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when a counsellor meets a person in a confidential setting within which
he or she can feel safe enough to talk about a difficulty or pain or confusion
or despair in a way which may not be possible with friends or family. |
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Who may find
counselling helpful?
Someone who:
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is anxious or panicky
to such an extent that their lives are being spoiled.
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is living with issues
such as bereavement or other forms of loss.
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is experiencing divorce
or redundancy and may be very confused.
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is experiencing eating
disorders or phobias and finds they are unable to overcome them.
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feels that they are unable
to cope with personal or relationship problems.
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has been physically or
mentally or sexually abused, and may feel worthless.
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who is frequently or continuously
depressed (not the same as feeling occasionally 'down' about something).
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who has an important decision
to make and cannot decide what to do and who may be feeling paralysed.
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who is living with constant
pain, body dysfunction or disability.
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Who are the Counsellors/Psychotherapists?
A team of volunteers
who are members of the British Association for Counselling (BAC for short)
or other professional bodies, (Holy Rood House itself is in organisational
membership of BAC) and are therefore committed to working according to
its Code of Ethics and Practice. The team has a variety of skills,
including creative arts and the Directors usually suggest who might be
the most appropriate counsellor to work with a person who acts to see one.
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Who may ask to
see a Counsellor?
Anyone! Just
call at or telephone the House to arrange to see Jan Younger, Director of
Therapeutic Services, (click here for
contact details). Those who come to Holy Rood House may be residential
or day guests.
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How can Counselling help our guests?
If the counsellors and our guests work well together,
guests:
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will usually gain insights into themselves and their problems
and will become freer to live a fuller life.
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may discover better ways of coping in a constructive manner.
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may gain the courage to change any self destructive patterns
of relating to others, or harmful patterns of behaviour.
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may find hope or healing at a deep level.
In all this counsellors will not be passing judgement; but
rather seek to respect and strengthen the sense of worth of the person
concerned and will not tell or advise the person as to what to do.
The counsellor cannot provide a magic cure; but will help
and support guests to make their own decisions about their lives.
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What is the difference between Counselling and Psychotherapy?
There is no clear distinction in this country.
Differences are to do with how far the individual counsellor's or psychotherapist's
training, skills, self awareness, and experience enable them to work at
the emotional and psychological depth appropriate to each individual person.
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At Holy Rood House, we seek to provide a safe place
where our guests can feel empowered to work towards their own healing.
For many of our guests, counselling and psychotherapy becomes an important
part of this process.
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Body
Therapies
All treatments work
to lower tension in stressed muscles, speed up elimination of toxins and
strengthen the body's innate power to heal itself.
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Full Body Massage
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Aromatherapy
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Reflexology
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Indian Head Massage
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Therapeutic
Arts
In one sense, all the work that goes on at Holy
Rood House is creative. There is that element of newness, of restoration,
in everything from the creation of the chocolate chip cookie to the powerful
relaxation of massage to the quietness of prayer and meditation.
Each person involved in creative arts shares
what we can of our skills and experience to give guests at Holy Rood House the
skills and confidence to use our creative media for themselves. All of us
involved in the creative work at Holy Rood House are feeling our way - learning
as much as we are teaching; receiving as much or more than we give.
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Art Therapy
by Elaine Wisdom, Art Therapist Developing
Art within a Therapeutic Community
The art room is an open space enabling guests to
move in and out as they wish, working on their own pieces. The space is
used in various ways according to differing needs. People may come to
relax, explore possibilities...to play with colour, shape, line,
texture...learning to play again and enjoy the creative process.
When life is difficult for us, we may prefer to
work one to one, exploring through colour, gesture, expression and process, some
of the issues that have brought us to this point in our lives. This may be
painful whilst also enabling us to work towards our own healing within a safe
environment.
Connecting with the creativity, which is within
all of us opens up so many areas of possibility, offering the hope of change and
transformation. The possibility of hope nurtures the spirit within, a
visible expression of creative energy. This process is ongoing, unfolding,
revealing, exciting, sometimes risky, gentle and loving and full of surprises.
There is also a separate room for one to one
art therapy sessions.
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Dramatherapy
by Roger Grainger, Dramatherapist
Dramatherapy is the application of drama to
psychotherapy. It uses the healing aspects of drama to achieve the
therapeutic goals. It uses action methods to develop creativity, insight,
growth and change. The process provides a context for clients to tell
their stories, set goals, solve problems and express feelings. Clients
have an opportunity to examine existing beliefs, attitudes and feelings and to
experiment with new thoughts and behaviours.
Dramatherapy has been used successfully to
assist a wide range of difficulties, for example:
- Relationship problems.
- Bereavement and Loss
- Low esteem & self-confidence
- Addictive behaviour
- Poor self-esteem
In Dramatherapy we use a wide range of activities such as poetry
and storytelling, story-making and enactment, improvisation, mime, movement and
dance. We can use body, voice, music, painting, puppets, masks, costumes
and props.
Using the healing aspects of drama as a
therapeutic process, Dramatherapy can achieve many objectives to help
individuals, couples or groups overcome psychological difficulties which
include:
- Bringing about positive change and personal
development through understanding ourselves and our relationships.
- Defining and achieving personal goals.
- Building up self-confidence and self-esteem.
- Understanding why our patterns of behaviour
exist and challenging destructive or negative patterns.
- Exploring alternate and positive ways of
thinking, feeling and behaving.
- Using dramatic structures to rehearse these
changes enabling us to apply these in our lives.
- Being able to express painful and difficult
experiences within a manageable form.
- Using creative ways to identify and solve
problems
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Developing Weaving
The craft of weaving can be both
"creative" and "therapeutic":
Creative - using
the mechanism of the loom, threads are interlaced to create a piece of
fabric. There is the sense of achievement at the end when you can say,
"look what I have made."
Therapeutic-
the actual process of weaving involves handling fibres, using colour, developing
repetitive patterns, working with a steady rhythm, all of which contribute to a
sense of harmony, well-being and satisfaction.
Weaving
is one of those crafts that has been practised from time immemorial, from which
we have derived from all sorts of metaphors for life, for example, the warp
and weft of existence and life's rich tapestry.
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