Testimonals La Vie Therapies

Like many managers today I feel that employee stress has become an increasing concern. Stress seems to be an unavoidable consequence of twenty-first century life, particularly for those working in our sector (SEBN). I recognise that I am constantly asking a tremendous amount of staff in expecting them to embrace the many new national and local initiatives that professionals in this sector are dealing with today.

Therefore, I approached Paula of La Vie Therapies to produce a ‘bespoke’ stress management course for our service. I knew Paula had worked with Midlothian authority in delivering a support group for parents of difficult teenagers and would, therefore, understand the work of our sector. Paula suggested a six week course beginning with a ‘taster’ session which was offered as part of our staff development to all professionals working at Panmure. Thereafter, we invited voluntary participation in six fortnightly twilight sessions.

Following the taster session, a significant number of staff were enthusiastic about the proposal which Paula promised would be 80% practical, 20% theoretical and, further, that all staff would have something to ‘take away’ from the session. The individual evaluations following the introduction were extremely positive and a significant number of staff chose to take part in the six week course.

The six week course was very well received and most staff reported significant benefits in the relaxation effects of many of the activities offered. The course included relaxation therapy and deep breathing exercises, reflexology, reiki and Indian head massage as well as a healthy eating input delivered by Herve a highly talented professional chef.

During the process participants learned to monitor their physiological arousal levels and physically relax their bodies, actually changing their heart rate, muscle contractions, and so on. Although participating in the course did not eliminate stress entirely, it gave participants the skills and knowledge to learn to manage it better and thus helped to minimise the negative outcomes of exposure to everyday workplace stressors

As well as the benefits to individuals there were other unexpected benefits as participants reported that they looked forward to the sessions. The fortnightly inputs resulted in very positive team building effects – a real bonus to any organization.

I can highly recommend La Vie Therapies to you as the service throughout was professional, effective and highly enjoyable.
Angelina Lombardo
Headteacher (Acting)
Panmure St Ann’s
Edinburgh

Complementary Therapy Course. This course helped me gain the knowledge to carry out Indian Head Massage on friends and family, it helped me see the benefits and also helped me learn to relax more, even when I was the one giving the massage. Paula was a great tutor, clear and precise and brought vast knowledge to the group.
Jennifer Barnes

This course was very enjoyable Paula was good at breaking down the techniques of Indian Head Massage into small chunks. I like the fact that we got plenty of time to practice on each other. I have brought these skills together with my own knowledge and experience from other courses.
Jane Parrott

Over the weeks Paula has presented an easy to follow introductory course to Complementary Therapies. She has shown the group numerous self-help techniques and I also had the chance of a mini treatment! I took the course as I have always had an interest in holistic treatments and Paula has fuelled my interest. Hand outs provided make excellent reference material and also encouraged me to do more reading on the subject. Overall I found the course to be interesting and stimulating and I will continue to learn more on my own. Thank you Paula.
Beth MacAndrew

This has been a really good introduction to complimentary therapies. The course has been both informative and fun. Paula has done a great job of passing on her knowledge in a way that is fun and doesn’t feel like you are in a classroom. The practical sessions have been great and we have been taught a few self treatments. As a result of this course I have applied to study complimentary therapy at college and Paula has provided me with a fantastic stepping stone to do this; we have built up a folder of hand outs which are great to refer to. Overall I have really enjoyed this course and feel it has taught me a lot and Paula has passed on some fab tips.
Kathryn Robertson.

Paula is a very competent teacher and has a lovely soothing voice, when she was talking us through meditation techniques, it was very relaxing. The handouts we have been given on the course have been very instructive – something I will be able to dip into at home. I did the class purely for pleasure and have thoroughly enjoyed thanks to Paula’s knowledge of her subjects.
Wilma, Bonnyrigg

I was not sure what to expect from this course as I always thought myself as confident. This course, in many ways due to how Paula delivered it, has helped me look at my confidence and self-esteem in certain situations and helped me gain confidence in these areas. Paula made me relaxed and didn’t judge us when chatting about personal issues.
Jennifer Barnes

Paula is a great tutor/therapist. She has a very relaxing and comforting persona. I have taken two courses led by Paula that have given me the insight into changing my negative outlook and turning my life around. I now have various coping strategies to resort to when the going gets tough. As a therapist, Paula can take you to another ‘planet’ – reflexology is my personal favourite and the physical after effects on my body and health are astounding.
Nicolle Murdoch

Paula has delivered two pieces of work for Midlothian Council Community Learning and Development Team (Adult Learning) within the Dalkeith area.

The work involved working with mothers with young children under 5 and grandparents who are caring for grandchildren either on a full or part time basis.

The aims of these sessions was to look at ways of dealing with stress in everyday life using alternative therapies, ie. Head massage.

These groups were extremely successful the woman found Paula to be friendly and approachable and easy to talk to and gave great feedback on evaluation forms:-

“Great course, fantastic tutor”

“Never felt so relaxed and I now use this at home”

“Learning this has changed how I deal with problems and home life is much better”

From a professional point of view Paula is organised and gives 110% to her work. The Dalkeith Community Learning & Development Team will be asking Paula to deliver more classes in the future as well as in other areas of Midlothian and would recommend her services to others.

Sharon Dalgleish
Community learning & Development Worker (Adult Learning)
Midlothian Council

On this course, once again, I found Paula’s teaching style to my benefit, it was consistently conducive to sharing with others in an atmosphere of non-judgemental compassion and lots of laughter. Paula’s ability to share her own experiences with the group helped me to feel open. I highly recommend taking private group training, or one to one sessions or workshops with Paula and I wish her well on what is destined to be a very successful career as both a skilled therapist and tutor.
Jane Parrott