Stress Control Programme announced in the Newtownabbey area

The Northern Health and Social Care Trust in partnership with Monkstown Village Initiatives has released dates for a new stress control programme in the Newtownabbey area.

‘Stress Control’ is a six week, self-help course aimed at people experiencing mild to moderate anxiety or depression, anyone who is experiencing stress, knows someone who is, or just wants to be better equipped to deal with stress, is welcome to attend.

The classes will be delivered by staff from the Northern Trust’s Psychological Therapies Service and Monkstown Village Initiatives. Over 350 people have attended the classes to date, learning a range of beneficial new skills to help them manage stress. Stress Control is open to anyone living in the Northern Trust area.

Nigel Beattie attended Stress Control in Monkstown after he found it difficult to carry on with normal life following the death of his daughter. He said:

“I was recommended to go to a Stress Control programme to see if it would help. Being male I was unsure about going as these things are usually attended mostly by women. At the first session I was pleasantly surprised to find some other men there. One thing that heartened me was to know that everyone there had problems with everyday life.

“I enjoyed each of the sessions but some were more relevant to me than others. Some of the things I learnt were to face your fears and ask yourself “what is the worst that can happen?” When you are feeling stressed to do “belly breathing”. I still use these techniques frequently if I feel stressed.

“Meeting other people on the course on an equal footing, learning how stress affects many aspects of our lives and being given techniques to address them has helped me. I found this course so useful that I think that everyone should attend a Stress Control programme.”

The classes, which are free of charge and flexible, are open to anyone living in the Northern Trust area. Individuals can choose a daytime or evening class and can attend different classes each week to work best around their schedule. The classes are completely confidential with no sharing of personal difficulties in front of others.

Classes will meet at:

• Monkstown Village Centre, Newtownabbey on Tuesday evenings (7.00pm – 8.30pm from 29th September – 3rd November)

• Oakfield Community Centre, Carrickfergus on Wednesday evenings (7.00pm – 8.30pm from 30th September – 4th November)

• The Dunanney Centre, Rathcoole on Thursday mornings (10.30am – 12.00 noon from 1st October – 5th November).

Anyone who is interested in attending should contact Monkstown Village Initiatives on 028 9086 0090, or simply turn up on the night. Friends and family members are also welcome.

18th September 2015