Training & consultancy

Training is delivering high quality programmes and courses to produce long lasting sustainable changes. Know Limits has an extensive range of quality training courses that can be delivered in person, online or hybrid.

These cover: Confidence & Assertiveness Building/ Business Resilience/ Positive Business Relationships/ Conflict Management/ Business Mindset/ New Business Development Training, Anger, Stress, Anxiety Management/ Healthy Boundary Development/ Entrepreneur Mindset/ Leadership/ Enneagram/ Bullying Support & Awareness /Bereavement & Loss Support/ Suicide Awareness & Prevention/ Menopause Awareness/ Supervision & Mentoring/ Mental Health First Aid.

With our consultancy services we asses an organisations existing training resources and develop a tailor-made programme addressing gaps and goals to develop action plans. An integrated assessment of each team members personal strengths and areas to develop are identified. Results are then monitored by individual and team feedback over a specific period of time. Know Limits also offer a psychological profiling tool called the Enneagram to support this process.

We’ve developed a partnership to offer you even more value!

Know Limits offer consultancy and training services however we’ve partnered with Event and Engagement Experts Pink Onion Creative to be able to offer a wider variety of services to you. Essentially Know Limits provide the training however Pink Onion Creative organise all the logistics, additional team building activities and anything else you may require. The delivery options are flexible, ranging from stand-alone events, workshops as part of larger events, team building activities, to online webinars. This adaptability ensures accessibility for all participants and caters to different preferences and logistical considerations.

Together we provide specific results including a sense of calm and clarity, a feeling of togetherness and connection, actionable plans for the future, the acquisition of practical strategies and tools, inspiration, education, and the pursuit of happiness, success, and mindfulness. The practical tools and strategies provided in these sessions equip participants with actionable insights leading to personal and professional growth for the future.

Pink Onion Creative was founded by Mandy’s daughter, Caylee Gutsell and together they have entwined their skill sets and love of supporting growth in others to take training, consultancy, workshops and team building to the next level.

Delivery is tailored to your requirements and bespoke courses can be designed around your organisational needs, take a look below at the list of the training and courses Mandy currently offers.

Anger & stress management course

  • In an ever-changing climate more people experience levels of stress and anger which they find intolerable. It can impact on personal and professional lives leading to lack of confidence and assertiveness skills, inability to make clear decisions and a reduced motivation to enjoy life.

    It will teach you coping skills so you can learn to notice and express anger in a healthy way. A multi modal approach is used to help you intervene at the most appropriate stage. You will learn key triggers, strategies and forms of communication.

    Mandy Gutsell has undergone extensive training as an anger and stress management consultant both with the British Association of Anger Management and Centre for Stress Management in London. Not feeling in control of your anger and stress can cause it to grow, intensify and impact negatively on those around us. Using a multi modal approach can help the client intervene at the most appropriate stage of the model.

  • You will learn how to develop your coping resources and how to moderate appraisals of difficult situations. You will increase your confidence, assertiveness and ability to make clear decisions.

  • This may be offered on a corporate basis, to individual clients or a group.

    1, 2 Day, and 12 week courses are available. There are in person and virtual online options.

    Companies/Organisations may benefit from tailored course content depending on requirements.

  • This course aims to educate staff wanting to increase their Knowledge of the issues faced by people with mental health problems.

  • It explores signs and symptoms of common mental health problems, a range of treatments including social educational approach, issues relating to consequences of labelling and cultural issues.

  • This may be offered on a corporate basis, to individual clients or a group.

    1, 2 Day, and 12 week courses are available. There are in person and virtual online options.

    Companies/Organisations may benefit from tailored course content depending on requirements.

Mental health awareness course

Working Minds; Making Mental Health Your Business Course

  • Are you an employer who takes your company and employees well being seriously? The main regulations around mental health at work are Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 and Equality Act 2010 that replaced the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

    This training will give your company a step by step plan to take an holistic approach to well being.

  • An understanding of what to ask and NOT ask employees at the various stages of recruitment and retention. It will provide strategies on maintaining staff in work, engaging with someone in distress, supporting when off sick, and enabling return to work.

    You will have an opportunity to explore extensive examples of good practise and develop your own Mental Health Policy specific to the company. However the policies are unlikely to be effective unless managers get the training and confidence to deal with problems. Can you afford not to?

  • This may be offered on a corporate basis, to individual clients or a group.

    1, 2 Day, and 12 week courses are available. There are in person and virtual online options.

    Companies/Organisations may benefit from tailored course content depending on requirements.

  • The MHFA England Instructor Training Programme has diversity and inclusion at its core, built on fifteen years of experience. The programme was created with input from people with lived experience of poor mental health.

    Having attended the programme gives Mandy the skills, knowledge, and tools to train MHFAiders® in the workplace so that people can speak more freely about mental health, and seek support when needed. Training as an MHFA England Instructor Member allows Mandy to drive change within organisations and develop people’s mental health Knowledge, awareness, and skills.

  • You will have an opportunity to gain a range of skills, knowledge, and tools to become a MHFAider® in the workplace. It will help you so speak more freely about mental health, and seek support when needed.

    You will gain the knowledge and skills to spot signs of people experiencing poor mental health, be confident to start a conversation, and signpost a person to appropriate support. Those who attend the course gain access to MHFAider® support and benefits for three years, which includes exclusive resources and access to the MHFAider Support App®.

    What can you gain? Choosing the course means you gain an accredited Certificate through Mental Health First Aid England. You also become part of the Association - Englands first and only membership body dedicated to empowering the MHFAider community.

    Mandy delivers the MHFA course, which gives attendees the knowledge and skills to spot signs of people experiencing poor mental health, be confident to start a conversation, and signpost a person to appropriate support. Those who attend the course gain access to MHFAider® support and benefits for three years, which includes exclusive resources and access to the MHFAider Support App®.

  • The course can be delivered online and in person over a 2 day or 4 half day period. There are options of open courses and closed ones specific to an Organisation or Sector.

  • Mandy is a qualified MHFA England Instructor. MHFA England are the sole provider of licensed Mental Health First Aid Instructor Training in England and their programme is accredited by the Royal Society for Public Health.

    Mandy has also taught and facilitated courses in Training and Education for nearly 30 years and has an extensive track record. She was nominated in TES awards 2020 for Teacher of the year and has created, developed and delivered courses to a high quality. Mandy also has a background in Mental Health Nursing, a Degree in Mental Health and ground roots experience of working alongside mental health systems.

Mental health first aider in the workplace course

“The RSPH accreditation of our Instructor Training programme is important because it demonstrates that MHFA England instructors have been through a rigorous training and assessment process to ensure they have the Knowledge, skills and values needed to deliver our gold standard Mental Health First Aider courses.”
— Simon Blake OBE, Chief Executive MHFA England

  • This course will help you understand the basic facts and demystify the menopause.

  • This course will help you understand the basic facts and demystify the menopause.

    What can you gain?

    By the end of the training you will be able to identify the:

    • Basic facts

    • Classic Symptoms

    • Why is the Menopause everyone’s business?

    • The Law

    • Other considerations

    • Treatments including CBT, Mindfulness and nutrition options

    • Male menopause

    • Tips to support staff/reasonable adjustments

  • This course can be delivered online and in person. The content can be delivered over half a day, 1 or 2 days depending on your requirements.

Why the Menopause is everyone’s business Course

Management and leadership Training.

  • It is designed for people in business who recognise that getting the best out of themselves and others is as much about who you are 'being' as what you are 'doing'.

    This 2-day workshop proves 'who we be' is every bit as important as 'what we do'. Most management training focuses on learning the right way to do things- the right way to manage, the right way to communicate and the right way to lead. This training turns that idea on its head by focusing on who we are being - with the people we manage, the people we communicate with and the people we lead.

  • In this workshop you will rediscover the unique qualities that make you so special and valuable to your company/organisation and everyone who knows you. And you will have a lot of FUN.

    Day One; We are Human Beings not Human Doings

    To be or not to be? What does it mean?

    Being in your head vs being in your body.

    Being yourself vs Being someone else.

    Trusting what is true vs trusting what is 'made up’. Exploring reflective journaling and mindfulness.

    Day Two; How Being Yourself can impact positively on

    Teamwork and team building

    Enneagram profiling- Knowing myself more objectively and others more subjectively.

    Reducing stress levels and 'being happier' in relation to setting boundaries.

    How you see things at work and outside work

    Your return to work and home.

  • It can be offered 'bespoke' to a particular company/organisation OR a number of individuals from different companies may join the workshop. This is face to face training and can be provided on or off site. The Enneagram Profiling Assessment Tool is completed before attendance on the training.

“To be or not to be? - That really is the question!”

ENNEAGRAM TRAINING

The Enneagram is a study of the 9 basic types of people. It explains why we behave the way we do, and it points to specific directions for individual growth. It is an important tool for improving relationships with family, friends and work colleagues. The roots of the enneagram go back many centuries and has been synthesized from many different traditions. One of the great strengths of the enneagram is that it steps aside from all doctrinal differences. It is a guide to self observation and self inquiry NOT a prescription.

We had so much to say about our Enneagram Training we gave it its own page! Learn more about what it is, what you can gain and how it works here.

young peoples projects training

  • Bespoke courses on offer are; Peer Education, Domestic Violence, Bullying Issues, Dealing with Stress and anger, self-harm, loss and bereavement.

    You can also train in the Dramacoach approach. Dramacoach combines creative action methods from drama, and coaching tools such as powerful coaching questions, motivational techniques and understanding others Point Of View (POV). Creative action methods can include story making and telling, improvisation, role play, movement, mime and props to name a few. In addition, it uses a coaching developmental model of 8 qualities and skills covering respect, listening, understanding, appreciation, support, trust, responsibility and independence.

  • A range of issue based courses can be developed to suit the organisation. This can build on current Knowledge and also increase skills and strategies to develop further. It may work with and enhance current programmes projects are already using.

  • This can be delivered face to face, virtual or a combination of the two.

    Individual requirements can be discussed.

  • Working with other people can be very rewarding and also challenging. In the current changing and evolving world, we live in, often more skills and expectations are required to work effectively. Over time the challenges may bring about tiredness, overwhelm, questioning of purpose, and burn out. This in turn can reduce your sense of accomplishment and work that was once meaningful may begin to feel empty.

    To reduce the risk of burn out Know Limits offers workshops to give people space to breathe.

  • For those who already work creatively it can bring about renewed energy, purpose, ideas, development and connection. For those who may not work creatively as their main focus, it can create playfulness, innovation and connection with others in a fresh way. You will have opportunity to reflect using creative tools such as metaphor, action methods, story creating and telling, playful games, visual imagery cards, materials, objects, and embodiment to name a few.

  • Workshops are generally facilitated over 1 or 2 days primarily face to face. Virtual workshops can be delivered on request.

Upskilling CPD with Creative workshops

what do our clients say?

“Mandy's menopausal workshops were a revelation to me.  It was structured in such a way to make everyone feel included from the first session.  The questions & scenarios were a chance to reflect on my own thoughts and delve deeper into the way I process my own feelings.

 I was also able to differentiate between symptoms and seek advice on those that required further investigation and successfully alleviate daily pain. 

 To share these sessions with my colleagues was incredible.  I learnt so much about these women that I didn't know and it has bought us closer as a group.

This has led to us arranging a walking session this month and a spa day later in the year.

 My only observation is that it was over too soon!” 

-KAREN bREWER, Principal QUALITY CONSULTANT

“On behalf of the team who attended your two day mentor training workshop at Omnia practice, I would like to take the opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you for delivering a wonderful session.

 We’ve all really enjoyed the session more then we expected and it certainly enabled us to reflect a bit more on ourselves and our approaches in a positive way… which is what we needed from the busy world of work.

 The session was informative, interactive and enjoyable. Your gentle approach enabled the quieter participants to come out of their shells and contribute which was fascinating to see the difference and the confidence boost.

 We would highly recommend the mentoring course and hope to access more courses in the foreseeable.

 Once again, many thanks and keep being your awesome self.”

 -Syeda Akhtar, Project Manager, Omnia Practice

Congratulations to our lovely Courtney Rousell for passing her Mental Health First Aiders course! 🎉
Courtney was full of compliments for the course leader, Mandy Gutsell, a testament to Mandy’s passion for wellbeing in the workplace, not just through training courses but through her professional coaching.

We hope to work with Mandy on a future staff wellbeing workshop this coming academic year 💙

-elizabeth wills, headteachers pa, king edward vi balaam wood academy

“Mandy has been my supervisor since April 2021. She is creative in her approach to supervision & has a wealth of experience & depth of understanding of clinical practice. I really appreciate the fresh perspective, challenging questions & encouragement

“After already working with Mandy Gutsell for nearly 20 years we approached her to deliver some group and Individual Coaching Support for our staff around the Menopause.

This included Training for the whole team on how to continue to make our Organisation Menopause Friendly. We explored the Basics, Legal Requirements, other considerations with the male menopause and how to include adaptations in our work-place. This was at a Management Systems level and a daily practical level.

We found Mandy to be approachable, knowledgeable, a great facilitator and she presented an excellent presentation for the training.

Staff said the training helped them to see the menopause in the wider context of the challenges that can come with the menopause. In addition it helped open up an often taboo subject around the male menopause and an overall increased awareness of the impact on all aspects of life both in and outside the workplace.

We will continue to work with Mandy in relation to a number of aspects of Coaching support, Supervision and Training. We have found her work supports and works alongside our Thrive program we already have in place very effectively.

We would whole heartedly recommend Mandy’s skills and experience to other organisations.”

 -Andrew Fletcher, BSc (Hons) CE nv MRICS | Director | ESP Ltd

“Mandy was booked to provide a taster drama therapy session for the Therapy Services team at Woodbourne Priory Hospital, as part of our monthly Therapy Forum.  A professionally diverse team of addictions counsellors, psychology staff, occupational therapists, nurses, and CBT therapists: working across several clinical teams – acute adult inpatient, adult day therapy, eating disorders, adolescents, and addictions.  So, Mandy’s task was not an easy one!

 However, she very quickly gauged the ‘mood’ in the room, quietly identified the reluctant participants (and the eager players), and initially set gentle activities for us to gain confidence using unfamiliar ‘toys’, (a layered, sideless cube, different sized and coloured feathers, pens, paper………and our imaginations!!).

 Mandy’s carefully chosen activities allowed her to observe and alter the dynamics in the room, allowed us the autonomy to participate as much or as little as we each felt comfortable, and for us to support and encourage each other during the session.  For some the participatory drama therapy aspect of the session had been a daunting one, but Mandy’s skilful management of the group meant the session was great fun, interestingly educational AND turned out to be a successful team-building event!”

-marcie ferros, therapy services manager

Phone: +44 (0) 7951 229941

Email: mandy@knowlimitscoach.com

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