Dave Read

Effective Teaching and Learning through Positive Mental Health and Holistic Wellbeing

Dave Read is a UK-based international teacher, speaker and author on developing Emotional Intelligence, positive Mental Health as part of your own holistic development – and across schools, companies and organisations.

Dave has combined his extensive experience of both school teaching and being a professional Reiki/healer over 20 years to create CoolFire – a therapeutic approach that now comprises 25+ innovative workshops and programmes, enabling you to design your own modular CoolFire training initiatives.

Our point of departure is: “Everything we do is rooted in a feeling – not a thought”. CoolFire then extends the boundaries by empowering you to actively work with your feelings.

- And be able to change them – as and when you wish...

Changing how you feel is to change your underlying biochemistry.

Change the Feeling: Change the Thought: Change the Action

CoolFire shows you how in simple steps. Using a mix of easy-to-understand theory and practical therapeutic techniques, you will begin to create an everyday state of Energised Calm through exploring the inseparable relationship between Mind, Body and Feelings.

Dave has already worked with over 12,000+ young people (ages 3-18+) and 5,000+ adults in a wide range of schools, organisations and companies throughout the UK and Europe – including:

Targeted Mental Health in Schools – 2 contracts

• Thurrock Local Education Authority
• Southend-on-Sea LEA
• North Yorkshire LEA
• Colchester Borough Council
• NASUWT – Many workshops for national conferences & events
• The Berlesduna and Vine Primary Schools Trusts
• The National Education Show (twice)

• The EU – Austria - Lifelong Learning Programme
• The MOFET Institute, Israel
• University of Belgrade – Education Faculty
• Absalom University – Denmark
• The NHS – North East Essex Commissioning Group
• HMRC – Southend
• Proctor & Gamble
• British Telecom

New for all School Staff

360 Mental Health – Not All in the Mind...

The vast majority of people think that mental health is created by – and exists solely within – the mind or brain. But the brain has been found to play more a background coordinating role. Instead - “The Intelligent Body” translates everyday emotional and physical inputs into a wider biochemistry that becomes a cell’s “muscle memory” resulting in how you Feel, Think and Act at any one time...

This journey of discovery will take you on a guided tour of eight key aspects of your body – and how you can work with them to create optimal Mental Health and Wellbeing – including:

• The 100+ biochemicals creating your inseparable BodyMind connection
• Your Immune System
• Your Back and Spine
• Your Gut Biome

- and much more...

360 Mental Health will prove highly beneficial to any adult (age 18+) working in any aspect of the education sector.

Choose from Flexible Delivery Formats:

• 30, 45 or 60 minute Keynote
• Half-day Keynote and Workshop
• 1-day workshop
• 2-day workshop

All workshops (including Keynotes) are supported by a detailed 360 Mental Health reference pack.

For all School Staff:

Creating Calm – Tired of Feeling Tired..?

Breathwork: “Switches” (change how you feel: 1 minute): Acupressure (and more)…

Experience and learn these foundation skills (& more) through easy-step exercises – that can change the way you Feel, Think and Act - in under one hour.

Learn – and you will also understand the longer-term beneficial changes these actions are creating within the biochemical interaction between your Mind, Body and Feelings. Then bring these aspects together to create your own short Creating Calm daily routines.

Just 15 minutes a day and within 5-10 days you’ll soon be aware of the positive holistic changes you have made – for example:

• A developing state of Energised Calm
• Taking that step back – calm decisions replacing reactions
• A significant reduction in personal anxiety, stress and tension
• The relief or eradication of common everyday symptoms for example: headaches; insomnia; neck & back pain
• Greatly Improved sleep

Also featured in the half and one-day workshops:

• “Take a Thought for a Walk” – Safe exploration of feelings through guided visualisation
• “Letting Go...” – safely letting go of what no longer serves you
• “Feel-Move” – Getting feelings into perspective
• “Cutting the Ties that Bind” – safely discarding what is holding you back

- and more...

Creating Calm - People Say...

• “I felt so energised!”
• “Great session! Very calm & relaxed that makes you think deeply about being & keeping calm”
• “Widely applicable – simple instructions: everyone would benefit from Creating Calm
• “Very easy – with immediate results!”

Creating Calm: Choose from Flexible Delivery Formats

• 30, 45 or 60 minute Keynote – Overview – featuring entry-point exercises
• Half-day Keynote and Workshop
• 1-day workshop
• All workshops (including Keynotes) are supported by a detailed Creating Calm reference pack.

CoolFire Discovery:

Creating a Whole-School Culture of Positive Mental Health, Emotional Literacy & Holistic Wellbeing

Young People - Ages 3-18+ - & All School Staff

CoolFire Discovery offers a unique opportunity for both your Senior Leadership and SEN teams to directly experience and objectively evaluate two different live workshops with three of your classes/groups – coupled with a 1-hour twilight staff holistic wellbeing workshop.

2 x CoolFire Gateway Introductory Workshops for young people – ages: c.7-18+. Consciously changing emotional states through: Dynamic Movement, Breathwork, Creative Visualisation - & much more...

1 x CoolFire Explorer Workshop for smaller groups of young people with identified Special Needs – including: Transforming fear & negativity into positive action, Working with feelings – “Choices – not reactions” - & much more...

1 x Creating Calm Workshop for all school staff. Not the usual “tips & tricks” on managing stress – but the understanding, tools & techniques to create an everyday state of Energised Calm – both within you - & your classes – by: Understanding “Why you feel the way you feel”, Actively working with the everyday biochemistry that creates your Mind-Body-Feelings interaction, Exercises to instantly create a state of personal calm & focus - & much more...

You will also have the chance to view & evaluate the extensive range of supporting materials that will enable you as a school to immediately start laying the foundations of a whole-school approach to integrating holistic wellbeing into everyday teaching & learning – together with wider school & home life.

These highlights are drawn from the innovative 1-week CoolFire: Connect Social-Emotional-Mental Health (SEMH) programme – that also includes:

• 2 x Early Years workshops
• 3 or 4 Core workshops for each young person
• Classroom Activities
• A Parents Open Afternoon on Day 5
• The core workshops & materials become a springboard to continuing
• CoolFire classroom routines: just 10-15 minutes a day
• CoolFire Assessment & Monitoring tools