Jessica AgudeloBuilding the Power of Us

About Jessica

Jessica is a facilitator, trainer, coach and consultant.  During the past 20 years, her work has been devoted to creating a shift towards positive diversity, inclusion and wellbeing.  Jessica offers mental health and wellbeing training options to suit a range of timescales, budgets and audiences in the UK and Global in English and Spanish.

Jessica will work alongside you to deliver training that complements and enhances your existing wellbeing strategy. If you don’t have a wellbeing strategy, Jessica can support you on that journey. 

Jessica is a compassionate leader. Born in London of Colombian heritage and passionate about listening to communities and helping them stay connected through the power of story sharing and peer support. 

With a background in Health Psychology, Jessica’s career started in London working in the criminal justice system. The role was in Community Development which formed part of a national programme called Delivering Race Equality in Mental Health, designed to bring race equity to the mental health system.

The brief was to work with adults from Black, Asian and Other Minority Ethnic Groups with mental ill health who were not engaging with services. However, from listening to people’s experiences, it became clear that lack of engagement was not the main or only barrier, instead, services did not take into account the importance of cultural nuances in service provision  that could support individuals in their treatment and recovery.  This paved the way for working in the area of equity and inclusion in mental health. 

During an amazing and sometimes challenging five years in this programme, Jessica met a network of key professionals, ambassadors and colleagues who are now considered friends.  Through these special connections and Jessica’s commitment to improving outcomes for people in their recovery journeys, Jessica went on to work in service development, 1:1 coaching and mentoring, and as a mental health trainer.

Systemic Constellations

Life is about story telling!! Stories hold multiple aspects of our identity which can impact us positively or negatively. Some stories are harrowing – bringing joy, learning, nostalgia or grief. Other stories may be holding us back.  

Systemic Constellation work allows us to explore the stories we tell ourselves and the dynamics of family and other social systems to address unresolved issues, offering a different perspective that can foster personal and relational growth.

Jessica creates safe and confidential spaces for personal and collective exploration of themes whilst honouring identity, heritage and culture.

One to one sessions or group workshops will help you:

  • Gain insight into family, work or other system dynamics and patters that may be impacting you.
  • Explore and move towards addressing blockages and unlocking resources.
  • Supporting and promoting wellbeing.

 

What are systemic constellations?

Systemic constellations, developed by the German philosopher and psychotherapist Bert Hellinger, provide a solution-focused process for addressing personal, family, social and organisational problems. ‘Constellations’ work by identifying, illuminating and offering healing resolutions to many seemingly intractable issues. The roots of these issues can lie deep in the unconscious areas of our own family and social systems (hence systemic constellations). This whole-system approach explores each person’s place in the wider and inter-connected groups or systems to which they belong, rather than simply focusing on the individual in an isolated way. These ‘systems’ may be our current family or our family of origin, our body system, workplace or even the environment in which we live.

Reinvesting with Purpose

Jessica’s journey has been bumpy, with many obstacles along the way.  Without the support of family, friends, mentors and other professionals, perhaps life would look and feel very different.  This support has been instrumental in Jessica’s personal and professional development.

Reinvesting with purpose is about giving access to quality mental health training either subsidised or free to community groups, grassroot projects and small charities.

Get in touch to find out more!

Currently

  • Ambassador for Mental Health & Programme Director
  • Systemic Constellations Practitioner 
  • Associate Trainer for MindForward Alliance
  • Graduate mentor at the University of Westminster
  • Mental Health First Aid Trainer
  • National Trainer & Associate at MHFA England

Formerly

  • Head of Member Experience, MHFA England
  • Head of Communities, MHFA England
  • Service Development Manager, Certitude
  • Wellbeing Consultant, Dugotex Ltd
  • Lecturer & Student Support Services Manager, St Thomas University
  • Community Development Lead, Certitude

Collaborations

  • Hertfordshire County Council
  • Museums Association
  • Royal Museums Greenwich
  • SilverStream Technology
  • Re-Balance
  • Nesta
  • Association of Mental Health Providers
  • Wine & Spirit Education Trust
  • Scott Bradbury
  • City Mental Health Alliance
  • MHFA England
  • Oakwood Training

Qualifications & Training

Foundation & Applied Training in Systemic Family Constellations

Compassionate Dialogue Journey & Certification

ILM Becoming an Effective Leader

PGDip Competency Training & Evaluation in Higher Education

Mental Health First Aid Instructor Training

MSc Health Psychology

BSc Psychology

Training & Services

 

Developing bespoke training and services to bring in specific expertise in response to challenges and opportunities that arise in the workplace, with teams or groups.

Training designed to be delivered virtually or face-to-face.

Training takes places through co-production and a mix of group activities, case studies, and conversations that are engaging and stimulating.

 

One to One

 

 

For those who would like to work individually to explore an issue or work towards achieving a goal, one to one mentoring sessions are available through Zoom. Face to face sessions are available in Farnham, Surrey. Using Systemic Constellation principles, sessions are 1.5 to 2 hours long.

Building the Power of Us

 

Developed to address the emotional support required by individuals, communities and workplaces during transition and change. Without trusted connections, people are more vulnerable to feeling excluded and uncertain when and where to reach out for support. Utilizing Systemic Family Constellation principles to explore emerging themes and create threads (both metaphorical and physical); whilst honouring identity, heritage to resource ourselves and support others.

Session Outline

Session 1:  

Intersectionality & Mental Health

Session 2:  

Developing The Power of Insight, Awareness and Self-Compassion

Session 3:  

Developing our Sense of Purpose through The Power of Identity, Belonging and Culture

Session 4:  

Embedding Vulnerable Leadership to our everyday practice.

Session 5:  

The Power of Identity, Belonging & Culture

One to one mentoring available between sessions 
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Training

MHFA England courses are accredited by the Royal Society for Public Health. They meet the recommended standards for a Healthy Workplace as per the Thriving at Work Report.

Options:

 

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)

In depth understanding of the most common mental health disorders and the factors affecting wellbeing.  Learners will strengthen their knowledge and skills to spot the signs of a person experiencing poor mental health, the confidence to start a conversation and the tools to signpost to appropriate support.

As a Mental Health First Aider (MHFAider®) you will be able to:

  • Recognise those that may be experiencing poor mental health and provide them with first-level support and early intervention.
  • Encourage a person to identify and access sources of professional help and other supports.
  • Practise active listening and empathy.
  • Practise self-care.

 

Available in person or flexible online delivery. Learners will be trained over four live sessions, covering 14 hours of content in total.​ Maximum 16 learners.

Providing three years of MHFAider® support and benefits including the MHFAider Support App®.

Mental Health Aware:

Learners will gain an understanding of mental health and stigma; and the common risk factors that affect wellbeing.  Including an introduction of how to maintain positive wellbeing and the key stages to having a supportive mental health conversation.

  • Accredited 4-hour course
  • In person or online delivery
  • Maximum 25 learners

 

MHFA Refresher

Empower MHFAiders to maintain their skills with regular refresher training – just like physical first aiders. It is a great way to keep your MHFAiders motivated and confident, whilst demonstrating your ongoing commitment for parity between physical and mental health.

The four-hour MHFA Refresher course will support your MHFAiders® by: 

  • Renewing their skills 
  • Updating their knowledge of mental health supports 
  • Giving them the chance to practice applying the Mental Health First Aid action plan
  • Providing them access to three years of MHFAider® support and benefits

 

Other MHFA courses:

  • Youth MHFA (2-days or 4 -half days)
  • Youth Mental Health Champion (1-day or 2 – half days)
  • Youth Mental Health Aware (4hr course)

The Intersectionality of Race & Mental Health

Mental Health & Race for Workplaces and Communities

The feeling of being together and not alone can help us open up with each other to increase race confidence and increase the accountability of individuals and workplaces to be proactively anti-racist.

Learners will build awareness and understanding of the disparities experienced by people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds. The course will examine the intersectionality of race, different cultures and mental health, to develop an understanding and awareness of different experiences and perspectives. Learners will explore explicit bias and the Recognise, Interrupt, Repair Protocol for meaningful and compassionate dialogue to help create psychologically safe environments for ethnically diverse people in the workplace and communities.

  • Available for in person or as an online delivery for a maximum of 16 learners.
  • Bespoke for delivery in either 2 or 3 hours.

Other Bespoke Courses

 

  • Stress Management
  • Resilience Building
  • Loneliness & Mental Health
  • Mental Health Awareness for Managers
  • The Tipping Point: Understanding and Managing Burnout

Testimonials

“Jessica is a thoughtful and calm leader. She is a brilliant programme director that led the roll out of Youth Mental Health First Aid into more than a third of secondary schools in England. She is an exceptional trainer who is particularly skilled at taking participants on a self-reflective and developmental journey using the power of their stories”.
Poppy Jaman
OBE
"Jessica has a unique ability to create a safe and supportive environment, sparkling open dialogue and encouraging self-reflection. Her invaluable support and guidance have immensely contributed to my personal and professional development".
Laura Perez
Creative Marketer
"Great course, wonderful compassionate trainer who has clearly found her purpose in this work".
Mental Health First Aider
“The Power of Us came at a time when I was looking for what I felt I had lost. It wasn't clear to me that the power was in me. Thanks to you and the women who attended and shared their stories during the course, I saw where my hidden power was. The workshops were clear, structured and coherent. The group was fantastic and diverse. Thanks to you I retrieved the tools again to start digging”.
The Power of Us participant

Contact

hello@jessicaagudelo.com

Jessica AgudeloBuilding the Power of Us

Contact

Jessica Agudelo

hello@jessicaagudelo.com