Kalmer Counselling offers mental health training which, is delivered by Director, Victoria Beattie. Victoria is a BACP Accredited Psychotherapist with a MSc in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, with over 20 years experience working therapeutically with adults, children, young people and families across the North East.

As a Consultant Lecturer for the University of Northumbria, Victoria is responsible for teaching the Mental Health Support Teams in Schools (MHST's), a government initiative jointly delivered by the Department of Education and NHS England. With her subject specialism being the mental health of children and young people with learning disabilities and difficulties.

As Vice Chair of the Advisory Committee for an alternative provision Mary Astell Academy, Victoria is responsible for mental health and wellbeing consultancy, she plays an active role in providing guidance and recommendations for specific issues and challenges faced by the school. 

In addition Victoria works as a Trauma Informed Practice Consultant for Prosper Learning Trust, an Academy of five schools inclusive of school hospitals and special needs provisions.

Victoria has been commissioned by Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust, one of the largest Mental Health and Disability Trusts in England, for the past seven years to provide a counselling service to children and young people who have autism. 

Victoria established Kalmer Counselling in 2012, which is now one of the leading Counselling services in the North East of England. With a team of over 45 therapist with varying specialisms, Kalmer Counselling provides counselling, training and consultation for over 150 North East primary, secondary, special needs schools and alternative provisions, giving counselling to over 3,000 children and young people each year.  In addition Kalmer Counselling also provide private therapy within their therapy centre for anyone who wants and needs mental health support. 

Victoria uses her wealth of experience working with schools in her role as Vice Chair of a Board of Governors for Falla Park Primary School.

 


Therapy/counselling has a connotation that you have to have a mental health issue to access it. NO... therapy is one of the most amazing gifts you can give to yourself. You allow yourself the time and space to realise your worth, work out your strengths/weaknesses, which gives you the power to change your life. One of my missions is to break down the shame and stigma attached to addressing mental health and mental wellness. It is my belief that the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is the responsibility of all professionals who have an active role in their lives, this drives my passion for training and empowering professionals to grow in confidence and build their skills.

Training Courses

Let us know which courses you are interested by selecting them then fill out your details in the form below.

What Lies Beneath an Autism Diagnosis

If you want to understand more about Autism and the challenges that can be experienced in communication, social competency and emotional regulation, then come along to this workshop.

The key areas we will explore

  • Develop an understanding of Autism
  • The hard-hitting facts
  • Briefly explore the common areas that autistic individuals find challenging
  • Reflect on how to help schools become more inclusive environments
  • Explore coping strategies
  • The impact Gender can have on Autism

Autism Self-Harm and Suicidal Ideation

The current pressing issues affecting our children and young people are self-harm, suicidal ideation and suicide. We have rising numbers and a hidden crisis, particularly amongst Autistic individuals. If you would like to know more and find out ways in which you can help, then come along to this workshop.

The key areas we will explore

  • Understand more about self-harm and suicide in autistic children and young people
  • Hear the hard-hitting statistics
  • Explore the general risk factors
  • Find out how some of the core features of ASD can lend CYP more vulnerable to self-harm and suicide
  • Learn ways in which you can attend to their needs
  • Gain some strategies to help children and young people

Neurodiversity in Females

If you want to know how neurodiversity presents in females and wonder why they are missed, misunderstood and misdiagnosed this is the workshop for you.

The Key areas we will explore

  • Gender differences, linking this to evolution
  • Look at how ADHD symptoms present and the difference between males and females
  • Explore the way in which ASD traits occur within males and females
  • Understand more about masking and camouflaging
  • The impact of being undiagnosed and misunderstood
  • Why females are being missed and misdiagnosed
  • Strategies that can help

Autistic Masking and Camouflaging

Autistic masking and camouflaging is a strategy a high proportion of the female autistic community use to hide and manage their autistic self and social anxieties. It's this strategy that can lead them to being misunderstood, misdiagnosed and discounted.

This training will explore:

  • The gender difference in diagnosis
  • Explore what is masking and camouflaging
  • The negative impact it can have
  • Gain insight from peoples experiences
  • How you as schools can help

Children's Mental Health

We have a huge crisis at the moment within children's mental health. Hundreds of children are waiting to be seen with ever-increasing waiting times. This means we have children that are in current need of support. In this session, we simplify the issues and show you how to use basic strategies for symptom management

This training:

  • Will explore mental health and the common issues
  • Explore Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA)
  • Focus upon the importance of the relationship 
  • Strategies and techniques to help families

Autism and gender identity

It’s so important to create a space to explore and help understand more about Autism and young people’s experiences around gender identity. We are seeing increasingly high numbers of autistic young people struggling with this issue.
Together we will discuss our experiences around this topic.

This training will:

  • Explore our understanding of autism
  • Delve into autistic young people’s experiences and the impact this can have on developing a sense of identity
  • Clarify our understanding of Gender identity and sexuality
  • Highlight some of the links between gender identity and autism with current research

Loss & Grief

Loss and grief is an emotive topic, that we often feel uncomfortable addressing, but it is very important to involve children in the grieving process to minimise long term impact on their mental wellbeing. We all grieve, it is a part of life and it is important to equip children with coping strategies early to process and deal with it.  

This training will explore;

  • Explore the different types of loss and a child's capacity to process loss
  • Understand the grieving process, the impact on children, their mental health, emotional wellbeing, behaviour and barriers to learning
  • Exploring different interventions and strategies to support these children
  • Ways in which we can talk about it

Trauma Training

Do you want to know more about Trauma and, in particular, Developmental Trauma and how it impacts a developing child and young person? Then take a deep dive into understanding more by attending this workshop.

The key areas we will explore

  • What are Traumatic and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES)
  • Explore Developmental Trauma
  • The effects this has on children and young people’s brains, memories and bodies
  • The impact it has on children's emotional capacities, their behaviours and relationships
  • How it affects their learning
  • Importance of healthy relationships within their lives

Interoception

Our bodies and minds are amazing!
Neurobiology and Neuroscience helps us to understand more about our complex systems. It’s so important that we have a good understanding and awareness of ourselves and also help children and young people to develop theirs. This awareness can have a huge positive impact on all of our relationships.

This training

  • Will explore the importance of our senses
  • Help to understand sensory processing and the challenges some individuals may face
  • Highlight the links interoception has with respect to our emotional awareness
  • Provide techniques to develop better interoceptive awareness




Kalmer Counselling Sessions


Our Counselling sessions are 50 minutes either online or in person and cost £50 - £65 depending on the counsellor.

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