These run on Wednesday afternoons and are open to all students - no pre-workshop interview is needed. Registration opens a month before each workshop; all you need to do is contact the counselling administrator as detailed in the workshop links below. Workshops can be very popular so do sign up in advance and please let us know with 24 hours notice if you cannot attend after all - we understand that sometimes things come up unexpectedly and by telling us we can offer your place to someone else. After you register you will receive an enrolment certificate with details of the venue and timings, and you will receive a reminder a couple of days prior to the workshop.
Each workshop covers a specific topic and you can sign up for any you feel might apply to you, though it is probably a good idea to limit the number you do so you don’t try to tackle too many things at once. They will be run by different members of the counselling team, and some are run more than once in the year.
Each workshop is an introduction to an area rather than a ‘therapy course’ and you will not be expected to provide lots of personal information or to share anything you aren’t comfortable with. They will give you a good foundation to take further self-directed steps forward and will provide information about further resources - or they might help you decide to make an individual counselling appointment to think about things a bit more with one of our team, it’s completely up to you. There are a limited number of places for each workshop. Each participant will be asked not to discuss what anyone else says outside the course, to ensure a confidential and comfortable environment.
“I’ll do it tomorrow...”
31st October 2012
“I’ll do it tomorrow...” - How to stop putting things off and get on with your life
Wednesday 31st October 2012, 2:00pm - 4:30pm, Nuffield Centre
Always thinking you’ll ...
- ... do that assignment
- ... make that phone call
- ... pay that bill
- ... read that book
... tomorrow?
This workshop will help you to understand why you keep putting things off, and to start thinking about how you can make changes to your life.
To register with the group (numbers are limited to 16) please contact the Counselling Service Administrator Helen Clare:
|
Email: |
helen.clare@port.ac.uk |
|
Tel. |
023 9284 3466 |
|
|
Or come to Nuffield Reception.
Booking will open four weeks before the workshop. |
Living Like You Mean It
14th November 2012
Living like you mean it - How to stop being held back by emotional barriers and commit to the life you want
Wednesday 14th November 2012, 1:15pm to 3:45pm
Do you often find yourself avoiding things you’d really like to do - things that might feel scary or challenging - such as taking centre stage, starting a new interest from scratch, accepting a social invite, having a close relationship…? Do you wonder if ‘playing it safe’ might limit your life? Would you welcome more ‘sticking power’ with that assignment when it gets tricky?
If you could wake up tomorrow and find your life fulfilled and just as you’d choose it, what exactly would you be doing differently? What barrier would you have overcome?
Perhaps you would:
- Let people get closer to you without fearing rejection, knowing you’ll find a way to be OK if things don’t work out
- Share your emotions more openly and behave assertively
- Study for the pleasure of it and stay with it when the going gets tough
- Join an activity in an area you’ve never tried before
- Make presentations and speak out in groups willingly despite feeling anxiety
Or maybe you can think of something else you have put off by focusing on what could go wrong and a lack of confidence in your ability to negotiate any obstacles.
It’s normal to feel anxious or hesitant about challenges, yet we can think such emotions are unusual or unhealthy, or we might trust them too much as guides to what we should or shouldn’t venture. What if the problem wasn’t so much how it might feel to do something daunting but was instead our avoidant response? What if we have become ‘phobic’ about letting ourselves experience the feelings the situation would give us? By understanding emotions better we can become more willing to do things that will help us experience life more fully. This taster course aims to start the ball rolling by increasing understanding of the self-protective cycles we can all get caught up in.
If you’d like to find out more, come along to an afternoon of learning, practising and discussion. You can book a place on this workshop (numbers are limited to 14).
To register with the group please contact the Counselling Service Administrator Helen Clare:
|
Email: |
helen.clare@port.ac.uk |
|
Tel. |
023 9284 3466 |
|
|
Or come to Nuffield Reception.
Booking will open four weeks before the workshop. |
Being Assertive
21st November 2012
Being Assertive - A guide for beginners
Wednesday 21st November 2:00pm - 4:30pm, Nuffield Centre
This workshop is a starter pack for people who want to be assertive but find themselves being something else instead.
By the end of the session you should be able to know what assertiveness is (and isn't), and understand your own strengths and weaknesses in relation to being assertive. You will have had a chance to learn and practice some assertiveness skills that you can tak away with you.
The workshop will teach skills through participation. Come prepared to join in, have some fun and learn a bit more about yourself. Maximum group size is twelve, and you will need to come for the whole session.
To register with the group please contact the Counselling Service Administrator Helen Clare:
|
Email: |
helen.clare@port.ac.uk |
|
Tel. |
023 9284 3466 |
|
|
Or come to Nuffield Reception.
Booking will open four weeks before the workshop. |
“Sleep easy...”
28th November 2012
“Sleep easy...” - Get back on track with your body clock
A workshop exploring cognitive-behavioural methods to maximise the quality of your sleep
Wednesday 28th November 2012, 1:30pm - 4:00pm, Nuffield Centre
When you get up in the morning do you feel refreshed and ready for the day ahead? Or do you feel like you need to crawl straight back under the covers?
Sleep serves an essential restorative function - yet while most of us know what it is to have an occasional bad night many people struggle with persistent sleep difficulties that can have a real impact on cognitive, physical and emotional functioning.
The good news is that there are lots of highly effective non-pharmacological methods for improving sleep and keeping it improved. These are simple to learn - and it really pays to prioritise them.
Whether you are determined to make change for yourself, or want to just start thinking about whether it could be beneficial for you to do things differently, come along to this psycho-educational afternoon workshop based on cognitive-behavioural principles, and learn how to start to sleep well again.
To book a place on this workshop (numbers are limited to 14), please contact the counselling service adminstrator Helen Clare:
|
Email: |
helen.clare@port.ac.uk |
|
Tel. |
023 9284 3466 |
|
|
Or come to Nuffield Reception.
Booking will open four weeks before the workshop. |
Stress Reduction Through Mindfulness
5th December 2012
Stress Reduction Through Mindfulness
Wednesday 5th December, 1:30pm - 4:00pm, Nuffield Centre
This workshop is for students seeking ways of managing stress in their daily lives.
The most natural response to stress is to try and avoid it - but if you run away from stress it will run after you and it can run faster than you!
We all experience times of difficulty and struggle, but this workshop will introduce you, through the application of mindfulness skills, to ways of increasing your awareness of stress-related sensations, thoughts and feelings. This will help you to respond rather than react to life’s difficulties, manage your stress more effectively and be more relaxed and in control of your life.
To register with the group (numbers are limited) please contact the Counselling Service Administrator Helen Clare:
|
Email: |
helen.clare@port.ac.uk |
|
Tel. |
023 9284 3466 |
|
|
Or come to Nuffield Reception.
Booking will open four weeks before the workshop. |
Take the Power out of Panic
16th January 2013
KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON: Taking the power out of panic - An afternoon workshop using cognitive-behavioural principles
Wednesday 16th January 2013, 1:30pm - 4:00pm, Nuffield Centre
Panic can be a very distressing and frightening experience with typical symptoms including:
| Racing heart or palpitations |
Feeling that oneself or the world around you is 'unreal' |
| Numbness or tingling |
Fear that you are having a health emergency |
| Feeling dizzy or faint |
Nausea |
| Shaking or trembling |
Sweating or chills |
| Fear of losing control |
Shortness or breath |
| Chest pain |
Sensation of choking |
These symptoms can vary in intensity at different times and from person to person.
Panic attacks, characterised by a rapid, intense peak in anxiety, are a common anxiety response, with around 1 in 10 people having at least one attack during their lifetime. They are the body's alarm system in action - great in situations of real physical danger but not so useful in a false alarm. In essence, panic is like a fire bell ringing when there is no fire.
This workshop is based on cognitive-behavioural principles which have been demonstrated to be highly effective for panic. If you are concerned about panic attacks, come along and learn more about what panic is and what you can do to reclaim your life.
You can book a place on this workshop (numbers are limited to 14).
To register with the group please contact the Counselling Service Administrator Helen Clare:
|
Email: |
helen.clare@port.ac.uk |
|
Tel. |
023 9284 3466 |
|
|
Or come to Nuffield Reception.
Booking will open four weeks before the workshop. |
Living Like You Mean It
20th February 2013
Living like you mean it - How to stop being held back by emotional barriers and commit to the life you want
Wednesday 20th February 2013, 1:15pm to 3:45pm
Do you often find yourself avoiding things you’d really like to do - things that might feel scary or challenging - such as taking centre stage, starting a new interest from scratch, accepting a social invite, having a close relationship…? Do you wonder if ‘playing it safe’ might limit your life? Would you welcome more ‘sticking power’ with that assignment when it gets tricky?
If you could wake up tomorrow and find your life fulfilled and just as you’d choose it, what exactly would you be doing differently? What barrier would you have overcome?
Perhaps you would:
- Let people get closer to you without fearing rejection, knowing you’ll find a way to be OK if things don’t work out
- Share your emotions more openly and behave assertively
- Study for the pleasure of it and stay with it when the going gets tough
- Join an activity in an area you’ve never tried before
- Make presentations and speak out in groups willingly despite feeling anxiety
Or maybe you can think of something else you have put off by focusing on what could go wrong and a lack of confidence in your ability to negotiate any obstacles.
It’s normal to feel anxious or hesitant about challenges, yet we can think such emotions are unusual or unhealthy, or we might trust them too much as guides to what we should or shouldn’t venture. What if the problem wasn’t so much how it might feel to do something daunting but was instead our avoidant response? What if we have become ‘phobic’ about letting ourselves experience the feelings the situation would give us? By understanding emotions better we can become more willing to do things that will help us experience life more fully. This taster course aims to start the ball rolling by increasing understanding of the self-protective cycles we can all get caught up in.
If you’d like to find out more, come along to an afternoon of learning, practising and discussion. You can book a place on this workshop (numbers are limited to 14).
To register with the group please contact the Counselling Service Administrator Helen Clare:
|
Email: |
helen.clare@port.ac.uk |
|
Tel. |
023 9284 3466 |
|
|
Or come to Nuffield Reception.
Booking will open four weeks before the workshop. |
“I’ll do it tomorrow...”
13th March 2013
“I’ll do it tomorrow...” - How to stop putting things off and get on with your life
Wednesday 13th March 2012, 2:00pm - 4:30pm, Nuffield Centre
Always thinking you’ll ...
- ... do that assignment
- ... make that phone call
- ... pay that bill
- ... read that book
... tomorrow?
This workshop will help you to understand why you keep putting things off, and to start thinking about how you can make changes to your life.
To register with the group (numbers are limited to 16) please contact the Counselling Service Administrator Helen Clare:
|
Email: |
helen.clare@port.ac.uk |
|
Tel. |
023 9284 3466 |
|
|
Or come to Nuffield Reception.
Booking will open four weeks before the workshop. |
“Sleep easy...”
13th March 2013
“Sleep easy...” - Get back on track with your body clock
A workshop exploring cognitive-behavioural methods to maximise the quality of your sleep
Wednesday 13th March 2013, 1:30pm - 4:00pm, Nuffield Centre
When you get up in the morning do you feel refreshed and ready for the day ahead? Or do you feel like you need to crawl straight back under the covers?
Sleep serves an essential restorative function - yet while most of us know what it is to have an occasional bad night many people struggle with persistent sleep difficulties that can have a real impact on cognitive, physical and emotional functioning.
The good news is that there are lots of highly effective non-pharmacological methods for improving sleep and keeping it improved. These are simple to learn - and it really pays to prioritise them.
Whether you are determined to make change for yourself, or want to just start thinking about whether it could be beneficial for you to do things differently, come along to this psycho-educational afternoon workshop based on cognitive-behavioural principles, and learn how to start to sleep well again.
To book a place on this workshop (numbers are limited to 14), please contact the counselling service adminstrator Helen Clare:
|
Email: |
helen.clare@port.ac.uk |
|
Tel. |
023 9284 3466 |
|
|
Or come to Nuffield Reception.
Booking will open four weeks before the workshop. |
Managing Exam Stress
20th March 2013
Managing Exam Stress - Counselling Service Workshop
Wednesday 20th March 2013 - 2:00pm - 4:00pm, Nuffield Centre
Most of us dread exams - yet all of us have to do exams at university. Do they have to be such a trial?
Sometimes exam anxiety blocks our effectiveness when trying to revise and prepare beforehand, and concentrating once in the exam. If we are affected by exam anxiety in this way, it can reduce our performance and this in turn can make us just as anxious, or even more anxious, next time round.
If this vicious cycle applies to you, this workshop aims to help you find ways to stop exam anxiety from dragging your performance down and making your student life such a misery.
Discover how common exam anxiety is and why we have it. Think about how to live with it rather than panic about it or fight it, and learn some ways to reduce it.
This afternoon workshop for students helps you tackle exam anxiety and build confidence in approaching exams. The session will offer structured input plus some discussion and interactive exercises. It introduces common sense approaches including CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) and mindfulness.
To register with the group please contact the Counselling Service Administrator Helen Clare:
|
Email: |
helen.clare@port.ac.uk |
|
Tel. |
023 9284 3466 |
|
|
Or come to Nuffield Reception.
Booking will open four weeks before the workshop. |
The Perfectionism Paradox
27th March 2013
The Perfectionism Paradox: When High Standards Can Sabotage Success
A workshop looking at ways of maximising the gains and minimising the penalties of aiming high
Wednesday 27th March 2013, 1:30pm - 4:00pm, Nuffield Centre
Do you often find yourself:
- Putting enormous amounts of effort into tasks - more than other people you know? To the detriment of other areas of your life?
- Focusing more on what you haven’t achieved than what you have?
- Worrying a lot about failing to meet your (very demanding) standards even though other people say you are on track?
- Rapidly following a success with setting the next goal rather than enjoying the feeling of having done well?
- Becoming self-critical over your performance in a task?
- Avoiding or giving up on things in case you fail or because it would take so long to do them to your standard?
- Basing your whole worth as a person on how hard you are working or how well you think you are doing, and somehow never feeling ‘good enough’?
Aiming high can be healthy but the kinds of behaviour described above can significantly impact on our sense of wellbeing, result in a narrow, unrewarding lifestyle and actually impair success.
If you identify with the descriptions above, you are far from alone; if this feels like an area you would like to address, come along to this afternoon workshop based on cognitive-behavioural principles and learn more about problematic perfectionism - and ways in which you can begin to free yourself to live a richer life.
You can book a place on this workshop (numbers are limited to 14)
To register with the group please contact the Counselling Service Administrator Helen Clare:
|
Email: |
helen.clare@port.ac.uk |
|
Tel. |
023 9284 3466 |
|
|
Or come to Nuffield Reception.
Booking will open four weeks before the workshop. |
Stress Reduction Through Mindfulness
1st May 2013
Stress Reduction Through Mindfulness
Wednesday 1 May, 2:00pm - 5:00pm, Nuffield Centre
This half-day workshop is for students seeking ways of managing stress in their daily lives.
The most natural response to stress is to try and avoid it - but if you run away from stress it will run after you and it can run faster than you!
This workshop will introduce you to mindfulness skills, through which you can become more aware of stress-related sensations, thoughts and feelings, so you can learn to respond to them more effectively and be more relaxed and in control of your life.
Itr’s a gentle technique that you can use in your everyday life, and students have told us they find it really helpful..
To register with the group (numbers are limited) please contact the Counselling Service Administrator Helen Clare:
|
Email: |
helen.clare@port.ac.uk |
|
Tel. |
023 9284 3466 |
|
|
Or come to Nuffield Reception.
Booking will open four weeks before the workshop. |
