James Brown

Since 1998, over a million very brave people have shaved or coloured their hair in the World’s Greatest Shave, raising in excess of $120 million for the Leukaemia Foundation.

Here at Bulimba Psychology we know one of these very brave Australian’s who’s shaving – our receptionist CHERIE!

Please sponsor Cherie and help The Leukaemia Foundation reach their fundraising goal this year.

The money helps the Leukaemia Foundation support people with blood cancer and fund’s important research, and it’s tax-deductible!

Follow the link to Donate Now! Or pop a coin or two in the tin on our reception counter, every dollar goes a long way.

Good Luck Cherie!

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I was recently asked to visit Runcorn State Heights State School to speak to a group of year six students. I must admit, I was a little nervous as the group was larger than I expected. I tried to do my best to make the presentation interactive and fun. I left feeling good about my presentation, but not sure of how well it was received or if it helped the children in any way. The following week I received an envelope with letters from the students thanking me for my presentation. What was encouraging was to hear the children express in their letters how they had taken on board the information. I think the letter below best captures what many of the kids wrote:

“Dear James,

Thank you for having time to speak with us. I really appreciate you coming to tell us not to get stuck in one miserable situation but to move forward. Six years ago my parents divorced and six years I have tried to get happy like my usual self and every time I tried I failed. You’ve helped me get over this. Thank you. I know I won’t be able to be like before but I would be able to become stronger if something wrong happens and I BOUNCE back (resilience). I really enjoyed the story about [Shawn] not being able to see because he found ways to do what he wants, meaning if he can recover to be himself, I can too!

Sincerely,

NAME REMOVED ”

Sometimes when we are working with kids we think that they are not taking the messages in. I think we are often very wrong. They are smarter than a lot of us adults!

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ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE PROPOSED CUTS

► The Australian Psychological Society (APS) 2011 Audit Survey of 9,900 clients who required more than 10 sessions of treatment under the Better Access Initiative showed the vast majority had moderate-to-severe or severe mental health disorders involving depression and anxiety disorders, and that they received effective psychological treatment. The Federal Government’s own evaluation found that 83% of consumers treated by psychologists under the Better Access Initiative had suffered from high to very high psychological distress prior to treatment.

► The proposed funding cuts to the Better Access initiative would deny these people access to effective psychological treatment. The vast majority of these people would also be denied access to public sector mental health services as they have high-prevalence disorders (e.g., anxiety, depression) and are not necessarily in need of team-based care.

► The recommendation that these people be referred to a consultant psychiatrist is not realistic as there is a significant shortage of psychiatrists and some charge a prohibitive gap fee in the range of $200 per session.

► The recommendation that these people access an ATAPS program run through the Divisions of General Practice (DGPs) is not a viable referral option as there is simply not enough funding to provide services. A major issue is that a significant proportion of the funding for mental health services received by DGPs is spent on administration and not the delivery of treatment.

► The Government’s own evaluation of the Better Access Initiative demonstrated that it is a cost-effective way of delivering mental health care. The typical cost of a package of care delivered by a Psychologist under the initiative is $753. Under ATAPS, it is estimated to cost 2-10 times as much per session.

With 1 in 5 adult Australians experiencing mental illness in any one year, the proposed cuts may affect you or someone you know.

Either now…or in the future.

If you believe Australians deserve a better standard of Mental Health care then make your concerns known.

1). Sign an e-Petition

Make it clear that you are an Australian who believes in a better standard of Mental

Health care. Sign up at www.surveymonkey.com/s/NoCutsToMentalHealth

2). Email or write to key Ministers, Senators, or Local Members

Key contacts and a suggested proforma email / letter (can be modified) is available at

www.surveymonkey.com/s/NoCutsToMentalHealth

3). Distribute this information

Knowledge is power! Share this with your family, friends, co-workers, etc.

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In May I ran the very popular 123 Magic Parenting Course which is a workshop for parents and carers of children from 2 to 12 years. These workshops are always popular and a great opportunity for parents to brush up on their skills and take home useful tactics to implement straight away. At the conclusion of the program I like to get feedback from the participants to assess how they feel the course went and to ask for constructive ideas for future courses.

Overall, participants were generally happy with the topics covered, my knowledge as facilitator, the presentation of the material and most importantly that the information was useful at home.

“It was fantastic and I feel privileged to know this stuff now. We have already started to implement and cannot quite believe how simple and effective it is. It really is magic. A huge thank you…”

“…I thought it extremely valuable and would highly recommend it to others. Thank you for organising it and giving my family an opportunity to grow in our parenting roles.”

Of the constructive feedback people asked if more discussion time was possible or if there could be a fourth session enabling people to ‘try’ the course at home and use the additional session for ironing out any issues. These are two ideas I will be thinking about for our next course which is scheduled for August 2011.

Thank you to all participants for taking the time to take the survey.

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I have read much about Helen Keller over the years and always find her story a source of inspiration. I came across this quote just today and found it spoke to me deeply given some personal challenges lately.

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens: but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us”

Thanks again Helen for yet another pearl of wisdom.

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Australia, like many countries, is in a process of evaluating the way we educate our children, for now and the future. I was forwarded this youtube presentation that I thought was an excellent treatise of this most important topic to parents and educators. I also found the comments made in reference to ADHD particularly interesting. ADHD continues to be a controversial topic, and is one where further inquiry is needed to ensure correct diagnosis and treatment. I don’t know if this presentation has subsequent chapters to follow from this one, but enjoyed it as it was nonetheless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

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I thought I would share my mother’s talent with all that care to read. For many years my mother has written little poems and stories for her family. We have always told she has a talent for writing, but she lacks confidence in herself. I thought I would post one of her little efforts about my son Jamison. I hope you enjoy it. Good on you mum!

Jamison’s Ride

I can’t control my laughter when I see grandson number four,
Wearing only gumboots, he walks out the sliding door.

He climbs upon his tricycle, his private parts concealed
By handlebars in front of him, and feet astride the wheels.

He zooms off down the driveway, clearly loving the fresh air,
Innocent and beautiful, his skin completely bare.

I chase him down the pathway calling, ‘Come back here to me.
You need to put some clothes on!’ He ignores my breathless plea.

Eventually I catch him – it’s what I have to do.
I have to keep him safe, you see, for he is but only two.

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On June the 17th I will be walking 100km with my wife Michelle, my brother-in-law Chris, and my friend Dean for OxfamAustralia. this is the first time the Oxfam Trailwalker event is being held here in Brisbane.

Oxfam Trailwalker is one of the world’s leading team endurance challenges, with 15 events in 12 countries and growing. Oxfam Australia now holds three events each year: Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Globally, Trailwalker has raised more than $100 million since 1981 for Oxfam’s valuable work around the world.

Go to www.trailwalker.oxfam.org.au/brisbane/teams/team/?team_id=9404#?moptip to see our team page and to learn more about this event. Your donations are appreciated, or if you are interested there are volunteer opportunities to assist with the Trailwalker event.

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SCHOOL PHOBIA

Source: Dr Isaac M. Marks, Living with Fear: Understanding and Coping with Anxiety

Most children are reluctant to go to school at some stage; however, their distress is generally short-lived and clears up without treatment. Occasionally reluctance to go to school culminates in outright refusal. This can become a serious problem and is sometimes called school phobia.

Refusing school differs from truancy. Unlike truants, school phobic children bluntly refuse to go to school, do not show other delinquent behaviour, have no history of their parents being away from home, and have a fair standard of work and behaviour at school. They also have more physical symptoms of anxiety than truants, such as difficulties in eating and sleeping, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.

School Phobic children may give no reason for refusing to go to school or they may express concern or worry about being bullied, being teased, or fear a teacher, or be self-conscious about their appearance. They may avoid undressing in front of other children or taking a public shower after games, or be anxious about doing badly at games or schoolwork. A few children fear that harm may befall their mother while they are at school. Other reasons given for not going to school include fears of fainting during school assembly or vomiting.

School phobic children express their fears not only directly but also in physical symptoms, especially in the morning when encouraged to leave home for school. They may complain of nausea, vomiting, headache, and diarrhea, pain in the tummy, throat, or leg, eating difficulties, sleep disturbance, and various fears. The complaints may make the parents nervous and lead to open or tacit agreement that the child should stay home. The complaints then usually subside, only to recur the next morning when it is time to return to school. Typically a child complains of nausea at breakfast and may vomit and resist all attempts at reassurance by his worried mother until she gives in and allows him to remain home. Then he feels better unless pressure to go to school is resumed.

School refusal is usually preceded by a gradually growing reluctance to attend. The child might be irritable, weep a lot, be restless and sleep badly, feel sick, and complain of tummy pain when it is time to go to school. Insistence that school be attended will produce fear, and the child may go pale, tremble, and sweat. The fear may begin suddenly on a Monday morning following a weekend, on the first day of a new term, or on the day of return to school following illness. A common trigger is a change to a new school. Less often, school refusal can begin after the death, departure, or illness of a parent.

Prolonged absence due to school phobia can lead to serious consequences that may continue into adulthood. The child may lose touch with friends, social skills wither, and education suffers. The habit of avoiding unpleasantness may grow, so that in later years that person will cope more poorly with the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune with which we all must learn to contend.

TREATMENT

When treating school phobia it is important to first check that the conditions at school are tolerable, that the child is not being bullied, and that unreasonable educational demands are not being made. If the situation at school seems satisfactory and the main problem is the child is scared of ‘normal’ circumstances, the most important point in treatment is firm insistence that he return to school and stay there however much he dislikes the idea.

Returning the child to school may require the co-operation of teachers, who need to understand the problem. When the child is sent protesting back to school, crying and yelling, it is common for parents to feel heartless especially in lieu of angry looks from other parents accusing them of outrageous cruelty. In most instances the child stops crying and settles into classroom activities quickly and the dramas of the morning are soon forgotten. It is important for parents to show interest in what children do at school and praise children for the work they are accomplishing, this can help a lot.

This article is an extract from Dr Isaac M. Marks book “Living with Fear: Understanding and Coping with Anxiety”. To order your own copy of this book or to speak to a psychologist about your child’s school phobia please contact Bulimba Psychology on 07 38991455 or via email info@bulimbapsychology.com.au

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Source: The Australian Psychological Society

The recent rain and floods that have bombarded Queenslanders over the last few months can leave more in their wake than brown mud and a stench. Many people have been directly and indirectly affected by these floods and in some cases this can lead to trauma.

In most instances people will recover from traumatic events without help from a health professional, but some people may feel they need additional support.

Psychologists can provide care and support for people who are experiencing more distressing feelings over a prolonged period of time. Specialists can help if a person is experiencing significant distress that does not settle, or if the symptoms are interfering with the person’s ability to relate to loved ones or carry out their normal role at home or work.

Signs that someone may need help

There are certain key signs to look for that might indicate that someone needs extra help. If a person:

• still feels upset or fearful most of the time
• shows changed behaviour compared to before the trauma
• can’t function in normal activities
• has worsening relationship issues
• uses alcohol or drugs to cope
• feels jumpy or has disturbed sleep
• keeps dwelling on the event
• seems unable to enjoy life; numb or withdrawn
• takes risks, doing dangerous or self-destructive things

If any of these symptoms are familiar to you or someone you know it may be time to get in touch with a professional to help with the situation. For more information and strategies relating to coping with disaster contact Bulimba Psychology on 3899 1455, alternatively contact the APS on 1800 333 497 or visit the APS at www.psychology.org.au.

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