*WIN A Massage for You And Your #Secretsister

One of the hardest things to accept in life is that we cannot always escape the difficult things it throws at us. We can’t always abscond from the heartaches, the losses, the traumas. Life isn’t consistently peachy and sometimes we walk the tight rope with trepidation, as we navigate some rather painful and traumatic life experiences.

And what makes a harder situation that much harder is that people very often can’t afford counselling after a traumatic event, meaning they suffer in silence without seeking any help. Of course what adds to this is the stigma often associated with counselling, or the fact that many people simply don’t speak out about their pain and loss, suppressing their pain out of fear.

Life Transformation Centre are a wonderful and life-changing organisation who are trying to change that. By offering very affordable counselling to those in need and even going a far as offering free counselling for those who simply can’t afford it! Their aim is to help people from all walks of life who are struggling emotionally with trauma/emotional pain of any kind and to remove the stigma often attached to therapy and counselling.

For some you may feel that as much as you LOVE connecting with a friend, a bestie, over coffee, pouring out your heart and having a really deep moment. But then there are those times when what you have to say just doesn’t fit in one coffee time, it’s way too intense and you instinctively know that even this close friendship just can’t hold the weight of what you have to explore. And you (or your friend) are just tired of YOU doing all the talking.

WHY COUNSELLING IS SO IMPORTANT:

There is a space where your very personal, heavy experiences and stories find their perfect place: Counselling

1. Counselling allows time and space for it to be all about you. Your counsellor shares nothing of themselves, this time and space is simply for you to explore what you need to, to share your story.

2. Counselling helps you come to a place of understanding about your past, to retell your story, forgive – yourself and others. Its called “the talking cure” but a counsellor’s listening gift also has intense power to heal.

3. Counselling heals relationships – adding a third perspective (and some great tried and tested methods) to a conflict or stuck situation.

3. Counselling is great for teens, our counsellors are trained in play therapy that helps teens express themselves when words fail.

Our counsellors are also experienced in guiding our clients through the stages of grief, ensuring the process is as healthy as possible and feelings are expressed.
Life Transformations Centre is most passionate about the difference that trauma counselling makes, especially soon after a violent crime or accident. The debriefing we offer is essential to a client telling a healthy story about the trauma – we encourage truthful, hope-filled stories, instead of damaging ones full of unhelpful lies. With 1 in 6 South Africans suffering from PTSD this is an essential step in avoiding the sleepless nights, flashbacks and anxiety of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

LTC Counsellors are all qualified at the respected SA College of Applied Psychology where practical experience and application is the focus. Derrick Holtak (founder of Life Transformations) and Brigitte Parfitt have also picked up years of experience at Hope House where they treated a range of challenging clients. Matthew also qualified at SACAP and specialises in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy – a reprogramming of our mind and thoughts that is highly effective. Whatever you’re facing, our counsellors have a range of experience that will help you tackle it.

Dealing with mental health issues, talking about abuse, assault and suicide and the pain of losing someone you love can be hard things to face, but there’s no denying that speaking to someone and working through your pain is the best way forward. There is so much freedom the comes with opening up and letting someone in, allowing someone to carry some of the weight of your experience and hopefully bringing you to a place of full restoration.

The cost is R250 per hour (normally fees start at R450) or Pro Bono sessions on a Friday Morning for those who cannot afford a session.
They offer a range of counselling from marriage to grief, abuse, teen + there is a men’s Forum group on a Monday run by Merrick.
Trauma Counselling especially highly recommended after a violent crime or accident, debriefing is essential!
They also offer space for counsellors to rent rooms by the hour and training rooms to rent.

With the aim of opening up these conversations and shedding light on these taboo topics, Life Transformations are offering you and a girlfriend the chance to WIN 2x Massages from Angela of Body Matters and another trained therapist, at a Constantia Massage therapy room!

Here’s what you are going to have to do:

1. Like their page on Facebook.

2. Tag two friends in the comments on the Facebook thread.

3. Post a picture of you and your #secretsister (to your personal Facebook wall, telling us why she is your confidant and someone you share your deepest secrets with. (*Your secret sister could be living in another city, but tag her so she can see! You are then welcome to share prize with someone else close to you who lives in Cape Town)

Remember this could be your colleague, friend, aunt, sister…ANYONE who you feel that deep connection with and who you trust to share matter of the heart! Use the hashtag #secretsister so we can track each entry and create some buzz!

Terms and conditions apply

*Winners need to reside in Cape TOWN in order to qualify for the prize

* All three steps need to be completed in order to qualify for the prize

* winner is selected via random.org and our decision is final

* Prize cannot be sold or redeemed for cash

* Competition ends 24th August 2018 at Noon.

Good luck ladies!

Hi I’m Leigh! Did you enjoy reading this post? I really hope so and would love you to stick around a little longer! Please feel free to browse my blog for other articles or to keep up with all the latest news and to be the first to hear about some great competitions, come and find me me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also email me directly at leeloobaggins@hotmail.com or simply subscribe below and never worry about missing out!