Taking Care of Me

Please book yourself on the FREE WORKSHOPS below
(please note: You must be an unpaid family carer to take part in the workshops.)

We also offer Moving & Handling courses, which can be carried out in your own home - particularly useful if you use tracks and hoists.

Taking Care of Me.... 2021 - All workshops will take place online until further notice

ONLINE WORKSHOPS

To join our online workshops, please visit our Facebook page and send us a Direct Message to be added to the guest list. Alternatively, you can contact us using the form below. You do not need a Facebook account to join any of the workshops. Just a laptop, computer or smartphone.

Where did Me go?
Online 10th, 17th and 24th September 2pm - 3.30pm

Do you find that you caring role has meant you have lost touch with who you are and what’s important to you?

Has your caring role left you feeling like a different version of yourself?
Do you find that you are behaving ways that don’t reflect who you really are or want to be?
Join us to rediscover what’s important to you, how to spot internal barriers to being the 'you' you want to be and how to hurdle those barriers.
These sessions are run by our own counselling therapist, Shona Dickie, who will support you in sharing, exploring and working through the experiences and challenges troubling you in a gentle and supportive way.
To get the most from the sessions, we ask that you commit to attending all three.
Please note: You need to be registered with the Borders Carers Centre to attend.
Please contact us to ask to be added to the guest list

Autism - problem solving

Online 30th September 11am - 12.30pm

Annie Love is a retired teacher who has spent the last 20+ years working with autism. Join us for this session and learn how to use the ‘Iceberg’ approach to help you understand the ‘behaviours’ your child demonstrates. This approach helps us look beneath the surface to understand the reason why a particular behaviour might be occurring. Together we will explore strategies that can be used both at home (and school) to provide the consistent approach required to meet your child's/young person's needs. Contact us to be added to the guest list.

More sessions will be added. Please let us know what YOU would like to see

Me First - counselling service

The recent pandemic has been a very challenging time for everyone. Many have witnessed declines in their loved ones health due to isolation, lack of socialisation, loss or changes to care packages as well as changes to routines.
This has had a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of carers.
The Borders Carers Centre has secured funding to allow us to offer an 18 month project of free counselling to carers to help improve mental health and build resilience.

There is currently very reduced access to respite opportunities, therefore it is hoped that access to sessions of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) based counselling will enable carers to develop and maintain coping strategies, enhancing psychological well-being and providing them with some of the necessary tools to meet the ongoing challenges.

Please contact your Carer Liaison Worker to discuss this service. If you are not registered with the Carers Centre yet, please speak to us on 01896 752431 or email us at admin@borderscarers.co.uk

Shona Dickey is bound by the Codes of Ethics and Practice of the BACP

Hello, my name is Shona and I am a counselling therapist who has been providing one to one sessions to carers at The Borders Carers Centre for almost two years now. Although my core training is in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) I also draw upon other approaches within the CBT ‘family’ such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and CompassionFocused Therapy (CFT) enabling me to tailor our sessions to suit you, as a unique individual. I value cultivating a genuine therapeutic relationship and will provide a non-judgemental, empathic space for us to create this relationship together. I will support you in sharing, exploring and working through the painful experiences and challenges troubling you. Through this process we will identify areas of ‘stuckness’ and work together to help you heal whilst finding ways to facilitate you in moving in more meaningful and valued directions in order to lead a more fulfilling life. I am qualified to work with a number of issues such as low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, OCD, life stresses, eating disorders, PTSD among many more. If you feel counselling is something you might like to try, please let your Carer Liaison Worker know and I will call you for a brief consultation before we proceed.

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Carers enjoying some time out.

"I feel I've been given permission to care for myself" Carer, previous Staying Afloat participant

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