Platfform Wellbeing

24/04/2026

Our lead counsellors will gently explore some of the common myths and misconceptions around counselling, and offer a more honest, human perspective on how it can support us at different points in life.

Rather than something we only turn to when things feel overwhelming or “too much,” counselling can be a space for reflection, understanding and growth , helping you make sense of your experiences and feel more connected to yourself.

During the session, we’ll cover:

📌What counselling is (and isn’t), and what it can actually feel like
📌How counselling can support you through different life experiences, not just in times of crisis
📌The different types of therapy available, and how to find what feels right for you
📌Why counselling can be a valuable part of ongoing self-care and wellbeing

Save your free place: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/thinking-about-starting-counselling-what-it-really-is-and-what-it-isnt-tickets-1985496021047?aff=oddtdtcreator

21/04/2026

Sometimes things can feel overwhelming or too much.
Life can get heavy. And when it does, it helps to have small ways to take care of yourself

🪣The stress bucket activity can be a helpful tool. Think of stress as a bucket that fills up with daily pressures. When it overflows, it’s time to let some out. Everyone is different but managing stress could look like:

That might look like:
-Talking to someone you trust
-Doing something you enjoy (even for 10 minutes)
-Getting outside or moving your body
-Taking a proper break and resting
-Saying no to something if you need to

Read more from our Lead Counsellor Katie and Head of Therapies Kath about what stress can look like and ways to look after yourself when its feeling too much: https://www.platfformwellbeing.com/blog/looking-after-yourself-coping-when-stress-creeps-in/

19/04/2026

Thinking about starting counselling?

Join our Lead Counsellors, Katie and Liz, for an introduction to what counselling is and what you can expect. They will explore some of the common myths around counselling, and offer a more honest, human perspective on how it can support us at different points in life.

No expectations, just a chance to explore whether it might be right for you.

📅 Tuesday 28th April, 1PM

Book a space here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/thinking-about-starting-counselling-what-it-really-is-and-what-it-isnt-tickets-1985496021047?aff=oddtdtcreator

07/04/2026

Sometimes in life, the pace quickens and life demands more of us.
This means stress often creeps in slowly and we get so used to pushing through that we do not notice it until it reaches breaking point.

We all have a window of tolerance where we cope, connect, and respond differently to what’s happening around us.

Sometimes we can think clearly, handle challenges, and stay connected. But other times our window can shrink where high stress, trauma, or lack of support can make everything feel overwhelming.

But the window can grow again, even in challenging environments.

Read more from our Lead Counsellor Katie and Head of Therapies Kath about what stress can look like and ways to look after yourself when its feeling too much: https://www.platfformwellbeing.com/blog/looking-after-yourself-coping-when-stress-creeps-in/


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19/03/2026

A slightly belated but very heartfelt happy birthday to Manoj! 🎉

If you’ve ever visited our Cardiff counselling centre, you’ll likely know Manoj as the friendly face on reception. He’s a ray of sunshine in our counselling space, bringing warmth and kindness to everyone who walks through the door.

And of course… he also makes an excellent cup of tea ☕️

Thank you for everything you bring to the team, Manoj, we hope you had a brilliant birthday and felt celebrated! 🎂

25/02/2026

What a brilliant session with Sarah Brown, Phil Richardson and Pete Johnson yesterday in the last of our current strength-based learning programme.

We were talking about looking after ourselves while supporting others, especially when the work can sometimes be tough.

🟥Some key takeaways were the importance of reflective spaces:
“Reflection is about slowing down in the middle of overwhelm, looking up from the task and making sense of what’s happening”

🟥We also heard honest reflections about what happens when we lose that space:
“I couldn’t see where I needed to point the direction to give people hope and agency because I was too much in it. I was just giving, giving, giving… and it took that for me to realise that’s a bad strategy”

🟥And this reminder:
“Looking after ourselves is what makes this work possible because we are the tools”

🎞️Watch the full recording here: https://youtu.be/rdswSeYdnY0?si=yaWju6jN9Nt7jMD2

16/02/2026

For , our Platfform4yp team shared what creating safe, inclusive spaces for young people really looks like in practice

Alongside this work, since September 2024 we’ve been delivering trauma-informed mental health support across 68 schools in Swansea, offering counselling, wellbeing sessions and support for children and young people aged 5–19, as part of a whole-school approach with Swansea Council

At the heart of this is relationship-based, trauma-informed support, shaped by the needs of young people themselves.

For our Platfform4yp team asked colleagues how our project teams create safe, inclusive spaces for young people. Here's what they had to say:

"Through our safe, creative spaces on the Swansea Bay 4YP project, it has been so heart warming seeing young people connect with each other writing poems, making art and having fun. When you hear them making plans to meet outside of the group, we know this is building their confidence and giving them hope."

"In the Hangouts, we create a safe space by having lots of things they can connect with, board games, making slime or playing just dance! This helps them to build trust with us as there is no pressure to talk, it's up to them when they decide to ask for support, we will wait for them and when its the right time, we are there to listen."

11/02/2026

We are super excited to be joined by DUKE AL, an award winning spoken word artist, author and creative practitioner as part of our event at Wales Week / London

Writing rhymes is his therapy and his work explores identity, emotion and the power of expression through lived experience.

DUKE AL brings honesty, creativity and depth to conversations about mental health and hope.

📅 5th March, London
⏰ 6:00pm
🚤 Spaces are limited. Register your interest to attend: https://platfform.org/event/wales-week-in-london-2026/

27/01/2026

If you work in a safeguarding or helping role, employed or volunteering, you know how challenging it can be working with people who’ve been through really tough experiences.

As part of funding from WCVA we can offer employee counselling.

The sessions below are an introduction to counselling, gently challenging some of the common myths around it, and reflect on how it can support staff wellbeing at different points in their lives.

📅Employee Counselling: 29th January, 12.00pm - 1.30pm

🔗https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1981330204979?aff=oddtdtcreator

📅Employee Counselling: 16th February, 9.00am - 10.30am

🔗https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1981330358438?aff=oddtdtcreator

📅Employee Counselling:10th March, 3.00pm - 4.30pm

🔗https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1981330552017?aff=oddtdtcreator

22/01/2026

💻New workshop dates are now available for our open sessions on vicarious trauma, available for people with safeguarding responsibilities working in Wales. Whether you work in a school, charity, community setting, or volunteer role, we know this work can come with its own pressures.

These sessions offer a space to pause, reflect, and explore practical ways to support your own wellbeing as well as the people you work with, particularly when things are tough.

Thanks to funding from WCVA | CGGC, we can offer the following sessions:

📅29th January, 9.30am - 12.30pm
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/vicarious-trauma-training-wcva-funded-tickets-1981107455730?aff=oddtdtcreator


📅17th February, 9.30am - 12.30pm
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/vicarious-trauma-training-wcva-funded-tickets-1981109956209?aff=oddtdtcreator


📅9th March, 9.30am - 12.30pm
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/vicarious-trauma-training-wcva-funded-tickets-1981115575015?aff=oddtdtcreator

21/01/2026

On Thursday 12 February, online, we’re hosting an event where we’ll share evidence from the lived experience of diagnosis and treatment of Personality Disorder, and look at what needs to change.

The evidence is based on experiences shared with Platfform by 30 people, mostly women. The majority suffered traumatic experiences before diagnosis, as well as after.

These experiences are hard to listen to, and include instances where diagnosis masked trauma and imposed stigma, presenting barriers to recovery.

We recognise that people may have similar or differing experiences of this diagnosis. That’s why we want as many people as possible who care about the treatment and wellbeing of individuals experiencing mental health difficulties to join us.

Sign up to join the event here:

Platfform has spent two years hearing real stories from people who have received this diagnosis. This new report shows what we found.

21/01/2026

“Staff remain in these roles because of a genuine commitment to the people we support,” explains Kirsty, who manages a team in one of our supported housing projects.

The team face challenging situations regularly, but they keep going. Because someone has to, and because the alternative is that people facing homelessness simply go without support.

The Housing Support Grant is what allows these services to exist at all, which is why it needs protecting and uplifting to match the real living wage - so that staff in these services can afford to stay in their posts.

Link to Kirsty’s look behind the scenes of what it takes to offer this kind of support every day in the comments