Grief Simplified; Trauma Demystified

Training from NWCH

An extraordinary public speaker, John’s brilliance shines though in the simplicity of his words and explanations to cover complex concepts.

Dr John Creasey was a scientific researcher at Aberdeen University before retraining as a social worker. This transition came after he suffered severe mental health problems requiring time in a therapeutic community and observing his own route to healing. Following years as a child protection social worker, he moved into social work at Dove House Hospice, Hull, in 1991. He has now served there for 27 years, working with patients, carers, families and the bereaved. He manages the Family Support Team comprised of social workers, music therapists, chaplaincy volunteers, and he also manages a Children in Need Project for bereaved children covering Hull and East Riding. After encountering many people trapped in the grip of PTSD throughout his career, John trained in 2009 in treatments for PTSD. This has had a transformative impact on his work.

'Grief Simplified'

Over many years of working with the bereaved, John feels this area of work has increasingly become overly complicated and handed over to the hands of professionals. This session takes bereavement back to its bare bones with effective means of helping the bereaved and recognising the differences between sudden and anticipated death. The session is interactive and offers simple tools as well as knowledge of how the brain works to quickly normalise the experiences of the bereaved and reassure them that they are not going crazy. Some of the things that complicate grief will be touched upon, but the emphasis is on normalisation.

'Trauma Demystified'

For decades, PTSD was a mystery with little effective treatment. Modern neuroscience has helped us look in to the workings of the brain and how it operates in situations where it perceives our survival is under threat. This area of research is clearly still in its infancy, but what we do know has enabled us to create effective therapies for treating most PTSD and phobias quickly and effectively, restoring normal life to those who may have been in its grip for decades, and for whom all other therapies have failed. This session alone will not train you to treat PTSD, but it will show you what is happening in PTSD, why it is difficult to treat with conventional therapies, and an insight into the modern therapies used to treat it. John has found a high success rate with the therapy he uses, provided that safe principles of practice are strictly followed and the therapist has good basic counselling skills. He will also highlight where difficulties can arise when using the therapy. John has encouraged staff in Hospices to train in the therapy and is now part of a Rewind Therapy Group involving interested parties across Yorkshire to continue to hone the knowledge and skills of treating trauma.

For further details and booking please head to NWCH