WHAC - Women's Health and Advice Centre
Providing support and services for the health and wellbeing of women, girls and families for over 25 years
New Courses commencing January 2012
New Courses Commencing January 2012
Weight Management (Free course) - commencing Monday, 9th January 2012 from 11:00am to 12:00noon for 10 sessions at The Park Suite, Miner’s Institute, Institute Road, Ashington NE63 8HP
Creative Writing - commencing Friday, 20th January 2012 from 10:00am to 12:00noon for 10 sessions at The Women’s Health Advice Centre
Relaxation (Free Drop In) - commencing Friday, 20th January 2012 from 1:00pm to 2:30pm for 10 sessions at The Women’s Health Advice Centre
Making Ends Meet (Free Taster Session) - on Wednesday, 25th January 2012 from 12:30pm to 2:30pm at Ashington Children’s Centre, Alexandra Road, Ashington NE63 9EF
Healthy Eating – Cook & Taste - commencing Thursday, 26th January 2012 from 9:30am to 11:30am for 6 sessions at Trinity Church, Station Road, Ashington NE63 8RN
Tai Chi - commencing Friday, 27th January 2012 from 10:00am to 12:00noon for 8 sessions at the Bothal Suite, Miner’s Institute, Institute Road, Ashington NE63 8HP
Refashioning & Upcycling - commencing Tuesday, 31st January 2012 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm for 6 sessions at Newbiggin Arts Forum, Woodhorn Lane, Newbiggin By the Sea NE64 6PY
How To Be Happy! - commencing Monday, 20th February 2012 from 6:00pm to 7:30pm for 6 sessions at The Women’s Health Advice Centre
Personal Safety Training - commencing Wednesday, 22nd February 2012 for 4 sessions from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at The Women’s Health Advice Centre
Making Ends Meet - commencing Wednesday, 22nd February 2012 for 6 sessions from 12:30pm to 2:30pm at Ashington Children’s Centre, Alexandra Road, Ashington NE63 9EF
Enrolment is required
Tel: Jen or Amanda on 01670 853977 or Email: admin@whac.uk.com
or Write: 1 Council Road, Ashington, Northumberland NE63 8RZ
Website: www.whac-online.co.uk
To make a donation to WHAC – www.localgiving.com/charity/WHAC
Our services
We offer a range of services both independently and in partnership with other organisations. These include:
- Courses and workshops: Choose from a range of classes on offer, or tell us what kind of courses you would like to see in our programme.
- Counselling: Need someone to listen? We offer a free, confidential counselling service by women, for women and adolescent girls 14+.
- SWAN: We work with three other organisations to form the SWAN partnership - Supporting Women Around Northumberland.
- Support and Advice Services: advice and support delivered in partnership with a range of organisations.
Click on the menu on the right hand side to find out more or get in touch here.
Counselling
WHAC offers a free one to one confidential counselling service to women and girls aged 14+, delivered by qualified volunteer counsellors in a non-clinical, safe setting.
It is:
- Confidential
- Non-judgmental
- One to one
- It enables you to explore your own thoughts and feelings
It is not:
- Telling you what to do
- An instant solution
- On a fixed time scale
- A medical service, although we have a lot of information and experience
"Being able to talk openly about problems, feelings, guilt and anxieties with someone who listened and was not judgemental was a great relief and helped regain my confidence" WHAC Counselling client
Courses & workshops
We offer courses and workshops for learning, personal development, health improvement and fun!
Details of our new programme, starting in January 2012, will be available very soon.
To view our current programme see below, or to search by date view our calendar of workshops, courses and other events happening in the region to find something for you. Click on the event title for more information.
Enrolment is required and some classes may incur a fee. Please contact us to book a place.
We are always looking for new ideas, so if there is anything you would like us to consider offering please get in touch.
Health trainers
Health Trainers based at the centre are employed by Northumberland Care Trust and work with individual clients on a one to one basis to support changes in their lifestyle behaviours such as diet and exercise. NHS Health Trainers are here to help you make the right choices.
The Health Trainer can give you information and advice on:
- Healthy Eating
- Reducing Stress
- Stopping Smoking
- Reducing Alcohol
- Increasing Physical Activity
Support and advice services
The number of clients benefiting from our support and advice services continues to grow and has led to us working with many outside agencies including The Official Receivers Office, Housing and Council Tax Benefit Office, Private Landlords and other support agencies.
Some of these services are delivered in partnership with DAWN (Advice) Ltd to provide face-to-face support and practical advice for people seeking help with financial, benefit, housing, employment and family law issues.
Supporting Women Around Northumberland
SWAN (Supporting Women Around Northumberland) offers support, advice and counselling across a range of issues to women who may face difficulties accessing services.
SWAN's objective is to reduce the re-offending of female offenders or those at-risk of offending.
SWAN intervenes across all phases of need, from crisis to recovery and rehabilitation. Referrals come from the Probation Service, children's centres, housing, Police, Social Services and the partnership agencies themselves. Women's Intervention Workers provide support in a number of areas:
- Accompanying to activities, such as the gym
- Advocacy such as to benefit agencies, Core Group or Child Protection meetings, housing, GPs and MARAC
- Booking and accompanying onto courses such as confidence building and employability
- Booking and accompanying to therapies such as head massage and acupuncture
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Motivational Interviewing
- Counselling, either provided by Women's Intervention Workers themselves or referring to WHAC or Relate
- Emotional support
"Friends and family have come back because of SWAN" Service user
