For over a decade John Allison has been immersed in the mental health and wellbeing space.
For several years he was a Health and Wellbeing manager in the London office of an international advertising agency, tasked with supporting employee mental, physical wellbeing, improving recruitment and retention. John single-handedly designed a program of activities and training that led to a significant reduction in sickness absence.
He was an active member of the accreditation team for the Greater London Authority (GLA), healthy workplace charter award, frequently conducting site visits to major organisations in the city and assessing their employee wellbeing offering. John was always looking for indicators of long term and truly impactful commitment to employee health.
Experienced in one to one employee wellbeing coaching John has been retained by companies to work with their people and help them overcome obstacles in both their private and working lives. He has individually supported hundreds of employees through action focused, holistic and peer based coaching where the individual is truly empowered to design and take control of their destiny.
He was initially trained by the US based Heartmath Institute and is a Certified Personal Medicine Coach (CPMC). The groundbreaking CPMC program was developed in the US as a way of helping to empower mental health service users in their own recovery. He is also trained in other modalities such as Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and hypnotherapy.
John also has considerable experience working in the NHS mental health and wellbeing sector. He has provided CBT-based support to clients within the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service, often helping them address a history of trauma, suicide attempts and other significant mental health challenges. As a qualified and experienced peer worker he has also worked extensively with veterans in crisis while working for the NHS Operation Courage, Veterans Health and Wellbeing service. Peer based interventions often involve helping the client to re-establish social connection, find new meaning and purpose in their civilian life.
A veteran himself, John served for 24 years with the British Army, specialising in bomb disposal, counter-terrorist search and weapons intelligence. He has many illuminating and inspiring stories from his time in the military, his life journey and through his day to day work with clients. He is an accomplished public speaker and has previously been invited to deliver two TEDx talks.
Specialisms: Preventative, non-clinical, peer and experiential approaches for mental health and wellbeing, dealing with adversity and lessons from a 24 year military career.
Workshop Information
Presentations and workshops are based on John’s life, military and client support experience, they can be tailored to the client’s needs:
• The pillars of resilience
• How to build and maintain confidence
• Dealing with transition
• The psychology of survival
• The lens through which we see the world
• Problem solving and planning
• How to get present and stay there
• Finding our values, meaning and purpose
• How to build and develop our internal and external resources
• Thinking patterns and critical thinking
• Understanding self-regulation
• Developing self/emotional awareness
• Exercise for mental health
• My journey, 24 years in the British Army, lessons for life
