A St Martins-based wellbeing professional with decades of experience supporting children, adults and families is launching a new community designed to help people make realistic and sustainable improvements to their wellbeing.
Chrissy Dickens, founder of Pathways Therapeutic Services, lives in St Martins with her family and is passionate about using her professional experience to help spread positive wellbeing across the local area and beyond.
Although her business is based in Chester, Chrissy’s home and family life are firmly rooted in St Martins, giving the new initiative a strong local connection.
Chrissy said: “I run a business based in Chester, but our lives are based in St Martins, so I’m passionate about spreading wellbeing across the area.”
Chrissy founded Pathways Therapeutic Services in 2015 with a vision of providing compassionate, trauma-informed support and helping to make mental health services more holistic and accessible.
Her career has included specialist roles within the NSPCC and NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), where she spent five years as a Trauma Lead supporting families and professionals working with complex needs. She also spent three years as an Early Intervention Lead within CAMHS.
An EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner, psychological therapist, Trauma-Informed Schools Supervisor and Clinical Supervisor, Chrissy has a particular interest in trauma, attachment, adverse childhood experiences and neurodevelopmental challenges.
Now she is drawing on that experience to develop a new kind of wellbeing community – one which recognises that making positive changes can be difficult when people are already juggling the demands of everyday life.
Rather than offering another programme based around strict routines, perfection or completely overhauling a person’s lifestyle, the new community will encourage people to take small and manageable steps towards feeling better, moving more, understanding themselves and connecting with others.
Chrissy said: “I’ve been thinking a lot about what we really need when it comes to wellbeing. I don’t think we need another programme telling us to get up at 5am, eat perfectly and somehow fit more into an already busy life.
“Real life is definitely messier than that.
“I want to create something that helps people take charge of their wellbeing in a way that actually fits with the reality of their life – transforming themselves and their lives one small step at a time.”
The community will bring together psychology, movement, nature and practical wellbeing tools, alongside approaches informed by an understanding of neurodiversity, trauma and attachment.
Connection will also be at the heart of the initiative, giving members an opportunity to be part of a supportive community where they can receive encouragement and accountability without the pressure to be perfect.
There will be a free community alongside a paid membership providing access to more in-depth workshops, live sessions, challenges and additional resources.
Chrissy is now looking for 20 founding members who would like to join at the very beginning and play a part in shaping how the community develops. Founding membership will cost £12 per month, with that price locked in for those joining at the founding stage.
Chrissy added: “Let’s create a place where people can belong and a space that is supportive, realistic and genuinely good for our wellbeing together.”
Anyone interested in finding out more about the new wellbeing community or becoming one of the 20 founding members can contact Chrissy and quote “FOUNDING”. Further information about Pathways Therapeutic Services, which offers face-to-face therapy, consultation and training, is available by calling 01244 256864 or 07557 944185, or by visiting www.pathwaystherapeuticservices.co.uk.
