We need boundaries to protect us, put us in charge of our own lives, promote health relationships, independence and reduce stress. In this workshop we will look at what boundaries are and how and when to practice steps to set personal boundaries. This information session is designed specifically for people who care for a friend or family member with mental health needs.

The workshop provides carers with communication skills to build a strong and respectful relationship with the person they support. The workshop provides carers with an opportunity to increase their awareness of how people communicate and what skills are needed at different times to build a strong and respectful relationship with the person they support. A range of communication strategies will be explored to build carers confidence and skills and assist them to improve relationships now and in the future. This workshop is based on the L.E.A.P. communication strategy. This information session is designed specifically for people who care for a friend or family member with mental health needs.

This month we will be reading All The Broken Places, John Boyne - note this book is the sequel to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Ninety-one-year-old Gretel Fernsby has lived in the same mansion block in London for decades. She leads a comfortable, quiet life, despite her dark and disturbing past. She doesn’t talk about her escape from Germany over seventy years before. She doesn’t talk about the post-war years in France with her mother. Most of all, she doesn’t talk about her father, the commandant of one of the most notorious Nazi concentration camps. Then, a young family moves into the apartment below her. In spite of herself, Gretel can’t help but begin a friendship with the little boy, Henry, though his presence brings back memories she would rather forget. One night, she witnesses a violent argument between Henry’s mother and his domineering father, one that threatens Gretel’s hard-won, self-contained existence. Gretel is faced with a chance to expiate her guilt, grief and remorse and act to save a young boy – for the second time in her life. But to do so, she will be forced to reveal her true identity to the world. Will she make...

In this workshop, we will look at how skills adapted from motivational interviewing can support us in having supportive interactions. Communicating with our loved ones, supporting them through their struggles and on their recovery journey can be very challenging. Motivational interviewing is a communication strategy used by health professional to support people in making healthy changes. In this workshop, we will look at skills adapted from motivational interviewing that we can use to support our loved ones on their journey. This information session is designed specifically for people who care for a friend or family member with mental health needs.