Take time to listen to yourself and others

If listening and self awareness are important to you, then join a group of like minded people to explore what it means to be you; and see how this shapes the way you relate to others. The group is facilitated by Andrea Rippon, Owner of Who are you now? (Training and Development) and Course Director of Counselling Skills at UEA. She has loads of experience and plenty of creative ways of teaching, so no chance of getting bored!

Start by developing your understanding of active listening in a way that embodies an attitude of genuine, non-judgmental understanding. This is in line with Carl Rogers’ Person Centred Approach to Counselling. The focus of the course is on experiential group work to help foster the self awareness needed to develop these essential qualities and it is important to understand that knowing oneself is a fundamental aspect of the effective use of active listening skills. You will be encouraged to reflect on your own experience and listen to others in a caring, respectful and open manner.

Starting 29 April: Listening Skills and Self Awareness
Thursdays: 29 April, May 6 (10.00-13.00)
Saturday: May 8 (10.00-16.00)
Thursdays: May 13, 20, 27; June 17, 24 (10.00-13.00)
Cost: £250 Discounts for voluntary sector/charitable organisations.
Venue: To be advised (Norwich City Centre)
Tutors: Andrea Rippon and Trevor Wood

Follow this by exploring the ideas and work of Carl Rogers, who pioneered the person centred approach. This course will give you first hand experience of learning and working in a person-centred environment and provide opportunities for personal development and increased self-awareness. Through exploring his theory behind the concept of personality, and using your own personal experience as a resource, you will learn a great deal about yourself and about how you respond to others. There will be a lot of group work, which will encourage you to learn from others, as well as an Encounter group day.

Starting 23 June: Exploring Personality and the Person Centred Approach
Wednesday: June 23, 30; July 7 (10.00-14.00)
Saturday: July 10 (10.00-17.00)
Wednesday: July 14 (10.00-14.00)
Cost: £190 Discounts for voluntary sector/charitable organisations.
Venue: To be advised (Norwich City Centre)
Tutor: Andrea Rippon

Enquiries, or to enrol, please email andrea@whoareyounow.co.uk or call 07814-735970. www.whoareyounow.co.uk

These courses are useful to anyone: parents, teachers, voluntary sector workers, health professionals and business people. In fact, anyone who thinks listening to people is an important part of their life. Past students talk of light bulb moments that can often change their lives. They are also a suitable foundation for those wanting to apply to the Certificate in Counselling Skills at UEA.

Please note that these courses are not suitable for those wanting to explore deep personal issues, or who may already feel that they are emotionally stretched.

Counselling Theory course starts on 24th November

Counselling Theory is about exploring the ideas and work of Carl Rogers, who pioneered the person centred approach. This course will give you first hand experience of learning and working in a person-centred environment and provide opportunities for personal development and increased self-awareness. Through exploring his theory behind the concept of personality, and using you own personal experience as a resource, you will learn a great deal about yourself and about how you respond to others. There will be a lot of groupwork and an encounter group day.
Cost: £190 (£40 of which is a non-refundable deposit)
Venue: St Luke's Church Hall, 61 Aylsham Road, Norwich, NR3 2HF

Starting 24th November 2009
Tuesdays: November 24; December 1, 8 (10.00-14.00)
Saturday: December 12 (10.00-17.00)
Tuesday: December 15 (10.00-14.00)

Feedback from past students:
I felt I belonged when I was here.

Encounter Day was exhausting but exhilarating at the same time.

I felt the group was safe environment to explore myself and challenge my perceptions of others.

Great variety of exercises to keep me thinking - never boring! Impressed with Andrea's knowledge of theory and her ability to convey it to others.

Andrea is an effective, inspirational course leader and I would encourage anybody to take one of her courses simply for the experience itself.

Walking, talking and being listened to

What luxury to walk through a patchwork of fields this morning, occasionally being startled by the pheasants that shared our space. There is something about nature that enables to me to have a greater insight. I love it - the space to move around the earth, while also moving around my head. But the best thing is, having someone to walk alongside - both physically and mentally. Just knowing that all my ruminations have been heard, is incredibly comforting. Thank you for listening to me. You know who you are!

Just written our first bid for money!

That was an interesting experience! We have just completed and submitted our bid and will hear in late August whether we have been successful. With a couple of friends, I am part of a Team called Write Out Loud. This all began over a year ago now when we got some funding from BBC Voices....

BBC Voices Making History was formed in 2006 when author, Sue Welfare (BBC Radio's first ever Story Laureate for the BBC Radio Norfolk project 'This Norfolk Life') and two UEA lecturers, Andrea Rippon (School of Education & Lifelong Learning) and Mary-Jane Cullen (School of Literature & Creative Writing), devised a workshop enabling participants to use creative writing to tell their life stories. They delivered workshops, on behalf of BBC Voices, for a range of groups including young offenders, severely physically disabled people and women experiencing cancer. When BBC Voices funding ended, the Team continued with the same format and is now called Write Out Loud.

We've done one job since then and are hoping to get some funding to do some more. It's fantastic work - incredible to see how people realise that they do have something to say, they can communicate it and they can do it in such a way that people will listen.

Fingers crossed for a successful bid!

Certificate in Counselling Skills course at UEA

If you're interested in doing the Daytime Certificate in Counselling Skills at UEA, starting on 27 November - you should apply on line now!

At last - the holidays!

Approaching the end of the final day of the school term and already I can feel the tension in my shoulders begin to release. Both kids moving on to new schools in September, so it's a significant ending for them both. But all of us like being freed from the clock - not having to be somewhere on time is going to be fabulous. I've got a few meetings - new business and networking; - we've got lots of fun stuff happening, starting with Latitude - and there's a few jobs to be done. But otherwise, lots of mooching around, being with friends and family and eating the veggies that have had a good watering in their veg patch today. Love and light to all - that's you Amy - my one follower! xx

June Counselling Theory course finishes

It's been an amazing course - only 20 hours to combine Rogers' Personality Theory, his Person Centred Approach and everyone's personal experience in a way that was safe and rich in learning. But I think we got there! Everyone worked so hard - listened so well to each other - and were prepared to get out of their comfort zone now and again. The feedback was really positive. This one struck me:

"Thank you Andrea for the course. I think it's made me feel more focussed than I have done in a long while. I feel able to talk more openly to my friends and family. I feel like I've come together as it were - a bit more in myself but also where I'm going."

Next Introduction to Theory course starts 24th November, 2009!