Role: ASPENS co-chair

Your connection to the course: I’ve attended many of the whole day workshops because they focused on such good topic’s for Continuing Professional Development and were always inclusive. I even presented at one.

Inspiration – Mindfully passing on the self-care

Recent art based ASPENS webinars we had run received good feedback. Independent Family Therapists said it had made them feel connected and less isolated but they wanted something more on self care. So I returned to an exercise I remembered was so helpful that I experienced at a DAFT/DERBY UNI workshop in 2016. This exercise was focused on creating a self care shoe for the journey in my then pre-retirement NHS family therapy lead /clinical psychology manager post . At the time I was a very stressed NHS manager losing connection with my Systemic creativity. I remember how that visual and experiential exercise enabled me to reconnect and relate to those skills and a community of hopefulness at a difficult and isolating time.

I attach the shoe I redrew from memory and the one I drew for the self care webinar which relates to my current journey in independent practice.