November 2020 – Jilin University (Changchun, China)Lecture Series, Oxford Prospects Programme
17 November 2020 – Peer Support Programmes: building connectivity and community
23 November 2020 – Building Supportive Relationships: effective limit and boundary setting with students
24 November 2020 – Looking after Ourselves: the importance of self-care for professionals working with students
10 November 2020
Self-care for Therapists during the Covid-19 Pandemic – Oxford Psychotherapy Society
As we continue to navigate this ever-changing time, it is especially important that therapists take some time to reflect on how we are being impacted by Covid-19, and to take stock of what we are doing to ensure that we are looking after our whole selves: physical, emotional, spiritual, work and social. It is not only necessary, it is ethically responsible to keep our self-care practice to the fore. Drawing on research and my experience of running peer support groups and self-care workshops this will be an interactive evening, and through discussion and exercises there will be an opportunity for members to explore and share their ideas about self-care.
October and November 2020
Oxford Psychotherapy Society peer support groups (on Zoom)
During this continued chaotic and dislocating time, we as therapists are tending to our clients’ needs, while changing the way we work, how we are living and, at the same time, grappling with how it all feels and what it means. While we are good at noticing and caring for those around us, we are more likely to put our needs in the background; yet, it is essential we look after ourselves and support each other.
The OPS peer support groups are facilitated by two committee members but are designed for all group members to share equally. It is a place to think through how the changes in the world and our practices are impacting us, how we feel – physically and emotionally – and to share stories and ideas for coping with the changes we are experiencing.
The groups are open to Oxford Psychotherapy Society members only.
If you are interested in joining a peer support group or are a member of an organisation that would like to set up a group, please contact Anne to discuss what can work for you.
5 & 19 August 2020 – Mental Health and Peer Support Workshop, Oxford Prospects and Global Development Institute, Oxford
These workshops, which will be delivered via zoom, are designed for Chinese students who are thinking of attending university in the UK. In particular, they will focus on how to develop and maintain a sense of wellbeing when studying in the UK. This interactive session will help students to understand how stress manifests itself, practice moments of mindfulness and to develop an understanding of the resources available at universities in the UK.
Thriving in Middle Age: a group for women 45+
New group dates and times TBA
Do you struggle with just who you are in your life right now?
Are you wondering: Is this it? What’s next?
Do you find yourself longing for something, but you aren’t sure what?
Are you looking for more confidence, connection and a sense of belonging?
Middle life can be a tricky developmental time as we search for meaning in where we have been and where we are headed. It is a time to pause for reflection, to catch up with our self, to notice. It is a time where we might be thinking about relationships, families, children leaving home, ageing parents and our changing bodies.
For women in particular, it is a time in which we might feel invisible or be struggling with the menopause. It is important for us to be able to share our experiences in a safe space and to connect with others in order to be seen.
Thriving in Middle Age is a support group that offers a chance for women to connect to other women who share similar experiences as they navigate midlife.
The group will run for four 1 ½ hour sessions over a four-week period in March 2020. The sessions will focus on transitions women experience as we enter midlife, and how these experiences impact us emotionally, socially and physically. This is a time in our lives when we need support, to have safe spaces to show vulnerability and to have a sense of belonging.
In the first session, we will have a meet-and-greet which will offer participants the opportunity to get to know each other, hear more about the remaining sessions and speak to the facilitators. The sessions are experiential, with the focus being on peer support from the group.
Who runs the group?
Anne Ford is a psychodynamic counsellor who has worked over the past 30 years in a variety of settings: hospitals, housing associations, schools and universities. Her main focus is on developing and running peer support groups for all ages and has a keen interest in working with groups to promote inclusivity, belonging, connection and well-being.
Silvia Elsner is a psychodynamic counsellor and has worked over the last 20 years in a variety of therapeutic settings, including schools, universities and the NHS. She has also taught in psychodynamic training programmes and has supervised the work of other counsellors. Among her main interests are the factors the enable psychological well-being and personal growth at different points of the life cycle.
Is a group for me?
Groups offer a safe space to share and to receive a broad range of insights into the experiences shared. This is especially important for women who are experiencing the transitions of entering middle age, defined as 45-65 years old, and all that may go with this.
One such transition is the change in our bodies due to menopause, a difficult time for many. One thing is known: talking about it reduces isolation and worry and increases connection and reassurance. As with any concern, getting it out in the open is often the first step to making it feel more manageable and less anxiety-producing.
Thriving in Middle Age: a group for women 45+
£80.00
Contact Anne or anne.ford@connectpeersupport
For more information, go to Connect Peer Support
5 – 7 February 2020 -Training for Peer Support Trainers, Oxford, UK
About the training
Connect Peer Support Training for Peer Support Trainers is open to professionals working in the counselling, wellbeing, mental health, disability, psychology or student advisor fields and are:
- Exploring the possibility of setting up a peer support programme in your institution
- In the process of setting up a peer support programme
- Already running a programme and want to have more peer support trainers trained, both to run trainings and reflective practice groups for trained peer supporters
- Are trying to understand how a Peer Support Programme can fit into your setting, especially one that already has a multitude of peer programmes
The course is both didactic and experiential and includes:
- Research and theory behind Peer Support Programmes
- Ideas about how a Peer Support Programme can fit into your setting
- Key steps to setting up and running a successful peer support programme
- Experiential sessions to understand the training material from both the trainer’s and the peer supporter’s perspective
- How to use feedback and facilitation skills for successful training
- Troubleshooting problematic group situations
- Top tips for successful training and reflective practice
- A certificate on completion of the course
When:
5 – 7 February 2020
Where:
Botley Road
Oxford, UK
Cost:
Training for Peer Support Trainers £630
The cost of the training includes all material, coffee and tea, lunch, and an electronic copy of Peer Support in Colleges and Universities: A Training Manual, by Anne Ford (RRP 55 GBP).
About the trainer
Your trainer, Anne Ford, has over 38 years of experience in peer support programmes – at Oxford University and other institutions in the UK and USA – and has run training for peer support trainers in the UK (Oxford University, Glasgow, Oxford) and Estonia (University of Tartu, Tallinn University). She is enthusiastic about all things peer support, and looks forward to sharing her knowledge, thinking and passion with you.
To hear what participants say, click here
For more information about the three-day Training for Peer Support Trainers programme, click here
For further information on Peer Support Training, click here.
Training for Peer Support Trainers
£630.00
13-15 January 2020 -Training for Peer Support Trainers, University of Antwerp, Belgium.
In collaboration with the University of Antwerp, Belgium, Connect Peer Support will be running a three-day Training for Peer Support Trainers, followed by an Inspiration Day.
Connect Peer Support Training for Peer Support Trainers is for professionals who are currently setting up and/or running a peer support programme, expanding an existing programme or would like to set up and run a mental health peer support programme in their setting. This training is for professionals working in the field of Higher Education.
The course is both didactic and experiential and includes:
- Research and theory behind Peer Support Programmes
- Ideas about how a Peer Support Programme can fit into your setting
- Key steps to setting up and running a successful peer support programme
- Experiential sessions to understand the training material from both the trainer’s and the peer supporter’s perspective
- How to use feedback and facilitation skills for successful training
- Troubleshooting problematic group situations
- Top tips for successful training and reflective practice
- A certificate on completion of the course
The Inspiration Day will be dedicated to sharing experiences about setting up and running peer support programmes. Professionals from higher education institutions are invited to share and/or present their experiences with peer support to colleagues from student services of other institutions. The focus of the day will include:
- What kind of peer support programmes are present in their institution
- How their students evaluate the peer support programmes
- Issues they faced in running a peer support programme
- Tips and tricks they have for colleagues who want to set up a new peer support programme
There will be room for presentations and informal discussions among participants. If you would like to present and explain the peer support programme of your institution, please indicate this on the registration form.
For more information: www.uantwerpen.be/peersupporttraining
29 November 2019 – Listening Skills Training Part II for Universify, Oxford
Training in listening skills and boundary setting for volunteers at Universify, Oxford.
Universify is a charity committed to educational equality.
Universify’s vision is for all students to reach their potential in education. They work with students from non-traditional backgrounds to promote educational equality. One important aspect of the programme is that they train volunteers to be coaches for the students involved in the programme.
For more information about the charity Universify, go to https://universifyeducation.com/
27 & 29 August 2019 – Staff Development Training for the Oxford University Prospects Programme
Connect Peer Support will be delivering sessions for the Oxford Prospects Programme to participants from Chinese universities – academics, counsellors, and those at the top of the organisational structure – on peer support, listening skills and setting boundaries with students.
The Oxford Prospects and Global Development Institute (OPGDI) is an interdisciplinary body which aims to promote discussion and inspire new ideas among students, scholars, and distinguished figures (including academics, policy makers and industrial leaders), focusing on the development of China-UK relations in the light of present day globalization.
10, 17 & 24 August 2019 – Listening Skills Training for Universify, Oxford
Training in listening skills for volunteers at Universify, Oxford.
Universify is a charity committed to educational equality.
Universify’s vision is for all students to reach their potential in education. They work with students from non-traditional backgrounds to promote educational equality. One important aspect of the programme is that they train volunteers to be coaches for the students involved in the programme.
For more information about the charity Universify, go to https://universifyeducation.com/
7 June 2019 – 1st China-UK University Student Support and Counselling Service Conference, Oxford
Talk Title: Peer Support Programmes: promoting inclusivity, equality, community and belonging
24-26 June 2019 – Training for Peer Support Trainers, Oxford, UK
About the training
Connect Peer Support Training for Peer Support Trainers is open to professionals working in the counselling, wellbeing, mental health, disability, psychology or student advisor fields and are:
- Exploring the possibility of setting up a peer support programme in your institution
- In the process of setting up a peer support programme
- Already running a programme and want to have more peer support trainers trained, both to run trainings and reflective practice groups for trained peer supporters
- Are trying to understand how a Peer Support Programme can fit into your setting, especially one that already has a multitude of peer programmes
The course is both didactic and experiential and includes:
- Research and theory behind Peer Support Programmes
- Ideas about how a Peer Support Programme can fit into your setting
- Key steps to setting up and running a successful peer support programme
- Experiential sessions to understand the training material from both the trainer’s and the peer supporter’s perspective
- How to use feedback and facilitation skills for successful training
- Troubleshooting problematic group situations
- Top tips for successful training and reflective practice
- A certificate on completion of the course
When:
24 – 26 June 2019
Where:
For accommodation:
Oxford Rooms, St Hugh’s College
Jurys Inn is located in North Oxford, so please bear that in mind when setting up accommodation.
Cost:
Training for Peer Support Trainers £630
The cost of the training includes all material, coffee and tea, lunch, and an electronic copy of Peer Support in Colleges and Universities: A Training Manual, by Anne Ford (RRP 55 GBP).
About the trainer
Your trainer, Anne Ford, has over 38 years of experience in peer support programmes – at Oxford University and other institutions in the UK and USA – and has run training for peer support trainers in the UK (Oxford University, Glasgow, Oxford) and Estonia (University of Tartu, Tallinn University). She is enthusiastic about all things peer support, and looks forward to sharing her knowledge, thinking and passion with you.
To hear what participants say, click here
For more information on the three-day Training for Peer Support Trainers programme, click here
For further information on Peer Support Training, click here.
Training for Peer Support Trainers
£630.00
24 May 2019 – Training for Staff at the University of East Anglia Student Union
A one day training for Student Union staff at UEA on running peer support programmes, with a focus on how to best co-ordinate, oversee and supervise the myriad student-led programmes that exist.
April 2019 -Training for Peer Support Trainers, Estonia
We are delighted to be partnering with the University of Tallinn, in rolling out a Connect Peer Support Training for Trainers for counsellors across Estonia. The training will take place over three days in April 2019, and will be both didactic and experiential.
18 participants will join Connect Peer Support for the Training for Peer Support Trainers, all of whom will be looking at the needs of their institutions and how Connect Peer Support Training will fit for them, as well as experiencing Peer Support training from the perspective of a student. Ultimately, the counsellors will be in the position to set up and run a Connect Peer Support training for students in their institutions.
We are excited to meet everyone on the 9th of April!
