Here are some comments from delegates who have been on our training courses and conferences:

We have recently used In Equilibrium to deliver "Developing personal resilience and managing stress at work" to a group of our Team leaders. The feedback I have received has been extremely positive about both the course content and Angela herself.  My team were very enthused and complimentary about the style of the training and Angela's insight into the topic. They found her to be very approachable and professional.Our team leaders liked the fact that the skills they were learning were transferable and could be used both at work and at home in their personal lives. I am glad to say that all who attended the course are now real advocates of it and have been spreading positive feedback amongst their teams and colleagues, so I do not doubt that we will definitely be booking more of these courses in the future.

INTERCONTINENTAL PARK LANE
Cariad Kenan - Learning and Development Manager

The Mental Health Awareness course was brilliant as was Angela; she is certainly a very knowledgeable lady and a very good trainer. Being a trainer myself I know how important it is to be confident in the delivery and have a great knowledge of your topic as there will always be someone that asks an awkward question. Angela was very good at both and able to answer all the questions we posed. We now have a greater understanding of all mental health issues and can hopefully make a difference in our company going forward. So please pass on our thanks to her, and I would certainly recommend this course to others.

RAC
Fay McNicol - H&S Consultant 

"We have recently used In Equilibrium to deliver courses on Managers Managing Stress and Managing Difficult People to two very different groups of managers. Both groups have given me positive feedback about the professionalism of the tutor and were complimentary about her obvious subject knowledge. Members of the Heads of Section group were extremely enthusiastic - which was particularly valuable as they all come from a teaching / training background themselves. As an HR Director of long experience myself, I gained some valuable tips - and really enjoyed both sessions. I was particularly impressed by the tutor's ability to hold the attention and maintain the enthusiasm of a very diverse group of  busy professionals for a full morning! We are all looking forward to seeing the tutor back in the College for the next round of training."

Reid Kerr College
Judith Paxton, Director of Human Resources 

"The bullying and harassment training went very well and we had a great time. Fiona was good and knowledgeable in this speciality area. She put the course across in plain English. I came out of the training with a clear understanding of the difference between overt and covert bullying. Talking to other participants about their experience on the course, here are some of their comments: 'A well fulfilled day', 'I got everything I need to perform my role more effectively', ' Fiona presented the course well and easy to follow and understand'." 

Birmingham City Council
Matthew Ebo, Development and Culture 

"The title, 'Developing Personal Resilience', created quite a stir within the University and this course filled up extremely quickly.  I had enough to run two workshops rather than just one.  The staff who attended found the course very informative, helpful and provided knowledge to use in future, in the workplace and at home.  Providing the notebook and the CD means that the individual can use later to re-evaluate.  Dot Gourlay, is a very talented, interesting and outstanding facilitator and made the whole day pass very quickly.  The group were so impressed with the course they have requested a follow-up in six months to measure how, as a group, they have addressed their plans and what they have achieved.  I would recommend In Equilibrium to anyone who provides training for their staff, as their approach to training is extremely professional, and I hope to be able to continue our association with them for my future training requirements for many years to come." 

University of Dundee
Morag Pollard, Human Resources 

"This course was exceptionally well-presented, and managed to be both informative and effective, with a minimum of jargon.  The afternoon was very useful in helping to identify and focus on the real causes of stress, and how to alleviate their effects.  Dr Anita Levinson is a brilliant facilitator, friendly, straightforward, and clearly very experienced." 

Birse Metro Limited
Ms Devon Scott, Marketing Services Manager 

On the Resilience course........“Wellness Works supports organisations to focus on creating a happy and healthy work environment. We prefer to take a proactive approach to well-being and prevent people from having to take time off sick, rather than reacting to when people do become stressed, for example. Through talking to employers across Worcestershire we helped a number of them to recognise that during the recession it is important to make sure that staff are able to deal with the additional pressures that the downturn in the economy can have on people. 

We approached In-Equilibrium because we have used them to deliver other courses in the past and we were confident that they would deliver high quality training that would meet the objectives of those people attending the workshop.  And this certainly has been the case, the individual feedback that we receive from attendees has been consistently high. 

We asked In-Equilibrium to run some follow up focus groups to build people’s resilience further and to enable us to take a snapshot of whether people had managed to improve their resilience quotient scores.   In-Equilibrium were very flexible in working with us to develop these and we found that everyone had maintained or improved their resilience 6 months after the initial training. 

We have always found that everyone at In-Equilibrium is extremely professional.  When one of the trainers unfortunately became ill, I was very impressed when I received a call explaining how someone else would be coming to deliver that training, rather than a call to say there was  a problem and it had to be delayed or cancelled.

Dot Gourlay displays enormous expertise in how she facilitates the workshops and yet is caring enough to go the extra mile when needed. She creates just the right atmosphere for people to be able to explore their own coping skills and how well they work for them during the Resilience course." 

Community First
Amanda Wright, Business Advisor, Health and Wellbeing 

“The Managers Managing Stress course was beyond expectation and all the delegates felt they have learnt a great deal from attending.  This is in no small part due to Fiona and the excellent way in which she delivered the course.  Her enthusiasm, expert delivery and industry knowledge added to what was a truly worthwhile day.”   

The Midcounties Co-operative
Mark Houghton, Head of Health and Safety 

As an organisation we have recently undertaken Equilibriums Leadership Training with all our managers. The training was excellent with the content adapted to our specific needs as a voluntary sector agency. The facilitator was very engaging with a wealth of experience and resources to hand, which she was able to use flexibly to support the issues raised throughout the day. All managers reported that the training had been incredibly useful in helping us to develop and grow through a period of considerable change.

Julian Housing
Ben Curran 

A really engaging and thought-provoking session, which enabled us to look not only at our individual resilience and how we could boost it, but also at how our collective styles have been shaped by the organisational culture.  A combination of theoretical input, practical suggestions and a great sense of humour from the trainer kept us all curious (and laughing) all day. We’ve asked for a review session in a year’s time to check on progress….

Brighton and Hove City Council
Caroline Banfield, Member Support Manager 

The course, which has been rolled out to all our Managers, has been extremely well received and has provided practical and helpful advice in tackling, managing and reducing stress in the workplace. Dot Gourlay's presentation and interactive style supported by excellent documentation has made the course even more enjoyable.

Biffa Waste Services
Malcolm Saville, HR Director

Extremely good value particularly when compared to other speakers I have listened to. I came away from the course feeling very positive about tackling stress management issues.

Amurst Brown Colombotti, Solicitors
Sue Harries, Personnel Manager

We have been using the services of In Equilibrium for over two years now, mainly for workshops around the management of stress in the work place. The evaluations we have received have always been extremely positive and of a high scoring nature. Sue Butterfield, who has undertaken the training on our behalf, has received consistently high scoring for her style of presentation. The training exercises and quality of the course handouts have also been consistently high. We would not hesitate to recommend the services of In Equilibrium to anyone who is wanting to commission either training/workshops around the management of stress in the work place.

Sheffield City Council
June Leek, Business Development Manager, Workforce Development Unit

Syngenta ran the training sessions at various locations around the UK and found it to be valuable and well received by both managers and individuals. In Equilibrium were able to adapt their style and material to the needs of the local areas without compromising the content. The content included a good mix of theory and practical discussion and the workbooks and other resources are useful materials which will help managers in the future

Syngenta
Evelyn Turnbull, HR Manager, Grangemouth Manufacturing Centre

Discussing experiences with people from other companies, private and public sector was very useful. It was good to have the manager's view highlighted. Size of the group was good as everyone was involved. Tutor is well-versed in the subject.

Office for National Statistics
Rosemary Walsh, Call Centre Manager, General Register Office

When implementing a number of initiatives to support our employee health and well-being programme, we were looking for a supplier that would give us value for money but also be able to provide a series of innovative workshops to complement our approach.

We have worked with In Equilibrium for two years and have found their trainers to be friendly, professional and subject experts. In Equilibrium’s workshops are now an integral part of our corporate training calendar.

The most popular workshops to date are Lifestyle Management and Developing Resilience; feedback has been very positive.

South Norfolk Council
Jeannette Evans, HR Advisor 

The course is very good for people who, like myself, get themselves worked up due to stress levels. I am now able to calm myself down, whereas before I would get myself into such a state about things.

Ogilvey Fleet Limited
Sharon Irvine, Customer Services Executive

Very good guide for our own particular needs and good advice. Thoroughly enjoyed the day and the resources were very good.

Welsh Refugee Council
Jeanette Scott, Health Development Worker

Dr Mason Brown and the course material were ideal for the multicultural group who attended. The stress reducing techniques were very helpful and I heard of numerous examples where this information was also shared at home with families.

ConocoPhillips Norge
Scott Balke, Team Leader 

Thanks, enjoyable, interesting, well organised and providing plenty to think about.

The Hesley Group
Allan Coachafer, Training Manager

This course was informative, very useful and really practical. It was also refreshing to attend a course with real practical tips and examples instead of the theoretical lectures so many other organisations produce.

Renfrewshire Council
Fiona MacLeod, Personnel Officer for Training and Development

Having been through and continuing in, a period of Organisational Change I felt the Resilience I exhibited in my early career had gone. When we are surrounded by negativity it’s so easy to become influenced by it even if you are naturally resilient! I had staff to support and felt at a loss on how to do so. After attending the course I realised I was still that same resilient person. It was a great boost to my confidence and has allowed me to assess our current change climate more openly and to offer support to my staff that I trust will assist them through this period.

Argyll & Bute Council
Maggie Campbell, Benefit Development Officer, Benefits Section

This was by some measure the best stress management event I have ever attended. Dr Mason Brown was superb in terms of his extensive knowledge and engagement with the group. I have gained a wealth of useful information and I will be recommending this course to colleagues.

Forest of Dean District Council
Ros White, Head of Personnel Services

What did you find of most value? Provision of key information in a participative manner. Lots of useful links to websites for additional information. Very useful to meet others from different organisations. Comforting to know that most are in a similar position.... A potentially not very exciting subject was handled in a very interesting way - a tribute to the course leader.

Thomas Rotherham College
Ian Fretwell, Vice Principal

Excellent conference, good speakers and excellent content

Dundee City Council
Joyce Samson, Organisational Development Officer

I think this training is very valuable! Carol is a great person to learn from and provides some excellent examples which makes the training 'real', thankyou!! I think all supervisors/managers would gain from this course.

Mendip District Council
Haylee Burr, Acting Supervisor, Customer Services

The facilitator was excellent, knowledgeable and built up a good rapport with her group. She allowed time for interaction, reflection and the learning materials supported it in a very integrated fashion. Skillful.

University of Cumbria
Margaret Weaver, Head of Learning and Information Services

Managing difficult people has been an excellent course and I thoroughly enjoyed Carol Taylor’s style. I received professional advice to tackle an awkward situation at work and resolved the issue. Sometimes it’s really exhausting to deal with difficult people but Carol’s tips were excellent! I also enjoyed Carol’s relaxing techniques, I started doing meditation at home as well!!!

Seetec
Eleonora Castellazzi, Centre Manager, Cambridge

Two highly professional, structured and informative sessions. Every aspect of Personal Well-Being was covered and the delegates left feeling in better control of their everyday lives

City and Hackney ELIC Society Limited
Teresa McInerney, General Manager

The combined programmes of Change Management and Dignity Awareness delivered by Fiona McLaren to Havens Hospices staff have been a success. At all times Fiona dealt effectively with issues discussed and proved a positive influence to our staff. The evaluations feedback has been positive and our staff were highly impressed by Fiona's professional approach and her skills as a facilitator. I would certainly use Fiona again for any Management or Staff training programmes and would recommend In-Equilibrium who are professional in their approach to training

Havens Hospices
Jackie Wiggins, Education, Training & Development Manager

"Good mix of personal attention and group work"  "It's great the way the tutor relates to personal and individual examples" "Very useful insight" "Trainer, discussion-Group all took part, all were positive."

London School of Economics (LSE) delegates

I can honestly say that the Stress Management training day our SMT participated in recently was one of the most thought-provoking and impactful events of this nature that I have attended. My objective was for us to obtain a collective understanding of the nature of stress in the workplace and strategies to address it. This was met 100% and we are now working on a cross-organisational action plan. Our facilitator Hansa Pankhania was outstanding and was able to attend to our individual and collective needs as well as our lively and enthusiastic participation!

The Royal National College for the Blind
Shirley Evans – Director Business, Enterprise and Development

Our employees attending the managing stress at work session found it of good value commenting that it was very informative and helpful. It was also commented that the trainer created a relaxed atmosphere which encouraged sharing of issues related to the topic in a confidential environment. Dot Gourlay was praised as an excellent tutor which led to the session being “thoroughly enjoyable”.

Our managers attending the managers managing stress session also commented that the tools used such as the stress risk assessment were of a great value to them.

Argyll and Bute Council
Katy Fowler – Learning and Development Assistant

The day has been described by staff as "the best workshop they have ever attended". Dr Mason Brown really engaged with the group, sharing his extensive and absolutely fascinating knowledge. The course content was extremely thought provoking and everybody left feeling positive and energised to take control of their personal wellbeing.

Ribby Hall Village
Sarah Taylor - Human Resources

Equilibrium recently delivered a ‘Managers Managing Stress' training session for our College as part of our ongoing staff development programme. The training was very well received by staff who now all intend to implement the session's practical tips and techniques into their existing roles. A large proportion of the staff rated the facilitator and their delivery as excellent and their only recommendation was for a further and longer session! Thanks so much for your excellent contribution to such a successful event.

Leeds City College
Duncan Bray - Staff Development Officer

In-Equilibrium recently presented a Mental Health Awareness and Interventions Training session to a group of our managers who are currently involved in managing such cases. This was exceptionally well received as it provided a lot of practical advice and useful tips on how best we can manage these individuals. We are now looking to arrange some repeat sessions in order to further enhance our knowledge.

Capgemini Course Delegate 

Our Senior Management Team met for Mental Health Awareness training which was delivered by Dr Angela Brown. The whole day was very engaging and informative from start to finish. The feedback given by members of the team was very positive as they felt they had learnt a great deal in regards to what can be a very difficult subject. They also felt that the trainer had managed to make them bond as a team and learn a great deal from each other.

I would recommend this training to other organisations with large staff groups. As a result of the training several staff have signed up for more in depth courses. As an organisation we are now putting into place better policies and procedures to support our staff and each other.

The John Townsend Trust
Wendy Eadsforth - CEO/Principal

I attended Stress Management - Tools & Techniques for Individuals workshop. I found the workshop very useful although I was already aware of the definition of stress, I particularly liked the fresh approach to the subject exploring the impact of stress on the body and looking at different strategies to control stress using the PIC formula and Stephen Covey's, Time Management Matrix. Both the course material and various exercises used provided a good opportunity for me to reflect and evaluate my own personal stressors and helped me to think about how I could improve managing my own stress.

Since attending this workshop I have used some of the techniques in the CD and I have been practising the various breathing exercises. Thanks again.

Birmingham City Council
Heather Farrell - Training & Development Officer