As a small charity which exists to support those who have had to flee their homes and who have often experienced deep trauma, we know it’s important to look after ourselves to be able to look after the people we support, but we are often challenged by how to do that well in the middle of being so busy.   

The session Katie led really helped the team to take some time to reflect on what looking after ourselves could look like in small ways, on the day to day.  How we can find moments to pause and reflect before rushing into the next task.  How to practice self-compassion and learning to acknowledge how the tensions in our minds can be reflected in our bodies. 

Our whole team have benefitted from the very practical advice and the many simple tools that Katie gave us to be able to look after ourselves, so that we can be our best selves for the community we work with. 

Upbeat Communities

Upbeat Communities has been supporting those seeking sanctuary since 2005.

The organisation was founded in response to the needs of refugees arriving in the UK and the stories they shared of their lives and their journeys. Through building relationships with those from refugee communities they were able to identify their needs and the best ways to respond.

They believe that making those who are fleeing war, persecution, and conflict feel welcome will give the best possible chance of integration, support and opportunities to rebuild their lives. One of the best resources a refugee can have to help them settle in their new home is a good social network. Friendships and connectedness can help overcome the many challenges faced by those seeking refuge.

Katie attended our staff conference to raise awareness of well-being and the importance of mindfulness. She is an incredibly positive and professional speaker and engaged all our staff. 

Since her visit we have doubled the amount of people visiting our on-line wellness centre and putting their mental health at the forefront of their priorities.

We would welcome working with Katie again and highly recommend her.

Katie came on board with our programme to help support valve disease patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, a challenging period in many of their lives, and delivered a brilliant mindfulness workshop tailored to suit the specific needs of our patients. In a short space of time she was able to curate an engaging workshop which gave patients of varying abilities practical tools to help manage their own mental wellbeing.

Her workshops not only tell you how to use mindfulness but also explain the mechanics of why it works, giving a rounded understanding of its use to the individual. In addition to this, the resources she has developed on her website offer the mechanisms for continued engagement and support for our patients after the workshop.

Katie is a wonderful person and presenter, and we’re very glad she came on board with our programme.

Heart Valve Voice

Heart Valve Voice is the UK’s dedicated heart valve disease charity. They work with patients and clinicians to help increase the awareness of heart valve disease in the UK and improve diagnosis and treatment.

The charity is a collection of people with real experiences of heart valve disease, including a multi-disciplinary group of experts in the field (cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, GPs), cardiac patient societies and patients.

Matthew’s Friends are the leading medical Ketogenic Dietary Therapies charity in the UK. They commissioned two bespoke ‘Mindfulness for Anxiety’ courses during the Covid-19 pandemic and kindly published some of the course participants’ feedback in their April 2021 newsletter:

“Thank you! This course has been absolutely wonderful. Katie is a brilliant teacher and person, and she made mindfulness very simple. I have tried to do mindfulness in the past and I could never quite ‘get it’ if you know what I mean! Katie made it very easy, and explained it so well!”

“The fact that she tailored it to our needs – as mums with children who have epilepsy /complex needs – was really helpful. It felt like she really understood the stresses and struggles we face.”

“I shall miss her sessions on a Tuesday morning, but she told us where to find her if we want to ‘drop in’ to the sessions she does. I would highly recommend her!”

“Thanks also for funding these sessions, I am very grateful to you and to Matthew’s Friends.“

“I really enjoyed the course ~ it was like group therapy, with mindfulness as the focus. Always felt more positive on Thursdays. Great to meet everyone! I found it beneficial and relevant to my situation and there are things I have taken away from it giving my husband little titbits and advice! Katie was so nice and kind. I would definitely recommend for others.”

“Thank you for your email with the last meditation. I found the course extremely useful and thanks to Katie’s knowledge and experience, I am able to use many of the tools she provided us with in my daily life. She in herself makes me feel more relaxed and her voice in the meditations is a pleasure to listen to.”

“I hope we can enjoy another course some time in the future. Take care and thank you!”

“I can’t thank you and the charity enough for the opportunity to join the mindfulness course. It was a great opportunity for me to explore my anxiety and trigger points. Always grateful for your care and support you show us.”

Matthew’s Friends support patients, families and professionals by providing information, training, research and grants to develop Ketogenic services and support systems for drug resistant (refractory) epilepsy as well as other neurological and metabolic disorders and emerging cancer types.