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Published: 16 February 2020

After almost a year of piloting 'Living with Fibromyalgia', an educational group therapy project by our 'Counselling with Cake' initiative, my colleague and I have collected the data from our amazing bunch of 7 ladies. Oozing with determination and a willingness to learn how to embrace acceptance and change, our lovely group of ladies all showed distinct improvements in how to manage the psychological impact of their condition. I’m currently collaborating with Doctors and Health Care Professionals, adapting and tweaking the format, and looking into funding options to enable us to offer this model to many others who are ‘living with’ a chronic health condition. Feeling very proud of, and inspired by such an incredible bunch of ladies……they all deserve a standing ovation.

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Published: 10 November 2019

I can't believe it's nearly Christmas! I'm completely in denial......!!

This time last year I was writing the programme for our first educational group therapy, 'Counselling with Cake', that began in February. December sees the last session, and we are currently collating the evidence to show what psychological improvements were made. In the Spring of 2020 I've been asked to present our findings to a group of occupational health doctors which is very exciting, and I'll be applying for funding shortly to help with future projects.

Babette Rothschild is a leading trauma Psychotherapist in the US, and I completetd her 12 day somatic training earlier this year. I was delighted to be asked to assist on her 2 day trauma programme in London last month which was a great experience. I00 students learnt the basics of her trauma programme and how to integrate it into their work through a series of practical exercises and theory and I was assisting with those exercises for their learning.

The new secondary breast cancer campaign has been launched together with the merger of the two charities, to form one all encompassing charity, Breast Cancer Now. Controversial, this campaign is particularly hard hitting, as women living with this disease speak of what is lacking in their care. It's had mixed reactions; sadly there is a need for the campaign to be direct enough for those in government to sit up and take notice, although many women living well with secondary breast cancer feel a little disempowered. Certainly a contentious issue, and the ladies in my secondary group are still debating the pros and cons.

It will be interesting and exciting to see what 2020 brings.......Have a good Christmas everybody.

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Published: 19 September 2019

It's been a busy Summer, so I thought I'd share a few updates with you. Private clients are continuing to show positive responses to the somatic trauma method of therapy, learnt through Babette Rothschild's training, which offers the psychotherapy and counselling of traumatised clients a safer, more successful method of treatment long term. I'm also proud to have been asked to assist in one of Babette's courses in London in October, 'Making Trauma therapy safer', which introduces her approach to this work - another great learning experience......
We are due to collate our evidence from the wonderful ladies in our fibro group in the next couple of months. Progress has been so positive - of course there have been enormous challenges as well as many moments of hilarity, and I'm immensely proud of what these women are achieving. I really hope we can find a way of funding for further groups like this......it's been an incredibly uplifting, humbling and emotional experience for all involved.
Breast Cancer Care and Breast Cancer Now have merged to form the largest supporting charity for those with primary and secondary breast cancer in the UK. My secondary breast cancer group of sassy ladies are continuing to raise awareness of the need for secondary nurses in Wales. Currently we have one nurse, compared to over 60 in England which is pretty appalling. We are on a mission to create change:-)
For any further information - or help with methods of fundraising for educational group therapy for those living with a chronic medical condition please e-mail. Happy Autumn:-)

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Published: 13 August 2019

This year has been so rewarding for me, as I've continued to meet so many inspirational people. I've now completed Babette Rothschild's Somatic Trauma course in London, and this means I am offering a different method of addressing trauma; one that feels kinder to my clients and gives confidence, courage and self belief to those who have felt isolated, fearful and vulnerable. It works with the effects of the trauma not only in the mind, but within the body, and the importance of thorough and effective stabilisation is what makes this so successful. I'm looking forward to applying this to my medical trauma work especially, and have seen excellent results so far.

Our 'Living with fibromyalgia' group is still going strong; in fact we've extended this until the end of the year as we're seeing such positive results. Our incredible bunch of ladies are learning how to manage their symptoms in a healthier way, and I couldn't be more proud of them all. The next step is the search for funding once we've collated our clinical evidence....... watch this space!

Enjoy the rest of your Summer.....

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Published: 28 May 2019

We've been beavering away with new projects over the last few months and I'd like to share a few updates with you.....
We're preparing for our 5th educational group therapy session for our 'Living with fibromyalgia' group and I'm so proud of the amazing bunch of ladies who have been attending. Sassy, bubbly and with bucket loads of courage, we're seeing each and every one of them rising to our challenges with determination, spirit and humour.
We've added another 4 sessions to take us to the end of the year, and I look forward to sharing their progress.
Another year of study ended last weekend with the legendary Babette Rothschild who flies over from L.A. to deliver her training in somatic trauma. A huge fan of her work it's been incredible to be on the receiving end of her teaching, and this enables me to work with trauma in a way that I believe is kinder and more long lasting. My private practice is already showing a positive response to stabilisation techniques from clients who have experienced significant trauma and anxiety in their lives.
The secondary breast cancer care group sessions continue to meet every month, and it's a privilege to work with such incredible women. Breast Cancer Care Cymru held their annual health & wellbeing day at 'Maggies', new to Cardiff earlier this month, an event which was very well attended. In addition to this, workshops for those affected by the psychological impact of a primary breast cancer diagnosis are also being well received on the 'Moving Forward' and 'Friends & Family' courses at BCC, with excellent feedback.

Please contact me if you'd like further info on any of the above.

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Published: 14 February 2019

My colleague and I started a unique concept last week, educational group therapy for those living with fibromyalgia. It's taken a long time to put together an evidence based programme to hopefully build a platform for those who feel isolated and hopeless with a chronic medical condition, and we both feel so excited by this project. We now have the support of several health care professionals and doctors, the occ health department of 2 county councils, a hospital physiotherapy team, Fair Treatment for Women in Wales and an AM from the Welsh Assembly, from whom we eventually hope to apply for funding options for future projects. We both feel privileged to have met such a courageous group of ladies who gave of themselves so honestly and openly, and look forward to our work together over the next few months.

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Published: 07 January 2019

I would like to wish all of you a healthy new year, especially concerning mental health. 2019 looks promising for us in terms of progress as we build on the baby steps made last year.
*The use of a far kinder - and in my opinion - more effective way to work with trauma is proving successful in my private practice. Babette Rothschild’s somatic based trauma therapy places the emphasis on understanding how trauma affects our physiology as well as psychology, and how working with both in tandem creates a stable long term recovery.
*Understanding the reasons we become anxious by giving information on our psyco education is having a positive effect on the reduction of anxiety in medical trauma, both on a one-to-one and group basis.
*Workshops for understanding why we react the way we do , and how our relationships change when given a cancer diagnosis are proving successful within the Breast Cancer Care charity.
*Monthly group meet-ups for those living with secondary breast cancer are continuing, and networking with health care professionals within the cancer field is helping to generate greater support for the ladies attending.
*'Counselling with Cake's' private educational group therapy for those living with a chronic medical condition, begins in February with 'Living with fibromyalgia'. This is a pilot scheme for which we hope to create funding, and the results will be clinically measured to assess the success of the interventions and suggestions made to help manage the condition.
I am excited by this progress and plans for 2019......

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Published: 02 January 2019

Our new educational group therapy for those living with a chronic medical condition begins this February with the emphasis on fibromyalgia. Supported by health care professionals we're proud to be the first in South Wales offering this service which empowers people to help manage their symptoms in a more life enhancing way. We offer a source of education that is largely non-clinical and includes psycho-education and compassion based techniques to name a few, together with the powerful dynamic of group therapy. And of course, there's always time for cake......... See our Counselling with cake page for more details.

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Published: 14 December 2018

please see our 'Counselling with cake' page for details!

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Published: 20 November 2018

We are pleased to be offering a new fibromyalgia educational group therapy course from January 2019, at the same venue in Pontypridd. Dates to be confirmed shortly!