Archive for September, 2010
Trauma-informed care
Although trauma is core to the difficulties of a substantial percentage of consumers, and awareness of it pivotal to these consumers’ sustained recovery, in current services, trauma per se is seldom identified or addressed. Without addressing the core issues of their trauma, these consumers will continue to struggle with their daily functioning.
Vatican shows systemic lack of accountability
It is the systemic lack of accountability from the church which has enabled the rape and abuse of countless more innocent children and left countless victims struggling day-to-day to find a life worth living. Surely addressing the damage to the victims is the priority here?
Overcoming stigma
Poster presentation at consumer day TheMHS conference To view poster click here Dealing with Stigma – Poster Bookmark on DeliciousDigg this postRecommend on FacebookShare on LinkedinShare with StumblersTweet about itTell a friend
Consider the underlying trauma
The high prevalence of childhood abuse in the community drives me to use this presentation to demonstrate how crucial it is when assessing a patient/client presenting with depression/anxiety symptoms and/or suicidal ideation/self harming behaviours including substance abuse, eating disorders to approach the presentation from a Trauma Informed perspective by considering the possibility of undisclosed or unaddressed childhood trauma. Given that childhood abuse can underpin these conditions and in fact be their root cause, remaining aware to the possibility can be crucial to long-term outcomes. In cases in which childhood trauma is a feature of a client’s history, guiding the client in how best to acknowledge, understand, process and integrate the impact of their childhood trauma can be a necessary part of dealing with the depression, anxiety and/or suicidal behaviours
Speaking out saves lives
Doing something is far better than doing nothing it seems, as survivor Kezelman says.
‘‘I was not nurtured and protected as a child, as every child needs and deserves,’’ she says. ‘‘I had no adult to whom I could go for care; no one reported my abuse. No one helped. I was isolated and abused for a decade. It is only now that, in my mid-50s, after a lot of good care and support, I have been able to speak about what happened to me. I have worked hard to process
the effects of my abuse and put it to rest.
‘‘I have no doubt that had someone reported my abuse early on, had someone reached out to me when I was still a child, I would
not have had to go through as many years of bare bones survival. I would have learnt how to live well so much sooner.’’