Meet Eleanor: Complementary Therapy Volunteer

When her father died in her early 20s, Eleanor Sibley felt bewildered and didn’t know how to cope with her grief. 30 years later, she is using that experience to volunteer at Treetops Hospice, showing others facing bereavement they’re not alone.

“One of the amazing, and I think healing, things about Treetops is that death, dying and grief are the stuff of everyday; so even if it’s someone’s first experience of grief, there’s a huge amount of experience and support on offer here. It’s as if grief has a soft landing here. You’re not met with shock, horror or avoidance, as you might be in other areas of your life.”

After a two-decade career in university management, Eleanor took voluntary redundancy during the pandemic. This paved the way for her long-standing passion, Complementary Therapy.
Initially Eleanor started life at Treetops as a “Meet and Greet” volunteer, but after hearing a presentation from Jules Kirk, Therapeutic Services Manager at Treetops, which highlighted that Complementary Therapy is funded only by donations and that volunteers were needed, something clicked.

“That’s me, I thought, despite having spent the past 24 years only giving Complementary Therapy to friends and family.”

Through gentle mentoring from the Complementary Therapy and Counselling Teams, Eleanor’s confidence has returned and she’s now offering a range of complementary therapy including aromatherapy, massage and guided relaxation to patients and bereaved families.

Terminal illness and bereavement can take its toll emotionally and physically. Stress, tension and sleep problems can be common, but complementary therapy treatments provided by Eleanor and the Complementary Therapy team give patients and families space to relax, reconnect, and find comfort.

“Clients often tell me they’ve used the relaxation techniques at home, to get back to sleep in the night rather than lying awake and thinking. That feels incredible.”

Many clients are referred from the Counselling Team, creating a holistic approach to care. “It’s incredible to see how talking therapy and touch therapy together can help someone feel an emotion they haven’t been able to feel, or express a thought they’ve been too unable to admit. It’s humbling and sometimes makes me well up.”

While for those living with conditions like Motor Neurone Disease (MND) for example, touch therapy can bring real physical benefits and help slow the deterioration of muscle strength.
For Eleanor, volunteering as a Complementary Therapist at Treetops has been a fulfilling experience: “The complementary therapy volunteering I do at Treetops is absolutely one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done. It feels like my real and authentic self.”

Every session brings a reminder of the difference volunteers make, whether it’s a client sleeping better, or someone finally finding the words to express their grief.

But the sense of appreciation goes both ways: “Every time I leave Treetops, at least one of the team thanks me for my time that day in a way that feels genuine. It might sound small, but being seen and acknowledged means so much. It makes me feel valued.”

Inspired by Treetops’ counsellors and the positive impact of their work, Eleanor is even considering training to be a counsellor so she can contribute in another way to the hospice she loves.