When delivering the Sixth Form curriculum, subject teachers are always looking for ways to apply students’ learning to practical situations. This integration of theory with reality not only reinforces subject knowledge, but gives students an insight into how their learning can be used in future careers. Last week, a leading clinical psychotherapist was invited to the College to discuss a revolutionary form of psychological treatment; marine adventure therapy.
The expert, Richard Hall, was already familiar with Shiplake College after spending time here as a pupil in the 1960s. In January, we shared the news that Richard had been included in the Queen’s New Years honours list for 2015 (full story), in recognition of his therapy work. Having reconnected with our Old Viking Society, Richard kindly volunteered to come back to the College and talk to Sixth Form students about his charity Sailaday OK.
Two lectures were arranged for the afternoon, one for Business BTEC students and the other for those studying AS or A Level Psychology. There was also time for Richard to explore the College, which unsurprisingly has changed considerably since his most recent visit in 1967! Richard commented: ‘I am fairly sure only the stableyard and main Skipwith buildings were here. My room was up the main turret, which made it very easy to barricade ourselves in. I am not surprised the rooms are no longer in use! The school has a lovely feel which I do not recall whilst at school. I am very impressed by all the new buildings, particularly the new Art block in the John Turner Building. As an artist myself, I only wish I had access to such great facilities during my studies.’
Richard’s Business talk focussed on the challenges facing Sailaday OK as a relatively new charity, including the constant battle to find sufficient funding. Richard touched upon marketing strategies used to gain public exposure for the charity, including the increasing role of social media. An interesting clip from ITV Meridian news highlighted the impact high profile coverage can have on a charity’s short to mid-term goals. At the end of the presentation, pupils were encouraged to consider the topical issue of ecological economics.
It is clear that Richard’s main passion lies in Psychology, and in the second lecture he took great pleasure in discussing the intricacies of his adventure therapy programme with a captivated audience. The Sailaday OK charity provides four-day residential sailing experiences to help people recovering from trauma, abuse or addictions. Research has found that the adventure experience significantly improves the chances of someone making a full recovery. Richard explained exactly how and why the treatment works, and gave anecdotal evidence of the impact it has made.
Head of Pyschology Mr Richard Ebbage commented: ‘I wish to thank Richard for giving up his time. Many elements of the talk are incredibly relevant to the A Level course. It was very interesting and you could tell the students took a lot out of it. I think they particularly enjoyed learning about possible career paths they could take to use their love of the subject. I will be revisiting some of the content after half term, particularly the evaluation tools for measuring the effectiveness of therapy treatments. Research skills such as these are a very important part of the subject.
As Richard Hall left the OVR, he managed to spot himself in a picture of the dining Hall in the 1960s. He reassured us the food has improved a great deal since then!
