FESTIVAL SEASON

JULY 2023

We’re in the middle of festival season in the UK.  This year I have become a volunteer at festivals, helping with the festival welfare team.

Festival welfare volunteering is about supporting all those people attending; they may have lost property, lost friends, lost their health or lost their mental health for a short period.  The welfare team, alongside the medics, are your port in a storm for all festival goers; a safe haven - a lighthouse - at all hours of the day and night.

The good news is that people often drop by to say hi and let us know they are having a fab time, at other times, like all of us humans, they may need help and support while they get well or reunite with family and friends.  It’s also great to reunite people with their valuables and car keys!  That certainly reduces stress.  We all need time out even at festivals, especially if the festival or music has become a little overwhelming. We take our mental health with us and it moves day by day, and sometimes we need help.

The impact on my counselling practice will be that I have to reduce my hours for the next six weeks.  I may panic about not being available to clients, however, I am human and enjoy nothing more than listening to music and having a dance and generally having some time off from adulting.  Yes, counsellors and therapists like to let their hair down too!

So I will not worry too much about taking my foot of the counselling pedal.  I will be there to support my clients from September, full time.  Right now, I am hoping the sun shines and it’s my way of attending festivals but also giving something back to anyone who needs a lighthouse.

Enjoy your summer and outdoor experiences, and fingers crossed for the British sunshine staying with us.