Wellbeing Initiatives for Groups, Teams & Organisations
A range of interventions to support your organisation or team
- Reflection sessions with teams - a chance to pause and reflect on challenges and successes, or to talk through challenging events
- Verbatim theatre interventions such as 'In Our Own Words' (see below), a space for reflection and connection, and enabling unheard voices to be witnessed.
- Creative half day workshops, e.g., Tree of Life (Ncazelo Ncube). A popular structured session using drawing and colour to connect people to their strengths and abilities, hopes and wishes, and helpful stories about themselves. ‘The Tree of Life aims to reconnect us and remind us that we are the authors of our own lives’.
- consultations to team managers - how to address wellbeing within your team
- creative and fun brief stress relief activities with teams
'In Our Own Words' Staff Wellbeing Initiative
This is a unique intervention developed and led with NHS colleagues in partnership with Wake The Beast Theatre Company.
The approach uses storytelling and performance to convey and acknowledge the many challenges NHS and social care staff faced throughout the Covid pandemic and since.
Some of the key intentions are: to provide a safe format for reflection and processing of emotional reactions; to witness and appreciate staff’s varied and unique responses to the challenges they face; to foster positive workplace connections; and to provide a bridge into staff support services. Also for staff to enjoy some fun and laughter.
Performances have been held in a number of venues across the NHS and Social Care Settings.
Some background to the project
In 2019, our collaboration with Wake The Beast won a Macmillan Award for Excellence in Innovation for The C Factor, a creative arts & psychology initiative with and for people living with cancer at Whittington Health NHS Trust.
My NHS colleagues and I have been collaborating with Wake The Beast Theatre Company since then, supporting healthcare staff exhausted by the pandemic and its aftermath.
'In Our Own Words' uses lively verbatim theatre to open up the conversation about staff mental health. It has been a source of healing for staff with performances followed by psychologist-led reflective sessions, serving as a crucial tool to support staff mental health and wellbeing.
In Our Own Words was invited by Emily Thornberry MP to perform for policy-makers at the Houses of Parliament in April 2023, and in April 2024 we toured a workshop and performance to 10 NHS Trusts in London and Manchester, including NHS Providers and NHS England (London) supported by The Arts Council of England.
“What a powerful and vital piece of theatre. Makes me feel seen”
NHS staff member
Find out more about 'In Our Own Words'
Watch this six-minute film introducing In Our Own Words at Whittington Health NHS Trust, London, Apr-Nov 2020
In collaboration with Wake The Beast Theatre Company, we can offer your own 'In Our Own Words' for your team or organisation.
Wake The Beast Performing 'In Our Own Words' staff support intervention to hospital staff
'In Our Own Words' goes to The Edinburgh Fringe Festival: 'In The Sick of It'
'In The Sick Of It' from Wake The Beast Theatre Company is a playful, political and irreverent exploration of the unspoken toll on our NHS and social care Workers.
This ground breaking production will be performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and is a continuation of 'In Our Own Words' - a four year journey capturing the challenges, triumphs, and unwavering dedication of healthcare workers during the pandemic and beyond.
'In The Sick of It' is a heartfelt collision of music, medical mayhem and satire created from 500 verbatim interviews with NHS and Social Care staff. A side-splitting, deeply moving experience as the doors are thrown open to a hilarious and thought-provoking
Emergency Department...run entirely by exhausted yet defiant NHS staff.
From heroes to villains our Healthcare Workers have been upholding our healthcare system in the most challenging conditions for far too long, and we are #SICKOFIT.
Meet the actors: Adam and Kemi in this one minute 'In The Sick Of It' video.
Wake The Beast will be at Assembly George Sq Studio 5 1st-26th August 12:15pm
BOOK TICKETS HERE:
https://assemblyfestival.com/whats-on/608-in-the-sick-of-it
You can HELP Wake The Beast by donating to their crowdfunding campaign for Edinburgh.
https://gofund.me/2b8e8020
‘IN THE SICK OF IT’ POST-SHOW EVENTS WITH SUE GIBBONS & DR HEIDI EDMUNDSON
Dates: Saturday 10, Thursday 15 and Thursday 22 August
Times: 13:30-14:30
Location: Treehouse Bar, Assembly George Square Studios
Feeling a bit frazzled rushing from performance to performance...? Want some time to pause and reflect on what you have just seen...? This is a unique opportunity to talk to the cast and crew and other members of the audience, giving you an in-depth understanding of the experience and a chance to process what you’ve seen.
Saturday 10 August, 13:30-14:30:
Post-show event with Dr Sue Gibbons, Clinical Psychologist & Narrativist
and Dr Heidi Edmundson, Emergency Medicine Consultant
Wake The Beast's Artistic Director Adam McGuigan and actor Kemi Coker are joined by colleagues from Whittington Health NHS Trust to explore some of the ideas behind the show.
Sue collaborated with Wake The Beast to develop the staff support project 'In Our Own Words' at Whittington Health NHS Trust when the pandemic struck. 'In Our Own Words' uses creative activities and verbatim theatre to open up the conversation about staff mental health, and has been a source of healing for staff with performances supported by psychologist-led reflective sessions.
Heidi is an Emergency Medicine Consultant at Whittington Health NHS Trust, member of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, and a writer. Heidi uses creative activities with her A&E team to facilitate staff wellbeing and positive workplace cultures. Her verbatim experiences are included in the performance, and she is a champion of In Our Own Words.
Thursday 15 August, 13:30-14:30: TBC
Thursday 22 August, 13:30-14:30: TBC
https://www.wakethebeast.co.uk/inthesickofit
BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY CAMPAIGN
https://www.bps.org.uk/news/innovative-nhs-staff-support-project-visits-edinburgh-fringe
Wake The Beast are delighted to be supporting the British Psychological Society’s campaign for Government investment in services to provide vital psychological support for NHS and Social Care staff struggling with their mental health.
You can help by writing to your MP to ask them to prioritise investment in staff mental health and wellbeing support for NHS and Social Care staff living and working in their constituency.
You can find your MP's contact details here!