Workshop Leader

As a result of my professional and personal experience (please see my Profile on the Grief Consultant page), I am passionate about my role as a workshop leader empowering and supporting any group of professionals whose job it is to care for children who may be suffering from loss.  School staff, foster carers, healthcare professionals caring for bereaved families, anyone supporting children would benefit from this half-day workshop.

Workshop: Exploring Loss & Grief in Children and developing strategies to offer support 

 Facilitator:  Caroline Jay

 Duration: 3 hours (inc a 20-minute break)

 Max no of participants:  20 

Children, like adults, experience loss of many kinds – the death of a parent or family member, the death of a family pet, parents’ divorce, adoption, placement in foster care, moving house and/or school, a best friend moving away.  In the event of a sudden traumatic loss, professionals may be taken unawares and be uncertain of how best to deal with the situation.  The aim of this workshop is to empower participants to offer a supportive response to any loss and so directly enhance the wellbeing of all the children in their care. 

 Workshop Outline

• Beginnings & Introductions
• A brief outline of my experience
• An experiential activity with the aim of exploring participants' personal attitudes and responses to loss and grief in their own lives
• Sharing and discussion of any reflections, observations or thoughts arising from this activity
• BREAK
• Information about what is helpful when a child is grieving and consideration of how best to support them and their families 
• Opportunity for discussion of the above
• Brainstorming existing best practice:
   - what is already in place
   - what might be improved
   - any new ideas and how they might be implemented 
• Ending

Learning objectives and outcomes:

• Understanding how our personal responses to loss and grief affect what we say and do when supporting children
• Understanding what helps a grieving child 
• Understanding the importance of the family context
• Activities to promote grieving children’s emotional wellbeing
• Ways to support children and families struggling to manage loss
• Identification of strategies that can be implemented if sudden traumatic loss occurs
• Building overall confidence in dealing with loss and grief of all kinds

And now for something completely different ...

Using my years of experience as an actress, I work with Kathy Taylor-Jones (opera singer and renowned singing teacher) to offer singing workshops.

 Workshop: Communicating Through Song

    We run one-day workshops in London and a 3-day residential course once a year in Shelsley Beauchamp in Worcestershire.

The aim of these workshops is two-fold - to teach and enhance the technical skills required in singing and to offer strategies for use when working on communicating the meaning and emotion of a song or aria.

Participants study singing technique, phrasing, breathing, and text work.  Our aim is to provide a safe, supportive, fun environment where everyone can work at their own pace and leave at the end of the workshop or course with new ideas and inspiration.

 I also offer ...

 Drama Coaching

   This work is done on a one-to-one basis and offered to students auditioning for drama school or anyone, professional or amateur, seeking help with how to communicate the story of their song or monologue.  These sessions take place at a mutually agreed venue.