Workplace Resilience Support

I’ve been involved in pastoral work for over 20 years and have worked in both educational and church settings in the UK and Uganda. For the last six years, my work has involved supporting humanitarian, cross-cultural workers, and church leaders through counseling, coaching, and psychosocial resilience assessments, both online and in person.

I have a special interest in supporting individuals in pastoral roles, both in schools and church settings, to create healthy and sustainable work-life integration. My focus is on helping them look after their well-being, manage stress, avoid burnout, and reflect on their own work and vocation.”

What is workplace resilience support?

Workplace resilience support integrates elements of reflective supervision, coaching and general wellbeing support, providing a regular, planned, intentional, and confidential space to meet and explore issues arising from your work.

Workplace resilience support can play a part in growing vocational identity, role competence, self-awareness, spiritual reflection, accountability, response to conflict, challenge, and change. It is also attentive to issues of fitness to practice, skill development, management of boundaries, professional identity, and the impact of the work on psychological well-being in relation to stress management.

While we may talk about your thoughts and feelings, the issues you bring to discuss, explore, and unpack will be related to your work.

Why is workplace resilience support important and what are the benefits?

Workplace resilience support can be beneficial due to the demanding nature of roles such as pastoral leadership in education, frontline humanitarian care, church leadership, and cross-cultural work. The benefits of such support are multifaceted:

Stress Management: The demanding nature of these roles can lead to heightened stress levels. Resilience support provides a space to pause, reflect, and process thoughts and emotions, helping individuals complete stress cycles and prevent burnout.
Prevention of Vicarious Trauma: Those in caring and supportive roles often witness or hear about challenging situations. Resilience support aids in preventing vicarious trauma by providing tools to cope with the emotional toll of supporting others through difficult experiences.
Maintaining Boundaries: The support fosters a boundaries approach to work, ensuring individuals can effectively navigate the emotional and professional aspects of their roles without compromising their own well-being.
Personal Growth and Development: Through tailored sessions involving coaching, reflective supervision, and counseling, individuals can address challenges and demands personally faced in the workplace. This, in turn, facilitates personal growth and development.

Example Issues Addressed in Resilience Support Sessions:

Reconnecting with Meaning: Exploring the deeper motivations and meanings behind the work being done.
Relationship Dynamics: Navigating relationships with colleagues, teams, or line managers.
Work-Life Balance: Addressing challenges in maintaining a healthy balance between work and personal life.
Conflict Resolution: Strategies for dealing with conflicts with colleagues.
Complex Situations: Responding to intricate and challenging workplace scenarios.
Workload Management: Developing effective approaches to manage workload and meet expectations.
Reflection on Past Experiences: Processing and reflecting on difficult situations encountered in the workplace.
Mental Well-being: Addressing issues impacting mental well-being, including those affecting sleep.
Well-being Practices: Exploring and implementing practices that contribute to overall well-being.
Perfectionism and Imposter Syndrome: Strategies for managing perfectionist tendencies and feelings of imposter syndrome.
Time Management: Developing effective time management skills to enhance productivity.

In summary, workplace resilience support is indispensable for individuals in demanding roles, offering a structured approach to addressing challenges, fostering personal development, and enhancing overall well-being.

Practical arrangements for workplace resilience support.

Where do you offer workplace resilience support?

I offer support online via Zoom or at your place of work.

How often do we meet?

I usually suggest every 4 – 6 weeks. If you work in education, meeting every half term can work well.

What is the fee for workplace resilience support?

My fee is £55 for an hour (online). If you’d like to meet in your workplace, please contact me to discuss rates.

Is workplace resilience support confidential?

As an accredited counsellor and member of the BACP, sessions adhere to the BACP Code of Ethics on confidentiality. The only exceptions would be: disclosure of abuse / neglect of a child or vulnerable adult taking place; danger to yourself or others or where there is a court order or legal obligation to disclose e.g. Terrorism Act 2000/proceeds of Crime Act. In these circumstances, confidentiality may be broken. However, this would usually be discussed with you where you would be encouraged to make the disclosure yourself and support in doing so would be offered. There may be legal reasons why this is not always possible.

I am also a member of APSE (Association of Pastoral Supervision and Education) and adhere to their code of conduct.

Are you in Crisis?

If you are currently feeling suicidal or in immediate crisis or distress and need to talk to a counsellor right now, please contact Samaritans 116 123 or Befrienders Worldwide