SUSSEX COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY NEWS SPRING 2017 www.sussex-counselling.co.uk
UPDATING YOUR DIRECTORY PROFILE
DEMENTIA: IS THERE A ROLE FOR THERAPY?
NEWS !AND VIEWS, SUSSEX COUNSELLING DREAM SEMINAR, SIGNPOSTING CLIENTS, LIFESPAN INTEGRATION
Wealden Psychology Institute Established in Crowborough, East Sussex since 1986
www.wealdeninstitute.co.uk Over the last 30 years Wealden Institute has built a solid reputation in the South East as a centre of excellence for specialized and advanced learning for counsellors, psychotherapist and supervisors, offering courses from beginner to post graduate level, accredited by the BACP, UKCP and EATA. The Institute has many years’ experience in providing the highest levels of practice through our Trauma Clinic, Supervision Service, Expert Witness Service and Animal Assisted Therapy at our local, Soil Association registered organic farm.
Specialist trainings for counsellors and psychotherapists: Animal Assisted Therapy – specialist training developed over 30 years of using animals in therapy. These training days are led by Joanna Beazley Richards and John Baxendale at the Wealden Institute Farm where participants learn the Wealden Institute Model of Animal Assisted Therapy. The trainings are suitable for anyone with some prior training in counselling or psychotherapy. Working with Trauma – this specialist training has been developed over many years by Joanna Beazley Richards, Registered Trauma Specialist who is a highly experienced psychotherapist and clinical psychologist, having spent a life time of working with traumatised children and adults. Wealden Trauma Clinic Our clinic offers TA, EMDR, Mindfulness and Animal Assisted Therapy for child and adult survivors of abuse, violence and trauma. Supervision of Counsellors, Psychotherapists, Clinical Psychologists and Supervisors Face to face, on line or by telephone, for trainees and qualified practitioners. Transactional Analysis Counselling & Psychotherapy training – 4 year training programme leading to UKCP accreditation as a Psychotherapist Diploma in Humanistic Integrative Counselling – BACP accredited course See our website for details of our programme of one and two day short courses and CPD workshops.
If you would like to get further information or arrange to come in for a chat, please contact the head office in Crowborough. You will receive a warm welcome.
Wealden Psychology Institute, 2 Quarry View, Whitehill Road, Crowborough, TN6 1JT
www.wealdeninstitute.co.uk Email: admin@wealdeninstitute.co.uk Telephone: 01892 655195
INSIDE
WELCOME...
4 Counsellors need counsellors New Sussex Counselling group
To our first issue of 2017. In this issue we consider the growing issue of dementia. Dementia describes different brain disorders that trigger a loss of brain function. These conditions are all usually progressive and eventually severe. There are 850,000 people with dementia in the UK, with numbers set to rise to over 1 million by 2025. This will soar to 2 million by 2051. 225,000 will develop dementia this year - that’s one every three minutes. So we asked how and what therapists could be doing in this growing area of need. Thurstine Bassett has worked as an independent training and development consultant for over 25 years, including with Mind, Together, the Mental Health Foundation, Rethink and the Richmond Fellowship. He’s written about the issue of dementia from a lived point of view after visiting his mother in a nursing home. And he is a member of a lay advisory group working with specialists from the Sussex NHS Partnership on dementia research. He gives his thoughts on where research is taking us and how therapists have a role to play both now and in the future as research into this vital area grows. And if you have an interest, Time for Dementia is seeking people with experience of dementia in Sussex and Surrey to help its work training healthcare professionals. If you’d like to get involved see our story on page 7. I’m sure this is an issue we will continue to return to so your thoughts and views on this as well as all other articles is much appreciated.
5 Dreams seminar Brenda Mallon on her forthcoming workshop 6 Lifespan Integration Therapy A profound healing therapy, report therapists 8 Dementia What is the role for therapists? 10 Community Links And other Sussex-wide mental health support services 12 Images and imagination Helen Armstrong reviews a Sussex Counselling seminar 14 Reviews 16 Diary
Astrid Spring 2017 Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy (SCAP) News is the quarterly magazine for counsellors and psychotherapists working in and around Sussex who are registered members of SCAP. Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy News is the official journal of Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy. Views expressed in the journal and signed by a writer are the views of the writer and not necessarily those of Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy. Publication in this journal does not imply endorsement of the writer’s views. Similarly publication of adverts does not constitute endorsement by Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy. Contributions are welcome with a £20 book voucher for original material. The Editor reserves the right to amend or alter copy. Please email items for news, diary, feature or review to newsletter@sussex-counselling.co.uk Deadline: 24 April for Summer 2017 issue. Advertise in SCAP Newsletter Full page colour £85, B&W £78. Half page colour £55, B&W, £48. Quarter page – £36. Contact: advertising@sussex-counselling.co.uk
4 Time to add your directory details Katherine Travis updates her online profile I was surprised at how easy it was to update my Directory entry on the Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy website. Having thought about doing this for months, finding many good reasons to justify my inaction, I decided to ‘just do it’. I sat quietly in front of my computer with a cup of tea, and 30 minutes later, I had completed my online profile. I realised it was a very simple process. Why did I procrastinate for so long? In 2017 we want to enlist the help of SCAP members and bring our online Directory to life and we’d like your help! So, if you are reading this and your membership includes a directory listing, why not update your profile? When you add/update your entry there are clear instructions and a list of ‘tips’ of how to complete the entry. You can add photos, a description of your location, your modality and any special interests or training that you offer. Many of us already have listings on sites such as www.findatherapist.co.uk or www.counsellingdirectory.com You can also edit your entry at any time and changes appear immediately. You also get an email confirmation every time you edit or update your entry. The Counsellor Directory is great resource, so whether you want to reach more clients, network with other therapists or simply raise your online profile as a professional in Sussex, we hope you’ll sign in, update your profile, and don’t forget to add that photo! Visit www. sussex-counselling.uk and select the Counsellor Directory tab to get started. Good luck! If you have any problems using the online tool, there is an option to contact our website technical support using the contact form. Katherine Travis, MBACP, MSc is a counsellor and psychotherapist in Hove.
Counselling community mourns Martin Jordan Martin Jordan, counselling psychologist, psychotherapist and international expert in the field of ecotherapy, died unexpectedly in January, aged 49. If you would like to leave a message of condolence you can do so at http://psychologicalther apiesbrighton.co.uk/ma rtin-jordan-messages-o f-condolence/
Online learning If you’re interested in accessing CPD from the comfort of your home or office, BACP now has a host of packages consisting of video presentations recorded at BACP conferences, selected presentation slides and CPD certificates with unlimited access until Friday 31 March 2017. Find out more at: http://tinyurl.com/jccs mfb
Counsellors need counsellors So many of us give to others, emotionally. But 2017 might be time for you as a counsellor or psychotherapist to look after yourself. Sussex Counselling committee member Jeannie Civil has created a new, monthly support group meeting for therapists. There will be a limited number of six places available on the group and the cost will be £20 per person. If you prefer, you can just book in for an individual session to give yourself an emotional boost. If you are interested please contact Jeanie@jeanie-civil.co.uk
SUSSEX COUNSELLING NEWS
How dreams offer the way forward for healing Brenda Mallon on her forthcoming seminar for Sussex Counselling Brenda Mallon’s seminar on dreams, takes place on 25 February in Brighton. “I have worked as a counsellor, therapist and writer for over 30 years and have come to believe that most of our dreaming is a form of healing. Our dreams ask us to look at ourselves, the lives we lead, aspects that we may need to change and our relationships with others. They cover every part of our existence; physical, emotional, and spiritual. The dreaming mind is sensitive to subtle changes in the body. People who suffer from migraine frequently have intense dreams of fireworks or light changes before the onset of an attack. Oliver Sachs, doctor and writer, saw dreaming as a sensitive ‘barometer of neurological health and disease’, for example, one of his patients knew that he would have a seizure because his usual black and white dreams were suffused with red. Sometimes dreams will give information to aid recovery. In my own research one fourteen year old girl told me; “I kept dreaming about
hands near my throat or me reaching for my throat.” When she thought about the timing of these recurring dreams, she found that they occurred prior to an asthma attack. The dreams alerted her so that she could take preventative action to alleviate the intensity of the attacks. Dreams can be an early warning system as I record in my book, Dreams, Counselling & Healing. One woman dreamt that a crab was clawing at her stomach. She was later diagnosed with stomach cancer and the crab is the astrological sign for cancer. In a dream group in which women with cancer met, many found their dreams reflected their fear as they waited for test results and the most significant dreams related to anxiety about the re emergence of cancer when they were in remission. However, such dreams brought latent anxieties to the surface so they could be addressed. Vasily Kasatkin, a psychiatrist at the
Russian Leningrad Neurosurgical Unit, studied the content of over 10,000 dreams from 1.200 subjects. He said dreams are; ‘sentries that watch over our health. There are nerves coming to the brain from every part of the body – and they relay signals of impending illness that the subconscious translates into dreams.’ The study of psychoneuroimmunolgy (PNI) shows how mind, body and spirit are interconnected. Our dreams reflect emotional states and we can use them to become more aware of our inner lives. If we work with our dreams we can aid physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of our lives and, I would argue, this is essential in the turbulent times in which we live.” Brenda Mallon is the author of 17 books, including The Dream Bible, and Dreams, Counselling and Healing. She presented In Your Dreams (Channel 4) where she interviewed a number of celebrities. including Toyah Wilcox. and Robin Gibbs.
Book your place on this seminar at www.sussex-counselling.co.uk.
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Explaining Lifespan Integration Therapy A treatment which provides profound and lasting healing, say counsellors Treating atttachment trauma with Integration Therapy is receiving much attention of late. With new courses on offer in Sussex (see our ads in this magazine), we talk to two therapists about their experiences. Vajralila, practicing at The Wilbury Clinic in Hove, says: “As a therapist and a supervisor, I have always felt slightly uncomfortable that I was not able to say I had received ‘good’ therapy. A few years ago I heard about Lifespan Integration therapy and that it was good for attachment trauma and so jumped at the chance to train. I now integrate it with the majority of my clients and am finding the depth of healing profound and lasting. I also am a client again receiving the lifespan work is vital in offering it. The LI approach has helped keep me in the room and identify less with my transference, allowing me to quickly move into and through my fears and hurts around not receiving good enough parenting; the only way, of course, is through. I have been a practicing Buddhist and therapist for over 18 years and am only now, through this work, leaning to tolerate new levels of vulnerability and experience this as strength. I
find myself wanting to offer this work particularly to therapists who have likely had a lot of talking therapy and want something that the other therapies couldn’t reach. The Lifespan approach works differently to talking therapy in that it works with a yearly timeline and processes in right brain. Its a bit like time travelling into the past and doing the repair work with the inner child, but then showing/proving to the child ego state that the past is over by showing them all the pictures of their life since then (the therapist reads out the clients timeline at this stage). The neuroscience is interesting in explaining how the work literally builds new neural pathways in the brain that helps the client see the world through the eyes of now, rather than then.” Beaula Page, a therapist in private practice in Battle, says: “I have been a therapist for 10 years. My original diploma was in hypnotherapy, specifically hypnoanalysis, but after studying other models, I stopped using this approach as I found the outcomes inconsistent. Several years ago, I decided to focus on helping people who had experienced either adult or developmental trauma. I
trained in trauma and dissociation, EMDR, Parks Inner Child Therapy (PICT), and, most recently, Lifespan integration (LI). Training in LI has been a turning point in my ability to effectively help my clients. Before I trained in LI, those clients who had experienced chronic childhood neglect / abuse/trauma and who perhaps had a fragmented sense of self and dissociation problems because of that, were taking a long time to recover and to heal their past. It was often slow work, helping them to stabilise and to communicate with the different aspects or parts of themselves, so that they could gradually develop more self-regulation, and more adaptive ways of responding and behaving. Then we would start to work through their trauma, often having to return to more stabilisation. In contrast, Lifespan Integration, which uses unique repetitions of a timeline of memory cues and works in the body to access implicit memory, has protocols which work relatively quickly to help with stabilisation, and others which build structure and a more coherent and, as the name suggests, integrated sense of self.
NEWS & VIEWS
NHS failing self harming children LI’s trauma clearing protocols can resolve all kinds of adverse experiences, from birth trauma such as forceps delivery, through to adult trauma like rape and severe accidents: adult traumas can often be cleared in one or two sessions. LI is a gentle, body-based therapy, built on solid neuroscience and developmental theory which
works with the client’s own timeline of experiences to bring about lasting change. Many LI therapists offer Skype sessions.” Please see the Lifespan Integration websites for more information. Find out more at: www.lifespanintegration.com and www.lifespanintegration.co.uk
Call for families affected by dementia Time for Dementia is a brand new study on Joint Dementia Research, inviting families living with dementia in Surrey and Sussex to take part. The study is the first of its kind in the world, to help train the healthcare professionals of tomorrow and improve the way that people with dementia are cared for by health services. The study will involve 800 medical, nursing and paramedic students spending regular time with families affected by dementia over two years. About 200 families in Surrey and Sussex are currently taking part and the hope is to recruit at least 400. Students visit a family three or four times a year for up to two hours each time. The idea is to improve knowledge, attitudes and empathy towards
people with dementia and their carers. Over 850,000 people live with dementia in the UK and 25 million have a friend or family member with the condition. Sussex and the South East has the highest proportion of older people of any area in the UK. Across Sussex over 25,000 people currently have dementia and this is set to rise to 30,000 over the next 10 years. www.joindementiaresearch .nihr.ac.uk/beginsignup. Professor Sube Banerjee, Chief Investigator for Time for Dementia, said: “This programme gives the students a chance to learn from the experts on dementia – the people directly affected. Find out more about the project at www.sussexpartnership.nhs. uk/whats-new/time-dementi a-2
NHS services for the soaring numbers of children who have self-harmed, tried to end their life or are having a breakdown are woefully substandard and risk prolonging their suffering, according to their psychiatrists. More than seven out of 10 (72%) consultant psychiatrists who specialise in treating children and adolescents say that NHS care for under-18s experiencing a crisis in their mental health is either inadequate (58%) or very inadequate (14%), according to a survey undertaken for the Guardian newspaper. Find out more at: www.theguardian.com/soci ety/2016/dec/26/nhs-menta l-health-services-failing-yo ung-people-say-psychiatris ts
Neonatal therapy Sally Meyer, who contributed the article on neonatal therapy in our last issue, would like to point out that we used an edited version of her article. If you’d like to view the unedited version you can find it at: http://tinyurl.com/zqm2lp5
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Dementia - a role for counsellors and therapists Thurstine Bassett on the way forward amid a growing illness “I think we spend a lot of time doing exercises for our body and eating well and thinking about physical well-being, but not enough time and energy focusing upon both our mental and emotional health.” So speaks Keith Oliver in his book Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk (Forget-Me-Knots, Canterbury 2016). Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2010, when aged 55 and working as a head teacher in a primary school, Keith has since become an inspirational advocate for people who have dementia. Although he spends time campaigning, teaching and advocating for others, he also
knows very well the importance of looking after his own physical and mental health. In a chapter Mindfulness and Therapy Keith talks about the importance of therapy and how his therapist, a clinical psychologist, works with him in combining compassion-based therapy with mindfulness. The psychologist, who writes in the same chapter, says: “Dementia is not just about memory loss, so let’s explore the personal meanings attached to dementia (and other health conditions) and find ways to work with these in order to help people have a more
meaningful and comfortable future.” It is very encouraging to see the role that some NHS psychologists are taking in relation to dementia – I don’t know if this is the case across the whole of the UK, but I have found that many interesting initiatives in the field of dementia seem to be rooted in the Psychology Departments of NHS Trusts. Keith’s situation also reminds us that, as the Department of Health seeks to increase the level of diagnosis of dementia, so inevitably people will be receiving a diagnosis at an earlier age than in the past. The rationale for an earlier diagnosis is fairly obvious
DEMENTIA COUNSELLING
since it then gives more time for harm prevention, addressing quality of life issues and planning for the future. However, since a cure seems a long way off, this can also leave people being diagnosed and then facing an uncertain future without much help or assistance from mainstream health and social care services. A lot of responsibility will, of course, fall on family carers. I can think of no better role for counsellors and psychotherapists than working with a person who has just received a diagnosis and indeed working also with whosoever in their family can be considered their main carer. How the finances for such work are accessed will be a key issue. Certainly, although the Department of Health have produced many worthwhile policy documents and initiatives in the field of dementia, there hasn’t usually been sufficient public funding to see the policies put into practice. Most recently in March 2016 the Department of Health published Challenge on Dementia 2020: Implementation Plan. There are four areas for action outlined as follows: Risk reduction – aiming to educate people about the risks of developing dementia
and steps that can be taken to reduce these risks. Health and care – aiming for personalised care plans for people with dementia and creating ‘dementia-friendly settings’. Awareness and social action – aiming to increase the numbers of ‘Dementia Friends’ and ‘Dementia Friendly Communities’. Research – aiming to establish a UK Dementia Research Institute and a Dementia 2020 Citizens Panel so that the voice of people with lived experience of dementia and their carers is at the centre of research and subsequent strategy. There is a role for counsellors and psychotherapists in all four of these areas. For a start, individual therapists could aim to become ‘dementia friends’ and clinics/practices could also aim to become ‘dementia friendly settings’. Therapists have a role in enabling people to speak out and tell their story. This is important work for people who have dementia and their families. For myself, both my mother and father had a diagnosis of dementia and after caring for them, alongside my sister, and other family members I wrote a few articles on the family carer’s perspective (available on the Sussex
‘For a start, individual therapists could aim to become dementia friends and clinics/practices could also aim to become dementia friendly settings’ Counselling website at www.sussex-counselling.co. uk) and this led to me getting a role with Sussex Partnership Foundation NHS Trust as part of a group of people with lived experience of dementia – some of us have a diagnosis of dementia and others are family carers. I welcome this level of involvement and we are always on the look-out for new members of our group. Further reading People with Dementia Speak Out, Whitman L., Jessica Kingsley (2015) Telling Tales about Dementia: Experiences of Caring, Whitman L., Jessica Kingsley (2010). Thurstine Bassett is as an independent training and development consultant, working for many years in the field of mental health.
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Community Links enables therapists to signpost Claire Baker of SCAP on services for people with mental health challenges Community Links offers free, one-to-one support for people living with significant mental health challenges in Brighton & Hove and East Sussex, providing a vital referral service for counsellors and their clients. The Community Links services aim to: * help people to live independently, * help people take more control over their lives, by building up networks of support, * increase resilience and social inclusion through participation in community-based activities, * decrease isolation, stigma and health inequalities People are encouraged to identify goals in line with their interests, develop existing and new skills, and explore and access a range of services, groups or activities in the following areas: * employment and volunteering * education and training * faith and spirituality * arts and culture * health and leisure * special interests * tenancy sustainment. While Community Links in East Sussex and Brighton & Hove share the same name and aims, eligibility and referral procedures differ, depending on the area. Community Links Brighton & Hove:
Offers short-term, flexible support, to people aged 18+ who have significant mental health support needs,who live in Brighton or Hove. Referrals: Referrals are accepted from any services or agencies working with people who have mental health support needs. To make a referral please download and complete the referral form at: www.southdownhousing.org /community-links-brightonhove Contact Community Links - Brighton & Hove: Email: CommunityLinksBrighton @southdownhousing.org Tel: 01273 749500 Team Manager: Lynsey Hermann Community Links - East Sussex: Offers 12 sessions of individually tailored, solution-focused coaching,to people aged 16+ who have mental health needs, or Autism and mental health needs,who live in East Sussex. Referrals: People can refer themselves or organisations can refer on an individual’s behalf. To make a referral please download and complete the referral form at: www.southdownhousing.org /community-links-east-susse x
Contact Community Links - East Sussex: Email: s.foard@southdownhousing. org Tel: 01273 405800/ 07805 863176 Team Manager: Stephanie Foard What happens next? If the service is suitable, an allocated Community Links Advisor will: * contact the referred person directly to arrange an informal assessment. * agree an action plan/wellbeing plan, to be reviewed regularly. * work collaboratively to explore ways to reduce barriers and aid independent participation in community activities *reduce support as appropriate and work towards a planned ending. In West Sussex a similar service is provided by Sussex Oakleaf, which provides a range of support services to people with mental health needs, those with a personality disorder and individuals at risk of homelessness. It aims to empower people and promote independence by providing recovery focused community wellbeing services, residential care, peer mentoring, housing support and volunteering opportunities.
SIGNPOSTING CLIENTS
‘A therapist might refer someone to Community Links who, for example, has identified an activity or interest in the wider community they wish to undertake, but which their mental health is a barrier to them accessing. For example, anxiety, paranoia or depression may prevent someone from using public transport or visiting an unfamiliar place for the first time. With flexible, practical, one-to-one support and coaching from these services, people can feel less alone and better equipped to overcome their own personal obstacles, in order to fulfil their self-identified goals’ The West Sussex Community Wellbeing Service aims to promote good mental health and wellbeing by offering a flexible service which is designed around the individual. You can access the service if you are living in West Sussex, are currently registered with a GP and are experiencing difficulties with your mental health. The service works sensitively alongside people to look at the whole picture in order to develop a plan which is tailored to meet a person’s needs and goals. Recovery workers are trained members of staff who can provide people with emotional support and help towards goals. This support is offered initially for 12 weeks but can be extended depending on needs. Peer mentors are trained staff and volunteers who use their own ‘lived experience’ of mental health problems to support others. Peer mentors can work alongside someone for up to eight sessions
helping develop confidence and a belief in abilities. The Community Programme offers a variety of activities, workshops and courses throughout the week. There are also opportunities for clients and volunteers to become involved in the planning, delivery and review of the service and organisation. Download a referral form and find out what groups the service offers at: www.sussexoakleaf.org.uk/ community-wellbeing-westsussex/ The East Sussex Community Wellbeing Service aims to promote good mental health and wellbeing by offering a flexible service which is designed around the individual. People can access the service if they are living in East Sussex and are experiencing difficulties with mental health and wellbeing. The service works sensitively alongside people to look at the whole picture in order to develop a plan
which is tailored to meet needs and goals. Recovery workers provide emotional support and help towards goals. Staff also help people find out about other services and activities in the area. Peer mentors can also work alongside people, helping develop confidence and a belief in their own abilities. The Community Programme offers a variety of activities, workshops and courses throughout the week. There are also opportunities for clients and volunteers to become involved in the planning, delivery and review of the service and organisation. For a referral form and links to groups visit www.sussexoakleaf.org.uk/ community-wellbeing-eastsussex/ Claire Baker is a Community Links Advisor for the Brighton and Hove service and a psychotherapeutic counsellor in private practice.
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How images and imagination connect us SCAP’s Helen Armstrong finds drawing a route to the unconscious Sally McLaren is a psychotherapist in private practice in Horsham. She has a particular interest in the work and ideas of Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist Carl Gustav Jung. Her work in this area formed the basis of a fascinating seminar for Sussex Counselling run last year. Sally writes: “In 2012 I completed a two year Infant Observation Course with the Jungian Section of the British Psychotherapy Foundation. I observed a baby in his home each week from birth to two years in order to build up a picture of his developing inner world and relationships, and deepen my understanding of the human psyche. My experiences with baby Max have left me with a conviction that images and imagination play a central part in connecting us to the deeper levels of the psyche, that this connection is there from the beginning, long
before words are available, and that this has implications for the consulting room and indeed for our own personal journeys.” Sally presented her report on observations of baby Max, focusing on events in his
second year. Max was too young to speak, but growled and communicated through sounds and gestures, his house and books were full of images of the animals that he loved. The seminar was advertised with the Carlo Crivelli painting from 1480 of the Madonna with the Goldfinch, in which the infant Christ is pictured clasping a goldfinch as he sits on his mother's lap. The painting also shows a stylised landscape with strange three-part trees, turbaned people, and large images of a fly, an apple and a cucumber.
SUSSEX COUNSELLING SEMINAR
Sally explained the significance of these objects; that they were part of a visual language understood at the time, but obscure to 21st century observers. The apples and fly are symbols of sin and evil and are opposed to the cucumber and the goldfinch, symbols of redemption. Birds and a fly featured in anecdotes about Max, describing how he wished to touch a fallen bird, but obeyed his mother’s instructions to hold back. Birds also featured in Sally’s real experience and in dreams, leading her to speculate on their significance in her own life and in her training. After two years as a regular silent presence in Max’s life, Sally had to end her observations. Her account of her last visit impressed me that Max’s behaviour that day included him disappearing behind bushes then reappearing, which he did four times. It seemed to me that Max sensed that he was facing a loss. The talk was illustrated with drawings and paintings, by Sally and by Carl Jung - especially the series of paintings that Jung produced daily over a period of three
‘It isn’t easy to switch off my logical, conscious self and let the unconscious take over, but we were each able to make a drawing and reflect on it without trying to interpret it.’ years in an effort to connect with his own unconconscious, that are bound into the famous Red Book. We spent the second part of the morning, like Jung, using drawing to reconnect with our own preverbal unconscious selves. It isn’t easy to switch off my logical, conscious self and let the unconscious take over, but we were each able to make a drawing and reflect on it without trying to interpret it. Some made drawings of experiences from childhood, others about what was happening with them today. I think we all appreciated the opportunity to connect with those other parts of
ourselves as we gazed at our drawings. Parts of Sally’s observations included looking at stories that deal with the ‘wild things’ within us: the Gruffalo, and Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are evoked visual versions of strong feelings, so Sendak’s book was an apt leaving present that she gave to Max and his family. Helen Armstrong was a private counsellor for many years and is now SCAP web assistant and membership secretary.
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Complex trauma gets a new age treatment Grant Bardsley is foxed by a new model technique for healing The Comprehensive Resource Model: Effective therapeutic techniques for the healing of complex trauma - Lisa Schwartz, Frank Corrigan, Alastair Hull and Rajiv Raju The Comprehensive Resource Model (CRM) is a new and innovative approach to treating complex trauma and its originators make big claims for it: CRM provides the clearing of traumatic material that allows for the uncovering of the Core Self, the recognition of the origin and purpose of one’s life, and the ability to take action towards living with joy and unconditional love. This clearing is achieved through the use of a range of resources conceived of as a set of nested ‘Russian dolls’ and composed of Attunement, Breathing, Sacred Place, Grids, Attachment, Distress and Core Self. These resources provide clients with the neurobiologically and physiologically grounded means to approach the psychotherapeutic work of stabilisation, reprocessing and reintegration swiftly and without retraumatisation.
The authors claim that rather than proceeding in the standard linear fashion, CRM facilitates healing in each of these areas simultaneously. The actual mechanics of the way these resources are established and applied was unclear to me from the current work. Some of the resources themselves (breath work, attunement, attachment, creative visualisation) were intelligible enough but there is much talk of anchoring them to eye positions and the resource of Grids in particular seems to revolve around identifying energetic resources at various places in the body and relating them to these eye positions. I could get no clear picture of what this might mean in practice and I found myself increasingly frustrated by the opacity of the process descriptions the authors offer, with no sense of how any of these resources are actually integrated into psychotherapy. By the time they turned to the use of Power Animals I had lost patience with the curious collision of impenetrable neuroscientific argot and new age/shamanic mystification this volume would seem to represent. There are many valuable insights glimmering through in places here, nonetheless; the need to engage with trauma holistically and pay
‘By the time they turned to the use of ‘Power Animals’ I had lost patience with the curious collision of impenetrable neuroscientific argot and new age/shamanic mystification this volume would seem to represent.’
attention to its somatic impacts; the imperative to make attunement and attachment a primary priority in trauma work and the importance of honouring and addressing the spiritual dimensions of trauma for example. But until these insights are elaborated more explicitly and the use of the resources themselves is explained and demonstrated through case histories, I suspect many readers may remain, as I did, comprehensively foxed by the CRM.GB Grant Bardsley is a counsellor, trainer and facilitator
REVIEWS
Peeping into the consulting room Grant Bardsley is too aware of actor clients In Therapy: How conversations with psychotherapists really work - Susie Orbach The work we do is done in private and so unlike professionals in many other fields, we don’t get to watch each other practice. It’s this that makes the therapeutic vignettes offered by writer-practitioners like Irving Yalom, Ernesto Spinelli and Stephen Grosz so irresistible and so compelling; it’s as if we get to look through the keyhole of the consulting room, become the proverbial fly on the wall. We’re aware, though, that the accounts we read are heavily edited and anonymised versions of the real thing and the hesitations and confusions and silences of real therapeutic sessions are often missing. In her Radio 4 program In Therapy (reviewed in a previous issue) Suzie Orbach tries to approach something more authentic by doing therapy with actors improvising the role of clients. In this book she offers an account of the process of making the programmes, transcripts of the ‘sessions’ themselves, her thoughts as a therapist on these ‘clients’ and their dilemmas, and comments more generally on the art of psychotherapy from her distinctive, politically engaged, contemporary psychoanalytic perspective.
A Monster Calls While there are plenty of non-sequiturs, long silences,‘ums’ and ‘ahs’ and surprising twists and turns in the transcripts, the authenticity Orbach is reaching for seems outside her grasp as there is something that feels less real about these sessions and her insights into them than the ostensibly more heavily mediated accounts of therapy from Grosz and others. I was always conscious of the fact that her ‘clients’ were responding to her from an assumed and therefore artificial emotional/psychological position, and though Orbach is undoubtedly doing therapy with them as genuinely as she’s able, her insights and interpretations, while apparently acute, seem somehow weightless and ungrounded as a result. Happily, none of this detracts from the pleasure and privilege of reading Orbach’s thoughts on her process as a psychotherapist and on therapy in general. In her commentary on the fictional clients, her digressions into the detail of psychoanalytic practice and in a lengthy afterword tackling the question of what therapy is and who it’s for, she offers us more than enough to make this book essential reading. GB Grant Bardsley is a counsellor, trainer and facilitator
Patrick Ness’s award winning novel, fantastically and darkly illustrated by Jim Kay has been brilliantly brought to the screen. Conor (Lewis MacDougall) is dealing with far more than other boys his age. His beloved and devoted mother (Felicity Jones) is ill. He has little in common with his imperious grandmother (Sigourney Weaver) and his dad now lives in LA. But Conor finds a most unlikely ally when the Monster (Liam Neeson) appears at his bedroom window one night. Ancient, wild, and relentless, the monster guides Conor on a journey of courage, faith, and truth that powerfully fuses imagination and reality. A wonderful and deeply moving film, which is a valuable watch for any therapist encouraging themselves and clients to find the means to express their feelings.
16 FEBRUARY 18 The Fragile Self: Working with Narcissistic Vulnerability, Grandiosity, Shame and Alienation.Brighthelm Centre, Brighton. Details: www.brightontherapypartne rship.org.uk/events/the-fragi le-self/ FEBRUARY 25 Open Day, Link Centre, Newick, 12.30-1.30. Details: www.thelinkcentre.co.uk MARCH 25 Trauma training for therapists (CPD). Wilbury Clinic. Details: www.thewilburyclinic.co.uk APRIL 1 AND 2
Brainspotting Training Phase. Therapedia, Hove. Details: www.bspuk.co.uk/training-c ourses/ APRIL 6 Animal Assisted Therapy. The use of animals in therapeutic work. Wealden Institute Farm. Details: www.wealdeninstitute.co.uk/ wp-content/uploads/short_c ourses-1.pdf APRIL 18 Culture and Energy Theory. Details: www.wealdeninstitute.co.uk/ wp-content/uploads/short_c ourses-1.pdf MAY 6 Working with addiction. Wilbury Clinic, Hove.
www.thewilburyclinic.co.uk MAY 7 Therapy group: Day workshop supporting recovery from addiction (for clients, including therapists in recovery) JUNE 10 Sand tray training. Wilbury Clinic, Hove. www.thewilburyclinic.co.uk JUNE 24 Safeguarding children in the therapeutic process. 9.45am-4pm. Centre for Emotional Development. Details: www.emotionaldevelopment. co.uk
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Levels 1 & 2 LIFESPAN INTEGRATION Training TWO LINKED WORKSHOPS Dates and Times: Level 1: Friday June 2nd & Saturday June 3rd, 2017 Level 2: FridayJuly21 & Saturday July 22nd Venue: Catholic Diocesan Education Centre, 4 Southgate Dr, Crawley RH10 6RP Costs: Early bird registration by March 31: £450 After March 31: £500 Retaking: £400
Trainer: Mandy Roland-Smith, UKCP Integrative Psychotherapist, Senior. Reg. MBACP Counsellor / Psychotherapist, Certified LI Therapist, Consultant and Trainer
About Lifespan Integration Discovered and developed by Peggy Pace, LI therapy works in the body to bring about more coherence in the client’s self system as dissociated neural clusters (implicit memory, feeling states and ego states) become integrated throughout the client’s bodymind. Simple traumas can be resolved in one or two sessions; and implicit memory states integrated in a unique, powerful, yet gentle way, without retraumatising the client. Course organiser/enquiries:
Mandy Roland-Smith
mandyrolandsmith@btinternet.com
Website: www.lifespanintegration.com www.lifespanintegration.co.uk
Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy (SCAP)
Contact Us Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy Group PO Box 308, Brighton BN2 0WA Editor: Astrid Stubbs: newsletter@sussex-counselling.co.uk Advertising : advertising@sussex-counselling.co.uk Membership: membership@sussex-counselling.co.uk Chair: chair@sussex-counselling.co.uk General Enquiries: info@sussex-counselling.co.uk New Counsellors: newcounsellors@sussex-counselling.co.uk Paper Directory: paperdirectory@sussex-counselling.co.uk Secretary: secretary@sussex-counselling.co.uk Finance: finance@sussex-counselling.co.uk Website: website@sussex-counselling.co.uk Web: www.sussex-counselling.co.uk Twitter: @SussexCAP Facebook: www.facebook.com/SussexCounsellingAndPsychotherapy Printed by www.dpsltd.net
ROOM HIRE
2017 CPD WORKSHOPS May 6th: Working with Addiction May 7th: Daylong workshop (for clients) supporting recovery from addiction June 10th: Sand Tray Training September 2nd: Systemic Ritual, resourcing therapists using shamanic health approaches November 4th: Trauma Training for Therapists (CPD)
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Beautiful, light, clean, aesthetic, spacious rooms £7.50 - £8.50 p/h Complementary web presence Free wifi On line booking system Blue tooth speaker White board Kitchen with tea / coffee making facilities, a fridge and cutlery / crockery for shared lunches on workshop days. • Projector for training sessions • Friendly supportive therapist community • Year round availability 8am – 10pm
FOR MORE INFO:
SAND TRAY Bespoke Sand Tray made to your specifications (examples can be viewed at The Wilbury Clinic)
http://sandtray.weebly.com
The Wilbury Clinic 64 Wilbury Road Hove BN3 3YE therapies@thewilburyclinic.co.uk www.thewilburyclinic.co.uk
Lifespan CPD Workshops
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Inspiring Self Discovery with Isabella Florschutz, Psychotherapist (MA, UKCP) The Goddess Within Creative, nurturing CPD, exploring how the female archetypes of the Greek goddesses can support understanding of our self, relationships and life aims. Saturday 29th April 2017 11.00am-4.00pm The Koorana Centre, Ardingly, West Sussex, RH17 6UB
Persephone’s Awakening A Transformational Journey’ Explore the characters in the Greek Myth of Persephone and discover its relevance for our own life or clients. Its images and themes will be brought to life through movement to music, discussion and expressive arts. Saturday 10th June 2017 10.00am-5.00pm Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX Please contact: Isabella on 07796 331618 or email: info@iflorschutz.com details: w.w.w.iflorschutz.com
The Link Centre is professional but relaxed. This makes the right environment for learning in. ENGAGING AND THOUGHT PROVOKING WORKSHOPS AND COURSES For those who wish to challenge and be challenged. Private Practice
Back to basics
TA 101 Introduction to Transactional Analysis
Running Groups
Sunday 5th March 9.30am – 4.30pm Is 2017 the year you will be running a full and vibrant private practice? This workshop day provides an opportunity to examine these questions from both personal and practical perspectives. It will give you a space to share your feelings, thoughts and practical concerns with peers and the opportunity to reflect and consider what you may need to start up or grow your own practice or to build on what you already have.
Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th March 9.30am - 4.30pm Do you sometimes wish you were better equipped to understand others? TA is a great tool for personal awareness and professional development. This weekend course will introduce some of the main concepts of TA which can be applied within education, organisations, coaching, parenting, management, counselling and psychotherapy. The courses leads to an internationally recognised certificate and an excellent starting point for those wishing to continue with further counselling / psychotherapy training.
Certificate in Working with Couples
Thursday 30th and Friday 31st March, Thursday 11th and Friday 12th May, Thursday 13th and Friday 14th July 9.30am - 4.30pm The dynamics of working with couples are complex but rewarding. Certificate in Working with Couples will give you the practical tools and experience which can be applied to your work. The course will cover a range of theoretical ideas and issues with a focus on practical application. As a group we will explore areas such as understanding the unconscious couple fit, working with domestic violence, sex or infidelity, couples who are in constant conflict, power struggles and the many issues that arise within this dynamic.
Thursday 22nd June 2017 Sometimes it is good to revisit and re-examine. A collaborative and practical skills course for qualified counsellors and therapists to revisit and re-practice core counselling skills and obtain feedback from others. Try new approaches and discuss outcomes with colleagues. Our version of a skills ‘MOT’, share with colleagues who understand the demands of the therapeutic role we undertake. Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd July A 2 day course to equip experienced counsellors with the knowledge and skills to plan, lead and manage an effective counselling group. Course tutor Frances Townsend
Open Day
Saturday 25th February 2017 – 12.30pm to 1.30pm Visit us during one of our training weekends – get a flavour of the Link Centre by meeting tutors and students and see our training environment.
Part-Time Counselling / Psychotherapy training courses
Part-time weekend courses (10 weekends a year between October and July), leading to national and international accreditation. The Link Centre are now taking applications for October 2017.
For more information or to discuss your requirements further please visit www.thelinkcentre.co.uk or call 01892 652487
NEW!
The Link Centre now offers both weekday and weekend courses
www.thelinkcentre.co.uk
SUSSEX COUNSELLING SPRING SOCIAL FRIDAY MARCH 3 FROM 7.30PM
The Eagle Pub 124 Gloucester Road, Brighton. BN1 4 AF WWW.SUSSEX-COUNSELLING.CO.UK A WARM WELCOME AWAITS ALL OUR SUSSEX THERAPISTS. COME AND CHAT, NETWORK AND DISCUSS THE FUTURE OF COUNSELLING