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Covid-19 Support

Offering your staff all the support and guidance they need after a taxing few years.

A Changed World
and Workplace

Organisations globally are finding themselves facing an unprecedented level of changes to their workplace. Likely, Covid-19 has prompted a high-level crisis response for all organisations. At FD Consultants, we understand how your working life has changed due to the pandemic, and our aim is to help you not only adapt, but best support your staff through what has been an emotionally tumultuous period for us all. Understanding what you can be doing to effectively support your team and wider organisation in this changing world is the first step to building a resilient workforce.

Adapting to Covid-19

Being able to adapt to a changing way of living and working is the very first step to managing the effects of Covid-19. Things simply aren’t going to look the same as they used to. Our way of managing, supporting, and working with one another needs to reflect the ways our environment and collective wellbeing have shifted, and this all starts with flexibility.

Supporting Your Organisation Through Covid-19 Challenges

Crisis Support

Our team of experienced consultants will be able to offer effective crisis support services tailored to whatever challenges your staff may be facing in light of the pandemic. For example, if a staff member passed away from Covid-19, then your team is going to be facing a difficult and emotional time. Having a crisis support expert on your side will ensure that this is navigated professionally and empathetically. These are situations your staff are unlikely to have encountered before, and you deserve to have all the support you need to guide yourself and your team through this time.

Counselling
and Support

Simply having counselling services readily available can make your workplace a safer, more supportive environment. It’s natural for many of us to be feeling heightened anxiety. This could be regarding health, safety, or even just returning to the workplace. Added nerves or contradicting emotions surrounding this period are inevitable, and all you can do to guide your staff through this time is to provide them with all the support they need. Living and working through a pandemic is a trauma event, and therefore trauma specialist counsellors are needed.

Training and
Workshops

Undergoing training and workshops as a team can achieve several important results. Firstly, it can help unite your staff, grow trust and strengthen relationships. Secondly, these workshops can be catered to help develop specific ways of handling this difficult time. Our support team can walk your staff through workshops such as resilience-building programs, helping your team to learn new ways to adapt and manage this period successfully. Covid has opened up many organisations to talk about mental health best practices. Let’s keep those conversations going. 

Our Goal

Adapting to the way Covid-19 has affected us, our world, and our businesses isn’t a choice. Things can’t return to the way they used to be. Finding ways to be creative, patient, and supportive for your staff throughout this uncertain time is a vital necessity. When your staff feel heard and supported in a timely manner, their recovery will be quicker and easier. Help staff transition back into the workplace, or recognise those who have been on the frontline and may be close to burnout. Embed support systems into the workplace to enable staff to remain resilient through challenging times.

Meet some of the Team

FD Consultants are a team of support and trauma specialists. Our well-being service has years of experience in this field – we understand how to deliver a reliable, timely, and bespoke support system in workplaces of all sizes and industries. The accredited specialists that make up FD Consultant’s team will be your trusted guides on how to manage stress and prevent burnout in your workplace.

We’re trained to provide whatever is required to rebuild your staff after a difficult time. This could include providing specialist trauma care, equipping staff with tools to cope, and finding ways to help your entire workplace recover quickly and successfully. We care about what we do, and cherish the opportunity to help people through challenging periods however we can.

Work with FD Consultants

If you’re looking for psychological support for your employees, FD Consultants are ready to guide you through the entire process. We’re here to provide you with trauma and support specialists, not only providing counselling, ongoing support, and resilience training, but to show you what you can be doing to support your staff.  See your organisation flourish and your individual staff members effectively cared for after a stressful few years by reaching out to FD Consultants today.

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Adapting to Covid-19

Being able to adapt to a changing way of living and working is the very first step to managing the effects of Covid-19. Things simply aren’t going to look the same as they used to. Our way of managing, supporting, and working with one another needs to reflect the ways our environment and collective wellbeing have shifted, and this all starts with flexibility.

This pandemic forced many workplaces to reconsider the ways of working that they considered most effective and productive. For those on the frontline working from home was not an option, whereas for others we had to learn how to work remotely. Even as life slowly begins to transition, this adaptability is something we need to carry with us. Continue allowing flexibility to drive your workplace, taking into consideration blended work approaches, and responding to the needs of your staff.

Similarly, we need to be carrying our newfound creativity into our current working lives. Covid-19 forced many of us to find new ways of doing things. New ways of relating to others and staying productive. Being creative is one of the best ways to strengthen resilience, and you should both encourage and support creative outlets within your workplace. Let this period of rebuilding be an opportunity to change the way things have been done. How could you be creating new systems of working? What creative solutions to ongoing issues can be resolved?

There are many things this virus has taught us. Patience, the importance of connecting with one another, and how essential emotional support is from our leaders in the workplace. As your organisation recovers from a challenging time, try to find the things that you can be carrying with you from this period that can strengthen the overall success of your staff.

Molly and the Two Pigeons (Audiobook ver)

Molly and the Two Pigeons is a short story for upper primary and lower secondary school children to teach them about Coronavirus in a fun and light-hearted way, and records a significant period of time in history. It could also be used as a teaching tool for parents or teachers.

A loveable puppy called Molly forms a friendship with two racing pigeons, Destiny and Grace, who live in a wooden hut in the adjacent garden. Grace is kind-hearted and takes a liking to Molly, Destiny is arrogant and is known as the fastest pigeon in the South, proven by his collection of medals. Their circle of friends expands to include Marv the wise Mandarin Duck, Flash Gordon the Goose, and Merlin the Mosquito.

This strange group of friends become united through one cause, to find a cure for the Coronavirus and help the people. Their adventures take them far and wide. They travel to China and learn about the origins of Coronavirus. They explore the Yangtze River, where they learn about the legend of the mountain peaks. They head to South Korea, where they learn about “Track and Trace” to prevent the spread of the virus. They also visit Oxford, England, where they explore how a vaccine is made. Their trip to Oxford coincides with a visit from Prince William, who Molly takes a great liking to and manages to get a royal stroke from.

Proceeds will be gifted to a charity to support the NHS and all those needing additional support from the impact of Coronavirus.

Trauma and counselling interview (Flirt Radio)

Mindfulness Exercise Series: Breathing & Relaxation

More than ever, people are talking about mindfulness. But what is it and how could it help you? Mindfulness can help you manage your wellbeing and mental health. It can enable you to:

✓ feel less overwhelmed
✓ improve your sleep quality
✓ positively change the way you think and feel about your experiences (especially stressful experiences)
✓ increase your ability to manage difficult situations
✓ make wiser choices
✓ reduce levels of anxiety
✓ reduce levels of depression
✓ reduce levels of stress
✓ reduce the amount you chew things over in your mind
✓ have greater self-compassion

Mindfulness is not fluffy nonsense nor is it a passing fad, there is a great deal of research evidencing that mindfulness changes the plasticity of our brain. But, it does take effort and work to develop mindfulness skills and time to practice them.

In this, the first series of mindfulness exercises I share some simple breathing and relaxation techniques to help you unwind and take some time for yourself.

If you like this exercise then please get in touch with FD Consultants today to find out about their mindfulness and wellbeing courses.

The Role of Community in Trauma Therapy Podcast

FIONA DUNKLEY is a trauma therapist and counsellor who has helped people and communities affected by war, terrorism and sexual violence. Drawing on experiences described in her new book – Psychosocial Support for Humanitarian Aid Workers – in these podcasts she tells us about the importance of community and its values in helping people overcome trauma.

Mindfulness Exercise 6: Mountain Meditation

Meditation is the collective term for a number of techniques used to still the mind, relax the body and produce a state of inner harmony. It differs from sleep, hypnosis or other types of relaxation simply because your mind remains alert.

There are many ways to meditate. You can meditate while sitting, walking, or practising yoga, but it is easiest to learn by sitting comfortably in a quiet room for several minutes twice a day, every day. There are 2 basic steps: to focus on a single word or phrase (of your choice – perhaps “peace” or “one”, or a religious word) or simply to focus on your breath; and to ignore or disregard all other thoughts.

When we focus on a single word, thought or image, we produce a state of calm that increases mental alertness, while relaxing other body systems.

Meditating twice a day for 15-20 minutes has been shown to be the most effective. Make an effort to practice every day, even if it’s initially only for 5 minutes. You may find it’s easiest to meditate first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

One of our favourite meditations is “The Mountain Meditation” by Jon Kabat-Zinn. It encourages us to seek inner stability and peace, even in the face unpredictable change and chaos. Here is an adaptation of Kabat-Zinn’s classic guided meditation, we hope you enjoy it and find it useful.

If you like this exercise then please get in touch with FD Consultants today to find out about their mindfulness and wellbeing courses.

Mindfulness Exercise 5:Healing Light Meditation

Healing Light meditation is a popular practice. You can use it almost anywhere to lift your mood. If you’ve got a few moments free throughout the day, I highly recommend learning this practice to fill some of those extra minutes with guided white light meditation.

Many people who meditate have had unusual encounters with healing light. They find the experience perplexing. There’s no logical source for this light; so where does it originate? Individuals experience this light in different ways. One meditator might see giant glowing white balls, while another one might see tiny comet-streaked white sparkles. Experiencing a light during meditation is common, but subjective. There are many benefits to following this healing light meditation, such as enhancing overall wellbeing, boosting self-esteem and feelings of connectedness and it can be used to help “clear” any painful emotions you may be experiencing.

If you like this exercise then please get in touch with FD Consultants today to find out about their mindfulness and wellbeing courses.

Mindfulness Exercise 4: Body Scan Meditation

When you’re feeling stressed, it’s common to “carry stress in your body” in the form of tense shoulders, a stomach “in knots,” through shallow breathing, or in other ways. When people carry stress in their bodies, they’re often not even aware of it! When we’re really stressed, we may be feeling physical discomfort but not connect it with our emotions. A body scan meditation is a practice that can be performed daily or even several times a day and can help you learn to identify what you are feeling and where you’re feeling it, and learn to release the stress in your body and mind.

The body scan meditation is effective in relieving stress not only because of the mind-clearing aspects present in all forms of meditation but because of the physical component as well. Research shows that there are physical and psychological benefits to relaxing the body and relieving tension. Relieving physical tension, for example, has been shown to lead to a decrease in psychological stress, even when no psychologically-based stress relief efforts are made. Tension relieved in the body can lead to lower stress levels and lower reactivity to future stress, which can, in turn, lead to less physical tension as a result of stress.

In this way, this meditation works to break the cycle of physical and psychological tension that can feed on itself. Because of this, the body scan meditation is a very useful and effective meditation that can help you to stay relaxed mentally and physically, and return to a relaxed state when you become too tense. You can try a body scan meditation right now by following this simple video exercise.

If you like this exercise then please get in touch with FD Consultants today to find out about their mindfulness and wellbeing courses.

Mindfulness Exercise 3: Compassionate Mindfulness

This is an exercise in feeling compassion towards yourself. Self compassion often doesn’t come naturally – it is a skill you need to learn, practice and consciously engage in. Research has shown that these techniques can help improve our emotional well-being, improve our ability to cope with life’s challenges, lower levels of anxiety and depression, promote healthy habits such as diet and exercise, and lead to more satisfying personal relationships.

Cultivating self-compassion in this way can fundamentally shift how we relate to ourselves. Instead of meeting our imperfections and challenges with self-blame and criticism, we can bring a kind and mindful attention to our experiences (thoughts, emotions, and sensations) and a sense of love and care to ourselves, right in the midst of difficult situations. With practice, we can strengthen this inner quality of presence, connectedness, and kindness to improve emotional well-being and build resilience.

If you like this exercise then please get in touch with FD Consultants today to find out about their mindfulness and wellbeing courses.

Mindfulness Exercise 2: Releasing Negative Energy

On a regular basis, we encounter a wide range of energies, both positive and negative, and since the negative energies we come in contact with have the power to drain, and make us feel tired and exhausted, it is very important to remove these energies.

Negative energy can be anger, anxiety, depression, resentment, jealousy, or any negative feeling and emotions that you have been holding on to. This guided meditation will help you remove any form of psychic attack or negative energies from your life and shield you from negativity.

Before you begin, remember to first, find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed for the next 15 minutes. Second, find a comfortable position to sit – it can be in a chair, crossed legged or on your knees, or lay down and when you’re ready, press play.

If you like this exercise then please get in touch with FD Consultants today to find out about their mindfulness and wellbeing courses.

Mindfulness Exercise Series 1: 4-Step Breathing

4-Step breathing (also called square, tactical or Box breathing) is a simple and highly effective technique that you can practice for a few minutes anytime you need to boost your creativity or concentration, break free from scattered thinking, or interrupt an intense “fight or flight” response and return to a state of healing and peace. It is also an effective breath to use at the beginning of your mindfulness practice.

This centuries old breathing technique for meditation has re-surfaced in the past few years and is being used by athletes, performers, doctors, and even navy seals, as their most effective strategy for quickly entering a calm, centered state of mind and body; especially when they are in an intense situation where they need to be fully present and directly connected to their best self/highest self. Many people report that when breathing is used as part of their meditation it has a dramatic, positive impact on their inner and outer wellbeing.

If you like this exercise then please get in touch with FD Consultants today to find out about their mindfulness and wellbeing courses.

Psychosocial Support for Humanitarian Aid Workers:
A Roadmap of Trauma and Critical Incident Care

Get your copy of Fiona’s book, Psychosocial Support for Humanitarian Aid Workers. It will appeal to all those working in the field of humanitarian aid, counsellors and psychotherapists, emergency first responders, as well as those who are looking to support themselves after surviving trauma.

Molly and the Two Pigeons

Molly and the Two Pigeons is a short story for upper primary and lower secondary school children to teach them about Coronavirus in a fun and light-hearted way, and records a significant period of time in history. It could also be used as a teaching tool for parents or teachers.

A loveable puppy called Molly forms a friendship with two racing pigeons, Destiny and Grace, who live in a wooden hut in the adjacent garden. Grace is kind-hearted and takes a liking to Molly, Destiny is arrogant and is known as the fastest pigeon in the South, proven by his collection of medals. Their circle of friends expands to include Marv the wise Mandarin Duck, Flash Gordon the Goose, and Merlin the Mosquito.

This strange group of friends become united through one cause, to find a cure for the Coronavirus and help the people. Their adventures take them far and wide. They travel to China and learn about the origins of Coronavirus. They explore the Yangtze River, where they learn about the legend of the mountain peaks. They head to South Korea, where they learn about “Track and Trace” to prevent the spread of the virus. They also visit Oxford, England, where they explore how a vaccine is made. Their trip to Oxford coincides with a visit from Prince William, who Molly takes a great liking to and manages to get a royal stroke from.

Proceeds will be gifted to a charity to support the NHS and all those needing additional support from the impact of Coronavirus.

Download the first chapter of the audiobook for free – click here