Sign up now: Free new course for carers in North Somerset starting 6 June
North Somerset Wellbeing is introducing a free, six-week course for carers (18 years and over) who provide support to adults living in North Somerset.
The Wellbeing for Carers: Looking After Yourself course will support carers in understanding their own mental health needs and those of the person they care for. Over six weeks, you’ll explore topics such as coping skills and emotional resilience, as well as having a safe and confidential space to share your experiences and meet other carers.
The course starts on Thursday 6 June, 10:30am to 1pm at:
The Motex Centre
Winterstoke Road
Weston-super-Mare
BS23 3YW
The six sessions will cover:
- Thoughts, feelings and challenges: We will explore the impact that caring can have on your own mental health and wellbeing and the importance of being able to identify and understand emotions associated with this. This session will also focus on ways we can begin to build our emotional resilience.
- Identity and coping with change: We will focus on the impact that a caring role can have on our own identities and relationships and look at ways we can reconnect with ourselves and others. This session will also explore how to cope with change.
- Compassion fatigue and burnout: This session will focus on secondary trauma among carers and explore experiences of compassion fatigue and burnout and ways to manage and avoid this.
- Establishing and maintaining boundaries in the caring role: We will look at what boundaries are, why they are important and how we can establish and implement them to support our wellbeing and the wellbeing of those we care for.
- Self-care for carers: We will focus on the importance of self-care for your mental health and wellbeing and ways we can practice self-care.
- Navigating the system: We will bring together what’s been covered throughout the course and focus on carers’ rights and what support is available.
“It can be a very positive and rewarding experience to know you are helping someone else but it’s important to look after you too!” says Gemma Sparks, Wellbeing Service Tutor. “We have developed a course for carers with the aim of supporting them to share their experiences, learn new coping skills and improve their emotional resilience in a safe and supportive group environment.”
Cover image by Matthias Zomer on Pexels