Connect, Reflect, Grow

07/07/2026

If you are looking to do Mental Health First Aid training, do consider booking with Kate Jackson of Wellbeing Therapy Solutions.

Kate has a wealth of experience gained within mental health settings & will immediately put you at ease.

The next training dates are 14th & 21st of September in Leicester.

Please see further details below:

👉 Would you be able to recognise when someone is experiencing poor mental health?

🤝 And, more importantly, would be confident enough and know how to start a supportive conversation with them?

💚 I'm delighted to be running my next Mental Health First Aid England Mental Health First Aider® open course in Leicester on 14th & 21st September 2026.

💚This two-day course is designed for anyone who wants to feel more confident supporting mental health in the workplace or their wider community.

During the course, you'll learn how to:

✅ Recognise the signs and symptoms of poor mental health
✅ Start supportive conversations with confidence
✅ Respond appropriately if someone is experiencing a mental health crisis
✅ Signpost people towards appropriate support
✅ Help reduce stigma and contribute to a mentally healthier workplace
✅ Look after your own wellbeing while supporting others

👉 Here's what some of my recent learners said:

"Excellent course and Kate led the course really well. The course has given me the tools that I need to support people and hopefully the confidence to approach people that might be struggling."

"Kate was brilliant at making the content appropriate for the group and helped to form a psychologically safe environment. I would highly recommend both Kate and the training course to any individual in the workplace, regardless of their role."

"This has been the best training course I have been on so far. Being in person meant we got to hear people's stories and life experiences, and the course was really interactive."

Venue: Bodie's House, LE3 3AS, Leicester
Instructor: Kate Jackson
Date: 14th & 21st September 2026
Time: 9am-5pm both days
Cost: £275/person

💚 Places are intentionally limited to keep the course interactive and so that I can support everyone well.

💚 Feel free to send me a message if you'd like more information or you can book a place via this link: https://mhfaengland.org/book-a-course/course-details/?id=52bdd56b-9673-f111-ab0e-0022489a4701

28/06/2026

My GCSE Textiles skills were called upon this week! Beyond thrilled to play a tiny part in the preparation for this year’s Cosby Yarn Bomb! 🧵 🪡

25/06/2026

Yesterday, on behalf of Wellbeing Therapy Solutions, I attended the Create and Grow Club facilitated by the lovely Nat and Mel from Cosby Yarn Bomb.

Given the extremely hot temperatures this week, our session was a little shorter than usual, & we explored sensory strategies for keeping your cool!

As always, group members were keen to join in & shared some of the ways they have been trying to keep cool this week.

We explored ideas involving sight, sound, touch, taste & hearing.

One thing I have done this week is to keep a damp flannel in the fridge… applying this to the back of my neck & wrists has proved to be extremely cooling!

Other ideas included keeping a hot water bottle (partially filled) in the freezer & taking this to bed, and adding frozen fruit to fruit drinks.

Have you any cooling strategies to share?

Take care in the heat, everyone.

08/06/2026

A big shout out to All on the Board for their recognition of carers.

June 8th - 14th 2026 is Carer’s Week here in the UK.

As a carer myself, I am hugely thankful to the professional carers who make it possible for me to continue working.

As an Occupational Therapist, I know only too well the value of meaningful activity & how this supports wellbeing, so also want to thank the local organisations whose classes I attend.

In a society in which carers are often invisible, here at Connect, Reflect, Grow, please know that you are seen & valued, both for your caring responsibilities but also for who you are outside of these.

Take good care 🧡

This week is Carers Week. Thank you to all of the paid and non-paid carers in the UK and all over the world. If you’re caring for others please remember to take care of yourself too.

01/06/2026

Happy Pride Month 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️
What a powerful video 🌈

29/05/2026

On Wednesday, on behalf of Wellbeing Therapy Solutions, I attended the wonderful Create & Grow Club run by Cosby Yarn Bomb, where we spoke about comparison & strategies for managing this.

Whilst we acknowledged that comparison can have positive aspects (such as inspiring us to acquire new skills) it can also feed our self critic!

Group members spoke openly about their experiences of comparison, and we acknowledged that the things we often focus on when comparing ourselves to others don't tell the whole story.

We finished by exploring ways to engage our "inner coach" (instead of our "inner critic").

I'm curious, how does comparison show up for you?
Do you have ways of managing this?

11/05/2026

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK MAY 11th - 17th 2026

The theme of this year's Mental Health Awareness Week is "Take Action."

This may feel overwhelming, particularly when our mental health isn't in a great place.

However, making small adjustments within our daily routine can be an effective way to "Take Action" including how we respond to others.

Use of IF-THEN boundary statements are one way to protect our mental health & wellbeing, by expressing a limit and the action we will take to maintain it.

Some examples are shown below.

At work:

- If I receive an e-mail after 6pm, I will not respond until 9am the next working day
- I can print that for you, but will need to receive it by Tuesday @ 10
- I can help you with "X" but not with "Y"

With friends:

- If you are running more than 20 minutes late, then please text or call to let me know
- I enjoy spending time with you, but ask that you let me know when you are planning to visit
- If you call me after 10pm, I shall not answer as I need my sleep

As the quote says, we are the thermostat not the thermometer when it comes to taking on other people's emotions.

What are your thoughts?

29/04/2026

The topic of comparison came up in a recent group discussion, both comparison with others and comparison of our current selves to our past selves. Both of these scenarios can involve a lot of negative self-talk!

Whilst doing some sewing recently, I turned it over and was reminded of the conversation about comparison - whilst the "finished version" is visible to the world, the effort and stitches that are crucial to its completion are hidden.

This is true of people, too. We can easily compare ourselves to the visible aspects of someone, without fully recognising the "hard work" and alterations that have gone on in the background.

This also applies to ourselves - we are all a work in progress, and it's easy to forget the "stitches and threads" that contribute to our story and who we are.

Be kind to yourself ❤️