WellCAM Events 2020-2021

This series of four voice workshops, led by Professor Helen Odell-Miller OBE from Anglia Ruskin University, will focus upon wellbeing through vocal exercises and singing, which will be fun, relaxing and non-demanding. No prior musical knowledge or singing experience is needed and sessions will be accessible for all, whether you are a seasoned singer, or new to it. The workshops aim to improve motivation and the ability to concentrate, relax and connect. In addition participants will have time to focus upon their wellbeing and achieving their full potential.

Research shows that using the voice creatively, can motivate and enable our wellbeing and functioning, particularly when recovering from illness. The workshops will facilitate expression, social interaction, intellectual stimulation, fun and connection, through virtual vocal interaction, including movement.

What to expect The four stand-alone workshops across four weeks will include relaxation exercises, vocal warm-ups, vocal exercises and small group work in breakout rooms which, for those interested, could also include song writing.

Participants can keep their microphone off so no one can hear you; equally you can interact with others using your voice with the microphone on at certain points in the workshops if you prefer.

Limited places Due to the nature of the sessions, places on the Voice Workshops will be limited, with a waiting list in operation. If you have a place, please make every effort to attend, or let the EDI Team know if for any reason you will be unable to use your place so it can be offered to someone else in good time.

The facilitator Professor Helen Odell-Miller OBE is a Music Therapist and Director of the Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research at Anglia Ruskin University.

Joining instructions will be provided on your booking confirmation email.

Problem Solving in Relationships

A brief introduction to the Collaborative and Proactive Solutions approach

When someone isn’t doing what they ‘should’, it causes difficulties in relationships at work and at home - and even (perhaps particularly) in our relationship to ourselves.

How much energy do we expend trying in vain to get others to meet our expectations, or trying to meet our own?

In this brief introduction to the work of psychologist Ross Greene, author of The Explosive Child and Raising Human Beings, we will look at ways to step outside of power struggles, accommodate our own and others’ lagging skills, and solve problems with creativity, pragmatism, and compassion.

This series of four voice workshops, led by Professor Helen Odell-Miller OBE from Anglia Ruskin University, will focus upon wellbeing through vocal exercises and singing, which will be fun, relaxing and non-demanding. No prior musical knowledge or singing experience is needed and sessions will be accessible for all, whether you are a seasoned singer, or new to it. The workshops aim to improve motivation and the ability to concentrate, relax and connect. In addition participants will have time to focus upon their wellbeing and achieving their full potential.

Research shows that using the voice creatively, can motivate and enable our wellbeing and functioning, particularly when recovering from illness. The workshops will facilitate expression, social interaction, intellectual stimulation, fun and connection, through virtual vocal interaction, including movement.

What to expect The four stand-alone workshops across four weeks will include relaxation exercises, vocal warm-ups, vocal exercises and small group work in breakout rooms which, for those interested, could also include song writing.

Participants can keep their microphone off so no one can hear you; equally you can interact with others using your voice with the microphone on at certain points in the workshops if you prefer.

Limited places Due to the nature of the sessions, places on the Voice Workshops will be limited, with a waiting list in operation. If you have a place, please make every effort to attend, or let the EDI Team know if for any reason you will be unable to use your place so it can be offered to someone else in good time.

The facilitator Professor Helen Odell-Miller OBE is a Music Therapist and Director of the Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research at Anglia Ruskin University.

Joining instructions will be provided on your booking confirmation email.

If you have ever put off starting or finishing a project for fear you won’t be able to do it justice, or thought it’s just a matter of time before you are ‘found out’ as a fraud, this workshop is for you.

Offering a brief overview of the factors that contribute to and perpetuate attitudes of perfectionism and impostor syndrome, this workshop will lead you through reflective exercises and introduce you to resources to help reshape your thinking around your capabilities, your potential, and your place in the world.

Our ways of working and living online have changed a great deal during the past year.

What kinds of habits and routines have we created in our digital lives?

In this session we’ll talk how we might balance digital productivity and wellbeing, how to cope with digital fatigue and distraction, and more.

A webinar run by Jenny Swain, CPSL Mind to consider the emotional impact of lockdown and tips for dealing with emerging out of lockdown.

Mental Health Awareness Week

Join Claire Thompson, NHS Psychological Well-Being practitioner and author of Mindfulness and the Natural World and The Art of Mindful Birdwatching to hear about her journey into mindfulness, the natural world, well-being and mental health.

The session will explore what it means to develop a mindful relationship with ourselves and the rest of the natural world and why it is vital for our well-being and that of our planet that we do so.

Claire will present some of the current evidence supporting the benefits of mindful nature connection for well-being and mental health and share practical tips on how to connect with the natural world in our daily lives.

The session will end with a Q&A.

Professor Tamsin Ford CBE, will explore the evidence impacts of the upheavals of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting restrictions on children and young people – is there a Tsunami of mental health conditions or are the kids alright?

Tamsin is Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge. She is an internationally renowned Child Psychiatric Epidemiologist who researches the organisation, delivery, and effectiveness of services and interventions for children and young people’s mental health.

There are many aspects of the current research culture that negatively impact on the mental health of researchers. At Cambridge, we have set out our ambitions for creating a better research culture in an institutional action plan.

Liz Simmonds (Postdoc Academy) and Yi Ting Chua (president of the PdOC Society) from the University's research culture working group, talk about how the plan aims to improve different aspects of research culture, and following from that help to improve researchers' mental health.

Led by Sarah-Cate Blake, Education Officer at the Fitzwilliam Museum, this session will include ideas and resources for those working with or caring for young people.

A set of ideas and techniques for Young People to put into practice and facilitate their own self-regulated wellbeing resilience. Some of these are creative and practical activities, others are from trauma informed yoga and mindfulness.

Float into the clouds for this relaxing session discovering the world of the artist John Constable.

Join one of the educators from the Fitzwilliam Museum as they guide you first through a slow looking activity, before four short drawing exercises to try your own 'skying' at home.

Why is the suicide rate so much higher in men than women?

What are the barriers that stop men speaking openly about their emotions and seeking professional help?

Come and watch an engaging conversation between two male staff counsellors as they deliberate these issues. There will be plenty of time for questions at the end.

A mentoring relationship could help you to progress in your professional life/career and build your networks. It can also support your mental health by increasing confidence and reducing anxiety.

If you are interested in hearing about mentoring and its effects on mental health, join the ourcambridge Self-Match Mentoring Scheme' team for an informal session and discussion.

“(Mentoring) supported my mental health through a period of work-related anxiety/stress”.

In the role of parents and carers, we may be concerned about how those around us are coping in these challenging times, especially our children as we start to come out of lockdown.

In this panel session Dr Fiona Peacock, Faculty of Education, and Dr James Biddulph, Headteacher of the University Primary School, will discuss the main issues our children face as they return to school and lockdown rules gradually relax.

Participants will discover how to contextualise the difference between an appropriate anxiety or stress reaction to what is going on in the world, how attachment theory and positive relationships between people support resilience, and how parents could support their children in their journey out of lockdown.

An hour-long session in which Sabina and Kate from the Staff Counselling Centre guide you through gentle breathing and mindfulness exercises to help you relax and self-soothe.

Suicide Prevention Day - 10 September

Suicide could impact your life at any time and without warning. But is suicide inevitable?

As we mark World Suicide Prevention Day 2021, this presentation, delivered by Yvonne McPartland and Sarah Hughes from the Staff Counselling Centre, aims to increase awareness around suicide, dispel some myths and share some lessons from experience at the Staff Counselling Centre.

The session is designed to give staff and students the confidence to challenge the taboo around suicide that makes it such a difficult subject to broach, with colleagues, family members, friends and even total strangers: What is it OK to say? What should I be looking for? What should I do next?

The message is that having a conversation could really save a life. Let’s challenge the taboo and have a conversation that may empower you to intervene and potentially save a life.

Resources and further information:

• Information on Staff Counselling webpages
• Information on Student Counselling webpages
• Sources of support in an emergency
• Suicide awareness training from Zero Suicide Alliance (online module)
• Article: Impact of Covid on Suicide rates