Phoenix Centre The Phoenix Centre, Matson Lane, Matson,Gloucester, GLOS, GL4 6DX, TEL: (01452)

Mission Statement GL Communities is an independent charity with expertise in supporting communities through advice, education, advocacy and social inclusion

Objectives Phoenix Day Centre – Provides a safe place for people to come together and meet others within the community. Providing a welcoming and non judgemental atmosphere to encourage people to challenge themselves to learn new skills and join in new activities to keep active. There is also opportunities for people to get involved in volunteering or creating craft to help raise funds to continue to improve services at the centre and give back to the community. Counselling Service – Provides crisis intervention and on-going 1:1 support in a safe environments with non judgement and empathic therapeutic relationship based on trust and respect. Personal Development – Provides workshops to develop skills to explore, understand and set goal to achieve their health, wellbeing and independence potential – Assertiveness – Understanding and Managing Behaviour – Life Planning – Therapeutic Journal Writing – Self Harm

Who Can Access the Service Anyone who feels comfortable in a community based environment is welcome to join our classes and activities. We provide a service to our community and welcome ideas and suggestion as to what classes and activities people are interested in

Resources Available Activities Seated Yoga (Monday) Bingo (Thursday) Arts & Craft Church Service (Friday) Get Active Games (Friday) Outside of the Centre – Holidays – Ten Pin Bowling – Disco – Gloucestershire Voices 1:1 Counselling (Thursday) Classes Computer (Monday & Friday) Healthy Life Styles & Social Awareness Cooking (Thursday) Personal Development Workshops (Friday selected dates) – Assertiveness – Behaviour Awareness & Management – Life Planning (wellbeing Planning) – Therapeutic Journal Writing – Self Harm

Additional Resources (if we have enough interest) Adult Education Courses at the Phoenix English – Foundation Level Math – Foundation Level Information Technology (computers) – Foundation Level Art Jewellery Making Singing Gardening Sewing Photography Cake Baking Make up Nail Art

Key Challenges Keeping up to date with the needs of the community – if you don’t ask, we don’t know you want it or need it.

Key Successes Developing individuals to achieve their full potential. Supporting them with SMART goals for their health, wellbeing and independence Believing in their ability to achieve success Respecting the diversity of our community, whilst being inclusive within limits to meet everyone's needs for a safe environment

Case Study – Independence Jayne (not real name) says the Phoenix centre has given her the opportunity to try new things and this has built on her confidence and enriched her life. She has made good friends and is assertive in her communication. She has challenged herself to try new things both in the centre and outside in the community, such as group holidays, meal outs, quiz nights and using public transport. The expertise of the staff at Phoenix centre in understanding her complex needs has allowed her to take on new challenges in a safe and secure environment.

Case Study - Counselling Francesca (not real name) had experienced mental health difficulties for most of her adult life and was in an abusive relationship. Although this relationship had now ended she was struggling with many thought and feeling around why she stayed in the relationship, why she didn’t do more to stop it at the time and the guilt and shame of the effect on her children and what others must have thought about her. Through 1:1 counselling she has managed to explore and understand herself better, why she behaved the way she did back then and how she feels now. She has accepted what she is responsible for and has let go of things that are not her responsibility. Through this she now has a great awareness of her thoughts, feeling and beliefs and has developed strategies that help her to regain her sense of calm and allows herself to feel compassion and acceptance of herself.

Case Study – Personal Development Workshops David (not real name) has learning difficulties, he is the youngest of 4 children and often feels that his older siblings treat him like a child and do not respect his right to choose or make decisions for himself. This lead David to have outbursts of anger due to the build up of his frustration of feeling he didn’t have a voice or the right to his own opinions. Following the Assertiveness workshop, he developed skills on how to talk to others assertively, which gave him the voice he wanted and this removed the need to get angry in order to be heard. He felt the workshop gave him the guidance he needed to take control of his feeling and respond to others versus reacting explosively.