Holistic Therapy within the Good Shepherd Centre
29 January 2020
“Charlene has allowed me to see touch can be a positive thing”
“The sensations I get from holistic therapy is one I look for when using substances”
Written by Charlene Ferguson, Holistic Therapist
Through experience, it is evident that most of our young people, who come into our centre, function on a higher level of anxiety. For many reasons, it appears that their body and mind is always on alert. This continuation of stress and anxiety can have an effect on our physiology. As a holistic therapist, I have adapted many forms of treatments to address such issues using holistic treatments.
As a complimentary therapy, holistic therapies have become popular with all our young people and it is a highly sought after intervention. The therapy room provides our young people with a safe space to vent, chill and have individualised 1:1 care.
This input gives our young people a safe, therapeutic and relaxing space to enable them to switch off from their every-day worries and can induce a deep state of relaxation for body and mind. Treatments are individualised to suit specific needs of our young people, compliment certain programme work and teach them alternative coping strategies. This therapy has had an increase of referrals from our GP, Senior Nurse Practitioner and as a multidisciplinary tool with our Mental Health Nurse.
“I have asked social work to find me holistic therapy in the community”
“Young people with ADHD have experienced the ability to be calm, still and peaceful for up to an hour at a time”
Holistic Therapy is a form of healing the body as a whole. It focuses on the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of a person to gain a balance of negative emotions and to improve a person’s overall well-being.
The centre’s therapy room promotes relaxation with the use of positive visualisation, soothing music, invigorating scents and adequate lighting to induce relaxation for our young people engaging in holistic interventions such as:
- Indian Head Massage
- Reflexology (Hand and feet)
- Facial Massage
- Hand Massage
- Swedish Massage
- Deep Breathing sequences
- Sleep Hygiene
Morning nurture classes within education has input from Holistic Therapist and this form of intervention is seen as a popular and beneficial way to start the day in a calm and positive mind set, allowing regulation of emotions and providing a caring/ nurturing approach.
"I had no idea that if you are physically relaxed then you can’t be mentally stressed out"