our choices dictate what we become at every stage of life
chances are
if our choices are positive then our life experiences are positive
if our choices are negative, our life experiences are negative
there are two kinds of men in the world
there are clever men and there are wise men
clever men are always busy trying to get out of trouble
wise men never get into trouble
happiness is our birth right
patience is a virtue
By Walton McLaren
Keeping A Smile
I keep a smile ready for any passer-by in the street struggle
They dim their lights in the dead of night fall the hands that switch them around in the nights small like child hands small little fingers crossed though having school offers free plates soup buttered bread washed abandoned grown trown in the bin by fatherly love over there in the corner of the poets ice buckets scones with raspberry jam she gives away to all people who then a thin little blade sharp swings cutting the currants raisins to blend in the soup in that case we do the cooking allowed cabbage patch spuds I press the rose bushes to smelling the fragrance wonderful smell in spite of the weather starring eyes keeping a watchful eye over my shoulder half tipsy topsy you have the afternoon the table below laden in well cured feasible feast eating drinking comes the same as the house on the corner correct we learn that we come to terms in the day time when she brings out the dinner we learn to pass ink that won’t blot on the water spills spilling over who could forget that day the rainfall falling filling the land soaked harvester I keep that smile in that rainfall
By John J Sheehy
Author: Philip Challinor
Posted:
Categories: Uncategorized
An online therapy service is to offer free 20-minute sessions aimed at vulnerable older people and others who are self-isolating or struggling, after therapists across the UK volunteered their help.
The Help Hub was originally intended to serve a small area in west Oxfordshire but will expand nationally when it launches this week following an influx of support.
“Thanks to the kindness of therapists right across the country willing to work for free, the idea snowballed in the space of less than a fortnight to the extent that we can now cover the whole of the UK,” said Ruth Chaloner, the founder of the service, who is asking therapists to email her at info@helphub.co.uk if they want to get involved.
Chaloner is now setting up a second scheme to help the hardest-to-reach members of her local community. She hopes this is another idea that could be extended nationally.
Suicide Prevention Helpline – Support for people experiencing suicidal feelings or thoughts or affected in any way by suicide: 30-minute webchat and phone support available Monday, Wednesday & Friday 6-8pm; Sunday 6-9pm. Freephone 08088 020 080 Text 07860 058 793
Rufus May – useful online resources for people living with psychosis or hearing voices
Inter Voice – Practical guide to coping with voices
Open Mind Online – holistic approaches to emotional and social wellbeing
Open Mind Online – Engaging With Voices videos. Support for people interested in compassionate approaches to voices. Includes 15 videos from Rufus May, Elisabeth Svanholmer and Charlie Heriot-Maitland.
Covid-19 Mutual Aid Groups – Local volunteer groups set up by borough ward to support with shopping, medication collection etc. Enter postcode into ‘local group’ search
Brownswood – Facebook
Chester Road – WhatsApp 07968 964 831
Clissold – WhatsApp 07309 785 643 or Facebook
Dalston – WhatsApp 07765 071 429
Finsbury Park – WhatsApp 07903 162 175 or email fpmutualaid@gmail.com
Finsbury Park, Stroud Green, Green Lanes & Manor House – Facebook
Highbury – WhatsApp 07961 703 751 or email highburymutualaid@gmail.com
Hillrise & Tollington – WhatsApp 07494 971 873
Hillrise email hillrise.c19@gmail.com
Tollington email tollington.c19@gmail.com
Holloway – WhatsApp 07790 164 439 or Facebook
Hoxton West – Facebook
Junction – WhatsApp 07498 670 610 or email junctionislingtonmutualaid@gmail.com
Mildmay – WhatsApp 07712 633 070 or email mildmaymutualaid@gmail.com
Newington Green – Phone 033 3050 9318 or Facebook or email info@newingtongreen.org
Queensland Road – WhatsApp 07813 701 458
Quernmore Road – WhatsApp 07904 520 117
Redbrick Estate TMO – Facebook
St George’s – WhatsApp 07787 707 643
Stroud Green – WhatsApp 07795 142 898
Tiltman Place – Facebook
Woodberry Down – WhatsApp 07826 002 230
People’s Army Islington – Local support with shopping, dog-walking etc. Meals provided for the most vulnerable
London Homeless Info – Check site for updates on where to get free meals, clothes and showers
Food Cycle – Free food parcel deliveries to residents of Finsbury Park
Andover Community Centre – Food parcels delivered or collected for Finsbury Park ward residents only 1.30-5pm every Friday. Phone Sue Burbidge: 07989 213 322
St Joan of Arc Church – Emergency food bank Monday-Friday, 12-4pm, Saturday 1-2pm; no referrals or booking required. 60 Highbury Park, N5 2XH. Phone 07516 690 197
The Pilion Trust – Free fruit, veg, bread and patries for collection Monday to Friday 12-4. Deliveries can be arranged for those self-isolating. Phone 020 7700 2498
Akwaaba – Takeaway food avaiable every Sunday at 2pm from St Paul’s West Hackney, 184 Stoke Newington Rd, N16 7UY
Brickworks Community Centre – Free food and books plus internet access Monday to Friday 9am – 3pm at 42 Crouch Hill, London, N4 4BY. Phone 020 7263 1067
Hornsey Lane Estate CA – Hot meals to take away on Saturdays 12-2 from Hazellville Rd, N19 3YJ. Phone 0207 272 5938
Hare Krishna Food For All – Free hot vegetarian meal 2pm to 2.40pm Monday – Saturday Take away from the white van at York Way next to Kings Cross train station
Margins Homeless Project – Food takeaway for people in crisis Monday 11am – 2pm; Wednesday 11am – 2pm from Union Chapel, 19b Compton Terrace, N1 2UN. Phone 020 7226 1686
St John the Evangelist Church – Pre-packed sandwiches, fruit and a hot drink for those experiencing homelessness – 3-5pm every Sunday from 39 Duncan Terrace, N1 8AL
Good Gym – Local volunteers who can do more than shopping and collecting meds so please consider: changing lightbulbs, moving furniture. It’s free and volunteers are all DBS checked. Referrals must come from Mind.
Thames Water – Freeze or reduction in water bills. Particularly helpful if benefits have been stopped/delayed
Council Tax/Rent – For council tenants anxious about being able to pay their rent or council tax. Email HomesandCommunities@Islington.gov.uk or phone 020 7527 5300
Wavelength – Charity providing free TVs, radios or tablets for people experiencing isolation
Money Saving Expert – Info on help with energy bills, debt, overdrafts, rent arrears
Tate Gallery – Online gallery tours, performances and texts
Tate Gallery: How are you feeling? – Match your mood to a Tate artwork
Tate Gallery “Walk of Arts” podcasts – Be transported out of your living room and into nineties Shoreditch, sunny St Ives or the hidden depths of the River Thames
Aurora Borealis – Live webcam of the Northern Lights – 3am-9am best time to see them – for insomniacs!
What’s On Stage – Stage shows, musicals and operas to watch for free
Virtual Nature – Virtual visits to natural places plus a virtual gardening project to help you to grow things at home, courtesy of the Stuart Low Trust
Virtual Museums – Plus a virtual philosophy forum on Sundays
Aurora Borealis – Live webcam of the Northern Lights – 3am-9am best time to see them – for insomniacs!
Liziqi – Inspiring videos on making things from scratch and living in harmony with Nature
Jonna Linton – Inspiring videos from a Scandinavian artist inspired by Nature
Hilldrop Community Centre – Free 1-hour slots for Islington residents who don’t have their own garden. Available to single households only and not mixed groups. Tuesdays and Thursdays 10am-4pm. Phone 020 7607 9453
Yellowstone National Park – 10-minute virtual walks to the Mammoth Hot Springs and other delights, Wyoming USA
GAME: a board game co-designed by clients at the Psychosis Therapy Project
Not every game has a ball, nor two competing teams; even, sometimes, there is no notion of “winning.” Marvin Minsky, in reference to Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations (1980)
Background
This collaboration was part of a PhD project aimed at understanding the design process and the experiences of participants, clients of the Psychosis Therapy Project, to see if this engagement is beneficial to mental health. The co-design project was not set up with the intention of developing an artefact, and participants were encouraged to engage in the process freely. The process started with activities that aimed to begin to understand and define what design means; for instance by bringing objects and reflecting upon their significance or carrying out short design projects. Through some co-design tools and activities, a broad design purpose emerged, that of expressing a notion of Stewardship, or taking care of, which resulted in the development of GAME.
GAME is a tremendous achievement, stemming from participants unique knowledge and insights on Stewardship, or taking care of, each other and the world, and an intellectual and creative engagement with the meaning and diversity of human experiences.
GAME:
The board game is designed to encourage collaboration over competition, and the exchange of ideas and perspectives in a non-judgmental way. Some players for instance commented ‘I have shared things I wouldn’t have done otherwise’ or ‘I didn’t know I was so self-conscious’.
Game is designed to help participants wonder, get to know themselves and connect with one another and the environment. There are no winners or losers and interaction among participants is the main benefit. To achieve this, the board game involves players in addressing questions that relate to different themes, through different forms of interaction.
Game is composed by a set of cards with questions pertaining to the different themes in different colours, and a board offering 3 different ways to address each card. There is also a set of empty cards where players can write their own questions.
The different themes are: green, philosophical, spiritual, mind & body, creativity and (?) which refers to any area not included in the main themes.
Figure 1. Prototype of guidelines booklet (themes descriptions) and cards.
Randomly through a wheel, each question can be addressed in three different ways: Tell & share, Think & discuss, and Act & ask.
Figure 2. Prototype of guidelines booklets – ways to address questions and tokens
Through sharing opinions, non-judgemental discussions and reflections with others, players may identify areas in which they may want to further reflect and develop themselves, individually or as a group. In order to keep track of these reflections, tokens are distributed among players, which reflect each theme.
Figure 3. Game, box of cards, board and box with tokens corresponding to each theme.
Unlike most games, tokens are allocated subjectively. Throughout the game, when the player feels they need help with some area (e.g. spirituality), they can take a token as a reminder of this need (e.g. spirituality token). Tokens can also be given by others, if the player accepts them. At the end of the play session, the number of tokens of each type reflects where the player needs development. Rewards corresponding to each theme are given to those who have most tokens of one type, to motivate them to develop that part of themselves. For instance, if you feel you are not very environmentally aware, fellow players could encourage you to take some green corresponding tokens. At the end of the game, if you have mostly green tokens, you may be given a reward that encourages you to become more environmentally friendly. These rewards could be created ad hoc by the group or selected from a booklet of ideas.
Step by step – with example:
First player randomly picks a card. The card is placed in the middle of the board, and spinned.
Where the pointer lands determines the way in which the card needs to be addressed (tell & share, think & discuss or act & ask).
Each card has a question (e.g. what colour is your soul?). The same question would be addressed in different ways depending on whether the pointer lands on tell and share (e.g. player expresses first thing that comes to mind ‘my soul is pink’ and others share their views), on think and discuss (players individually think their responses and then discuss with one another) or act and ask ( player acts, addressing the question via mimics or gestures, and others ask, by joining the act or verbally).
After discussing each card, the individual or group can reflect on any needs, and distribute tokens.
At the end of the game, these tokens are used to distribute the rewards. The participant who has more tokens in one area (e.g. spirituality) will gain the corresponding reward (e.g. meditation event).
Principles of GAME
It values diversity of lived experience over accuracy of factual knowledge. As one of the co-designers put it ‘in this game we are all equal’
The subjective nature of the token system reflects how people judge, value, as well as support one another and make decisions in everyday life.
People who identify themselves, or are helped to recognize, an area where they may want to seek further development, are given rewards to encourage this process. This symbolic gesture also reflects the principles behind peer-to-peer support, recovery and rehabilitation.
Addiction psychiatry could be wiped out in the next 10 years unless urgent measures are taken to tackle the dwindling numbers of doctors training in addictions, according to a landmark report published by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
It reveals the number of higher training posts across England have fallen by 58%, from 64 in 2011 to just 27 in 2019, leaving some regions without a single trainee.
The College is calling for urgent government funding to protect existing places and to create training posts especially in England, as the falling numbers cannot be solved by the current funding arrangements.
The findings come at a time when both drug-related deaths and alcohol-related hospital admissions in England have reached record levels.
“This report reveals the meltdown that has occurred within addiction psychiatry across the UK, but especially in England,” said Professor Julia Sinclair, chair of the addictions faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists and co-author of the report.
“Without urgent investment from government, training in the specialist skills that are an essential part of the treatment system could be wiped out in a decade, depriving thousands of people with this life-threatening condition access to the specialist help they need to recover and rebuild their lives.”
“Assessment and treatment of people with complex medical and social needs arising out of addictions are the essential skills of the addiction psychiatrist. Helping bring people back from the brink of death and turn their lives around are just two of the many reasons why addictions psychiatry is such a vital career.”
The report – Training in Addiction Psychiatry: Current Status and Future Prospects – found in 2019 there were just 16 people in higher training posts that would give them a qualification in Addiction Psychiatry in England, with five out of 12 English Regions – South West Peninsula, Severn, Wessex, Thames Valley and Kent Surrey and Sussex – having no such posts.
This means there are no opportunities to gain skills needed to equip psychiatrists to improve patient care, nor are there opportunities for a trainee to gain an endorsement in addiction psychiatry and work as a specialist addiction consultant.
Outcome, Islington Mind’s client-led LGBTQ+ service, has been shortlisted for Charity or Non-Profit Organisation of the Year at the British Diversity Awards.
The British Diversity Awards promote the values of equality, diversity and inclusion by rewarding those individuals, organisations and unsung heroes who help to make the world and the workplace a better place for others.
Outcome is one of eight nominees shortlisted for the Charity or Non-Profit Organisation of the Year award for 2019. The winner will be announced on 26 March and will automatically be shortlisted for the European Diversity Awards in November.
Author: Philip Challinor
Posted:
Categories: Latest News
Growing numbers of troubled children are having appointments with NHS mental health services cancelled, the organisation’s data show.
Figures obtained by the mental health charity Mind reveal that CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health services) in England cancelled 175,094 appointments with vulnerable patients between August 2018 and July 2019.
That was 25% more than the 140,327 which were cancelled during the same period in 2017-18.
Experts think staff shortages and the growing demand from young people for help with anxiety, depression and other conditions, lie behind the trend.
Although under-18s with mental health problems can pull out of planned sessions, the proportion of appointments cancelled by a CAMHS provider rose as a percentage of all appointments year-on-year, from 3.3% in 2017-18 to 3.7% last year – one in 27 of all consultations.
Mind called the upward trend deeply concerning, especially as some appointments were with young people who were self harming or having suicidal thoughts.
Responding to Making The Grade, a new report by the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, Emily Graham, Senior Policy and Campaigns Officer at Mind, said:
“Schools are a key part of life for most children and young people, and have a big role to play when it comes to mental health for both pupils and staff. The education system must focus on more than academic achievement and value everyone’s mental health and wellbeing. Young people today are facing significant pressures, and we’d welcome a review on the impact of the exam system. We also want to see Ofsted and other inspectors assessing schools on their efforts to promote wellbeing and development.
“With two in five pupils surveyed by Mind saying they wouldn’t know where to go to get support within school, it’s clear that there’s far more to be done to make sure all young people get the help they need.
“But it’s not just down to schools to make the changes needed to enable all young people to thrive. Young people’s mental health services should work in close partnership with education providers to ensure problems are identified and addressed early on. Schools and colleges cannot be expected to address children and young people’s mental health by themselves, and support cannot stop at the school gate.”
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