OUR EDINBURGH COMMUNITY

Counselling offers time to work through personal issues or difficulties which are causing distress. Counsellors at Hope Park Counselling Centre provide a respectful, confidential and supportive space to explore anxious thoughts and feelings.

Where possible, clients are asked to make a donation for each counselling session. However the ability to pay does not affect access to counselling.

EDINBURGH UNI STUDENTS

Hope Park is primarily staffed by Counsellors in Training who are studying at the University of Edinburgh on the post graduate Counselling and Psychotherapy Masters Programme. Working with qualified counsellors gives invaluable hands on experience to Edinburgh University student counsellors in training.

MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING

There are lots of things you can do to improve your mental health and wellbeing. For example, physically active people have up to a 30% reduced risk of becoming depressed, and staying active helps those who are depressed recover. Walking improves self-perception and self-esteem, mood and sleep quality, and it reduces stress, anxiety and fatigue. Spending time outdoors in the fresh air, going for walks, yoga, reading, baking, spending time with friends, swimming, etcetera are all things that are good for us, but we don't always make time to do these kind of wellbeing activities.

AUTUMN WELLBEING CHALLENGE (10th October to 6th November 2021)

As the nights draw in, it's more important than ever to look after our wellbeing and mental health. Taking time out for ourselves, to do something that we enjoy, is a great way to bolster mental health and making that time each day for a set period can help establish good habits.

So our Wellbeing Challenge to you is to take time for you each day, doing something that makes you feel good, from Sunday 10th October for four weeks. So how will this work?

This challenge encourages you to do something that's good for your mental and physical health every day from Sunday 10th October to Saturday 6th November. We suggest you challenge yourself to do something positive for 30 minutes every day, but the choice is yours. You can take part in this challenge yourself, or as part of a team it's up to you. Whatever you choose to do make sure the type and intensity of your activity is appropriate for your level of fitness. If you are unsure, check with your General Practitioner (GP) before you start.

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

What will you challenge yourself to do? You could be getting out for a walk or run, going for a swim, or doing daily meditation or yoga. Maybe its mixing up a few of these over the course of the week - but making sure you aim to do something each day.

We ask you to consider making a donation to the Hope Park Counselling Centre in lieu of a participation fee. Alternatively, you could seek sponsorship from friends.