During the sessions, people will be supported to reflect upon their self-management and wellbeing by taking part in some simple creative activities. You don’t have to be a great artist to take part in these sessions. Instructions and templates will be provided and you will not need any special materials – paper and pen/pencil will be enough. The sessions will be supported by people with long-term conditions, who know what it is like to live with a condition like yours. The programme can be used alongside MyLifeTool.
These sessions are a chance for you to socialise with other people who understand what it is like to live with a long-term condition, whilst doing something fun and creative at the same time. The creative activities in each session are also designed to help you reflect on a specific issue, like what you expect from yourself and how you interact with others. The sessions may help you to improve your goal setting, encourage you to be kinder to yourself and give you the chance to share your experiences with people who may have had similar experiences to you.
The sessions run on Microsoft Teams and last one hour each. You do not need an account to join. If you are joining using your desktop computer, just click the 'join session' link and follow the instructions. If you are joining using a mobile device or tablet, you may need to download the Microsoft Teams app. You don't need to sign in or register a new account - just click the "join session" button on this web page once the app is installed. You can join the session anonymously by joining as a guest with a fake name and you can choose whether you want people to see you or just hear you in the group. You can even join the group with no video or sound and just watch and listen to the others in the group.
You can contact Dr Stephanie Kilinc after each session at s.kilinc@tees.ac.uk, if you would like to go through anything from
the session or you would like information about organisations that can give you more support. Some support organisations are listed here:
To make each session a safe and comfortable space, there are some ground rules that everyone in the group has to follow. Anyone found not to be following these rules will be removed from the session and any future sessions. Please take time to read through these before joining the session. Only people aged 18 and over can join the sessions.
Personal data including special category data is processed lawfully. Processing of personal data including special category data is proportionate to the aims pursued, respects the essence of data protection and provides suitable and specific measures to safeguard the rights and interests of the data subject in full compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.