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Transition Into Later Life With Confidence By Joining Silver Circle The challenges of our 50s onwards can be very great and can arrive unexpectedly - as I Tamar Posner, know only too well. Aged 50 and at the height of my former career, I was suddenly informed that I had become “Surplus To Requirements” and was made redundant. I was out on the street within 15 minutes, feeling bereft of my identity, sense of purpose and everything I had known about the world until that point. In later life, contending with issues such as retirement, redundancy, bereavement, illness and the process of aging itself will inevitably impinge on our sense of identity. The associated emotional experiences with can be unsettling and difficult to bear – especially if one is doing less and has fewer people to talk to – but they do also have the potential greatly to enrich our lives. It took me some years to piece my life back together buteventually, aftertraining to be a psychotherapist and becoming a visiting university lecturer, Ire-discovered a sense of purpose; my enjoyment of working with others individually and in group settings was re-awakened. It was reflecting on how different my experience could have been had I been able to share my thoughts and feelings, feel supported by others and learn from their experiencesthat gave me the idea of setting up a support group for older adults called, befittingly, Silver Circle. But what does Silver Circle do, how has it benefitted others and how might it benefit you? A Transformative Experience For Older People Silver Circle meets for two hours every week and enables participants to collectively face and mutually explore later life, often drawing upon such creative techniques as guided visualisation, free writing and drawing. It is founded on the principle, recognised by past research that older adults can lead more fulfilling lives by enhancing their network of friends and engaging with their wider community for as long as they can do so. People usually join the group because they are feeling anxious, depressed, sad or lonely andit’s fair to say that the results of Silver Circle can be transformative. Several participantshave discovered new ways to use their previously acquired skills and have taken up paid or voluntary work while for others, the social contact has led to a greatly improved sense of wellbeing and self-confidence as a result of being listened to and supported. Discover More About Silver Circle To learn more about the positiveimpact joining Silver Circle could have on your own life as an older adult, simply contact me, Tamar Posner, today.As a specialist in Life Transition Counselling , I will discuss with you your expectations and desires and assessthe suitability of Silver Circle for you. What is most important to determine is what your own needs are and whether Silver Circle could go some way towards meeting them. Bear in mind that membership of Silver Circle is stage rather than age dependent; past members have ranged in age from 50 to 90 plus.
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