers…

The course offers participants some profound personal insights as the theory and techniques belonging to CBT are turned on the self throughout the 1 day. This is mostly down to the evincing of beliefs, rules, values and attitudes from the unconscious mind into awareness. The necessity for this is to uncover self-defeating patterns of thinking and behaviours. Every Human Being in this world today is locked in this vicious and often self-destructive cycle. Once participants become aware of their own issues then they can often link the beliefs, rules etc back to their genesis which is often early childhood.

By course participants shining the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy lamp on themselves, we find that they begin to have a tremendous amount of faith in the approach which augurs well for working with other people.

At ACT Counselling Services we are passionate about the above. We believe that the vast majority of people are only living what a client once described as ‘half a life.’ This needn’t be the case. Too much time is spent ruminating or berating oneself over the past or spending time worrying about a future that probably won’t happen. This drags us away from our lives today and in a way switches us into autopilot.

As Fritz Perls said back in 1950:

‘I find it fascinating that whilst in cybernetics they are trying to make robots like people and in everyday life people are trying to make themselves like robots. What are we doing?’

He also said more shockingly:

‘Too much time spent ruminating over the past or worrying about the future means you are dead already.’

Get in touch today to book your place:

Don’t let the above be you or the people you work with. Get in touch today with ACT Counselling and CBT Services and start living. You can call us on 0141 554 0838 or email us via our online contact form here. Alternatively, you can download our online application form here and post it to us.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Furthermore, if you are looking for therapists who offer Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for a range of mental health issues you can read more about it on this page. We offer therapy at Act Counselling and CBT Services and are happy to speak with you today should you wish to find out more and book in with one of our therapists. Get in touch with us today via our online contact form or call us on 0141 554 0838.

The post An Introduction to CBT appeared first on ACT Counselling and Training Services Ltd.