Tuesday 18th June 2024 5.00 – 7.15 pm
Tea/coffee and biscuits on arrival followed by a 2 hour workshop
Gilbert White’s Field Studies Centre, Selborne, Alton, Hampshire GU34 3JH
£30 per person, includes refreshments
This outdoor workshop offers teachers a rare opportunity to focus on themselves.
You will come away with a valuable perspective on your current state of wellbeing and armed with several helpful strategies for becoming more self-aware and reducing stress.
The workshop takes place in the beautiful setting of the Gilbert White’s Field Studies Centre barn and meadow where you will be surrounded by trees and bird song.
After complementary welcome refreshments, you will be guided through a series of fun and thought-provoking activities designed to help you manage your nervous system, take a step back to assess how you are coping with life and set yourself up for the rest of the term. Activities will include participating in discussion groups, walking and talking with one other person and having time to reflect on your own.
The workshop is led by Sally Thomas. Following a career in human resource management and training, Sally retrained as a counsellor and spent 14 years counselling in the education and health sectors, a hospice for children and young adults and in private practice. She has a passion for offering wellbeing themed outdoor workshops which incorporate the benefits of working in nature. Sally also gives talks and presentations, leads wellbeing walks and is constantly exploring ways to enhance our mental health through connection with ourselves, others and nature.
Come dressed appropriately for the weather conditions; unless there is heavy rain we will be working outside and will be doing some walking. Bring a notebook and pen. Additional information will be provided nearer the time.
All attendees should approach the workshop with the mindset that anything discussed will be treated in confidence.
Places are limited to 14, so please book early to secure your space.
Comments from teachers who attended a wellbeing workshop at the Gilbert White Field Studies Centre in July 2023
‘A great balance of activities, time to think, reflect and discuss’
‘Really enjoyable and practical’
‘It was lovely to have time and space for me’
‘Enjoyed the active listening skills most, having freedom to chat walking and talking’
‘I enjoyed flow writing the most – amazing what came out given the opportunity’
Testimonial by Jenny Jones, a local Head Teacher
Sally Thomas delivered an outdoor wellbeing workshop for teachers at St Michael’s school in June 2023. I invited her back to deliver a further wellbeing session to all staff during an inset day in November 2023.
Staff wellbeing is part of our strategic plan and to show how seriously we take it, we wanted to buy in an expert to work with our staff. Staff still talk about the benefits now: it brought wellbeing to the forefront; taught us all how to look after our wellbeing and other people’s and it gave us strategies to use proactively and reactively to look after ourselves.
Working with someone who has a background in counselling was excellent. Sally brings the science of the body and mind into the workshops, adding credibility to those who may be less sure of the concept of ‘wellbeing’ and she offered a wealth of strategies and answers to staff questions throughout the sessions. There was time for staff to think about themselves, putting ourselves at the top of the ‘who you look after list’, tools were shared and tried out for improving wellbeing and themes such as
transitioning between work and home and work life balance were explored. The workshop was based outside which brought opportunities to engage in reflective activities including walking and talking.
This has brought wellbeing much more into focus for our staff; we are used to looking after everyone else, we now really recognise how to look after ourselves and other staff.
Jenny Jones (headteacher of St Michael’s CE Junior School, Aldershot), February 2024