Taking our self-care into the community

Since setting up the The Potting Shed with fellow art psychotherapist Bethan Baëz-Devine self-care has been at the forefront of my mind. Perhaps it already was and that was what drew us together to create this project. The Potting Shed is essentially a creative space (not always a literal one, we have moved around a little and are looking forward to going 'on tour' this year to visit The Weavers Factory), which encourages therapists to come together to play, create and to think about often challenging topics (loss, grief, trauma, boundaries, burnout). All of our topics for events have a huge self-care element and we have been keen to offer the space that, as therapists we so often fail to make for ourselves. It is perhaps a cliché that 'the wounded healer' will put their own needs at the bottom of their 'to do' list. I have certainly noticed, since starting Potting Shed a definite shift in my self-care regime, this is something that Bethan and I have discussed at length and we are both practicing much more of what we 'preach'.


Attending to my own self care and walking in nature

As therapists we understand the stress and pressure we can be under, how it can affect our work, wellbeing, mental and physical health, but for other professionals this self-focus is perhaps obscured by the predominant culture, work schedules, training and management structures. How many people, in caring professions are encouraged to take even a moment to consider their own needs. This led me to thinking about how some of the self-care work developed in The Potting Shed might be transformed to a wider workforce.

Last year I was involved in a pilot project in a hospital in North Derbyshire. Myself and then Art Psychotherapy Trainee Jayne Caesar (now qualified and working in palliative care) offered art therapy to in-patients on a busy ward and outpatients attending a cancer service. We also offered a number of drop-in sessions, including, as part of Dying Matters, an opportunity for staff, patients and members of the public to share their thoughts on living and dying...we made a tree for them to add leave showing what they want to do before they die and how they would like their death to be.

Beginings of the tree

The tree in full bloom

This project highlighted the need for more emotional support for the busy nursing staff, as well as a need for training around their self-care. Discussions with the lead cancer nurse led to a wonderful collaboration and after running a workshop last year for her team, I am back this summer to offer another two. This has developed into more workshops in Nottinghamshire, again for an NHS cancer care team.

My experience has been that in offering 'permission' to care/nursing staff to reflect on their self-care and perhaps even reframing it into 'taking care of yourself takes better care of your patients' (which it most definitely does) then teams can start to focus on their own resilience and become better equipped to deal with one of the most stressful of work roles.

Reflections on Self-Care - ipad image

When the NHS seems so under attack, under funded and stressed to breaking point, it is most certainly a privileged to offer something back.

With every self-care workshop I offer, I feel a little closer to considering my own self-care and retaining these changes I have made in my life.

Our next weekend event 'Into the Woods; a creative exploration of trauma' in Derbyshire 6&7 June.

Into the Woods CPD event - more info