Project 14 – WELLBEING INSIDE AND OUT

The overall purpose of the project is to cater for the mental health and linguistic needs of our members and to provide information and therapies that would help them empower and heal themselves. The project also caters for the training needs of Counsellors and Interpreters who are working with our members.

The specific objectives are to:

Train Counsellors on how to work with Interpreters so that they feel confident to deliver effective therapy regardless of their clients’ mother tongue, and understand and practise the protocols of how to work via an interpreter.

Train Interpreters on how to work with Counsellors so that they feel confident when interpreting in that environment and understand their role and boundaries. The languages covered are: Arabic<>English; Polish<>English; Romanian<>English; Mandarin<>English, Punjabi<>English & Spanish<>English.

• – Offer follow-up support to interpreters involved in Counselling sessions so that they learn how to cope with traumatic and difficult situations through Reflective Practice sessions.
• – Offer six linguistically and culturally-sensitive therapies on a one-to-one basis per individual, led by professional and experienced Counsellors and Therapists.
• – Offer group sessions to provide friendship and mutual support (e.g. talks on the menopause via Zoom).
• – Offer group sessions to work on self-awareness.
• – Offer group sessions to provide auricular acupuncture to overcome trauma and stress.
• – Communicate loving kindness so that the beneficiaries feel that they matter and have a voice.
• – There are three Target Audiences, as follows: Counsellors, Interpreters, and ILA-WALES CIC member beneficiaries.

The training for Counsellors and Interpreters is provided by Beverley COSTA, an author and expert in Multilingualism in Mental Health. On the other hand, the Group REFORM therapy sessions as well as the individual counselling and reflexology are provided by Jacquelyn Suzanne HALEY, a qualified and experienced counsellor and reflexologist. Moreover, the self-awareness sessions are provided by Carlos Ibarra via Zoom whilst the auricular acupuncture sessions are provided by Ruth DAVIES, a trained acupuncturist, who has her own practice in Penllergaer, Swansea: Zen Acupuncture & Therapies.

All sessions provided by Beverley are via Zoom, whilst the Group sessions provided by Jacquelyn are hybrid: face-to-face and Zoom. All sessions provided by Carlos are via Zoom whilst Ruth’s sessions are face-to-face at The Environment Centre. Individual counselling, reflexology and Alexander Technique sessions are face-to-face at the Life Therapy Centre, whilst Tai-Chi and Group Feldenkrais Method sessions are face-to-face at The Swansea Wellbeing Centre. Children’s Play Therapy, facilitated by Ruth Abreu de Ibarra, takes place at the Grand Multicultural Hub, alongside self-awareness sessions and counseling for children with special needs.