Fettle: Therapy for Caregivers (Guest Blog)
Carers play an essential role in our society; their compassion and desire to make a difference transforms the lives of the people they care for, their families, and the community. Caregiving is undoubtedly one of the most fulfilling and rewarding activities a person can undertake. Still, every so often, it may impact the carer, who spends so much of their time attending to the needs of others that they may neglect their own wellbeing. Therefore, it is vital to practise self-compassion and self-care. In other words, carers need to be as caring and understanding towards themselves as they are to the people they support.
Fettle: Who We Are
Although 1 in 4 of us will experience mental health problems in any given year. In Ireland only 1 in 10 will access therapy. In the past year, only 11% of Irish people have sought help with their mental health compared to 28% in the United Kingdom 28% and 49% in the United States. The barriers to accessing mental health care are affordability, accessibility, and stigma. Fettle provides a solution to all three barriers by providing low-cost, easy access to a portal of qualified therapists at the touch of a button from the comfort of your own home. Our mission is to provide people with convenient access to affordable behavioural healthcare so that those in need of support can live happier and healthier lives. Aside from therapy services, we also provide gold-standard wellbeing and corporate training programmes. Our team integrates the latest research and experience gained from years of working with some of the world’s leading companies. We deliver masterclasses, team workshops, behavioural assessments, and group supervision across all critical future work areas. All our services are designed to give your organisation a wellbeing and performance advantage.
What We Do
Therapy Support Services:
We provide a confidential online counselling service that supports employees and provides immediate help in managing whatever personal or workplace issues they are facing. Our therapy services can be accessed quickly and easily through our website and can be booked in five clicks or less from the comfort of your own home!
Our therapy service provides access to a nationwide network of fully qualified, experienced therapists and counsellors who are registered with an accrediting body. So you can rest assured you are getting the highest level of care possible. Our therapists are online and available from 9am-9pm, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Therapy support provides a first-line response to providing prevention, triage, and short-term problem resolution services to an organisation’s team.
Experienced and Personal Assistance
Our service provides access to a nationwide network of fully qualified, experienced therapists and counsellors who are registered with an accrediting body. Engaging in therapy can help individuals gain a deeper understanding of issues they are facing and equip them with coping strategies to help them handle difficult situations will greater ease. The goal of individual therapy is to inspire change and improve the quality of life through self-awareness and self-exploration.
Engaging in therapy can also:
help improve confidence and communication skills
help individuals to feel motivated and empowered
gain knowledge on how to make healthier choices
develop effective coping strategies to manage distress and improve overall wellbeing
Group Supervision
Group supervision is a formal, facilitator-led process that involves getting the team together to reflect on their experiences in work. By pooling experience, skills, and knowledge, the aim of the session is to improve the skills and capability of both individuals and the team as a whole. The goal of the session may be to learn from others, make team decisions, solve problems, plan work and set priorities, or provide support to one another.
Effective group supervision can result in quicker, more effective problem solving by drawing on your team’s expertise. It allows for learning from the diverse experiences and backgrounds of different social care workers, who may provide different perspectives on situations.
Group supervision presents an opportunity to address the issues and concerns of individuals and also an opportunity to develop teams.
Benefits of Group Supervision:
Can give employees an increased sense of support by realising others have similar concerns
Employees can problem-solve their issues more effectively by listening to others
Employees can explore different ideas about how they will solve problems and receive helpful feedback from others about their concerns
It provides a safe environment where teams can discuss their limitations and problems without criticism
Improved team job satisfaction and communication
Reduced stress and more confidence in teams
Increased self-awareness and self-efficacy in teams
More positive relationships within the team and improved outcomes for the people they care for.
Wellbeing Programmes
Our webinar and wellness programme topics range from building resilience to sleep hygiene to improving fitness to mindfulness. These programmes deliver long-term positive changes to employees; physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. Our webinar topics range from building resilience to sleep hygiene to improving fitness. These proven outcomes include increased job satisfaction and fulfillment, workplace productivity, enhanced learning, and emotional wellbeing while decreasing stress, burnout, and absenteeism across organisations longitudinally.
Carers play an essential role in our society; their compassion and desire to make a difference transforms the lives of the people they care for, their families, and the community. Caregiving is undoubtedly one of the most fulfilling and rewarding activities a person can undertake. Still, every so often, it may impact the carer, who spends so much of their time attending to the needs of others that they may neglect their own wellbeing. Therefore it is vital to practise self-compassion and self-care. In other words, carers need to be as caring and understanding towards themselves as they are to the people they support.
How Can Fettle Help?
Research has found that developing resilience is a sound investment in your future wellbeing. In the caring sector, workers need to protect their own physical, emotional and psychological health, manage stress effectively, foster supportive relationships, and ensure an effective
work/life balance. This isn’t always easy!
To help you develop your personal resilience “toolbox”; Fettle offers wellness programmes that will improve your personal and workplace outcomes. These are:
1. Recommended Programmes:
Developing a Psychologically Flexible Workplace
2. Recommended Webinars:
Building Resilience
Mental Health Awareness
The Importance of Self-Care
The Sleep Solution
Nourish your Gut & Overcome Burnout
3. Other recommended services offerings include:
Utilising group supervision for reflective practice.
Therapy services to enhance self-support, self-awareness, and optimum wellbeing.
5 Simple Tips to Improve Your Wellbeing as a Care Worker
Use these strategies to prevent/ manage stress and improve wellbeing.
1. Write down your concerns
Writing down your worries can help you declutter your mind, which relieves stress. Putting out concerns down on paper also gives us some space between us and our problems so we can tackle them more effectively.
2. Drink water
Water reduces stress and promotes overall wellbeing. Studies have found that dehydration increases stress hormones in the body, making it harder to deal with everyday challenges.
3. Listen to your favourite song
Listening to music is a simple way to stimulate dopamine release in the brain. Listening tomusic increases activity in the pleasure and reward areas of the brain, which boosts our mood and improves our emotional, cognitive, and behavioural functioning!
4.Get moving
Breathing fresh air raises the levels of oxygen in the brain, which in turn boosts the levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that alters your mood. In addition, exercising outdoors – such as kayaking, biking, hiking, and running – increases the production of endorphins in the body!
5. Talk about it
Talking with a loved one releases hormones that reduce stress. Lean on those supportive listeners in your life!
This blog was written by Keelin O'Dwyer, the Head of Clinical & Coaching Services at Fettle. She is a psychologist and life coach who previously worked as a social care worker in various services, including nursing home and community care, mental health recovery, and homeless services.
Find out more by visiting www.fettle.ie
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