Josephine Dolan-Dufourd BSc/OT
APE: 8690E - SIRET: 88454417200015 - ADELI: 349405647
How we spend our moments, is how we spend our days and this in turn becomes how we spend our lives
Josephine Dolan-Dufourd
Welcome
I am an Occupational Therapist (OT) based in the south of France with over 25 years clinical experience in supporting mental wellbeing, substance use and mindfulness.
On qualifying in 2000 from the University of Wales College of Medicine (now Cardiff University), I moved to London and worked in psychiatry, specialising in women’s mental health then on to clinical service lead of a substance use support service. In 2016 in search of a simpler life I moved to France with my husband and young family.
After mountains of bureaucracy and a lot of determination, I became a French registered érgotherapeute. I specialise in supporting people to effectively adjust and balance their wellbeing within the fluctuating demands of everyday life. Through tailored online individual and group sessions I can support your to create the conditions within your daily life that have the potential to improve your overall health and wellbeing.
Making some small and bigger changes to my life, navigated through the lense of my profession, have afforded me the simple and slow life I now lead in the south of France. If this is something you too are seeking, please have a look at my offerings, individual here and group sessions here.
Prices range from £0, upwards, please do reach out if you have any questions. You can read more about my approaches and training HERE.
Approaches & Training
Occupational Therapists are health professionals who have expertise in facilitating and supporting people to solve practical problems in everyday life. We support our clients to engage in the activities, roles and processes that enable them to live a meaningful life as individuals, groups, and the communities to which they participate and contribute within. The range of models and approaches drawn on at the Wellbeing Atelier include, but are not exclusively, the following:
The Model of Human Occupation
Also known as MOHO, this Occupational Therapy model of practice is a range of assessments, intervention and assessment tools. It addresses people’s “motivations for occupations, the routine patterning of occupational behaviour, nature of skilled performance and the influence of the environment on occupation” (Keilhofner & Barrett, 1998, p. 527)
The Kawa River Model
Kawa is the Japanese word for ‘river’. The Kawa Model uses the natural metaphor of a river to depict one’s life journey. The varying and chronological experience of life is like a river, flowing from the highlands down to the ocean. Along its meandering path, the quality and character of its flow will vary from place to place, from instance to instance. Occupational therapists try to enable, assist, restore and maximize their clients’ life flow.
Teoh, J.Y. & Iwama, M.K. (2015) The Kawa Model Made Easy: A Guide to applying the Kawa Model in Occupational Therapy Practice (2nd edition). Retrieved from: www.kawamodel.com
Mindfulness Based Approaches
A combination of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is designed to help people who suffer chronic pain, repeated bouts of depression and unhappiness. It integrates cognitive therapy and meditative practices and attitudes based on the cultivation of mindfulness, exploring the science behind, the in-body connection and how to practice mind and body awareness. The heart of this work lies in becoming acquainted with the modes of mind that often characterise pain and mood disorders while simultaneously learning to develop a new relationship with them.
Compassion Focused Therapy
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) helps those who struggle with shame and self-criticism. CFT teaches clients to cultivate skills in compassion and self-compassion, which can help regulate mood and lead to feelings of safety, self-acceptance, and comfort. The technique builds on practices used within MBCT.
Motivational Interviewing
Motivational Interviewing is a counselling method that helps people resolve ambivalent feelings and insecurities to find the internal motivation needed to change behaviours. It is a practical, empathetic and short-term process that takes into consideration how difficult it is to make changes.
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)
DBT is a therapy often used to help people with depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorders, addictions, eating disorder, and PTSD. It supports in taking control of your thoughts, emotions and relationships through teaching four core skills of mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness.
Mindfulness - the core skill in DBT is being able to non-judgmentally observe yourself and your surroundings. You will become more aware of the physical and mental triggers that cause runaway emotions.
Distress Tolerance - deal with painful situations. When you can't change the situation, learn how to tolerate it, accept it, and move forward.
Emotion Regulation - learning to make your emotions work for you. Learn to recognize when an emotion is unproductive and change it into a more productive emotion.
Interpersonal Skills - change the way you communicate so you get more out of your relationships. Learn to communicate what you want. Become comfortable saying no.
Currently only available for individual sessions.
Cognitive Behavioural Integrative Therapy (CBIT)
A modern therapeutic approach that combines principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) with other therapeutic techniques to provide a more holistic treatment tailored to the individual. It is often used to address complex mental health issues by integrating various evidence-based approaches, aiming to adapt the treatment to the specific needs and preferences of the client.
The Wellbeing Atelier Story
Walking down one of the many beautiful streets in my corner of the world here in the south of France, I happened upon a beautiful shop front simply titled ‘Atelier’. Atelier means workshop in French and it became the catalyst for a pipe dream of running a space that would bring a community together, a space to offer activity based workshops supporting wellbeing, somewhere beautiful, somewhere to talk, or simply soak up the atmosphere. And so from here The Wellbeing Atelier was born.
A global health crisis put paid to a physical space for the time being, and for the moment sessions are currently primarily offered online. Interventions draw on a range of clinical tools and techniques including, but not exclusively, Compassion Focused Therapy and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy which both have strong foundations in mindfulness based approaches. Underpinning all of the sessions offered is the use of meaningful and purposeful activity as a baseline for supporting people to develop their wellbeing. It has been a delight that the services are now so accessible with clients from different continents and time zones with varied needs.
Though this little place on a quiet street in Pézenas that currently the offices of a lawyer remains on the wishlist…..
Testimonies
“I started working with Josephine a few months back when I was emotionally at an all time low. She helped me work through my problems in a patient, friendly and nonjudgemental manner.
Josephine shares her knowledge and tools freely, however I really appreciated that I wasn’t made to feel that I had to complete all the exercises if I didn’t have time, or feel that I needed to at that point. They are there for me to use as and when I need them.
I am now in a much better place, and although the problems have not gone away I am mentally stronger and able to cope that much better. I highly recommend Josephine, she is highly qualified, but more importantly for me, someone that cares and listens and adapts to your needs. Many thanks for your generosity of time and knowledge. ”
— Anonymous
