Who cares for the carers? At Teamwork Trust we definitely do. Meet Liz Evans, one of our new Wellbeing Tutors. Liz, who joined Teamwork in August, runs one of our new programmes, ‘Wellbeing for Carers’. These six-week courses are open to all unpaid carers in the county. These are a chance for people to come together and support each other and to focus on their own wellbeing …

These courses are life changing
Carers often tell me they feel invisible and forgotten. They so often neglect their own wellbeing for the sake of others which is why this course is all about putting the carer first. This is about encouraging people to recognise their own needs and to appreciate that they really do have to care for themselves, in order to care for others. Our first course took place in Wellingborough. The feedback was excellent, so we are now looking forward to rolling this course out across the county in other locations.

What is involved?
Each session is two hours and is a combination of group and individual activities. We use something called the ‘Wheel of Life’ to look at how satisfied everyone is with different parts of their lives. We look at our individual strengths and weaknesses, the ways we all communicate, how to cope with stress, time management, techniques for relaxation and the setting of individual goals. Crucially, this is a chance for carers to come together, share ideas and support each other. Too often carers feel isolated and find that their identify disappears because they don’t have the chance to focus on their own wellbeing. A support network is essential.

My background
I have been a tutor since 1991, originally working in colleges with people with learning disabilities.
More recently, I have worked with university students who have additional support needs, including disabilities and mental health challenges. From there I delivered a number of mental wellbeing courses through the council and now I want to share this experience and knowledge through these courses at Teamwork Trust. This is a charity that really cares about supporting every person, and my values align with theirs, which is great.

The next course for carers is running in November in Corby.

Teamwork Trust also runs a number of other wellbeing courses, including: anxiety management, depression management, anger management and food & mood.

To find out more about any of our courses please visit https://www.teamworktrust.co.uk/Blogs/wellbeing.

There is also an online referral form if you want to register your interest here: https://www.teamworktrust.co.uk/forms/wellbeing-self-referral

1/11/22