The ‘Tree of life’ uses the metaphor of a tree to explore the strengths and resources we use throughout our life’s journey.

 

Each part of the tree indicates a part of our story; the roots signify where we have come from, the trunk represents our values and strengths, the branches are our hopes and dreams, the leaves are significant people in our lives and the fruit and flowers represent gifts we have given to and received from others.

 

Assertiveness is the quality of being self-assured and confident without being aggressive. It is a way of communicating your rights and needs in a balanced and respectful manner while also considering the rights of others. Some people are naturally more assertive than others, but we can all learn to develop our assertiveness skills and become more confident in expressing our needs.

 

This Recovery College course will introduce students to the concept of "flow", otherwise known as "being in the zone". We will explore together how creative processes and art can lead to a state of flow and wellbeing.

 

This course is for beginners, with no prior art experience required - we will aim to create a safe and supportive learning environment to explore our creativity.

 

Students will need paper and a handful of coloured pens or pencils.

 

This Recovery College programme aims to support and empower men to developconfidence, improve their health and enhance their feelings of wellbeing.

 

It centres around the key steps to wellbeing:

You will engage in short discussions, practical exercises and learning activities designed to increase health and wellbeing.

 

This is an exciting new collaborative project - a four-week evening course, in person at The Place.

 

This Recovery College course is practical and experiential and is for anyone who wants to explore creating health and wellbeing through movement and/or dance, be more creative and express themselves. It will offer opportunities to practise dance/movement for mental health and physical well-being through simple exercises and practises in ways that support the level of each student.

 

We hope attending this course will help you

The festive season can be a difficult time. The pressure to seem to be having a wonderful time can leave us feeling left out, isolated and distressed. Many people feel this way, you are not alone.

 

Focusing on something meaningful to you or reaching out to get help and support can feel liberating and nourishing. We will explore what may make the season challenging for you and discuss different strategies for coping.

 

Many of us find it much easier to be kind to other people than to ourselves.

 

On this Recovery College course, we will explore what being kind to yourself means to you and how self-acceptance can help us all on our recovery journeys. We will look at what stops us from being kind to ourselves and how we can change our thinking and behaviour so we can offer ourselves the same kindness and compassion we show to others.

 

The benefits of spending time with others are well understood and as a result it can seem like being alone is a poor second choice.

 

But is being by ourselves always a bad thing - or can it sometimes be beneficial for our mental health? On this course, we will spend time exploring what it means to be alone and if this always has to feel negative. You will have an opportunity to discover what level of being alone feels right for you and how to make the most of this precious time.

 

Castlehaven Men’s Club is back. We meet weekly for tea and chat as well as a friendly game of cards, Dominoes or Cribbage. Some trips are being planned for the near future and the men are currently involved in a project on Creativity, Craftmanship and Innovation with The British Museum.

 

If you would like to drop in or for more information call Phoebe White on 020 7692 2238 or email scott@castlehaven.org.uk