Rowan launches Telephone Counselling November 2012
As Christmas approaches, and counsellors prepare for their annual upsurge in demand, a Perth company has become the first agency in Scotland to offer telephone counselling appointments.
Rowan Consultancy, one of Scotland's leading providers of personal and organisational growth and development services, is changing the way it works to make counselling more accessible, and to break down the barriers between the counsellor and the client.
The launch of its new telephone counselling service coincides with the approach to Christmas, a time of joy, but also one of stress for thousands of Scots, followed by the New Year period when many resolve to improve their lives once and for all and use counselling to kick-start the process.
Nine of Rowan's 15-strong team have now been trained by Dr Stephen Goss, one of the country's leading authorities in telephone counselling, learning how to deal with the different challenges posed by telephone counselling – from 'reading' verbal cues, building rapport through a telephone and, in extreme cases, how to handle an abusive partner walking in on the call or the client threatening to self-harm during the session.
With Rowan's telephone counselling service, clients over the age of 18 can call the Rowan office to book a 50-minute session with either a male or female counsellor at a time convenient to them. In most cases, the sessions will be held on a weekly basis and clients can opt for a counsellor trained in a particular field.
Rachel Weiss, Senior Partner explained that clients are increasingly looking for choice and flexibility, "For those who work remotely, or live in rural areas, telephone counselling provides a more convenient option. Clients, whether holding down a busy office job or caring for children or parents, don't have to take time out of their day to travel to and from a session and the sessions can take place in the comfort of their own home and at a time convenient to them."
Ms Weiss also believes that telephone counselling will appeal to those who are more accustomed to technology-based communication than face-to-face.
She added, "We also expect it to appeal to those who cannot face the prospect of face-to-face counselling and may feel that they can be more honest and direct on a telephone. In this new age of digital communication, many people are more comfortable with communicating at a distance and, if you are already feeling vulnerable, telephone counselling might be a preferred option to meeting in person."
With Rowan also providing staff counselling services to a range of Scottish employers, the service will also be open to corporate clients, in addition to the standard 'face-to-face' option.
The company, which recently celebrated its 15 year anniversary, works with a range of clients from pupils and teachers to employees and private individuals, offering two main services - coaching and counselling. The firm is thought to be the only company in Scotland offering a one-stop, comprehensive service.
Through coaching, Rowan partners with employees in a thought-provoking, creative process which inspires them to maximise their professional potential. Meanwhile, custom-built counselling programmes can be offered to help employers support staff though difficulties at work and home, increasing their resilience and performance. Mentoring, workplace mediation, training, team facilitation and diagnostic consultancy are also provided. The company also offers confidential and discreet counselling to couples and individuals (aged four upwards) seeking support on a wide range of issues including bereavement, self-confidence, depression, anxiety and relationship difficulties.
Rowan Celebrates 15 Years October 2012
October saw Rowan Consultancy celebrate its 15th Birthday by welcoming past and present customers and employees to its Kinnoull Street premises. After a short speech and toast, the founding partner Rachel Weiss cut a specially commissioned cake made by Ellen Innes, daughter of office manager Wilma Innes. A photographic retrospective history of Rowan was on display and delicious food was provided by Riverside Catering. Thank you to everybody who came, and we look forward to supporting you and your organisations over the next 15 years.
Personal Effectiveness at the Universtiy of Stirling September 2012
In order to create a thriving organisation, the University of Stirling is investing in the development of its non-academic staff. Rowan was delighted to design and deliver a series of workshops on Personal Effectiveness. The programme of six workshops started this month when Rachel Weiss presented a day on “Coping with Change”. This gave the participants a chance to highlight their own responses to constant organizational change, and examine how they can adapt and thrive in the face of change, by increasing their resilience and choosing their responses.
Other topics to be covered include: Assertiveness, Creative Problem Solving, First Line Customer Service, Coaching Skills, Time Management and Effective Listening Skills. Each workshop concludes with the participants setting themselves SMART goals, which are then reviewed at the beginning of the next workshop. The attendees responded very well to “Coping with Change”, and Rachel is already looking forward to next month’s workshop.
Rowan Consultancy's MBA Scholarship March 2012
Congratulations to Pradeep Sivasubramaniam from Perth College for being awarded the Rowan Consultancy MBA student Scholarship.
We were pleased to welcome Pradeep and his lecturer Jill Elder when they visited the Rowan offices on 13th March.
Rachel Weiss spent time with Pradeemp discussing running a business like Rowan and exploring ways of using social media in marketting.
Counselling Skills Success - Rowan class of February 2012
Eight successful students completed the 120-hour COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills at Rowan Consultancy today. The class are pictured with their tutor, Sarah Jauncey. The journey of personal development and self-awareness, increases competence in supporting and challenging others through active listening and use of counselling skills. Some will go on to train as professional counsellors, most will use their counselling skills to enhance their existing roles as social workers, nurses, volunteers, parents, colleagues and friends.
For further details see Rowan's Certificate in Counselling Skills.
Rowan Achieves World Class Management Training Accreditation
Rowan Consultancy, is one of only three organisations in the North of Scotland to achieve a world class training accreditation issued by the Institute of Leadership & Management.
This latest stamp of approval from the largest awarding body for leadership and management qualifications in the UK sets them apart from other training providers, and places them amongst an elite global network of only 2,000 accredited centres worldwide. As the third most Northerly of all the ILM's accredited training providers in the UK, the accreditation is expected to open up new geographical markets for the company North of Perth, most notably in the commercial hubs of Aberdeen, Inverness and Dundee.
With the recession starting to bite, business leaders are being encouraged to gain the edge over their competition by taking management qualifications from the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM). To assist with the demand, Rowan Consultancy will begin delivering the first of its ILM accredited qualifications in March 2012 with their "Managers as Coach" development course and the ILM Level 3 Award in Workplace Coaching for Team Leaders and First-line Supervisors.
Rachel Weiss, managing director of Rowan Consultancy, commented "This is a tremendous achievement for the Rowan Consultancy team. ILM accreditation is a mark of quality and effectiveness, one which is recognised on a global scale. It positions our business for continued expansion, and offers a great opportunity for companies in the North of Scotland to access high quality leadership and management training without having to resort to sending their candidates further afield."
"We went through a rigorous approval process to achieve our ILM status and we are looking forward to welcoming our first ILM students in March. We would strongly encourage anyone in a position of leadership or management to consider taking an ILM qualification. By investing in management development, organisations can ensure that their leaders are confident in their abilities and able to lead employees through the challenging times ahead. Nurturing effective leaders through management development is the single most cost-effective investment."
ILM qualifications are designed to help managers increase staff efficiency and motivation, ensuring that their businesses run at an optimum level of productivity. Training courses can be tailored to the needs of individual organisations and their managers. For further information see our training pages.
University of Dundee invests in Coaching Skills August 2011
Managers at the University of Dundee recently recieved Rowan Certificates in Coaching Skills. The certificate supports managers to develop a skill-set to enable and empower their teams to improve performance.
15 members of staff attended the training course, individual coaching sessions and a written assessment to gain the Certificate, which is credit rated by Edinburgh Napier University with 5 credits at SCQF Level 9.
Well done and congratulations to all of you for the hard work you put in.
Looking for Training Funds? February 2011
Following on from last June, Rowan is happy to report that we are now providing Individual Learning Account (ILA) approved courses, so you may be able to claim £200 towards your training. In these tough times, we decided to focus on how you might be able to offset the cost of training and made this the theme of our latest Rowan Berries article. We hope you find it useful, and we hope to see you in one of our training courses soon.
Well done coach! August 2010
Congratulation to Rowan's Head of Coaching, Steve Coulson for his teams 7-6 win on the polo field at the 2010 Festival Cup tournament held at Gleneagles. Former Scotland Ruby Captain Andy Nicol called the match, "the best Pro-Am game I have ever seen". Not bad since it was Steve's first ever competitive game after nine weeks of intensive training.
Read more about Steve's adventure in September's Rowan Berries newsletter.
Branded! 9th June 2010
We're delighted to have been awarded Learndirect Scotland Branded status!
We were assessed by Skills Development Scotland in April and had to demonstrate how we support our learners and keep our training student-centred. This means we have been judged to adhere to the Pledge to Learners, which basically says that we help sustain a lifelong learning network, see the Learn Direct website for more details on "the Pledge"!
We have always aimed to keep our training relevant to learners needs, whether delivering training in coaching, mediation, counselling skills or bereavement awareness. We're pleased to have had this acknowledge, and even more pleased that this will lead to our courses becoming more affordable. Our next step is to apply to become a provider of Individual Learning Account (ILA) approved courses, so that people on incomes of £22K or less can use money in their ILA to pay for Rowan courses. The money is usually £200, but it can be £500 for some courses.We will be allowed to apply for ILA status in October this year and we have our application forms already filled in and ready to go!
See the website for details of how to apply for an ILA account.
More Counselling Skills Success 16th February 2010
Another successful cohort celebrate achieving their Rowan Certificate in Counselling Skills, validated by COSCA, the Scottish national body for counselling and psychotherapy. The certificate carrying 40 SCQF points at Level 7, takes a year of part-time study to complete. Sarah Jauncey said "It's very encouraging to see students develop their counselling skills and self awareness during the certificate course. They grow in their ability to support others with empathy, to recognise their own strengths and talents, as they step out of their comfort zones to practice new skills." Several students were sponsored by their employers, including Perth & Kinross Council, and NHS Tayside. Others chose to fund the course themselves for their own personal development.
Rachel Ferguson, Social Care Officer with Perth and Kinross Council, said "The course has increased my self awareness dramatically.This has had an extremely positive impact on both my home life, relationships, working life and confidence - thank you!"
Coaching Skills graduates receive certificates 3rd December 2009
The first Perth College UHI staff have received their Certificates in Coaching Skills from Rowan Consultancy. The certificates, awarded through Napier University and consisting of five credit points at SCQF level 9, recognise the ability to motivate their teams and bring out their creativity and initiative.
Rachel Weiss, Senior Partner at Rowan Consultancy which carried out the training sessions during 2009, commented: "This is equivalent to degree level credits and reflects the skills gained by completing the course. We developed the coaching skills in partnership with Perth College UHI, one of a number of organisations which are increasingly realising that by investing in their employees' coaching skills they increase the productivity and creativity of all their staff in a cost-effective and enjoyable way."
More than 60 people across the College have taken part in coaching training which involves two days' training and three individual coaching sessions, followed by a group CPD sessions to embed the learning and to help them apply the coaching skills appropriately at work.
Want to benefit from the same training as these Perth College staff? Our next Rowan Coaching Certificate is running in Perth Autumn 2010 and open to all.
Edinburgh Uni applauds Rowan's Certificate in Coaching Skills 19th August 2009
Edinburgh Napier University has credit-rated Rowan Consultancy's Certificate in Coaching Skills. In these testing times for business, coaching skills are increasingly recognised as essential for managers to motivate their teams and bring out their creativity and intiative.
"We are delighted that the university has approved our course, awarding it 5 credit points at SCQF Level 9", said senior partner, Rachel Weiss. "This is equivalent to degree level credits and reflects the skills gained by managers completing the course. We developed the coaching skills course in response to customer demand. Organisations are increasingly realising that by investing in their managers' coaching skills they increase the productivity and creativity of all their staff in a cost-effective and enjoyable way. This award is confirmation of Rowan's position as a centre for excellence in coaching in Tayside".
"It's been hard work getting the course credit-rated, being scrutinised not just be Edinburgh Napier University but also by the Association for Coaching, but it's worth it for our students to get recognition for their skills and study. I'd recommend the process to other local training providers."
Rowan will be running the Certificate in Coaching Skills early in 2010. It can also be delivered inhouse.
Perth and Kinross Council staff become happier! 19th May 2009
Rachel Weiss, Head of Training at Rowan, delivered training in " Becoming Happier: an Introduction to Positive Psychology" to 12 staff from Perth and Kinross Council's Education and Children's services department on April 30th and May 14th. The course covered the latest research on the science of happiness, based on Havard's Positive Psychology course and participants were introduced to various strategies for applying these findings to their own life and to that of their pupils or foster children.
"Useful course to realise what is important in life" Trudi Jack, Abernethy Primary School
"I've gained strategies to cope better with general life and therefore be a better teacher, staff team member, wife, mother, friend, daughter, etc! Already I am more reslilent and feel I can grow this more. Great presenter!" Bridget Thomson, Morrisons Academy Nursery
For more information on positive psychology, see the website of the Glasgow based Centre for Confidence.
Perthshire Businesswomen recognise Rachel's Contribution
Rachel Weiss, senior partner at Rowan Consultancy, received the Perthshire Businesswomen's Network's Members Award 2009 from Helen MacDonald of Prepress Project Ltd, Chairperson of PBN. Rachel has been an active member of the network since founding Rowan in 1997. The award was in recognition of her contribution to the network, supporting and inspiring local businesswomen.
Rowan opens its doors for Take Your Child to Work Day - Thursday 30th April 2009
For 16 years, international "Take Your Child To Work Day", has enabled children to find out what Mum and Dad do at that mysterious place called "Work". Last week Michelle Obama welcomed children of White House Employees as part of the US "Take Your Child to Work Day". In Perth several local businesses opened their doors to children in years P6-S2 (10 - 14 years old) today giving them the opportunity to see what different careers involve. Rowan Consultancy has hosted many children over the years, giving them insight into what it takes to set up and run your own successful business. Today Katriona Weiss Sanwell from Perth High School and Heather Innes, Oakbank Primary School, are visiting their parents at Rowan Consultancy.
Rachel Weiss, partner at Rowan, says "As a successful local business, Rowan Consultancy is delighted to have hosted several children on Take your Child to Work Day, over the years. Heather and Katriona spent the day learning how crucial finance is to any business large or small, what the different aspects of any business are : products and services, finance, management, HR, IT, Marketing and Sales. They also helped with practical tasks like processing invoices, creating advertising, setting up a computer, and assembling materials for our "Becoming Happier" course on positive psychology. We hope this may inspire them to start their own business one day, and at the very least introduce them to the basic budgeting skills which are vital in running a household, a team or a whole business."
Personal and Organisational Growth and Development: in the HOME, in BUSINESS, in the COMMUNITY.
