news for november 2009 insert story title here phams lookout newsletter, november 2014 contents...

news for

November 2009

Insert story title here



PHaMs LOOKOUTNEWSLETTER, NOVEMBER 2014

CONTENTS

PHaMs news, partner agency

schedule – 2

Walali Neighbourhood -3

Q & A summary – 4

Resilience and wellbeing - 5

Task of recovery

Depression & quit smoking -6

Research, The power of TV – 7

November calendar - 8

Published by:Australian Red Cross

PHaMs14b Cambridge St

Rockhampton QLD 4700Tel: 07 4922 0020

Wellbeing Festival 2014 was a wonderful day

Published by:Red Cross PHaMs 14b Cambridge Street, RockhamptonTel: 07 4922 0020www.redcross.org.au

PHaMs News

Partner Agencies These agencies visit the Walali Neighbourhood

Schedule centre on a regular basis to provide

services

Department of Human Services ------------- Every Tuesday, 1:15pm – 3:00pm Centrelink payments

Centacare personal counsellor ------------- Every Friday, 10:30am – 2:30pm Trauma counselling

Alcohol & Drug Federation Qld --------------- Every Thursday, 10:00am – 2:15pm Alcohol & Drug counselling

Australian Red Cross PHaMs and the

Walali Neighbourhood Centre

facilitated a Q & A with a panel of

professionals during Mental Health

week. This wrapped up a hugely

successful Mental Health Week in our

community.

This great day included “wear a crazy

hat” for Mental Health awareness .

The staff, volunteers and community

members all got into the spirit by

wearing their best crazy hats. There

was also the cutting of the Walali

Neighbourhood Centre’s fourth

birthday cake.

Happy Birthday Walali !

Walali Neighbourhood Centre News

Fun & Fitness - Monday 10:30am at the South Rockhampton public pool.

There is a small cover charge of $2.00. Participants are invited to meet at the Walali Neighbourhood Centre by

10:15am and a bus will transport to the Pool.

Gym,- will be closed from 28th October to 25th November 2014. Personal training in the park with Carman is still

available for those interested. Meeting at usual workout times at the Walali Neighbourhood Centre.

Recovery Fellowship, - Mental health recovery peer conversations. Thursday 11:30am at the Walali

Neighbourhood Centre

Peer Group monthly meeting,- will meet next, December 4th at the Walali Neighbourhood Centre. Start time is at

1:30pm.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Group, - meeting held at the Walali Neighbourhood Centre fortnightly .

The next meeting will be held on 10th November 2014, 4:00 – 5:00pm. This group is a women’s group. We will be

commencing a men’s group in 2015

Anti Discrimination Commission Qld -The Walali Neighbourhood Centre will be hosting a community

education session. Introduction to the Anti-Discrimination Act This course provides a basic introduction to the key

elements of anti-discrimination legislation in Queensland. The session is interactive with a variety of visual and

group activities and allows time for questions and discussion. Open to anyone with a interest or who may find this

relevant to their current studies. Date and times will be posted soon.

Fried rice FridayMonday swimming group

Garden project

Halloween , Cemetery tour

SUMMARY OF Q&A COMMUNITY FORUM

The Community Forum was well attended with 50 guests plus the panel of front line workers, Indigenous Elders and

other professionals.

There was passionate discussion around individual and community issues. Amongst a good cross section of

participants. The robust conversation lead to some real outcomes.

The panel and participants have prioritised the following

•All panel members have agreed to come back and continue the discussion around priorities for the community and

workshop pathways to make these a reality at a date to be negotiated. Timeline for this is to occur within 3 months

(looking at February 2015 due to Christmas break).

•Aunty Judy Tatow and members of the panel and audience identified there is a need for supported accommodation

or transitional housing ( 2 if possible) in the community for people leaving prison , IPU and rehabilitation facilities. Dr

Rolfe advised he had been trying to obtain funding for a similar project since he was working within Rockhampton

Mental Health Service and to date has been unsuccessful.

Other discussion centred around developing a consortium of relevant service providers including the Police,

Ambulance, Elder Groups and regional councils ( Rockhampton City Council are yet to be contacted).

All of the service providers and panel members from organisations, under took to support this process.

Early intervention was also identified by all who attended. Ideas were raised introducing education and awareness

programs around social and emotional wellbeing challenges into schools, including upper primary school years. Red

Cross will determine if “Talk out Loud” is available and will follow up with Education Queensland for their initial

thoughts around this project.

This forum was made possible by working in collaboration with Police, Helum Yumba Elders group, Centacare,

Ozcare, CQID, CQML, Rockhampton Mental Health Service, CTC Youth Agency, Headspace, Suncare, Carers

Queensland, Anglicare, Dept Queensland Housing and Public works, Excelcare, PHaMs participants, Walali

Neighbourhood visitors and members of the community.

I would like to thank all of the participants for your valuable input and look forward with anticipation and excitement to

the future community forums and information sharing opportunities. Please feel free to contact me for further

information on how you can be a part of the future Community Forums to have your say!

Regards Lesley

Resilience & Wellbeing

Wellbeing

works

It's important to understand that wellbeing is distinct from

happiness, which can come and go, whereas wellbeing is

a consistent state of wellness, satisfaction and

contentment. In Australia, many of us work and strive to

improve our wellbeing and quality of life, and that of our

families.

Elements that can contribute to a person's wellbeing are:

Health.

Personal relationships.

Feelings of safety.

Standard of living.

Sense of achievement and purpose.

Feeling part of the community.

Future security.

As a woman and individual working hard to stay on the

road to a greater wellbeing. I believe the way we practice

self-care has a direct effect on how emotionally healthy or

unhealthy we can be.

The following steps I found very helpful as I endeavour to

practice daily self-care in my recovery.

•I am not my thoughts. Thoughts happen and it is up to

me to train my brain to recognise that I don’t need to

attach or act on each thought. In fact when I start playing

out a story in my mind. I stop and ask myself, “is this

true? Do I absolutely know it’s true? If I am entertaining a

thought that isn’t real or is my own prediction of

something that can’t be known, it’s often a projection of an

underlying fear I might have. Through this, I am able to let

an irrational thought go.

• Live my life as if everything is for the benefit of

me. This means taking everything that comes

my way, is for the greater good of me.

Sometimes it is asking me to be vulnerable,

assertive or patient. Whatever it is, I know it is

here to help me grow as a person, and each

experience I go through helps me to be

stronger and more grounded in my recovery.

• Ask of help. We are not designed to live life as

separate beings. I have my family, friends and

peers that travel with me on this journey of

recovery. If I’m stuck emotionally, spiritually,

physically or mentally – the best gift I can give

myself is admitting I am stuck and ask for help.

• My body. My vessel. I choose to eat healthy

and naturally. Walking is my salvation, even if

its for only 15mins.

• Daily reflection. When I put pen to paper, I am

able to make sense of where I am and where I

want to go. For some, daily reflection ma come

in other forms, such as taking a photo, drawing

or meditation. Visual reflection allows me to live

in gratitude.

Shelly Green

Recovery Points

•Recovery is an everyday human experience.

•Recovery is a personal journey, but rarely

taken alone.

•Recovery is living well.

•Recovery means being in control and

connectedness.

Tasks of Recovery•Developing a positive identity: the first task is to

develop a positive identity outside of being a person with

a mental illness. What is valuable as part of personal

identity is different for everyone. This could involve family

roles, personal strengths, work, artistic or physical

strengths.

•Framing the ‘mental illness’: understanding the

meaning of the illness and being able to put it in a ‘box’ as

part of the person but not the whole person. Some people

understand mental illness in medical terms, and others

give it a different meaning (i.e. a spiritual or existential

crisis).

•Self-managing the mental illness: viewing the illness

as one of life’s challenges, taking responsibility for

managing symptoms or problems, and seeking help from

others when necessary

•Developing valued social roles: family, work or

community roles provide a sense of meaning, purpose

and identity

Depression and quitting smokingStudies show that people with depression want to

quit. When is the right time to quit? Chances are,

there will never be a magic moment or ‘right time’

to quit, but there are some times that are better than

others.

If you have depression, it’s important to choose a

time when you feel stable enough to make a plan

and stick to it. Your doctor can assess our mental

state and advise you about the right time to quit.

Many people see quitting as a private battle

between themselves and cigarettes, but getting help

increases your chances of success. There are

many options available depending on your needs.

It’s a good idea to write up your plan – use the

online tool at www.quit.org.au

It’s a good idea to list all your reasons and number

them in order of importance. Print out your list and

stick it on your fridge or another handy space as a

reminder. Knowing what situations make you want

to smoke can help you plan how to deal with trigger

situations when you’re quitting.

Use the 4Ds

•Delay

•Deep breathe

•Drink water

•Do something

Most cravings only last a few minutes.

www.beyondblue.org.au 1300 22 4636

Living with Depression or Bipolar Disorder

As with other chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart

disease or asthma, people with mood disorders should

see themselves as managers of their illness. Depression

and bipolar disorder are treatable, but they are not

yet curable. For many people, depression and bipolar

disorder are chronic illnesses. If severe, depressive

and/or manic episodes reappear at some point in your life,

don’t panic. Your experience with previous episodes puts

you one giant step ahead in the process of recognizing

symptoms and getting help. By continuing your treatment

plan, you can greatly reduce your chances of having

symptoms recur.

We are biological beings, to be sure, but you can’t put a person’s life experiences – fears, traumas, thoughts, emotions, dreams, and losses – under a microscope and diagnose them and call it a disease.

~Laurie Ahern

Research shows the power of TV.

A number of studies in Australia and elsewhere in

the world have shown a strong link between the

portrayals of people with mental illness on the

small screen, and public attitudes to people with

lived experience of mental illness.

A 2005 report by mental health organisation SANE

Australia looked at consumers’ impressions and

responses to TV and movie depictions of mental

illness and suicide. The majority of people who

participated in Make it Real! believed that

inaccurate and stigmatising portrayals of people

with mental health problems were far more

common than informed representations, and that

the examples had a lasting impact.

This included reinforcing stereotypes and negative

labels, and increasing the self-stigma for people

living with mental illness.

“I don’t know much about it [the portrayal of mental

illness in TV dramas],” said one respondent. “Just

what I see on TV, and they’re always psycho

killers.” Another said: “They only

care about creating a big drama to get ratings up,

not how this affects us”.

In the same year, a University of Melbourne study

reviewed the research literature around fictional

film and television portrayals of mental illness.

This found that the portrayal of mental

illness is “extensive and, predominantly,

perpetuating myths and stereotypes”.

The report says: “People with mental illness are most

commonly shown as being violent and aggressive,

but they are also frequently depicted as

eccentrics, seductresses (in the case of women),

self-obsessives, objects for scientific observation,

simpletons and/ or failures.”

The study also found that, perhaps contrary to

popular opinion, entertainment media may have a

greater influence on community attitudes towards

mental illness than news media.

Amy Visser, of the Hunter Institute of Mental Health,

which manages Mindframe, says television drama

plays an important role in influencing people’s

attitudes. “There is a demonstrated link between

negative portrayals of mental illness in the mass

media and negative beliefs among people in the

community,” says Amy." In short, this can lead to

stigma and discrimination towards people living with a

mental illness. It’s not so much the instance of these

portrayals as the way in which they are presented

that can influence outcomes for people who are

vulnerable, and community understanding generally.

”While old stereotypes are being challenged more

often, negative depictions of characters with mental

illness are still all too common on Australian television

screens “There are still many myths and

misconceptions being perpetuated in the name of

‘drama’. Mental illness is often easy fodder for

creating characters with bizarre and eccentric

behaviours and the conflict that ensues, with little

explanation as to if, how or why someone living with

an illness would behave this way. However,

increasingly these clichés are being challenged as

writers seek out new and exciting stories.”

By Rebecca Proffitt, Cate Hennessy

LIKE MINDS, LIKE MINE: JULY 2014

3rd

•Fun & Fitness @ 10.30amSwimming at the Sth side pool

• Choir @ 1.00pm

4th

•Crafty Yarners 10.00am

•Daily living workshop @ 1:30

5th

Walali

Centre

Closed

6th

•Sew N Tell @ 10:00am

•Recovery Fellowship @ 11:30

• Barista Club @ 1:00pm

7th

•CQID art project &Ozcare Homestay garden project @ 10:00am

•Almost anything goes

@ 1:00pm

10th


• Choir @ 1.00pm

11th



12th 13th

• Sew N Tell @ 10:00am

•Recovery Fellowship @ 11:30


14th • CQID art project &Ozcare Homestay garden project @ 10:00am


@ 1:00pm

17h


• Choir @ 1.00pm

18th



19th 20th

• Sew N Tell @ 10:00am•Recovery Fellowship @ 11:30


21th

• CQID art project &Ozcare Homestay garden project @ 10:00am


@ 1:00pm

24th


• Choir @ 1.00pm

25th• Crafty Yarners 10.00am

•Gym @ 11:00am

•Daily living workshop @ 1:30pm

26th 27th

• Sew N Tell

@ 10:00am

•Gym @ 11:00

•Barista Club

@ 1:00pm

28th • CQID art project &Ozcare Homestay gardenproject @ 10:00am


@ 1:00pm

Monday Tuesday Wednesday

Thursday Friday

Walali Neighbourhood Centre14b Cambridge St, RockhamptonPh.: 4922 0020 November

2014

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