Beyond Recovery

Barbara Lewis-Banks

Barbara is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist, HCPC registered and completed her training at Trinity College Dublin. Her theoretical approach and modality of working is that of humanistic/client centred, utilising Emotion Focused Therapy. However, she is also trained in, Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Compassion Focused Therapy, Acceptance Commitment Therapy, amongst other psychological and integrative ways of working.

Barbara is a Specialist Counselling Psychologist and has been working in the Adult Psychological Therapies Services, Belfast Trust for the past 14 years. She also has experience working in the field of forensic, addictions and community counselling. She has significant experience working with those who have experienced complex trauma, self-harm and high risk patients who have a history of attempted suicide.

Beyond Recovery

When clients present in therapy, they often report feeling lost and broken, stuck in their trauma, resulting in a sense of helplessness. The work of therapy begins when a client chooses to avail of help and the therapeutic relationship starts when you first meet the client in the waiting room. For both the therapist and client, there are fears, expectations and hopes as to what might happen within the therapeutic journey. Endings in therapy can evoke a certain amount of apprehension, which is to be expected. As therapists we want to continue to instil hope into clients’ continuing journey of self-growth.

Barbara has worked extensively with Belfast Recovery College over the past 10 years, designing and delivering training. She has seen many of her clients’ avail of the Recovery College and the opportunities that they offer.

Barbara believes that there is a concept of ‘beyond recovery’ whereby clients go on to do things with their lives that they never expected was possible and that this can partly be facilitated by engaging with the Belfast Recovery College.

Aim

We will use the time to consider the ways in which clients can maintain and improve their recovery experiences through engagement with services such as the courses offered by Belfast Recovery College. You will receive the College programme and hear about what it is like to design, facilitate and avail of courses.

You will hear some stories of lived experience of those who are involved with the College, this has been published ‘Stories from Belfast Recovery College, Reflections on Our Journey’ and includes a chapter on Barbara’s experience of working with the College.

Some free copies of this book will be available.