It has been a very big year for Counsellors Victoria and the counselling profession in general. Our venture into workshops was a good move with great attendance and feedback at the Hope workshop and another workshop later this month on ‘Mastering Trust’ (see flyer in bulletin) and several planned for 2017.

The printed calendar of the year’s meetings was welcomed by members who can plan well in advance for their meeting attendance. The 2017 calendar has been created and will be at this month’s Ferntree Gully meeting to take home and get your first engagements registered in your crisp 2017 diary. The Ferntree Gully meeting will be our last for the year with a few Christmas treats, supervision and a great presentation by CV member Trish Hardy on Hahnemann Healing.

Zanne and I attended the ACA conference in Adelaide last month. This is always a great time to meet with the Board and members of other ACA member associations and networks as well as hear the projects which ACA have been working on over the past year. It was decided that next year’s conference will be in NSW with it coming back to Melbourne in 2018.

ACA have been working hard on a ‘Scope of Practice’ Document for the counselling industry. This 92 page document (or 32 page executive summary version) sets out in great detail what a counsellor is and what they do. The document addresses each of the membership levels of ACA and will become a document which Government and future employers write their job descriptions to when wanting to employ a counsellor. This document already exists for the Social Work and Psychology professions and is a major step in placing counselling into a more describable and defined discipline. ACA will have the scoping documents produced in the coming weeks and I have been promised that I will have these to hand out at the Ferntree Gully meeting. You are encouraged to distribute this resource to all who employ counsellors or will benefit from knowing what it is that we do and are qualified to do. The more of these resources that we get out into the community, the stronger our recognition will be in the employment sector and community in general.

A few weeks ago ten counsellors were trained by Sally Goldner, CEO of Transgender Victoria, on the topic of trans and gender diversity. Congratulations to these counsellors who are now preferred counsellors for the members of Transgender Victoria. There will be a specific tab on both the CV and TGV websites linking these counsellors to the training they have just completed.

It is an exciting time to be an ACA / CV counsellor and we will continue to focus on employment opportunities and create partnerships with Victorian organisations to benefit our members.

Have a fantastic relaxing Christmas period and enjoy the warm weather. The Board and I will see you back next year at the CBD meeting on 11th February at Ross House.

In the beautiful words of Ben Lee (Australian singer-song writer) “We’re all in this together” regards Michael

President’s Report

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

President’s

Report

List of Board

Members for

2016—2017

Editor’s Note

1

2

Mastering Trust

Workshop

Highly Sensitive

People

3

4

Free Apps for

Counsellors

5

Professional

development

6

CV Meetings 7

Venue Info

What CV

offers you

8

9

Articles and

Advertising

10

B U S I N E S S N A M E

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 6

CV

CV Newsletter

The Counsellors Victoria 2016-2017

Board members

President : Michael Woolsey

Vice President: Zanne Scott

Emeritus Vice President: John Dunn

Treasurer (Acting): Zanne Scott

Administration Secretary: Lynn Fryer

ACT Secretary: Zena McMahon

Membership Officer: Joan Wray

P.D. Coordinator: Yvonne Aldred

General Member: Radha Raju

General Member: Mumtaz Masoud

General Member: Patricia Reilly

Albury /Wodonga representative: Yvonne Aldred

Bulletin Editor : Sirini Kularatne-Samarapathi

Student Representative: Lucia Wu

Website Editor: Paul Kremer

From the editor’s desk…

As we approach the latter part of 2016.. It is time to take stock and see how we have

progressed through the year.. In every aspect of our lives.. Did we achieve the goals we set

for ourselves, did we strive to keep a balance in our personal and professional lives.. Were

there things that we set to do that we could not achieve for some reason.. Did we give

time for what makes all this meaningful for us.. Our spirituality.. ?

If things did work the way we planned.. How do we keep that focus in 2017..

If things didn’t go the way we planned, then what can we do differently to make it work.. ?

We never know what’s round the corner.. So live life to the fullest, making each moment

count.. Most of all… keep peace and make the most out of life.. All the best for 2017 !!

Nobody can hurt me without my permission

- Mahatma Gandhi

Sirini Kularatne-Samarapathi

Editor— Counsellors Victoria

Sasethna Counselling Services

0430 349 849

P A G E 4

Sent in by Lucia Wu

Highly Sensitive People

By Lucia Wu - Master of Counselling Student, Monash University

The highly sensitive personality trait developed by Aron and Aron (1997) can be found in about 20 percent of the population. So who is a highly sensitive person (HSP)?

One of the distinguishing characteristics of a highly sensitive person is their ability to feel more deeply and think about things more than their less-sensitive peers. They are very intuitive and are much more observant of subtle stimuli within their environment. They usually pick up on things others miss and have stronger emotional reactions, both positive and negative. However, feeling and thinking so much means that highly sensitive people can become more easily overwhelmed, and consequently require more down time and can be much more bothered by things like noise or having too much to do at once.

You can identify a highly sensitive person by observing their depth of processing, whether they are easily overstimulated, emotionally reactive or sensitive to subtle stimuli. Highly sensitive persons are probably used to hearing things like “don’t take things so personally” and “why are you so sensitive?” They cry more easily, and are very sensitive to violent movies. Highly sensitive people also tend to take longer to make decisions, but are often very detail-oriented. They also tend to have above-average manners. The effects of criticism are often amplified in highly sensitive people. There is also a misconception that all highly sensitive people are introverts, however, about 30 percent of highly sensitive people are extroverts. Each person is individual and may only present a few of the sensitivity traits, while others may present with all the traits. You can find the highly sensitive person test by following this link online to help you measure a person’s sensitivity: http://hsperson.com/test/highly-sensitive-test/

So how can identifying and understanding highly sensitive people help in counselling?

Although this trait is found in 20% of the population, the actual occurrence is probably

closer to 50% of patients in most practices, as suggested by Aron and Aron (1997). Whilst

the highly sensitive trait is not a diagnostic category, highly sensitive people have been

found to be more vulnerable to depression, anxiety, and shyness if they have had difficult

childhoods. However, with a good and stable childhood, this sensitivity is no more

indicative of any particular disorders than non-sensitive personalities. It is important to

note that the HSP trait is independent of mental disorders. Many highly sensitive people

seek therapy because they may believe that they have a disorder, because they are poorly

understood and often don’t even understand themselves. Consequently, they come

seeking an explanation for why they seem to be so different. Therefore, it is important

that we, as counsellors, know how to distinguish sensitivity from disorders to prevent

misdiagnosis. Simultaneously, we need to be aware that sensitivity often presents along

with other issues and disorders, so having an understanding of how these problems look

differently in sensitive patients and how awareness of their sensitivity can improve our

work with them is vital.

P A G E 5

Sent in by Michael Woolsey

Submitted by Michael Woolsey

“In Flow - Mood Diary” by App in the Air, Inc Health & Fitness Unrated

Offers in-app purchases

This is a free app that enables you to log your moods daily. You can then analyse your behaviour patterns and get advice on how to be happier.

In Flow helps you to better understand yourself and your

ever-changing mood, keeping your friendships healthy and

happy along the way. Even though we know what makes us feel

good, we tend to spend our time doing absolutely different

things. The creators of In Flow believe that tracking your emotions and habits is the

first step to feeling like your best YOU. In Flow makes it easy to track this emotional

pattern and be your guide to happiness.

* Keep track of your mood daily with automatic reminders

* Weigh and compare what makes you happy with the things you spend most time

doing

* Follow your friend's moods, cheer them up and support one another!

* Better understand yourself using best and worst rating and mood graph

* Get your weekly mood journal for free on the website

* Share your emotions with friends

* Remember the greatest moments of your life

* Get tips on how to improve your mood and be a happier person

* Share happiest moments of your life with friends on twitter and Facebook

* Cope with your mood or bipolar disorder

* Predict your mood swings and depression with help of mood graph

* See how your energy and emotions correlate Keeping track of your ups and downs is crucial when you’re dealing with a mental health issue. Without knowing what’s going on, you can’t predict an anxiety attack and you can’t tell if all that time doing mindfulness exercises is really lifting your mood. Rather than lugging your diary everywhere, try In Flow’s mood-tracking system. You can put in a new entry whenever you want, but the app will also prompt you a few times a day to check in. From there, it will show you trends and, if you want, connect you with friends to cheer you up during tough times and celebrate the good ones. Through Google Play or in the Windows Phone Store. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.inflow&hl=en

Free Apps for Counsellors

P A G E 6

Sent in by

Yvonne Aldred

Professional Development Report November 2016

Saturday 13th August 2016 - CV AGM PRESENTATION – Tom Parker

- Employment trends and opportunities for Counsellors

Tom Parker, Industry Liaison Officer (ILO) for the Australian Counselling Association, discussed trends in employment for counsellors and where the future employment opportunities will be. It was interesting to hear that 70% of the positions filled in the past 12 months were filled by non tertiary or Diploma level qualified counsellors.

Opportunities within the NDIS scheme and registering with them

before their rollouts in the next 12- 18 months and being familiar

with the website were tips Tom gave to those present.

*************************************************

Saturday 10th September 2016 PRESENTATION - Alison Lovett

- Australian Bush Flower Essences: For emotional care and wellbeing

Alison discussed both Bach flower essences and Australian bush flower essences and how they can impact on our lives in positive ways. Alison brought along lots of props to show the flowers as they were discussed and explained common issues a client would see a counsellor for and which essences help to alleviate the associated symptoms in conjunction with therapy.

*************************************************

Saturday 8th October 2016

PRESENTATION — Prue Lynch

- Acceptance commitment therapy (ACT) and mindfulness.

Prue discussed how Mindfulness focuses attention on what is in front of us, to disengage from painful thoughts and fears. She combined this with Acceptance commitment therapy for a very interesting presentation covering client issues that may be treated through the combination of these therapies.

P A G E 7

Sent in by

Yvonne Aldred

COUNSELLORS VICTORIA MONTHLY MEETINGS (We alternate between CBD and Ferntree Gully venues each 2nd Saturday of the month) FERNTREE GULLY MEETING (Last meeting of 2016 with some Christmas treats).

Saturday 12th November PRESENTATION - Trish Hardy Hahnemann Healing

Hahnemann healing is named after Dr (Samuel) Kristian Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathic medicine and well-known as an emotional healing specialist.

Hahnemann healing is an ancient Egyptian form of healing focusing on the causes behind illness. It is a very powerful form of energetic healing that overcomes

negative thoughts and feelings that have a significant impact on our wellbeing, such

as fear, anxiety, anger, loneliness, and can help deal with feelings of loss and grief.

Hahnemann healing helps unblock repressed emotions that contribute to malaise,

through gentle touch and relaxation, to restore the body's natural healing ability and

overall wellbeing.

Trish Hardy is both a practitioner and a trainer of this modality and has been using a

combination of healing and counselling in her practice for five years. Trish will share

her knowledge of this topic and discuss some specific client results.

www.counsellingwithclarity.com

Supervision - Counsellors own case discussion in groups

The agenda is as follows:

· Registration& Networking 12.30 - 1.00pm

· Forum— Networking 1.00—1.15pm

· Presentation 1.15 - 2.15pm

· Break 2.15 - 2.30pm

· Supervision 2.30 - 3.30pm

P A G E 8

CV Meetings

Melbourne CBD Meeting

Venue : Ross House - Room 3.1 247 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Ferntree Gully

Venue: Mountain District Learning Centre

13-15 The Avenue, Ferntree Gully

The agenda for both locations is : Registration & Networking 12.30 - 1.00pm

Forum - Networking 1.00 - 1.15pm

Presentation 1.15 - 2.15pm

Break 2.15 - 2.30pm

Supervision 2.30 - 3.30pm

Phone: 0402 251 835 or email: president@fvc.asn.au

****************************************************************************************

Albury/Wodonga Group

Meets second Monday monthly at:

Venue: Mirrambeena Community Centre

19 Martha Mews, Lavington, NSW

Time: 4.15 - 5.30pm

For further information, please contact:

John Borchert 0419 291 820 / (02) 6029 2591

Yvonne Aldred 0439 820 945

P A G E 9

What Counsellors Victoria Offers You

Support: Our organisation provides an opportunity to network. To get

out of the office and to talk with others about the counselling profession.

Connections: The organisation contains a wealth of experienced

counsellors who are looking to make the right connections with other

counsellors. To share ideas and professional development experiences.

Education: Our counsellors are constantly learning from one another and the topics we choose for professional development at our monthly meetings are often presented by the members themselves on their area of speciality. We conduct several longer workshops each year to enable you to get a good grasp on a counselling related topic.

Training: Acquiring new skills is critical for the success of any counsellor

and their business. Our cost effective training events are offered locally

because we appreciate that relationships are built by meeting real people

face to face.

Social: Counsellors Victoria Inc endeavour’s to balance association and I ndividual needs, and provide a forum to meet new friends through social events.

For further information on becoming a financial member visit the CV webpage at www.counsellorsvictoria.asn.au Counsellors Victoria needs your help! CV needs speakers, for all meeting areas. Topics need to be counselling related. If you would like to do a presentation or have heard an interesting speaker for us to approach, we are interested to hear about it. Contact: Michael Woolsey at mickrob@exemail.com.au or 0419 545 260 www.counsellorsvictoria.asn.au

P A G E 1 0

Articles and Advertising

Relevant items and proposed adverts for CV Bulletin can be sent to the CV Secretary by mail to:

CV Editor, PO Box 1005, Seaford, Vic, 3198 .

All material is commonly subject to editorial discretion, approval and proofing.

Advertising Rates

Effective from November 2010, no preferred positions are offered for display advertising – all approved advertising will be placed as Run of Newsletter (and may be placed on a page with other ads). Costs for advertisements or classifieds do not vary depending on colour. The newsletter is an electronic format, and there is no loading on the use of colour.

Full page $80 Half Page $40 - horizontal only Third Page $25 - either horizontal or vertical

Classified $10 - for single column width x 10 lines of text.

Payment

Full payment is required prior to the deadline for contribution in full. Prior to making payment for advertising, contact CV by email to mickrob@exemail.com.au to confirm the space requirements.

General Conditions

No advertising agency commissions are provided by CV and CV is not responsible for instructions or alterations unless confirmed in writing. CV reserves the right to omit or decline to run any advertisement, editorial or submission that it deems unsuitable for publication

Cancellations must be received within 7 days of the booking deadline otherwise the advertiser may be required to pay for the space booked

Advertising Sizes

Full Page Half Page Horizontal 196 x 260 cm (w x d) 196 x 125 cm (w x d) Third Page Horizontal

Third Page Vertical 196 x 83 cm (w x d) 60 x 260 cm (w x d)

Material Requirements

The Bulletin is produced as a word document and saved to a locked PDF. All items for submission must be sent in PC compatible format electronically to microb@exemail.com.au Advertisements should be sent as a PDF scaled to finished ad size and also as a graphic as a tif or gif file

All editorial submissions must be supplied typed and spell checked.

EDITORIAL NOTES:

If you have anything you would like to share with your colleagues, a funny story, etc., we would love to receive it. You can send it to mickrob@exemail.com.au

DISCLAIMER: Opinions of contributors and advertisers in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the publisher. The Counsellors Victoria Inc. makes no representation or warranty that information contained in articles or advertisements are accurate, nor accepts liability or responsibility for any action arising out of information contained in this newsletter.