Welcome to the !Audacious
Well-being course
Register your interest below.
!Audacious Well-Being was launched in 2017 by a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals from !Audacious Church in Manchester.
These individuals shared a vision to bring together their professionalism, faith and lived experience to equip and support those struggling with mental ill-health. The team began by running ‘Mental Health Matters’; a practical day conference in 2018 which attracted hundreds of people from the Church and local community. This was repeated in 2019 and gained momentum.
Following the success of one-off conference events, there was a strong desire within the Team to go further, helping more people to achieve positive, sustainable well-being outcomes over a longer period.
This led naturally to the development of the !Audacious Well-Being Course which was piloted in 2020.
What is the !Audacious Well-being Course?
The course is for PREVENTION – offering people concepts, tools and techniques to improve their ability to thrive in life’s troubles AND is an INTERVENTION – offering support to those who are struggling with mild to moderate mental ill health.
Each confidential, two-hour course session is deliberately designed to include 3 key elements;
Psychologically informed teaching.
Psychologically informed content based on theory and techniques from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Life Stories.
From those with lived experience of improving their well-being
Faith based.
Such as prayer, singing and biblical content
Our research paper, outlining the full impact of the Course; ‘Online Faith Based CBT in the Covid-19 Pandemic” was published by the Waverley Abbey Journal in January 2023.
Our Vision:
Building a healthy society by equipping and empowering people to thrive in the midst of life’s troubles.
Our Mission:
To be a credible, alternative provider of professional, faith-based mental health and well-being services for the whole community.
Who is the course for?
It is suitable for those over 18, with no faith, Christian faith or another faith and is a safe place where an inclusive and supportive environment is offered to all.
What does the course look like?
It is an 8 week course that can be run online or in person.
A typical week includes:
- Welcome and Small Group check in.
- Interactive topic teaching.
- The Calm-Down Toolkit – each week a practical tool is taught to help participants manage the fight, flight, freeze response in everyday life.
- Life stories from those with lived experience.
- Facilitated small group topic discussion.
- Optional prayer time.
- Self directed homework.
Session topics include:
- What is Well-Being?
- Healthy Body (including stress management, healthy eating and movement)
- Healthy Mood (managing low mood and depression)
- Healthy Confidence (managing anxiety)
- Healthy Processing (managing life’s losses and trauma)
- Healthy Thoughts (managing your mind)
- Your personal Well-Being plan
How has the course helped people?
Ola is a 23 year old postgraduate student who completed the Course in 2021.
“Before I did the Course my life was steadily getting worse – I’d recently been diagnosed with anxiety and depression and was waiting for a space to open up for me to receive therapy sessions through my university. I was feeling lost and overwhelmed. I applied to do the Course because I knew something needed to change.
The course was good! I liked the structure and my small group. I started to feel close to my fellow group members. I also liked that the course had a lot of mental health professionals’ input – it felt like a good blend of combining faith with listening to people who have that knowledge and experience in the industry. The Course made a positive difference. Life is better and I have techniques now to manage those times in life when things are difficult.”
Our research has evidenced that the Course has positively impacted participants by reducing distress, improving mood, reducing anxiety and thoughts of suicide and self harm.
The course’s supportive environment has resulted in high retention rates where 88% of participants completed the course.
How can your Church or Organisation get involved in running the !Audacious Well-Being Course in your local area?
Following the successful piloting and evaluation of the Course, we are now in the exciting process of preparing and packaging the product to be used by other Churches and Organisations.
If you have questions or would like to get in touch please email: wellbeing@audaciouschurch.com
If you would like to express your interest in your Church or Organisation running the Well-Being Course fill in the form at the below link. If you want any more information about the Well-being course fill in our Contact Form and someone will be in touch.
Get in touch
Endorsements
“This is a fantastic course seeking to equip people with really practical tools to improve their well-being.
Having been written by experienced health professionals, it is underpinned with sound Psychological theory and evidence, alongside those sharing their lived experience.
This combination makes the course accessible and people can have confidence in the teaching and tools being provided. The group element also gives a sense of community and reduces isolation, which in itself is known to improve wellbeing. I highly recommend this course for anyone looking to take steps to develop their emotional, physical and spiritual Well-being.”
Dr Vicki Wardman, Senior Clinical Psychologist
“As a GP with over 30 years experience as a medical doctor and a keen working interest in Lifestyle Medicine, I am an active member of the Well-being team. I have been involved with the Team from its inception in 2017 and was active in the creation of the Well-Being Course. I was involved with the development of the Risk Management processes which underpin the course and guide the team and the Pre Course application processes which ensure that the course is the right fit for each participant. All aspects of the course have been well researched and can stand up to scrutiny. The course has been a great success and the feedback has been really positive. As a GP I fully endorse the course as a safe intervention for improving well-being.”
Dr Joyce Ameh
As a leader of a local church, I realised that the best way to help people on their post-pandemic well-being journey was to take time to understand my personal wellbeing. I found the !Audacious Well-being Course to be an exceptional resource in assisting me to do that. The online course was full of professional & practical advice, set in a positive & supportive environment. The course enabled me to do a personal well-being inventory of my life which included developing healthy strategies, habits, thoughts, and emotions.
I whole-heartedly recommend this course for everyone, I finished this course as a more relaxed and confident person.
The !Audacious Well-being Course is an exceptional opportunity to deliver a professional course within a local church context.
Pastor Aran Richardson, Riverside Church, Exeter
!Audacious Well-Being is led by Julie Keir, DipTh., CDRS, MA, MBACP (Accred) and is facilitated by a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals from !Audacious Church.
Having been involved in local church pastoral work for 27 years, Julie retrained as a Psychotherapist in 2009 and has since worked in the NHS and Higher Education as a therapist and Clinical Lead. She is passionate about the Church being able to offer credible, professional and faith based mental health and Well-Being Services for the Community.
Contact
0161 830 7000
wellbeing@audaciouschurch.com
!Audacious Church, Unit 6
Deva Centre, Manchester, M3 7BB