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"to help each client develop a life with hope and meaning" "services taking a 3D approach – addressing mind, body and soul" "Establish a vision of what matters and maintain it day-to-day" "Develop a local evidence-base and then communicate the results" "Best joining-up happens at the interface with the user – the closer you get to the user the greater the collaboration" Throughout the day very few people took much interest in the Cirrus 9 stand - maybe this was to be expected. I’m sure that taster sessions would have interested people much more. The day left me with mixed feelings however. On the one hand I felt disappointed by the reminder that holistic therapies are very much off most people’s radars and as the purses tighten, therapies will be very vulnerable to being cut. On the other hand, there was a definite message that professionals MUST address the whole needs of their clients, and this includes the person’s mind, body and soul as much as their more practical requirements. Also, what service users want, is what services will increasingly be providing. Although this sounds idealistic, it is in reality where things are going. I left this conference with the impression therefore, that our energies are probably best spent finding out from our service users how much they value the complementary therapies that they receive and what they actually want, because if service users value this part of their treatment, and it attracts and retains them in services, then complementary therapies will be here for the long term. |
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Cirrus 9 is pleased to announce a one day training workshop for therapists in partnership with the Terrence Higgins Trust exploring issues around and gaining an understanding of Blood Borne Viruses on 12th May 2008 in Nottingham.
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40 people attended Cirrus 9’s (C9) first focus group and AGM. We were pleased to meet and greet service users, therapists, drug workers, a representative from the NTA and the association’s original founder, Val Thomas. 5 questions were posed. Many of the themes generated at the meeting confirm the validity of their current inclusion in our constitution.
1. Why is there a need for Cirrus 9? A lively debate followed and many of our initial themes were confirmed. Comments include:
19 people completed ‘Expression of interest forms’ and offered C9 the following skills:
Special interest groups suggested: Conference 2008 devoted to CTs and substance misuse Policy development group Hepatitis C support group Complementary Therapies for BME communities A New committee emerges The AGM followed the focus group and new committee members have come forward to support the next year of development. We have elected a new Chairperson, Nicky Grantham and Vice Chairperson Dave Wright. Pip Bateman was elected as Secretary and Rosie Humphreys as Treasurer. We also welcomed aboard two service user board members Tina Draper and Anne Adamson. Next Open meeting: Wednesday 16th January 2008, 3 – 5pm venue to be confirmed |
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The Complementary Health team at Project 6 in Keighley, West Yorkshire has carried out a 6-month study to investigate the effectiveness of Complementary Therapies with drug and alcohol users. The findings were positive in that they demonstrated the effectiveness of Complementary Therapies in supporting individuals to: either reduce or stabilise their current substance use; maintain abstinent; improve the symptoms most commonly associated with substance misuse; and improve general well-being. Project 6 is a Tier 2 and Tier 3 service provider offering a range of treatment interventions to approximately 700 service users per year. Project 6 was established in 1989 and the Complementary Therapies became an integral part of the services offered at Project 6 in October 2000. The Complementary Therapy therapeutic interventions have developed overtime to meet the needs and preferences of our service users. The Complementary Therapy team comprises of three part-time therapists; Jill Allott, Carole Gunning and Lyn Hill who between them provide six therapies – Reflexology, Shiatsu, Indian Head Massage, Reiki, Auricular Acupuncture and Electro Stimulation Therapy as well as self-help tools in the form of essential oils, Bach Flower remedies, herbal teas to name but a few which is part of our overall and ongoing strategy of self-empowerment to encourage the potential of self-help becoming a therapy for life. Lyn Hill – Complementary Therapist – Project 6 |
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DrugScope offered the Cirrus 9 team the chance to take part in their first national conference at Homerton College, Cambridge on 12th & 13th July 2007. The Cirrus 9 stand received a lot of interest from drug workers, service managers, commissioners, service users, therapists and many other professionals. The therapy taster sessions of onsite massage, Indian Head Massage and Reiki were well received. Cirrus 9 raise their profile again! DrugScope offered the Cirrus 9 team the chance to take part in their first national conference at Homerton College, Cambridge on 12th & 13th July 2007. The Cirrus 9 stand received a lot of interest from drug workers, service managers, commissioners, service users, therapists and many other professionals. The therapy taster sessions of onsite massage, Indian Head Massage and Reiki were well received. 58 x taster therapy sessions were delivered throughout the event by the Cirrus 9 team that included Pip Bateman, Kath Markham and Rosie Humphreys. We asked recipients to make comments after they had received their treatment. Onsite Massage
Indian Head Massage
The conference itself not only proved to be an invaluable networking opportunity but the workshops we were able to attend were informative and provided a interesting view of the future of drug treatment. Pip Bateman August 2007
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