Workshops for parents

  Happy parents = happy children  

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Do-Happy creative well-being workshops for parents
Workshops are tailored to suit the needs of your school and your parents.
Parents engage in a range of creative activities and tackle some troublesome issues.
Various topics can be covered, including: behaviour strategies, managing anxiety, development through play, routine building and academic support.
The atmosphere is warm, supportive and positive.
Quotes from parents:
'Toni': Really enjoyed.... lots of new activities that I wouldn’t have tried if I hadn’t come here. I have bought some materials to do the activities at home with my daughter.

'Anna' before: Mood varies dramatically, feels like either falling through days or fighting to achieve happiness. Not fully self for a long time.
'Anna' after: The sessions gave me something to look forward to. The group was good and gave me confidence to try new things.

'Lucy' I have loved this course and would have loved it to be LOT longer. It has made a HUGE difference to me both in feeling less isolated and also getting info that has helped me.

See below for more positive comments. The only negative comments I have received is that parents wanted the courses to be longer!
MORE DETAIL
Group size: up to 15 parents per session.
Duration: 2 hours a week over 4 weeks
OR
Single 2 hour workshop session

Please contact me. We can chat on the phone or arrange to meet.

And......I offer a creative well-being workshop for hardworking teachers and support staff, giving them a chance to relax, explore, create and share.

 Comments collected at the end of courses:

• It was a lovely time out exercise, also allowed me to meet other mums who have been so supportive. I feel like I can approach other mums now. Gained confidence.

 

• Found out things about myself I didn’t know.

 

• Really enjoyed this course. Was great to be with other parents going through similar and was great to be creative with different materials and ideas. It’s been great to spend time for me, with other parents. Has given me some hope. It’s also given me an incentive to write poetry.

 

• I have found the course useful; it has given me ideas and inspired me to build more calm into our family time. Thank you for the calm spaces to gather my thoughts.

 

• Really helpful and very enjoyable sessions. Looking forward to using these activities for myself and with my family. Thank you for putting on this course!

 

• Really good course. Very open and honest. Relaxing overall ~ a much needed course.

 

• It was nice to be able to chat in a safe place.

 

• Painting mini canvases really fun. Nice time to be quiet and concentrate.

 

• I had lots of fun and has helped towards getting my creativity back.

 

• I felt safe during the course, it was nice to meet people in the same situation as me.

 

• I’ve made some new friends.

 

• It was really calming doing the activities.

 

• Got a lot of things off my chest.

 

• Realisation you’re not alone.

 

• Therapeutic, nice to chat to people in same position.

 

• Enjoying getting together with the group and making friends.

 

• Very enjoyable. Wish it was longer, a bit of time to do something different and share ideas and experiences.

 

•  Poetry. Made me really think. Interesting. Found some of it difficult but enjoyable.

 

• Hopeful, happy, enjoyable. We had fun.

  

• I find more things to do now. I can find things to relax.

 

• I will do more crafty things in my everyday life.

 

• Poetry time ~ much more enjoyable than in school. Challenged my mind. Nice to hear other’s words.

 

• Now I can go home and write my own poems. Thank you.

 

• I felt calm, relaxing, I have enjoyed this morning.

 

• ...made me feel part of a loving team.

 

• Really enjoyed this course, meeting other mums, having time to myself, trying new things.

 

• Laughter. I liked doing something creative and talking to others. I was nice and relaxed. Made me feel more upbeat and cheerful. Glad I came.

 

• (poetry) ...found it difficult but enjoyable.

 

• It’s brought my creativity back out after not being able to do anything creative for quite a while.

 

• I would definitely recommend this course to other mums. I have made a connection and been able to relate to other mums.

 

• I feel like I was able to offload quite a bit. I had been feeling full which makes it hard to find space for dealing with stuff.

 

• Great to meet mums with similar ‘issues’ and to appreciate that you’re not on your own.

 

• Enjoyed opening my mind and writing poems.

 

• Enjoyed talking while painting.

 

• I have really enjoyed this course. It has enabled me to just sit back and realise that I have to think about myself too.

 

• Good to hear everyone’s different stories.

 

• You feel not alone. It’s also a safe space, I feel like it’s a safe space. Really really enjoyed. I am not at all creative so to ‘create’ is out of my comfort zone. However, once I started I loved it. It was 100% about me, a luxury usually denied. Very good.

 

• I feel much calmer and more relaxed! The craft was nice ~ it made me centre on my own thoughts / self, instead of worrying about things I have to do.

 

• The mindmap was a very useful tool in organising my thoughts. It was good to spend some time thinking about goals for myself (not just the kids!)

 

• It was very interesting to explore colour, lines etc. and what it said about me / meant to me.

 

• It was a great reminder of how important it is to have me time.

 

• Felt really relaxed being able to talk to other lovely mums and enjoyed myself very much.

 

• Really enjoyed trying to do lunes. Made me think about a bit of me time.

 

• Feeling positive. Have a focus to move with.

 

• Feel connected to a group is good.

 

• Positive feeling from course. It has given me time to focus and nourish my mind.

 

• Brilliant! I loved the atmosphere. It was really relaxing trying different things and having the space to do them.

 

• It was a nice chance to meet with different parents and share experiences. The mindfulness activities were very practical and useful to try with children as well as for ourselves.

 

• Generally gave me ideas of using little things, in not a long time, to make me feel better. Thank you for the sessions.

 

• The whole course has been great. Sarah is very warm and approachable. The course has given me lots of tools to use to ensure that I find time to be mindful for myself and others.

'Petra' before workshops: My family aren’t local, not many local friends. I feel my husband and I cope on our own. All my anxiety revolves around my children.
'Petra' after workshops: I have now made some more friends and we can share our experiences and problems and provide some support to each other. We are all going to continue getting together.

Background

As co-chair of the West Sussex Parent Carer Forum I set out to work with parents through their schools.
This began with the creation of coffee mornings for parents and carers of children with additional needs.
It was such a simple thing, and with amazing results.
Parents shared stories, information, tears and laughter. All said they felt better for meeting other parents in the same situation.
When I moved to South Gloucestershire I did the same again, and developed creative play workshops for parents too.
Although I started work within the world of disability and difference, my connections with schools and parents made me realise that all parents could do with a little support.
So now I run courses and workshops that are open to all parents. 
I am an autism awareness trainer, a former special needs teacher and currently a community learning tutor and psycho-therapeutic counsellor.
I am fully insured.

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