Skip to main content
Young refugees publish ideas for change

Young refugees publish ideas for change

A group of young refugees in Leeds (ST4R) have published a booklet that they hope will improve life for young refugees in this country. Young people involved in the project tell us why they created the booklet and what they hope to achieve. ST4R group is about bringing young people from different backgrounds together. We meet every fortnight and campaign about different things we want to change…Young people know what it’s like to be young so we are the best people to say what we want to change. It’s beneficial to us and other people. It helps improve our communication and speaking skills and makes us feel comfortable in ourselves. It’s also doing our part. You can’t stand on the side-lines and do nothing,…
Dr Neil Thompson
September 1, 2020
Spotlight – The Values-based Practice Manual

Spotlight – The Values-based Practice Manual

“Where there are people, there will be problems, but there will also be potential” is a key part of Neil’s work. And that is precisely what this manual is all about – equipping practitioners from various professional disciplines to help people address their problems and realise their potential. Part One provides an extended essay on the nature and significance of problem solving to lay solid foundations of understanding. Part Two then offers guidance on using 101 problem-solving tools that can be used in a wide variety of circumstances. Available to purchase here or here  
Dr Neil Thompson
August 18, 2020
Neil Thompson’s Lesson for Living – Use of self

Neil Thompson’s Lesson for Living – Use of self

We live in what seems to be an increasingly consumerist society where helping people seems to be interpreted mainly as giving them some sort of service. We seem to have lost sight of the well-established notion that the best resource we can offer people is ourselves – what textbooks have traditionally referred to as ‘use of self’. By showing concern and interest and forging a meaningful human connection with people we can often be much more helpful to them than by referring them to a service which may or may not be of benefit to them. Some may argue that most people professionals don’t have time to do that these days, but I would argue that, if you have the…
Dr Neil Thompson
August 18, 2020
Dogs Helping Kids

Dogs Helping Kids

Dogs Helping Kids is a unique charity with its headquarters based in North Devon, England. We are the only organisation in the country training and assessing dogs purely to work in the school and college environments as both educational and therapeutic aids. We are evolving and growing all the time, and we have the highest standards of canine welfare and wellbeing in the country. The impact our School Dogs have on children and teenagers in the educational environment is amazing and changes lives forever. It is our vision to have a DHK School Dog working in every school and college across the country. Click here to read more
Dr Neil Thompson
August 18, 2020
What to do when you discover you fundamentally disagree with people in your life

What to do when you discover you fundamentally disagree with people in your life

There are many reasons to have strong and worthy opinions that need to be voiced, especially as of late. The pandemic has brought about myths that, when propagated, could threaten public health. And a modern civil rights movement is illuminating the systemic racism that continues to empower white supremacy everywhere—including in the workplace, in health-care, and in wellness spaces. So when someone in your live voices and defends a perspective you don’t agree with and feel you can’t simply brush under the rug, what’s best way to handle that conflict? Should you take a stand or not engage? Click here to read more
Dr Neil Thompson
August 18, 2020
Our migration story – The making of Britain

Our migration story – The making of Britain

This website presents the often untold stories of the generations of migrants who came to and shaped the British Isles. While it is primarily designed to support teachers and students studying migration to Britain, its aim is to be a useful resource for anyone interested in Britain’s migration history. This site is organised through stories of individuals and groups. These stories are told through a diverse range of historical source material and are arranged into four time-period categories: AD43-1500; 1500-1750; 1750-1900; 1900-2000s. Across each period, you will find images, quotations, newspaper clippings, Parliamentary reports, videos, poems, extracts from novels, and many other materials that present the successes, challenges, obstacles and surprises faced by Britain’s migrants over more than a thousand…
Dr Neil Thompson
August 18, 2020
Neil Thompson’s Lesson for Living – Take a break

Neil Thompson’s Lesson for Living – Take a break

Most workplaces seem to be very pressurized places these days. One of the dangers of this is that some people respond to pressures in ways that can make the situation worse. For example, it is not uncommon for busy people not to take a break. They seem to think that they are so busy that they just have to press on. But if we don’t give our bodies and our minds the opportunity to recover from the strain we put them under in pressurized circumstances, we risk making ourselves ill through stress. We are also more likely to make mistakes, to be less creative, to fail to learn, to be more anxious and defensive in our practice, to gain less…
Dr Neil Thompson
August 4, 2020