Welcome to our Treasure Chest of gems and jewels

from our programmes!

Sit back, relax and browse through our ever-growing selection of feedback, quotes, success stories and examples of work created at courses and events

We welcome your feedback too!

 Client Feedback from a Range of CHI Mental & Emotional Health & Wellbeing Activities

 “What skills or knowledge can you now use to help manage your own stress?”

MOOD FOODS

• “Strategies to help with ‘brain fog’!”
• “I will drink more water and eat less chocolate and encourage my family to do the same.”

POSITIVE THINKING

• "Think of a positive, before taking it home, and be my own best friend.”
• “Visualisation techniques for positive thinking.”

PASS IT ON! - STRESSBUSTERS

• “Teach a friend to do hand massage.”

CHANGES - STRESS MANAGEMENT COURSE

•  “I think the course was great and has totally changed my outlook.”
• “(the highlights were) group involvement.”

MY STORY from CHI

Maria Ferrari – Sessional Worker

I began my journey with CHI in 2005 and what an amazing voyage it has been.  I applied to do a Stress Management student placement so that I could gain work experience for my diploma from Langside College.  Fortunately I was successful in the selection process, and I was able to work with people who genuinely needed and wanted support to improve their mental and emotional health and wellbeing, to help them become the person they wanted to be.  This allowed me to obtain ‘real and meaningful’ case studies, to test my knowledge, learn so much about local information and put into practice everything that I had learned at college and in life.  At all points throughout my placement, staff were there to guide and support me, making sure I was on the right track and ensuring the client was getting the best service possible. 

I was delighted to be taken on as a sessional worker after my year’s placement and this opened up lots of new and exciting opportunities.  I have been involved with the CHI stress management ‘open doors’ service, and delivered workshops, groups, seminars and courses for mental health promotion and improvement; worked in the CHI holistic therapy service in therapy clinics, with groups and at events; have worked in schools and the community, with pre-school age to over 50’s; been provided with training in a range of skills including Mental Health First Aid…the list goes on.

Sometimes I have faced this with trepidation and uncertainty, but it makes such a huge difference to your own confidence and self-esteem when someone tells you they believe in you and ‘you can do it’ – it makes you think ‘ok I’ll give it a go’; when your opinion and knowledge is not only requested but respected.  It is this ethos that has allowed me to understand what it feels like to have support – hopefully I have been able to carry this forward professionally and personally.   Everyone at CHI is so helpful, supportive and inspiring – I have found this in bucket loads at CHI, from the Director to the volunteers!

It has been this environment that gave me the confidence to apply for full-time work.  At the end of 2008 I gained employment as a Complementary Therapist working with the Directorate of Forensic Mental Health and Learning Disabilities, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.  I work within a medium secure unit, dealing with people with very severe mental health issues who also have some judicial involvement. The Directorate had occasionally brought in therapists to work with patients on a ‘health fair’ type basis, but it had never considered employing a therapist to provide a Therapeutic service.  I have been very lucky in ‘catching the crest of the wave’ in that my new role is to initiate, develop and deliver a complementary therapy service within the directorate.

I can honestly say that had I not worked at CHI and had the opportunity to work with the variety of people I have done, I would have had insufficient experience, knowledge and confidence to undertake this new role.  The training and support from CHI staff has shaped me into knowing what it is to be a good listener, how to show empathy, be patient, show tolerance, how to support other people…the list goes on!  I am very proud to say that I continue to work occasionally with CHI on a sessional basis and I hope to be involved with them for many a year to come.  Without the guidance and support from the staff at CHI, and with what I have learned from the clients, I would not have made it – thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

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