OVERVIEW
This course focuses on developing knowledge of core principles related to mental wellness as well as self-care practices that can be used independently. It aims to develop emotional awareness and self-regulation in order to cultivate confidence, happiness, affection and tenacity in participants. It involves a mix of thematic discussions and short practice sessions. Participants will explore and reflect on themes such as self-worth, unmet needs, active listening and setting intentions versus goals. By the end of the programme, participants will have designed an original self-care plan for themselves and will present it during the final week. There is no prerequisite for this course.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
To locate one’s self-worth
To identify one’s unmet needs
To understand the process of active listening
To be able to align intentions and goals and motivate oneself to fulfil them
To develop a personalised self-care plan
COURSE STRUCTURE
Each week will consist of a 2-hour workshop conducted on Zoom. In the final week, there will be a 5-minute student presentation by each student
Live Sessions
The course includes 5 live sessions comprising workshops on the following topics: Self Worth, Unmet Needs, Active Listening and Setting Intentions v.s. Goals, my self-care plan. The final week will be a 2-hour sharing by students, each giving a 5-minute presentation on their self-care plan.
THE COURSE PLAN
WEEK 1: CONFIDENT CATERPILLAR, UNDERSTANDING MY SELF-WORTH
There are many reasons why people may feel worthy or unworthy. In the session, participants will get to identify some of the reasons why they may feel unworthy and attempt to deeply evaluate the validity of these reasons. They will begin the process of rediscovering their personal narrative and attempt to see how they fit into a larger picture (within a larger community or group or purpose). Hence, they will see that they need not excel at everything in order to be a person who deserves honour and respect. They can find joy in being the best versions of themselves everyday.
WEEK 2: HAPPY CATERPILLAR, IDENTIFYING MY UNMET NEEDS AND UNDERSTANDING MY REACTIONS
Whenever we experience something, we react with thoughts, emotions, attitudes, physical responses and behaviours. These reactions can be either pleasant or unpleasant. When we experience pleasant reactions, we are satisfied. On the other hand, when we experience unpleasant reactions, we may not be satisfied. In fact, we may be judging ourselves for reacting in a way that we may not be proud of. In the end, if we can find out the reasons why our reactions are the way they are, we can learn to look at them less judgmentally and instead use them as valuable information about what is going on within us, gaining self-awareness about our needs and driving forces. This will help us naturally gain control over our reactions and make us more mentally balanced in the long run. At this workshop, you will be exposed to some theory related to unmet needs and reactions and guided to write out some of your unmet needs.
WEEK 3: AFFECTIONATE CATERPILLAR, FOSTERING ACTIVE LISTENING
Active listening is one of the most popular practices in therapy and coaching. However, not only professionals but everybody can be good at active listening if they learn how to do it, boosting their communication skills. Thus, in this session you will learn some important principles to recognise, register and accept what is going on with the person you are listening to first before responding. Doing this well will help both the listener and the sharer break free from a vicious cycle of tension, stuck emotions and victimhood mentality. At this workshop, you will get to practise active listening first-hand with the support and feedback of our trained facilitators.
WEEK 4: TENACIOUS CATERPILLAR, SETTING INTENTIONS V.S. GOALS
In this session, participants will be introduced to a framework for guiding the effective setting of intentions and goals. They will get to practise intention-setting and goal-setting and discuss the reasoning behind why setting intentions might be more important than setting goals. Finally, they will practise aligning their goals with their intentions.
WEEK 5: STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
During this final session, participants will present their self-care plan in a 5-minute powerpoint slide presentation via zoom. This self-care plan will comprise the four elements: Confidence, Happiness, Affection and Tenacity. (CHAT)
