Matthew Ward
MindfulnessI first meditated over thirty years ago and immediately found this helpful. My somewhat chaotic young life had some stability brought in to it! Since then I’ve attempted to maintain and deepen my practice. Also along the way I trained to teach yoga which I enjoyed teaching for a number of years. In the late 1990’s I was ordained in to a Buddhist order (Triratna) and lived in communities and retreat centres. In contrast I now lead a family life with children, a dog and all the busyness that can go with this! Finding space to slow down and 'be' instead of getting caught up in 'doing' can be a challenge. "He practices what he preaches and his ability kept us engrossed in a happy, thoughtful and caring environment. I could recommend Matthew and his ‘Mindfulness for Stress’ course to anyone" SH, Orleton I have learnt from experience that mindfulness practice can help reconnect us to what is best in us and deal more effectively and creatively with the ups and downs that life inevitably brings. I have trained with Breathworks to be one of their accredited mindfulness teachers teaching their 8 week mindfulness courses. I am also able to teach the Mindfulness in Schools .b course for 11-18 yrear olds. "Matthew is an excellent teacher and gets the message across very well and leads by example" BE, Leominster Matthew Ward FdBsc MBACP 01568 708836 07982 466224 marchesmindfulness@gmail.com Herefordshire |
I see my work as attempting to provide the conditions in which the people I work with can reconnect with what sustains and supports them in their lives. I believe the qualities of curiosity and self-compassion are essential in any meaningful change within ourselves as they allow us to bring to the light as it were the difficult, perhaps even unseen or unspoken, parts of ourselves. But learning to be curious and kind to ourselves is not, of course, always easy and presents many challenges for most of us! Hence I see my role as a counsellor as offering companionship as the person I am working with begins to explore and chart a new course through what may at times feel like rough waves. I trained in person-centred counselling at Worcester University. This approach values and respects the individuality of each of us, acknowledging how we are conditioned by the circumstances and influences we are exposed to. It believes that given the right conditions we can change, grow and develop in to happy healthier people. Counselling aims to provide such conditions. Each client brings a certain uniqueness and I try to respond appropriately, not in a fixed or prescriptive way. This may mean focusing on emotions, thoughts, habitual behaviour or on deeper more existential issues to do with meaning, loss and mortality. Besides private work I currently work with children and young adults at the CLD youth counselling trust and work at the Bracken Trust in Llandrindod Wells, a centre supporting people with cancer and their families. I also am a volunteer counsellor for CRUSE bereavement services and have in the past worked at an agency taking GP referrals. I am a registered member of BACP, am professionally supervised, insured and partake in regular professional development. |
