Therapy, supervision & professional learning for counsellors, allied health and service providers

More than blind optimism, embracing an attitude of hope is a way of taking action; offering orientation for fatigue, despondence and systemic strain in healthcare. In these quotes below you will find reflections on hope from thought leaders in politics, healthcare, the arts, religion and philosophy; inviting a movement beyond toxic positivity, to truly inspire, to guide, and help to create pathways of positive change for health professionals, the teams and systems in which they work, and importantly, for the people they serve in healthcare.

World Kindness Day has been celebrated on 13 November since the late 90s. With so much distress in the world right now, we all need a little kindness now more than ever. This playlist has been created by many different health professionals from a range of medical, allied health and community service backgrounds. The intention is to find support for ourselves and others, particularly within our overstretched healthcare systems around the country. Here's to creating kinder workplaces for workers and better outcomes for people accessing healthcare services.

Given the challenges that healthcare practitioners are facing, whether you work in private practice or in an organisation, this World Kindness Month (on each November) is the perfect time to connect with kindness, both for others and ourselves. What do you know about self compassion and the ways that you can begin to be kinder to yourself? Take a look below to understand more and to consider how you might support yourself with a little kindness.

For workers in a helping role, professional supervision is an essential component of the work: it supports positive outcomes for clients, maintenance of ethical standards, the development of skills and, importantly, the wellbeing of workers. Whilst most workplaces strive to offer regular supervision, the reality is often far from ideal. This blog explores how supervision groups outside of your workplace can offer a much needed space for reflection, connection and mutual support for teachers and healthcare workers.

Creating playlists for fun, to exercise and support us through hard times has always been a great thing to do. You might not think about it much, but your music playlist impacts your mood, your thoughts and your body. And if you're having a hard time, it's worth noticing if the music you listen to is helping.... or not.

All too often, the response for struggling healthcare workers is an individual one: to access counselling support and to 'do more self-care’. Whilst it is important for health professionals to look after themselves, this individualistic focus misses the point: it locates the problem in individual workers, when these are political, cultural and systemic issues. In reality we need a multi-pronged solution across all levels: political, organisational, within services and teams, as well as individually. Is it time for an anti-self care revolution?