Counselling podcast: The Talk Room

Episode transcript: Talk Mindfulness

Wendy: Our series of podcasts entitled “Being Your Best Self.” I’d like to start by introducing my co-presenter, Ian Stockbridge.

Ian: Ian is an accredited counsellor with the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists and founder of Hope Therapy and Counseling Services. A warm welcome to you. I’m so glad you could join me today.

Wendy: Thank you so much, Ian. An absolute pleasure to be with you today. I hope the listeners really enjoy this podcast. It’s our first podcast, and it’s about mindfulness.

Wendy: These series of podcasts will look at the areas of mental health and well-being from a variety of different perspectives. Today, we will be looking at the subject of mindfulness: what mindfulness is, how we can all be more mindful, and how it can be supportive of mental health and well-being.

Wendy: So, Ian, you are a very experienced mindfulness teacher as well as a counselor. Could you start, please, by explaining what mindfulness is?

Ian: Of course, Wendy. Thank you. There’s a huge amount of confusion about what mindfulness is and what it is not. But in essence, mindfulness is just about cultivating a mindset where we deliberately pay attention to something in the present moment without getting triggered into making lots of judgments about it, simply seeing it in this moment as it actually is.

Wendy: And how can you say it’s helpful to people?

Ian: The brain is an incredible thing, but it can also get really confused. It can learn to respond in ways that can sometimes be incredibly useful, but sometimes in ways that are incredibly unhelpful as well. So, mindfulness can be really helpful with things like that. It’s just a way of paying attention to our environments, both our internal environments and our external environment as well.

Wendy: Okay. So, as a counselor, what types of people will come to you where mindfulness may be helpful?

Ian: Mindfulness training can really easily and successfully be incorporated into client work. Whether you’re working with self-esteem or anger management, whether you’re working with anxiety or mood disorders, mindfulness training can be helpful.

Wendy: That’s a really good explanation, Ian. Thanks very much for that. And how would people go about learning mindfulness if they were interested?

Ian: Well, that really depends on the individual client or the individual person and what they’re looking for support with and how they prefer to be supported. So, just as every person or every client is unique, so can the way in which we teach or train mindfulness.

Wendy: Okay. That’s a really good explanation, Ian. Thank you for that. I’m really interested. Can you tell me a little bit more about how you can use mindfulness at home and at work?

Ian: Many people say that if they’re more in control of their stress levels, they can be more focused in a work environment. So, lots of people also say that if they’re more present, they can be more productive and they can be more creative rather than in that constant state of worry and agitation that people often find themselves in.

Wendy: And it’s a really good way just to summarize some of the processes of mindfulness that you’ve explained to us. And just to reinforce where to get the information from, can you just tell us what your website is?

Ian: The website is www.hopefulminds.co.uk/mindfulness.

Wendy: So, Ian, it’s been a pleasure to have this conversation with you regarding mindfulness. Thank you so much for being our first guest.

Ian: Thank you, Wendy. It’s been an absolute pleasure.

Wendy: Thank you. Bye.