Category: Recovery

The Elephant in the Room – Marion Umney

Marion Umney

Our body sense and the cultural aspects of that are an important part of our sense of self. We who live in the West all come under the strong influence of an obsessive hatred and fear of fat. It is deep in our unconscious and is linked to our fear of the shadow side of ourselves.

Our challenge is to recognise and to accept that we do feel fear or disgust, but that this is a projection of our own fear or disgust at our disowned propensity for greed or lack of self control and not to apply it in our relationship with the client.

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Core Characteristics of Addiction and Recovery – Noel McDermott

Noel McDermott

In this session Noel will look at some of the core characteristics of addiction. The psychological features that are common across all fifteen recognised addictions. He will go through the fifteen recognised addictions and explain how they link.

He will look at issues in assessment and treatment. Using his clinical experience to present a humanistic and holistic view of addiction. He will look at how the issues manifest in family work and dealing with dysfunctional family systems. Noel will look at trauma and it’s relationship to addiction and treatment in recovery He will present on what we know about addiction science.

Noel will in the second section of the hour look at recovery. Explaining what it is as a concept and how it relates to addiction, codependency and family systems treatment.

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Is Recovery From An Eating Disorder Possible? – Kel O’Neill

Kel O'Neill

One of the questions most commonly asked my clients and other health care professionals me is: “is recovery from an Eating Disorder even possible?”

I believe our understanding of recovery as the professionals has a profound impact upon the recovery process. In the one hour session I will explore with you what national statistics, service users and my experience has to say on this topic.

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Global Online Support & Counselling for the Problem Gambling Community – Jane Fahy

Jane Fahy

Jane Fahy would love to talk to people with an interest in either online support and counselling and how that works on a global stage, or people with a desire to learn more about problem gamblers and their suitability for online support. She manages the delivery of synchronous and asynchronous support in groups and one to one, and also integrate the use of technology into various types of face to face support for problem gamblers which she’d be happy to explore with those listening.

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Common Pitfalls and Frustrations Encountered by Practitioners Working with Dependancy – Sarah Loeb

Sarah Loeb

Sarah Loeb specialises in supervising counsellors who work with clients affected by substance use and has written and facilitated various courses training practitioners on working with issues related to substance use and dependence.

In her supervision and training work she often encounters similar anxieties, concerns and frustrations presented by counsellors and psychotherapists who are working with issues connected to dependency

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Technology Enhanced Recovery: Getting Connected – Michaela Jones

Michaela Jones

Technology in all its forms has become a fundamental part of how we live our lives. Yet its value has still to be fully explored within the substance misuse sector. Why is there such reluctance and what benefits can it bring?

This presentation will attempt to bust some of the myths around who uses technology and explore how being online can support and sustain long-term recovery.

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Neuroscience in Adventure Therapy – Richard Lannowe Hall

Richard Lannowe Hall

When the left brain and right brain are engaged at the same time and the client focuses on specific issues the changes are quick and efficient, nothing that new here. But when this process is combined with different aspects of marine adventure therapy, through states of being, doing and thinking the results are dramatic.

Richard is looking forward to describing the work he does working with people in recovery, what he has learned in how to set up the environment, group processing and the magic of being outdoors. Richard is hoping that we will help him to further his understanding of what he is noticing in his work with clients.

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NLP for Weight Loss & Obesity – Anthony Beardsell

Anthony Beardsell

NLP is a body of knowledge that has been around since the early 1970s, and fairly recently several NHS trusts have begun employing specialist NLPers to help people with weight loss issues.

What is it that NLP offers to get great results in this area?
Can I learn these techniques for myself?
How do these techniques compare with other talking therapy weight loss programmes?

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The Overweight Patient: A Psychological Approach to Understanding and Working with Obesity – Kathy Leach

Kathy Leach

There are 3 questions that I would like us to think about during this #TATuesdays event.

1. Do I understand the experience and life of an obese person in our culture? The overall picture, media, attitudes, prejudices, medical models and their implications?
2. What are the differences in Long and Short term issues of weight and the clinical implications of these differences?
3. What is the aim of psychotherapy with this client group?

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Eating Disorders and Transition – Kel O’Neill

Kel O'Neill

Times of transition can be a particular difficult time for individual with Eating Disorders. Transitions come at many points in life: the transition from childhood to adolescents, moving house, getting married….

But one of the main times of transition can be the start of the new academic year; moving to a new school or going away to university. That makes this time of year the perfect opportunity to think about Eating Disorders and learn a little more.

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Trauma and Recovery – Noel McDermott

Noel McDermott

In this interview Noel will help us to think about the connection between Trauma and Recovery from Addiction.

This interview is part of our preparation for Noel’s workshop “Walking on Eggshell’s” which will be an opportunity to think more deeply about the relationship between Trauma, Addiction and early family experiences and how best to work with these in a therapeutic context.

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Eating Disorder Awareness: Towards a Greater Understanding – Kel O’Neill

Kel O'Neill

Kel is in the unique position of being able to bring together her own experience of an Eating Disorder with best practice in mental health and psychotherapy. In this interview she will talk about how not to begin a therapeutic relationship when working with someone who has an Eating Disorder – which may feel counter intuitive to us as practitioners. She will also discuss how during therapy the practitioners own fears may inhibit the clients ability to thrive.

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Couples in Recovery – Noel McDermott

Noel McDermott

Noel shared his experience of working with couples where one or both has issues of addiction or co-dependency. Where one or both may be in formal recovery groups such as AA or where one or both is in denial of their need for support into recovery from addiction or co-dependency. What is the impact of denial, trauma, cross-addiction, co-dependent loss of the victim-caretaker role?

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Introducing 12 Step Recovery – Noel McDermott

Noel McDermott

Exploring indirect and creative ways of approaching traumatic material in clients where direct talking approaches may be inappropriate or not possible.

Making meaning from a traumatic history or event is crucial in moving on and integrating the experience. As is reprocessing the emotional content to alleviate the stress of flashbacks, depression, anxiety, sleep problems and so on often associated with sever or multiple trauma.

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Psychotherapy’s Role in Mutual Aid Based Recovery from Addiction and Alcoholism – Noel Mcdermott

Noel McDermott

How can we as psychotherapists engage with this process? This was the substance of the conversation with Noel McDermott. A psychotherapist who specialises in facilitating addicts into mutual aid programs.

Noel explored some of the evidence base for mutual aid, present his work in the main form of mutual aid ’12 Step’ (AA. NA. CoDA. Al-Anon. Al-Ateen. SLAA. OA. GA. UA etc). Looking at the dynamics of the steps, how they interface into psychotherapeutic practice.

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