Psychological wellbeing: Planning goals to help you thrive
Gareth Bilton, a North West Branch committee member, reports on a recent networking event, which left him inspired to make some positive changes.
05 November 2024
On the evening of Friday 27 September, the British Psychological Society North West of England Branch held the third of their networking events. In collaboration with the University of Chester, the event was hosted by Dr Kevin Rodgers and Dr Janine Carroll at the university.
The focus of the evening was psychological wellbeing, and we were treated to two fantastic presentations sharing research, insights and practical tips to help us thrive! Attendees were warmly welcomed with friendly networking, refreshments and some must-have BPS merch!
Identifying non-negotiables
Our first presentation was by Dr Clare Mulligan-Foster, an occupational and coaching psychologist, and co-chair of the BPS Northwest Branch. The focus of Clare's talk was crafting work/life balance. Clare shared her own experiences of creating a portfolio career, with multiple roles. Clare spoke of how this developed over time and how this contributed to a life supportive of good wellbeing.
Clare encouraged us to consider different ways to balance our lives, including identifying non-negotiable aspects, incorporating active downtime, and utilising coaching models to help us understand what happiness and wellbeing might mean to us individually. The range of approaches Clare presented felt very empowering and I'm sure there was something for everyone. I certainly felt strongly motivated to reflect on my life and make some meaningful changes around time management.
The importance of developing resilience
Our second presenter was Helle Hammonds, an organisational wellbeing practitioner who specialises in evidence-based training, workshops, and coaching. Helle presented on how developing mental toughness and resilience prepares us for weathering the storms of life and can support us in leading well, happy, and successful lives.
Helle guided us through a few interactive tasks that really highlighted how we might respond to stressful events, and with awareness of this, how we can take steps to develop resilience to help us through such times.
Helle encouraged us to individually identify five key ‘pillars’ that support our resilience, and to reflect on how nourished these are. I felt Helle created fantastic opportunities to gain deep insights to help us understand what helps us to be resilient, and where to
focus our energy to develop sustainable mental strength and resilience.
Sharing experiences
Following the talks, the Q& A became a really open group discussion that focused on topics such as next steps following completion of a course of study. Clare and Helle co-created a safe and friendly space for people to openly and authentically share their own experiences, which created such a wonderful feeling of connection within the room.
The discussions highlighted the variety of pathways available to us within the field of psychology, and the potential for our own portfolio careers where we can follow our genuine interests in all of their diversity. I came away feeling really inspired and motivated to make some positive changes, with greater knowledge on where to begin.
I also felt calmer in relation to the unknown; that it is ok not to know what my career might look like, and to trust in the process. Thank you all for the gift of this wisdom and reassurance!
Thank you so much to Clare and Helle for presenting, and to Clare, Kevin and Janine for organising this greatly beneficial event.
We have one more networking event in collaboration with the University of Chester, which is being planned for December. More details on this (and other events) will be available soon so please keep an eye on our BPS microsite or our Facebook or Linkedin pages.
Find out more about the presenters
To find out more about Clare, please visit her Linkedin profile, or her website CMC Business Psychology
To find out more about Helle's work, please visit her Linkedin profile