Skills for Life
Group descriptions and details:
Listed below are descriptions and details of the Skills for Life groups scheduled for Semester 2 11/12.
Groups are pre-bookable through a short meeting with the Group Facilitator/ Skills for Life Co-ordinator.
If you're interested in attending a group please contact UCS reception on 0114 222 4134 or pop into our reception at 36 Wilkinson Street, S10 2GB.
Please note that Skills for Life groups do not contribute towards the Sheffield Graduate Award.
Behavioural Activation for Depression Group - starts Thursday 16th February 2012
When someone is experiencing depression for whatever reason, they tend to shut down and withdraw from the world. Gradually the depression worsens and this pattern in itself becomes a problem.
The aim of this group is for participants to break the cycle of depression by engaging in activities which are personally meaningful to them. The group will help participants to find activities which have a chance of helping them to alleviate depression and feel more in control of their lives. The role of the therapists in the group is to help participants to recognise the things that get in the way of such positive and affirming behaviour and help them to incorporate these activities into new daily routines.
If you suffer with moderate or severe feelings of depression and low mood, this may be a group that can help you overcome these feelings.
The weekly topics will include:
• Learn your patterns and start to change them
• Dealing with avoidance and other traps
• Taking action: the first steps towards change
• Values: the guide to who you are
• Developing responses to worry
• Free yourself from mood dependence
• Building the relationships you want and tying it all together
Dates: starts Thursday 16th February 2012, for 7 weeks, finishing on 29th March 2012.
Time: 5.15pm-7.00pm.
Facilitators: Paul Bliss and Alison Pickard, who work in the NHS as Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapists.
This group is part of a wider initiative within the NHS at Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT). One of the features of this service is the routine collection of data which will monitor progress and inform treatment. As this Behavioural Activation Group is being led by the IAPT service, each participant will be asked to complete some straightforward outcome measures at each group session. In line with NHS protocol attending this group would be recorded in your medical notes. More information about this can be obtained from the University Counselling Service and group therapists.
How to apply:
• Be referred by your Counsellor. You will be required to attend an assessment appointment with Steve Delaney.
• Register with the Counselling Service and book a group assessment appointment. If you have not used the service, please register with us and tell the receptionist that you’re interested in this group.
• Contact your GP at UHS; who can refer you directly into the group.
Allocation and confirmation of places: There will be a maximum of 12 places. Places will be offered on a first come first served basis. We will also hold a cancellation list if students drop out or change their mind about wanting to attend the group.
Students will be offered a place formally by the University Counselling Service. We will email students with an offer of a place after their assessment. Students then WILL NEED to reply to this email and confirm their place and attendance on the course by the given deadline. If we have not had a reply we will offer your place to someone on the cancellation list.
'So You'd Like a Bit More Confidence?' Group – starts Tuesday 28th February 2012
This course is designed to provide you with some tools and tips to get you started in building up your confidence. You may be surprised to know that confidence can be learnt. It is a series of skills. It will also provide you with the opportunity to explore the specific areas where you lack confidence and to identify strategies for helping boost your esteem.
The course will be run in a small group, maximum 10 people, and will consist of different educational formats: seminars, discussion, work in pairs and small groups, questionnaires, watching brief clips from films, some role plays. Part of the experience is being able to share your thoughts and feelings with others who experience difficulties in confidence. Although this is not a therapy group, participants have benefited in the past from recognising that they are not alone in how they feel.
There is no charge for the course, which is open to currently registered students of The University of Sheffield. The areas we cover are drawn from the list that follows (N.B. the course may not include all of these): Friends and enemies of self-esteem. Friendship building skills. Understanding body language. Relaxation skills in preparation for events where your confidence might be challenged. Challenging negative thoughts and working to replace these with more realistic ones. Presentation skills. Conflict resolution skills. Your life audit and areas that can improve the quality of your life. Assertiveness skills.
Dates: Tuesdays: 28st Feb, 6th March, 13th March, 20th March and the 27th of March 2012. 2.30pm until 4.30pm.
It is important to be able to commit to attending all five sessions to maintain the cohesion of the group; hence check your diary prior to considering attending a three quarters of an hour informal assessment about the course. Call in at the Counselling Service on weekdays between 9 till 4pm to arrange an appointment or telephone 0114 222 4134.
Venue: Skills for Life Building, 317 Glossop Road, Sheffield S10.
Enrolment process: this starts with an assessment with the group facilitator well before the course begins. This provides the opportunity for you to explore further whether this course is for you and for us to ensure that it is suitable too. Once you and the group facilitator have decided that the course is appropriate, then you may be offered a place (first come, first served). If not, the assessment meeting can still signpost other possible avenues of help or support. If you accept a place, two weeks before the course begins, an email will be sent by the course facilitator asking you to reaffirm your availability and commitment to the course.
Group facilitator: Helen Richardson is an experienced facilitator who is registered with the UKCP and has 10 years of experience working in the University Counselling Service, University of Sheffield.