admin January 23rd, 2010
One of the things I love about writing this blog is the feedback I get from readers. It is especially gratifying when people write me to ask if they can post information that they have gathered in the hopes that others can benefit. Ahh…the beauty of the internet. Well, today please welcome to the blog a wonderful resource for our friends in the United Kingdom. It is a tool that has taken all the guess work of finding help for your disorders be it social anxiety or bipolar disorder just to name a few. When I first saw this website I was amazed at how much is available. The dedication of the people that have put this together should be commended.
Thank you Catriona for sharing this great wealth of knowledge with others. Please take a look at the Counselling Directory and read how it all came to be.
A few years ago, a friend of ours found herself in a very daunting situation. After struggling with a number of issues and problems, she decided that counselling was a good option for her to help get her life back track. Her initial decision to go for counselling was undoubtedly one of the hardest parts of her entire therapy process, and a very brave one.
However, once she’d decided this, a whole new set of questions arose, and it became apparent that choosing the right counsellor, whilst perhaps not the hardest part of counselling, is undoubtedly one of the most important parts.
There are numerous issues to consider – practical and otherwise. What about, for example, location? Despite counsellors’ assured complete confidentiality people may prefer to see a counsellor that is perhaps outside their local area, but still in surroundings they are comfortable in. Our friend certainly didn’t want to run into anyone she knew, but at the same time needed to know where she was going.
As we were students at the time, money was a paramount issue. There are counsellors that offer reduced rates for students, and the unemployed or those seeking benefits, but how do you find them? No one wants to end up bartering with a counsellor over the price of their mental well being.
And what guarantees that the counsellor is the real deal? There are no laws in the UK that govern counselling, so what’s to stop anyone setting up shop to listen to people’s problems? There are qualifications and professional bodies, but these can often be confusing and over-whelming.
Counselling can take many different approaches – from person-based to psychoanalytic, and it’s important to choose a counsellor with an approach the person will be comfortable with and respond to well.
A daunting situation indeed, and it made us think. What if there was a website that collected all this information, so you could search for your where you live and the surrounding area and find a list of counsellors, with all their information, qualifications, and what areas they cover? Of course, a website like this didn’t exist. So we made one.
Counselling Directory was set up to provide a simple, easy, and most importantly un-daunting way of connecting people that need help with the people that provide it. A comprehensive searching tool, the site allows postcode, town and country searches, and produces a list of counsellors registered in this area. Each counsellor has a profile, listing a bit about themselves, their approaches, what areas they deal with, and all their training, qualification and experience and fees.
The site shows which counsellors are registered/accredited with a professional body, and full profiles are only displayed after insurance and qualification documents are checked or membership with a professional body has been verified.
We hope the site can solve the situation like our friend had. It’s hard enough deciding to undertake counselling, and who wants extra hassle of trying to find a counsellor? The site has also become a huge information bank – there are articles written by the counsellors, as well as comprehensive information on all kinds of distress – from depression to eating disorders to abuse, to help people identify their problems and become informed, not scared.
We’ve heard from many people who have found the site invaluable, reducing the amount of stress and worrying that can contribute to an already difficult enough process.
Please see us at the Counselling Directory
admin October 12th, 2009
I’ve read his stories countless times to my children. I’ve had them read back to me by my son and laughed ourselves silly. The talented author I just discovered suffers from a mental illness to. In this great article from the Globe and Mail you’ll read about how he has found his place through bipolar disorder. I applaud him for his desire to share his experience with the public.
In the book Purple, Green and Yellow by bestselling author Robert Munsch, a girl named Brigid draws on her entire body with “super-indelible-never-come-off-till-you’re-dead-and-maybe-even-later colouring markers” and, when she washes, is rendered invisible, much to her mother’s horror.
“‘Don’t worry,’ said Brigid, and she coloured herself all over till she looked perfect. Even better than before,” Mr. Munsch writes.
“ Purple, Green and Yellow is my take on depression,” the real-life Mr. Munsch says in an interview. “That’s what it was like for me: You want to kill yourself, but you have to be funny. You colour yourself for the world.”
Read the full article
admin September 28th, 2009
By Melissa Schorr
Mon., Sept . 28, 2009
Posted on the msnbc.com site
Patrick Tracey watched helplessly as his two older sisters, mother and grandmother were all felled by the brutal blow of schizophrenia.
“It hits like a comet, the impact is so devastating,” says Tracey, who spent his 20s fearing inheriting the disease himself, and later, watching romantic relationships fizzle over his reluctance to pass that burden onto any children.
Mental health professionals have long known that certain mental illnesses can run within families — and that history weighs heavily on some people who are struggling to decide whether to have children and risk passing it on.Family mental history shadows future children.
Read the full article
admin July 25th, 2009
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis MO are looking for volunteers to participate in a study of Bipolar Disorder.
We are interviewing parents with a history of Bipolar I or Bipolar II disorder who have children between the ages of 12-21.
Please call the Study Coordinator, Julia Morgan, at 1-877-286-1736 for more information. All eligible families will be compensated for their time.
We hope you will consider participating in this important project.
admin May 6th, 2009
One of the group members from my facebook group directed my attention to this great series in the Niagara Falls Review entitled Breaking the Silence by Alison Langley.
Second in a five-part series on Niagara Child and Youth Services, the primary provider of children’s mental health services in Niagara.
Wednesday’s story looks into treatment programs that assist children who are no longer able to function at school or in the family home.
A St. Catharines mother whose son attends the day treatment program recently formed a support group for parents of children with bipolar disorder.
COPE Niagara meets every month. For further information send an email inquiry to cope.niagara@yahoo.ca.
The blackboard at the front of the classroom is covered with chalk scribbles. A row of computers hum nearby.
The classroom is empty. The children are in the nearby gymnasium.
The squeak of sneakers on the hardwood floor echoes down the hallway.
It is a scenario that plays out at elementary schools across Niagara on any given day.
But this isn’t your typical school. And, these aren’t your typical youngsters.
Some of the students are verbally and physically aggressive.
admin February 5th, 2009
“Without fear and illness, I could never have accomplished all I have.”
Edvard Munch quotes (Norwegian Painter and printmaker. 1863-1944)
Some of the most beautiful songs are written in the face of adversity, fear and isolation like Angel by Sarah McLachlan or Good riddance - time of your life by Green Day. Great things have been done in an effort to bring together people with a common cause. Take Megan’s Walk for example. A brave little girl who lost her fight to cancer at a very young age. Every year people gather to walk in honour of Megan. At the end of the walk there is a circle of hope.
The “circle of hope” around the hospital was overflowing with hands reaching out, faces turned up to the windows of the hospital, giving that big “hug of hope” to all those within.
I realize that in the grand scheme of things social anxiety is not nearly as devastating a journey in the life of a child as Leukemia, Brain Tumors or even Bipolar Disorder and Autism. What people need to realize is that Social Anxiety and other Anxiety disorders are still disorders and still require constant attention. I started last year with on a purpose. I did not want other parents to feel as hopeless as I did. I admit I have a lot to be grateful for and trust me when I wake up in the morning I am indeed thankful that we are all well and alive.
My analogy on social anxiety is much like a paper cut. It happens when you least expect it and it stings. It lasts for a long time and can be bothersome because it’s not big enough for a band-aid but causes an annoyance. Social anxiety is not as recognized or understood as other disorders and it is that very reason that I am trying to make some noise to make people realize that you need to treat situations and circumstances a little differently. Those who are experiencing life as I have I thank you for all of your comments and encouragement. So why is my life engrossed right now by social anxiety?Why am I doing this blog, have the facebook group and why am I trying to get a book published. Why would I expose our family’s situation in the Globe and Mail article? It is so that parents just like me, who feel like they are at the end of their rope and just need someone who understands to say it’s okay to feel supported and comforted.
For those of you who think that they would be happy and/or relieved if all they had to deal with was the occasional breakdown and worries of whether their child will walk into school or not than I have only one thing to say, perhaps this blog is not the right place for you.
I am in the process of doing wonderful things and I wouldn’t change my life for a second. I am a better person for all that I have been through and I hope that my parenting ability has reflected all that I have learned from the village of people who have encircled me.
Yes, to some my life has been a walk in the park but that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t fight for what I believe is right for Sydney and all those other children who need help. So you’ll have to forgive me my friends if you don’t think my cause is worth the effort because clearly you haven’t spent the time with my daughter in recent months. All children are worth a tremendous effort and as long as I have people connecting to this blog and sending me emails telling me that what I have described is like I was sitting in their kitchen that very morning I will continue doing what I do.
