Personal development workshops from the Advice and Counselling Service

18 January 2018

These workshops do not need to be booked in advance – you can just turn up on the day.

Please note the spaces available for each workshop in the descriptions below. Spaces will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Workshops will be repeated through the academic year, so if you don't get a place you can try again on a later date.

Workshop 1: Can't Study?

Five places are available on each date. These are one-off sessions so you can choose which one of these dates to attend:

• Tuesday 30 January
• ​​Tuesday 6 February
• Tuesday 6 March
• Tuesday 13 March

Time: 1.30–3pm
Venue: Advice and Counselling Service, Room GC214, 2nd Floor Graduate Centre, Mile End campus

This is a small one-off group session (for up to five people) which lasts for 90 minutes, for any student who is finding themselves blocked in their work. You might be lacking motivation, finding it hard to organise your work, or imagining that your work will be heavily criticised or harshly judged. You might think of yourself as a 'perfectionist' or as someone who tends to put things off. You might be having trouble finishing off your work or handing it in. In the workshop, you will work together collaboratively with a counsellor/facilitator to understand why you might be blocked and to find strategies which will help you to get working again. Although you are welcome to come back for another workshop session, most people find that coming once is enough to help improve their work habits or get them started. You will be asked to complete a short feedback sheet at the end of the workshop.

Workshop 2: Growing in Confidence 

12 places are available on each date. These are one-off sessions so you can choose which one of these dates to attend:

• Monday 22 January 
• Monday 5 February 

Time: 1.30–3pm
Venue: Advice and Counselling Service, Room GC214, 2nd Floor Graduate Centre, Mile End campus

This workshop focuses on practical strategies to help you develop your self-confidence. It may be that you feel nervous or anxious when:

• you need to present in front of a group of people
• you want to speak up in a seminar or lecture
• you want to meet new people or socialise.

You may sometimes feel defeated by nervousness or anxiety and unable to change. Growing in confidence requires practice but first you need to know where to start. In this one-off, 90-minute workshop, we will:

• dispel some common myths about nervousness and anxiety
• help you to see the problem differently and consider what you can do to change
• help you develop a practical self-help plan to work on your self-confidence.

This will be an active workshop involving work in pairs and as a group. The facilitator will provide a safe, supportive, encouraging environment for you to learn about yourself and develop strategies for change. You will be asked to complete a short feedback sheet at the end of the workshop. 

Workshop 3: Better Sleep

12 places are available on each date. These are one-off sessions so you can choose which one of these dates to attend:

• Thursday 1 February
• Thursday 15 February 

Time: 1.30–3pm
Venue: Advice and Counselling Service, Room GC214, 2nd Floor Graduate Centre, Mile End campus.

This workshop focuses on practical strategies to help students manage difficulties with sleep. Some common difficulites people encounter with sleep include:

• finding it difficult to relax, switch off and fall asleep or waking up repeatedly and struggling to get back to sleep
• getting into bad habits that effect your sleep (chaotic sleep schedule, effects of alcohol, late night study, etc)
• worrying about 'not getting enough' sleep.

We can sometimes feel stressed out about the idea that we are not getting enough sleep, or end up sleeping in the day  to make up for ‘lost’ sleep at night. In this one-off, ninety minute workshop, for up to 15 participants, we will:

• dispel some common myths about sleep
• help you to see the problem differently and consider what you can do to change
• help you develop a practical self-help plan to improve your sleep patterns.

This will be an active workshop involving work in pairs and as a group. The facilitator will provide a supportive and informative session to help you develop strategies improve your sleep. You will be asked to complete a short feedback sheet at the end of the workshop.