How long do sessions last and how many sessions will my child receive? Expand We will offer an assessment for your child. We complete this assessment with the parent/ carer usually over the telephone. Assessment appointments take between 30 and 45 minutes to complete. We will then offer six group therapy sessions. These take place weekly at the same time, in the same venue. In some instances, children are offered one-to-one therapy. The assessment appointment takes place as above and then we offer 3 initial therapy sessions. During this time, we will see how a child engages. If a child is attending and progressing well, we will offer three more sessions. We have strict rules about missed appointments. Many children approach Listening Ear for help and so it is important that all appointments are attended.
What Are Your Referral Criteria? Expand Listening Ear currently accepts referrals for children and young people who have experienced bereavement (including murder, manslaughter and suicide) or loss (including divorce/ separation, domestic abuse in the home, children looked after and parent in prison). Please be aware that our resources for supporting children from outside Knowsley with bereavement and divorce/ separation are limited. It is likely that group support will be offered and children will be expected to travel to Whiston to access support.
Which referral form do I need to complete? Expand Listening Ear has a generic referral form available via our website. Please click the referral button.
Volunteering Opportunities We're looking for a facilitator for our Friendship After Bereavement Group in Cheshire West. You will need to be qualified to at least Level 1 - 2 in counselling skills. Listening Ear will provide additional training. Expand FAB Group Facilitator (Friendship After Bereavement Cheshire West) Minimum qualification Level 1 - 2 in counselling skills. Additional training provided by Listening Ear. If you are patient, tolerant and non-judgemental, you could be just the volunteer we are looking for! Knowledge of the experience of bereavement in older people and of how a significant loss has an impact on identity is important for this role. Maturity is essential - plus lots of energy and ideas for social inclusion. Listening Ear has opportunities for volunteer facilitators for its Friendship After Bereavement (FAB) groups for clients over the age of 50 who have experienced a significant bereavement and are feeling socially isolated or have little support. FAB groups are usually held fortnightly for 2 hours. The groups are supported by 2 volunteer facilitators and the aim is to help to reduce social isolation and loneliness after a bereavement. The group facilitator will organise the meetings, organise local social events as agreed by the group members and help to support the group members emotionally by helping to maintain a safe space for people to talk about their feelings. Locations: Ellesmere Port, Neston, Chester, Helsby, Frodsham, Northwich. Read more about FAB here. To apply click here.
NHS Self-help Guides Expand Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS have produced a range of excellent self-help guides for adults. These are available free of charge and can be downloaded from their website HERE.
Butterflies App Check out our children and young people’s mobile phone app co-designed by service users. Expand Designed by ex-service users for other Children and Young People, our Butterflies App provides a space to: remember loved ones in your own on-line memory garden; create music playlists to support your mood; make you laugh when you feel down and keep you safe during difficult times. The current version of the App is available via The App Store and through Google Play and is free. Butterfly web-link for Android http://bit.ly/2qHRUl4 Butterfly web-link for Apple http://apple.co/2pq93vv
Mind-Ed Expand MindEd is a free educational resource on children and young people's mental health for all adults. The MindEd wesbite has lots of useful information on it for families, professionals and volunteers looking for strategies to support positive mental health outcomes for children and young people. You can view the MindEd website HERE.
Volunteer Board Member Listening Ear is managed by a Board of Trustees. The Board adds skills to the staff complement and ensures that the Charity operates in accordance with charity and company law, remains commercially viable and fulfills its contractual obligations. Expand When selecting new Trustees, Listening Ear uses a skills and diversity matrix to create a diverse board which represents the broad communities that we serve and the breadth of skills required by our organisation. If you would like to be considered for appointment as a Trustee of Listening Ear, please download the Volunteer Application Form and the Skills and Diversity Matrix, complete and return. This is a key document which informs final selections.
Associate Counsellor Level 4 Diploma (and above) qualified counsellors who are successful at interview stage within Listening Ear are offered an Associate Counsellor position. Expand Associate Counsellors receive regular support and guidance, monthly clinical supervision, access to CPD opportunities and training in assessment processes for counselling. Associate Counsellors can work in our outreach venues with full support, guidance, policies and procedures in place. This can be a valuable experience for those wanting to eventually become self-employed. Any paid positions at Listening Ear are offered internally in the first instance. This means that Associate Counsellors at Listening Ear are able to apply as internal candidates. Where Associate Counsellors have experience of working therapeutically with children and young people, they may be offered an Associate Counsellor role within CYP services. Where a qualified counsellor wishes to gain experience of working therapeutically with children and young people, we offer two options: Group Specialist Practitioner Training - Free A Butterflies Diploma - Paid
My child has expressed a wish to die. What should I do? Expand Make a GP appointment as soon as possible. Explain to the G.P. receptionist that you require an urgent appointment. If you become more concerned about the child/ young person prior to this appointment, please take your child to A and E. Unfortunately Listening Ear does not currently offer a crisis service.
When is it appropriate to access support for a child following bereavement? Expand We would recommend a period of six months following a bereavement when children will naturally grieve the loss of someone close to them. If following this period you have concerns about how a child is coping following a bereavement, then you can make a referral into our service.
Integrative Expand This is when several distinct models of counselling and psychotherapy are used together in a converging way rather than as separate approaches.
Systemic Expand These are therapies which aim to change the transactional pattern of members of a system. Systemic therapy can be used as a generic term for family therapy and marital therapy.
Solution Focused Therapy Expand This therapy promotes positive change rather than dwelling on past problems. Clients are encouraged to focus positively on what they do well, set goals and work out how to achieve them. As few as three or four sessions may be beneficial.
Person Centred Counselling Expand Devised by Carl Rogers it is based on the view that everyone has the capacity and desire for personal growth and change, given the right conditions. Rather than being seen as the expert directing the therapy, the counsellor offers unconditional positive regard, empathy and congruence to help the client develop and grow in their own way.
Mindfulness Expand 'Mindfulness is a specific way of intentionally focusing on your thoughts, feelings and the world around you, moment by moment. It encourages clients to be aware of each thought, so they can ‘catch’ and manage a negative thought before they become overwhelmed by a stream of negative thoughts and feelings. This can help to reduce stress and anxiety and help clients to positively change the way they see themselves and their lives. Mindfulness-based therapists can work with individuals and groups and will usually integrate mindfulness with another therapeutic approach'. Ref: http://www.bacp.co.uk/student/modalities.php
Placement Counsellor Listening Ear accepts applications from Volunteer Counsellors studying towards Diploma Levels 3, 4 and 5. Expand We get many requests for placements each year. Deadlines for placement applications are 31st January and 31st July each year with new cohorts inducted in March and September each year. The process for volunteering applications is as follows: Scoring of the form by the services manager Informal interview with the services manager If your application is successful following interview, having a current DBS really helps. If you don’t have a current DBS this isn’t a problem, we will apply for one on your behalf but it usually takes a couple of months to come through.
What is BACP Service Accreditation? Listening Ear’s adult Counselling service has full accreditation under the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (registered number 102805) and operates within its Ethical Framework. Expand Listening Ear’s adult Counselling service has full accreditation under the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (registered number 102805) and operates within its Ethical Framework. Listening Ear was the first organisation in Merseyside to achieve this accreditation BACP No. 102805. It is one of three accredited services currently operating within the region. You can view the service accreditation register HERE. BACP service accreditation provides the highest assurances about Quality Management Systems relevant to counselling and psychotherapy. BACP service accreditation has a rigorous application process and has to be renewed every five years, with an annual return thereafter. Our accreditation is currently in place until 2019 and we have held it since 2004.
Would Listening Ear ever break confidentiality? Expand There are three exceptions when Listening Ear would break confidentiality. You would be asked to sign a contract in your first session that would allow us to do this. The three exceptions are: Where you have discussed your part in an illegal activity within a session such as drug trafficking or fraud Where you have disclosed your intention to harm another person Where you have disclosed your intention to harm yourself
How long do my sessions last? Expand Each adult session is 50 minutes which you would usually attend once a week.
Group Support Worker Group Support Workers assist a qualified counsellor to run therapeutic groups for Children and Young People. Expand Children could be affected by bereavement or loss (divorce/ separation or domestic abuse). This opportunity would be of particular interest to anyone studying/ interested in children and young people’s mental health. Volunteers support a group three times per year (minimum). These could be in Birkenhead, Whiston, Kirkby or St Helens. The majority of our groups run in Birkenhead and Whiston. It is possible to support a group 3 times per year in one location i.e. Wirral. Groups run weekly for 1hr 30mins for a period of 6 to 8 weeks. Volunteers support the group leader for 30minutes prior to the start of the group and 30 minutes after (total of 2.5 hours per week). Most groups run during the week between 4pm and 8pm. Full training in safeguarding and child protection, group process and confidentiality is provided.
Meet and Greet Listening Ear welcomes hundreds of beneficiaries to its premises in Whiston and Halewood each year and need volunteers who can make tea and place people at ease during their visit. Expand If you have a few hours to spare each week and would be happy to act as a volunteer to meet and greet beneficiaries and visitors to Listening Ear premises, please get in touch. No experience or qualifications are necessary, just reliability and a warm, friendly and professional approach to welcoming clients.
Business Administrator Provides experience of working in a busy office environment in a growing third sector mental health organisation. Expand Volunteering as a Business Administrator at Listening Ear would be particularly useful for Business Studies students or graduates who are looking for work experience in a busy client-focused, third-sector organisation. Volunteers are placed within the Service Coordination team who support the full business needs of the organisation.