Mindfulness / Resilience for Social Care Practioners
Training in Mindfulness /Resilience in Social Care was developed for the Irish Social Care setting using the best available research and resources to address the specific challenges of social Care practise in Ireland.
It is well documented and generally accepted that the demands placed on social care practitioners in supporting those in care through challenging circumstances can contribute to high levels of stress and burnout. It is now accepted that increased self-awareness and self-care practices, implemented regularly, may greatly decrease the impact of these high levels of stress, while also serving as strategies for coping during particularly stressful times.
The ‘interconnections between contemplative practices, including mindfulness, as coping and preventative strategies for self-care practice among human service workers are beginning to emerge.’ [1]
This is a practical participatory one day course exploring how mindfulness is currently used in a range of health and social care settings, and what is involved in adopting a mindfulness-based approach to working within the social care setting.
Course Outline
- Understanding what Mindfulness is
- Evidence base for the effectiveness of Mindful Practice
- Naming the experience and the cost of stress and burn out in Social Care Work
- The why and how of Mindfulness in Social Care Settings
- Mindfulness and Wellbeing
- The core components of resilience for individuals and within teams
- Mindfulness as a tool for improving Team Resilience
Learning Outcomes
Participants will leave this one day training with:
A practical understanding of Mindfulness as a resource for building resilience in the workplace,
An understanding of the reality of stress and its potential impact on quality of life and effectiveness in the workplace,
An experience of a range of Mindful Practices designed to improve an individual’s sense of well-being and effectiveness whatever the external environment,
An understanding of how simple mindful practices can build resilience within a social care team,
An understanding of the core components of reflective practise and resilience as an untapped resource within the social care setting.
Methodology: Short inputs, individual and small group mindfulness exercises, individual reflection, and group discussion.
Resources: Each participant will takes home a copy of course materials, and a resource pack for developing a mindfulness practice.
Course Developer and Facilitator
The course has been developed by Dee Hennessy after practising mindfulness for twenty five years, and who has worked in social care in Ireland for much of that time, in a variety of settings including High Support, Therapeutic Communities, Community Support, and Mainstream Residential Settings. Dee has been offering Mindfulness Training, Workshops, and Mindfulness Coaching in Ireland and abroad for over ten years. Dee is currently completing an MSC in Mindfulness Based Interventions in UCD, and her work here is very much on using evidence based research on mindfulness based interventions to support strong management and staff team resilience within social care organisations.
Feedback from previous Management Consultancy Client
‘Fabulous intuition and insight. I would just like to thank you for all your extremely hard work, your support, commitment and dedication. We would not be where we are today but for your perseverance, support, fairness and balanced view, no matter what issues you encountered you showed the utmost respect for all you met along the way. You truly are so professional, a bearer of many gifts, a wealth of knowledge a person who is not afraid of sharing her wisdom to help, guide, and support with many new skills….. no task was too big or too small and It was a real pleasure to work with you.’ Patricia Dowling, Director of Services Traveller Family Care, Dublin September 2016
Below are some quotes evaluations carried out by Dept of Education on CPD summer courses delivered to teachers in Cork and Kilkenny 2015/2016.
‘ Wonderful – if a follow on to this course was available I would love to attend’
‘ Well done, excellently paced, excellently structured’.
‘ Mindfulness is very necessary in our lives today, even more so in children’s lives where everything is hectic. This course has given me insights and tools to bring mindfulness into my classroom’.
‘ Great course that will benefit me personally and professionally’.
‘ I loved how Dee did not bombard us with handouts and information – this course was experiential – so practical’.
‘ Very enjoyable course and I leave feeling confident about implementing what I learned’
‘ I found the course very helpful both personally and professionally. It was really worthwhile and insightful’
‘ Very relaxing course. I gained a lot of insight over the week’.
‘ Wonderful, fabulous, calming, emotional – I loved every minute of it ‘.