Mental Health Masterclass: register now
A series of workshops designed to tackle specific topics relating to mental health and wellbeing.
Join us to learn new skills for when life throws you a curveball.
A series of workshops designed to tackle specific topics relating to mental health and wellbeing.
Mental Health Masterclass is a space to learn and explore ways of supporting your wellbeing and better understand what works for you.
TOPICS:
• Solving Life’s Problems (17th August)
• Boosting Your Confidence (24th August)
• Being Comfy in My Skin (31st August)
• Saying It Straight - Communication Skills (7th September)
BREAK
• Mastering Your Mood – Managing Anxiety (19th October)
• Keeping Cool – Managing Anger (26th October)
• Relaxing & Sleeping Well (2nd November)
• Being Active & Eating Well (9th November)
Come to one workshop or come to them all - and bring a friend!
Topic information & aims:
Solving Life’s Problems - Problem Solving Skills (17th August)
- Normalise the experience of encountering challenges and to recognise that problems can be solvable
- Understand the difference between worrying and problem-solving
- Explore the vulnerability that is experienced in relation to confronting problems and that from a position of vulnerability we can create new opportunities
- Conceptualise a six-step problem solving approach and practice implementing the model using a an example
Boosting Your Confidence: Self-Esteem (24th August)
- Connect peer experiences through education and de-stigmatising language
- Consider media consumption
- Increase people’s appreciation of diversity both in them and in others
- Move towards self-acceptance through whole-of-person appreciation with a particular focus on strengths and values
Being Comfy in My Skin: Body Image (31st August)
- Consider the impacts of negative self-appraisal re: body image on both short-term (emotional distress) and long-term (patterns of avoidance, time, money)
- Expand people’s lives through engaging in meaningful life experiences that might have been avoided due to body image issues
- Experiment with different ways of re-connecting to people’s physical selves in a positive way through relaxation, mindfulness and increased self-care
Saying It Straight - Communication Skills (7th September)
- Understand the advantages and disadvantages of different communication styles, and to explore what styles of communication people use
- Consider the thoughts and beliefs that may stop people from standing up for themselves when their needs aren’t being met in a social context
- Develop an understanding of the different aspects of communicating assertively, including without blame, taking ownership of feelings, describing rather than judging, and offering a compromise
- Increasing confidence in being assertive by using these skills in different social situations
BREAK
Mastering Your Mood – Managing Anxiety (19th October)
- Understand why we have emotions and develop an awareness of the relationship between thoughts, feelings and actions
- Understand sadness and anxiety, and how these emotions vary in intensity
- Consider the truthfulness of people’s thoughts, and learn how to challenge thoughts and develop a more supportive perspective
- Explore the brief nature of emotions, the impact of judgement, and explore emotions as physical sensations
- Experiment with different ways of accepting and siting with emotions rather than acting based on a temporary mood state
- Increase activity and enjoyment by re-engaging in activities of achievement or pleasure
Keeping Cool – Managing Anger (26th October)
- Normalise the experience of anger as an appropriate emotional response
- Understand the difference between anger and aggression and to recognise that anger is a learned response
- Begin to identify the physiological, cognitive and behavioural build up during an anger response
- Introduce ongoing self-reflection by encouraging people to be their own ‘scientist’ or ‘experimenter’
- Trial practical strategies to vent anger and/or aggression in a more meaningful and helpful way that is not damaging to people themselves or others
Relaxing & Sleeping Well (2nd November)
- Increase awareness of current physical, or body state, together with the thoughts, fears and memories that intrude into the present moment
- Promote curiosity and sample different mindfulness exercises from a position of openness, free of judgement.
- Develop a list of relaxing activities that people can enjoy on their own or with others
- Provide people with education around the importance of sleep as well as engage them in discussion
- Experiment with different ways of re-connecting to people’s ‘physical selves’ in a positive way through relaxation, mindfulness and increased self-care
Being Active & Eating Well (9th November)
- Enhance understanding of the short-term and long-term benefits of physical activity & nutrition on physical and mental health
- Acknowledge the challenges or barriers around being active or increasing physical activity in people’s routine by looking at the cost and benefits of exercise
- Normalise and acknowledge the barriers to balanced eating or making dietary swaps.
- Develop a list of activities people are currently engage in or would like to engage in