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Mood & Bipolar Courses
Understanding Mood and Bipolar for County Council
1# This training day was very useful. Roger was an excellent trainer and I enjoyed the different activities. Thank you very much.
2# What was useful? Understanding stressors - triggers. Mood scales. Examples of personal experiences - tutor and dvd, books provided and handouts. Excellent course. Very interesting & informative. Will definately recommend to colleagues.
When working with organisations who support people with LD who also experience mood disorders
Really pleased. I think this will help the team to start thinking more about supporting the individuals and focus less on managing behaviour. - Carl Berry, Dimensions
Very organised, professional training. lots of useful information. - L.P.
A thoughtful and relevant presentation which comprehensively illustrates the importance of raising staff awareness within services supporting individuals with LD. - A.D. at B.o.C.
An evening presentation in Cambridge
In his unique multifaceted presentation, Roger demonstrated the need for both the physical and mental approaches to the condition. All this was laced with Roger's hard won experience. - Phil Alsop
Feedback from 3 participants with bipolar diagnosis
1# The course is so beneficial and I wish it was accessible 24 years ago. I feel I would not have lost so much of my life if these tools had been available to me earlier.
2# Easy going, friendly environment. Very relaxed. A good "event" that I will remember for the rest of my life. I would recommend the course...
3# I used the new management skills I had covered on the course. Thank you for responding to my various mails and helping me get to here (self-esteem good, optimistic, sociable and articulate, good decisions and getting work done).
Feedback from participants on some co-facilitated mood courses
1# Very friendly facilitators. Relaxed atmosphere. Excellent Course - all the bricks on which to build a more fulfilling life.
2# The course was well structured & informative. Facilitators were good and knowledgeable. Excellent opportunities to interact with & learn from other participants.
3# Thoroughly enjoyable experience and I will use what I've learned to keep me well. I think 3 days probably isn't enough time for all that could be included. What about a week long course.
National Bipolar Conference
Thank you for your presentation - It was imaginative and thought-provoking and fun. - C.H.
Samaritan Branch coordinator
In the 24 hours following your visit at least 10 Samaritans contacted me to say how much they had gained from your excellent presentation, that it was a very worthwhile on-going training session for us and they went straight home and read your book. Need I say more? - S.W.
Jayne Mowson, Nottingham
You have the gift of being able to share your thoughts with people and get right down to the nitty gritty - this is great when you are sharing your views either one to one, in a small group setting or in a big conference - people can relate to what you say.
Comments after Food and Mood Courses
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Short workshop - Alison Hatcher, RN
Thanks for a really interesting and thought provoking workshop. I enjoyed the exercises and the friendly discussion - as well as the live visual aids!
One Day Course
1# Very enjoyable day - raised my awareness of foods/additives and how they can effect people's health and well being.
2# As a mental helath professional I found the course excellent and informative. I will certainly be able to use the knowledge gained today
3# I really enjoyed this course, it was a different way of showing what is good for us.
Short presentation - Gill Askew, Occupational Health Nurse
I found the presentation on "food and mood" very interesting and motivational. I resolved to have porridge every day for breakfast and in sticking to that, I do believe I feel a lot better.
Comments after Recovery & WRAP - short workshops/presentations
WRAP workshop, Brighton
"Clear and focused. Well paced for group."
"Practical + encouraging"
"Worked well for the group"
"As insightful and helpful within 2 hours as months of expensive private therapy (group and individual CBT at Priory Hospital)"
After presentations regarding WRAP and "A Balanced Life"
I was inspired by your presentation in Cheltenham. The ideas about self help and management especially the graphics you used were right on the button I felt. Mixed with your candid personal experience I found it all quite uplifting - thanks for the help! - Ian H, Gloustershire
Wellness Recovery Action Planning for businesses
Roger gave a thought proving insight into how we can learn to identify when we are reaching personal crisis points and how we can learn to lessen their impact in the future. A very concise & clear message about where we can all help ourselves.- Martin Radford, Treasurer of Total Networking
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Comments after Recovery & WRAP - 1, 2 and 3 day workshops/courses
From recovery workers on a two day course
1# Really enjoyable 2 days. Was not sure what to expect. found it invaluable. Intend to introduce to colleagues and hope it will be seen as a valuable tool at work and for all in general.
2# One of the most enjoyable training programmes Ihave ever been on. Well Done!
3# I found the whole course beneficial both for my work life and family life.
From a longer recovery course
Thank you for the course at the weekend. I've taken so much away from it and think I'll be aware of even more benefits as time goes by.........it was a real inspiration. - I.T.
I found the course well thought out and very instructive. I am quite certain that I will find what I learned enormously useful in the future. You have a most effective tutorial talent. - R.M.
It was really nice to meet you. Thank you for everything. You were really an inspiration and a fantastic help. - G.P.
The course will not only change my life, but it has also enabled me to make some very good friends. You were excellent, even when we did all get a bit loud!- L.J.
Comments after teaching about mood at universities
Tania Linden, Practioner Health Lecturer, "The sessions were informative, positive and refreshing, and have certainly helped shape the nurses of the future in a positive way.", "...students cited your session as being the most interesting/informative. A few of the comments outlined on the evaluation forms were as follows:"
"I found it really useful to hear about Roger's experiences."
"Having someone who has been through those issues, sharing experiences, makes you understand more about mental illness and what people go through."
"Really insightful."
"Having the opportunity to ask questions was really helpful."
University students on half-day course
1# I have really enjoyed this session. Please make it a full day session in future. Delivered well and informative.
2# ...delivered to a high standard with visual aids and group exercises, keeping everyone's attention. the best thing was that the session was delivered by a person who actually expereinced episodes of the illness as he was able to explain details.
3# Nicely timed, clearly spoken, interacted well with class. good use of Powerpoint.
4# I found Roger delivered the course briliantly - he was entertaining + made everything easy to understand + interesting.
Reading University - Your session was very well received. 15 scored it 5, two 4, and one 3. Excellent ratings! Specific comments were as follows:
> lecture was very interesting.
> perspective was fantastic – really honest.
> lecture was really useful.
> Roger talking about bi-polar was excellent.
> Session taken by bi-polar sufferer was particularly interesting and useful.
> Made it easier to relate to the material and made it ‘real’.
> Roger’s perspective was interesting to hear about the reality of having a mental health problem rather than just a text-book description.
> I really enjoyed different segments of the ‘mania and depression’ talk.
> Roger gave a very interesting and informative account of manic depression.
> It was extremely useful to have the service user’s perspective – I hung on his every word!
Nottingham University
Roger Smith came to work with a group of 30 student nurses on 4th July. The group found Roger open to any questions they wanted to ask and more than willing to answer these. Roger’s presentation gave a very positive upbeat perspective of Bipolar disorder and the experience of living with it. Roger offered insights which were unique and which added to the students awareness and appreciation of what it meant to have a bipolar disorder. The presentation was well paced, interesting and lively with a variety of methods to engage the group. The group valued his clear ‘down to earth’ delivery and his ability to relate a complex condition in very human terms, to an audience with little prior knowledge of the subject. The group enjoyed the workshop very much, as I did myself. I would have no hesitation in asking Roger to facilitate the workshop with other groups, or in recommending him to other course providers. - John Digan
Lincoln
Having someone who has been through those issues, sharing his experiences, makes you understand more about mental illness and what people go through.- Student Nurse
Comments after Reactions to Anxiety Workshops
Nicole Cathcart, Melton Mowbray after Pressure & Stress presentation
"You are a very inclusive presenter who makes all delegates feel they have something to contribute to the discussion. You encourage input and can modify the session to suit the attendees. You have genuine passion for the subjects you present on and this comes across in the sessions."
Chris Hall, Managing Director, Hallmark Consumer Services Ltd
"Thanks very much for last night's presentation. We all thought it went very well and gave us food for thought. The big thing that came over to me is understanding the internal/external pressure - that was significantly helpful. Thanks again, really good and enlightening."
Comments after various other courses/one-to-one support
Kahla, Grantham
"I can now relax.", "All the things we talked about have really helped me... you are good at what you do."
`Client 3'
"...your encouragement empowered me to slowly take control of the things in my life that are amiss and to seek help from other specialists in each area that needs rectification."
John Platts
"Roger has... a passionate interest in the subject of mental health and people’s emotional troubles and his genuine desire to help as many people as possible to make the most of their lives and to understand their emotional condition. Result: interesting and informative sessions with many "Eureka!" moments."
"Our Futures" course (for people facing redundancy)
"I liked the cards and writing down what applied to us because we could discuss attributes if we wanted but if they were personal we didn't have to."
"I have enjoyed the sessions and they are helping me sort some direction and that I need to start thinking more about the future."
"I liked the way you make the talks interactive. Rehearsing situations was really useful."
Comments from 4 participants of:
STABLE™ - Stress Advice for Bipolar Employees™
1# "I am feeling more positive at the moment than I have in several years."
2# "It gave me a great insight into triggers and has made me much more sensitive to my moods ~ not just burying them deep inside me and hoping that they won't affect my life ~ which of course they do in the most negative way."
3# "I feel it has also helped my partner to understand me a lot more and keep me more on an even keel ~ not overdoing things physically which then has the repercussions of me feeling that I cannot cope ~ and then bang ~ stop the world I want to get off and stay in bed."
4# "Keep at your work. You were a great help to me and my partner."
Feedback via `Linked in' regarding the work of Roger Smith
Dave Smith, Neath, S. Wales
"I first had the pleasure of meeting Roger at a Self-management training course organised by the Manic Depression Fellowship (now the Bi-polar Organisation). It was easy to see why he was asked to facilitate the course. Whilst being a man gifted with intelligence, and having vast personal experience of learning to manage stress in his busy life, he was also a warm and caring individual. Since then Roger has kept in touch and we have exchanged e-mails and talked on the phone.
His latest initiative has led him to offer his services on a consultancy basis to those who would like to further equip themselves in managing what has become the scourge of living in a modern society - Stress!
Roger's commitment and energy will make Stop Paddling/Start Sailing's workshops enlightening, interesting and fun."
Timothy Morrell - hired Roger
“I met Roger during a professional training skills course. He is an outstanding trainer and consultant of Stress Management Techniques. Roger demonstrates expert knowledge in his field and with the application of his training style he empowers his clients to create lasting results in their life. He has a warming personality and charismatic style to have you feeling at ease and ready to apply learnings with immediate effect.”
Paula Mountain, Quality Manager, Masterfoods
"Roger proved to be very patient, professional and easily approachable to answer what must have seemed very simple, trivial questions. Over the period of time I worked with Roger, he was constantly a true professional. I would certainly enjoy working with Roger again and would recommend him.”
Mukesh Patel, Medicated Quality & Licensing Manager, Masterfoods
“Roger's key attributes are high attention to detail, good time management, managing client expectations and "pulling out the stops" to help. He has all the values of a high calibre professional.”
Jan Ayar, Area Manager, CEM Microwave Technology Ltd (2014)
“Roger is a very approachable and understanding person with a very professional manner. I found him very efficient and conscientious in his approach to work and a great facilitator amongst people.”
Roger Smith
