Workshops

Becoming Mental Health Aware

Starting a conversation around mental health, encouraging openness and an understanding of self and others

Trauma, Behaviour and the Brain

How trauma impacts on behaviour, and how we can most effectively support the growth of self-regulation and improved behaviour

A Coach Approach to Mentoring

Exploring a specific model of Coaching that staff can utilise to support young people take greater responsibility for their growth and development

Communicating With Clarity – Reinforcing key messages

Reinforcing key organisational messages and exploring strategies and techniques for more effectively and consistently communicating them

Mental Health Awareness for Young People

Developing conversations about mental health, building awareness of key factors, and encouraging an understanding of self and others

Managing Stress and Building Resilience

Stress – what is it, and how do we manage it, practical strategies to build resilience

The Science of Gratitude

We'll explore how expressing gratitude triggers specific networks in the brain, leading to physical, psychological and cognitive benefits. We'll also consider and try out ways to more regularly practice gratitude.

Setting and Maintaining Boundaries

We'll consider how we work out what our boundaries should be, and what are some of the challenges we may face in setting and maintaining them? We'll also consider a practical approach to communicating and holding to the boundaries we choose to establish.

“Courageous Conversations” Communicating difficult messages with calmness, clarity, and respect

Exploring why we find some conversations challenging, and considering strategies and techniques that leave us better placed to overcome these challenges

Mindfulness – “Who’s in the shower with you?”

The value of presence, increasing focus and attention, and maximising our experience of life

Mindfulness – “The power of thoughts – taking back control”

Being able to recognise thoughts as just thoughts and not as reality, increasing choice and wellbeing

Mindfulness – “Increasing Connection – Loving Kindness Practice”

Exploring self-acceptance and compassion, how they can increase and improve our connection with ourselves and with others, leading to a host of benefits

Heart – Brain Communication – Emotional and Psychological Resilience

Exploring the link between Heart Rate Variability and processes in the body and brain that impact on resilience and improve wellbeing. Applying “Heart-Focused” breathing

“Change Your Emotion to Change Your Behaviour”

How emotions link with behaviour and how we can use this to more successfully achieve our outcomes

“The Language of Emotion”

Interpreting and regulating emotional states, both your own and others, to improve wellbeing and outcomes

Emotional Self-Regulation – “Choosing to respond or to react”

Understanding the processing of emotions, so that we are better able to choose our response to a situation and to therefore remain more in control – Understanding the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, practicing box breathing

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation – “Doing it because it’s important to you!”

What’s the difference between doing something because of a tangible external reward, and doing it because it satisfies a core value. Exploring the importance of values and of honouring them in our daily lives

Letting go of Tension – “Benefitting from deep and complete relaxation”

Recognising key role of relaxation in managing stress, the impact of retained tension and how to release it – Tension Release Breathing, 4:6 breathing

“Relaxation, a Necessity, Not a Luxury”

The benefits of relaxation on performance and wellbeing, the role of Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous Systems, practicing additional breathing techniques

“Meet the Vagus Nerve – how to hack your nervous system”

The role played by the Vagus Nerve in improving wellbeing – strategies and techniques to improve vagal tone

Creativity and Problem Solving – the role of psychological safety

The triadic brain and psychological safety – Encouraging creativity and the capacity for people to be at their best and to experience positive wellbeing requires that they feel safe to contribute and to explore possibilities. Exploring what this entails, including the role of leadership vulnerability

“The Memory Palace”

The nature of memory, and how to increase our capacity to retain information

Problem Solving – “Engaging the brain’s Default Mode Network – the power of doing nothing”

Understanding different approaches to problem solving and that sometimes what appears to be doing nothing, is in fact the most powerful action to take, leading to the emergence of creative new ideas and solutions

Problem Solving – “The use of Metaphor”

We explain our experience through metaphor, whether we see life as a “journey”, a “struggle”, or maybe a “puzzle”. The metaphors we use have power to shape our experience and our expectations. How can we choose to create metaphors that empower us?

Problem Solving – “Escaping the Problem Box”

Applying language patterns (Meta and Milton Models) to break down our sense of problems and limitations, opening up new and more empowering possibilities

Problem Solving – “The Power of Perspective”

Exploring the power of temporal and spatial reframing – how looking at a situation from a different perspective can create new and more positive options and choices

Goals and Motivation – “Skilfully applying both approach and avoid emotions to help achieve your chosen outcomes”

Some of us are motivated to go for what we want, while others are motivated to move away from what they don’t want. This workshop explores more effective strategies than simple approach and avoidant preferences

Goals and Motivation – “Should I stay, or should I go now?”

Some of us can be reluctant or even fearful of doing something new, or in a new way, while others are keen to jump at the latest, shiniest new “thing”. This workshop looks at the value of fully exploiting current opportunities and of exploring new ones, developing the capacity to do both, both individually and in teams

Goals and Motivation – “The power of imaginative rehearsal”

The Triadic Brain, and exploring how imaginative rehearsal can increase motivation and resilience in the pursuit of goals

Psychological Safety and Creativity in Teams

Exploring the importance of psychological safety in the creative process, and how to create it. Examining how to access both focused and divergent thinking to enhance creativity

“Psychological Safety – what do people need?”

Introducing and exploring the SCARF model – the theory (what people require to feel safe and secure, such that they can give of their best) and its practical application

“Epigenetics and Neuroplasticity – the science of effective thinking

Understanding how the capacity for change and growth exists within us all, and seeking to employ this knowledge to motivate positive action

“Improving Collaboration and Increasing Creativity”

Exploring the benefits of collaboration alongside the challenges it presents. Applying this in current contexts to generate action and progress

Creating the Conditions for Learning and Progress

Exploring how various states support learning and considering how this knowledge and awareness can be practically applied in our lives

“Fast and Slow Thinking” – How do you make decisions, and how can you make better ones?

Exploring the nature and respective virtues of instinctive vs rational decision making, and considering how apply the best that each has to offer

“Cutting the Puppet Strings” – The role of cognitive bias

Considering the role played by unconscious processes that influence our thinking and decision making, and how increased awareness might alter the decisions we take

“Ego Depletion – Making the most of willpower”

Considering potential limitations to willpower, and how we can act to stretch and make the most of the willpower we have

“The Leader’s Brain”

Considering what we believe constitutes good and effective leadership, and exploring how each of us can cultivate networks in the brain to expand our capacity to develop the skills, insights and awareness we look for in our leaders

Self-Awareness – “Knowing me, Knowing You”

Considering the benefits of self-awareness, exploring how we can develop it, and how having more of it can alter our attitude towards ourselves

“Trouble and Strife? – Beware the Drama Triangle”

Examining how difficulties in relationships, whatever the context, are often rooted in unconscious archetypes, and exploring how awareness of this can allow us to create more honest and productive relationships

“Breaking Free of Worry and Rumination”

Exploring our experience of worry and rumination, and both considering and applying strategies to break free from it

“Moving From Worrying to Problem Solving”

Understanding the nature of worrying and how to move on to more productive problem solving

“Communicating with Influence – becoming a more effective friend, colleague, parent, leader”

Recognising that we can’t not influence, considering the role of intention and integrity, and how we can apply our awareness of individual preferences to tailor our communication more effectively

The Fundamentals of Wellbeing 1 – “What do we Mean by Wellbeing?”

What makes us happy, and are happiness and wellbeing synonymous? Exploring the role of meaning and purpose

The Fundamentals of Wellbeing 2 – “How’s your glass, half-full, or half-empty?”

Examining the costs and benefits of optimism vs pessimism, the role of explanatory styles, and of how we can make the most useful sense of even challenging experiences

The Fundamentals of Wellbeing 3 – “Lessons from Philosophy”

Exploring key messages from philosophers from Epicurus to Frankl – what sense, and what use might we choose to make from what they have to say?

“Movement, my arse!” – the benefits of exercise – your way

Reaffirming the benefits of exercise and exploring how to embed it in ways that work for you

Resilience – “The role of assertiveness and its contribution to performance and personal development”

What does it mean to be assertive, and how can we apply processes that support the development of assertiveness, self-worth and self-efficacy

“Learning Your - A,B,Cs” – Developing Flexibility of Thought

Exploring how we can be caught in patterns of inflexible thinking, and how we can break free from this to apply more creative and empowering modes of thinking and behaving