Self-Care in the Helping Professions

Friday 20th – Saturday 21st May 2022, 9.30am – 5.00 pm

‘Working with survivors of complex trauma can be extremely challenging and demanding. Practitioners need to be mindful that repeated exposure to trauma narratives can lead to vicarious traumatisation or secondary traumatic stress. It is essential that practitioners understand the impact of working with complex trauma and professional self-care’ (Christiane Sanderson – ‘Counselling Skills for Working with Trauma’

People in the helping profession are aware that the better they take care of themselves the more they will be able to be truly empathic, compassionate, and helpful to those they work with and care for. This has been particularly evident over the last two years given our collective experience of the Covid – 19 pandemic which has placed Health and Social Care Professionals and Practitioners working on the frontline in the most demanding and challenging situations and has had an impact both personally and professionally.

Working with persons affected by the trauma of COVID19 often requires the caring professional to dig deep into their own personal inner resources, and those professional carers need to be mindful that repeated exposure to such trauma may lead to secondary traumatic stress and to a depletion of their own inner resources. It is essential that the professional carers understand the key importance of professional self-care.

Workshop

In this workshop you will be invited into the reflective space of deeper self-awareness and exploration where your will have the opportunity to:

1. Reflect on the impact of stress on your personal and professional life including the impact of Covid – 19 related trauma
2. Practice nonjudgmental self-awareness and compassionate self-care in a supportive group setting.
3. Identify your own self care needs and practice self-care strategies.

The Embodied/Gestalt Approach

The approach will be based on an embodied gestalt approach working with the whole self, not simply the contents of thoughts and beliefs. In this approach the body is valued for its integrative potential; seen as the seat of inherent wisdom and authenticity. The workshop will be experiential and participative with small and large group exercises.

It is designed for Front line Health and Social Care Professionals including those working in hospitals, educational and community and voluntary sector settings.

Date: 20^th and 21^st May 2022

Max number of participants:   10

Venue: Dublin Gestalt Centre, 66 Lr Leeson Street, Dublin 2

Cost:    Costs €180 per person including tea and coffees.

If you wish to book a place, please email  sandramullen2002@yahoo.com for an application form or if you need further information, please contact Sandra Mullen at 086 4171912 or Mary J Egan 087-9772316 and mxegan@gmail.com.

Closing date for receipt of applications 6^th May 2022 and final payment. Early booking is advisable as places are limited. Please bring a light lunch, tea and coffee will be provided.

Certificate of attendance will be provided CPD Hours 13. Workshop will be facilitated in line with current HSE COVID 19 Protocols.

Facilitators:

Mary J Egan and Sandra Mullen

Mary J Egan – B.SOC. SC. CQSW, DIP PSYCH, DIP BIOSYNTHESIS, MIAHIP, MICP, CORU REGISTERED SOCIAL WORKER

Mary is an accredited Humanistic & Integrative Psychotherapist, Body Psychotherapist and CORU Registered Social Worker. She has been working in private practice as a Psychotherapist in the Dublin Gestalt Centre since 2006. Mary also has extensive experience of working in the areas of childcare, protection and welfare, team management, team development, workplace learning, and development and staff care and support. She has a particular interest in working with trauma, the impact of trauma on the professional carer/practitioner and the professional carer/practitioner experience of vicarious traumatisation, compassion fatigue and burnout. Mary is currently in ongoing experiential intergenerational family trauma training with Dr Vivian Broughton (The Centre for Healthy Autonomy UK) In her work Mary seeks to create a safe, reflective, and relational space and as a Body Psychotherapist she pays particular attention as to how trauma is held in the body. It is her belief that we each hold our own key to building our resilience in the face of carer/practitioner trauma and she is privileged to have the opportunity to accompany the individual and the group in encountering their own personal resources for resilience.

Sandra Mullen- MA. Eq, Dip Gestalt Psychotherapy, Dip Life Coaching, Dip Addiction Studies MIAHIP, MIACP

Sandra is an accredited Gestalt Psychotherapist working in private practice in the Dublin Gestalt Centre. She completed her training at the Gestalt Institute of Ireland, has a Masters in Equality Studies, Diploma in Life and Business Coaching and has completed a two – year Diploma in Relational Gestalt Supervision. Sandra works from a humanistic and integrative approach supporting people with a range of psychological and emotional issues and has a deep belief in each person’s potential for growth and their capacity to respond to change and find meaning and direction in their lives.

Sandra is also a facilitator, trainer, and organisational consultant with over 25 years’ experience working in the community/voluntary sectors providing support and supervision to practitioners in recognising and addressing the impact of vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue and burnout. She has extensive experience in the areas of team development, practitioners’ self-care, service development and building successful organisations.

Download Application Form

Application to be completed and returned by email with proof of funds transfer.