East West Day Services
East West Day Services has been set up to provide:
Information, Support and Education around relapse prevention as part of their current development programme to raise awareness and promote more creative ways of working with addiction alongside its core activity of direct support and treatment of problematic substance users.
The Abbot of Thamkrabok saw addiction as a rapidly expanding global problem and believed there was a need for the east and west to work together and learn more about dealing with the problem. Over the last 12 years we have developed a strong relationship with the Monastery and learnt many skills and interventions through our experience of working in partnership. This has enabled us to transfer good practice from the east into Day Services making the benefits more widely available in the UK.
The charity engages in presentations of their work to users, professionals and the public as well as providing education programmes in prisons, probation hostels, drug/alcohol services, schools and youth clubs.
We also facilitate workshops using various techniques and elements of the integrated therapeutic approach used at Thamkrabok in the treatment of addiction and other relapsing conditions. Music, drama and art are often used to help educate and encourage expression and interaction to overcome social barriers and develop creativity. Much anti social behaviour and substance misuse is a consequence of poor social skills and limited understanding of how to meet emotional needs.
Service User interventions include:
Counselling and support in a safe environment to explore suppressed feelings and emotions and understand them in a way that is healing and nurturing.
Relapse Prevention using mindfulness meditation an effective intervention for dealing with relapsing conditions such as depression, stress, anxiety, anger and low self esteem which are often the underlying causes that lead to substance dependency.
Mindfulness is about being fully awake in our lives, paying attention with intention and without judgement. This accesses our own powerful inner resources for insight, transformation and healing.
Meditation transforms the way in which we see our place and our responsibilities in the world and how it can help us to resist the pressure to conform to materialistic standards. The essential elements of meditation are silence, stillness and simplicity.
Life Coaching provides opportunities to understand and appreciate our talents and skills and to explore the many possibilities for training leading to employment. In addition we can learn new skills such as time management, social interaction and self-awareness.
Income generated from these services provide bursaries to those unable to raise funds for treatment