Halloween is approaching quickly. Have you considered how the costumes available to us often marginalize a person’s identity or culture? Think about using this Halloween as an opportunity to examine your sensitivity to different cultures. Don’t just throw up your hands and think “C’mon, it’s just meant to be fun! It’s part of the tradition! Or, No one cared this much about costumes before!”
One of the realities I learned really early on in my time as a Mental Health Practitioner was the skill of searching for resources! Groups, one-on-one interventions, even independent living skill building opportunities look different for every client we serve. While some clients are very receptive to the material we have on-hand (such as the Enhanced Illness Management and Recovery Curriculum), other clients need/want the information in a different format. I’ve also learned that it is impossible to stay up-to-date on all of the conditions we see in our facilities. What do we do when we need more? Below are some helpful suggestions:
One area that no one ever talks about outside of a supervision relationship is the reality that much of our work in the recovery fields is uncomfortable. It’s uncomfortable to sit in silence in a group that isn’t particularly chatty; it’s uncomfortable to ask your client if he/she/they have relapsed while residing in the facility you work; it’s uncomfortable to draw attention to ambivalence or discrepancy; to say no when asked to cover an extra shift; to disagree on a client care issue… Why don’t we talk about this?
How often do you come across an article online about a violent crime and read that the person who committed the crime had a mental illness? You know better than to click on the comments, but you do anyways and read things like “Mentally ill people are a danger to everyone, they should be locked away forever!” or “Of course, they are using the excuse that they are mentally ill to justify their actions.” It’s frustrating, to see the stigma that is still attached to mental illness these days.
The 4th of July has historically been a day for fireworks shows, socializing with friends and family, and enjoying the freedoms we have. The 4th of July for 2020 was a day we were required to wear masks, social distance, keep our gatherings to a limited amount of people, and acknowledge the barriers that are currently prohibiting our freedoms. It’s safe to say that July 4th, 2020 was unlike any other July 4th that has come before.
At Willow Haven, starting and maintaining our garden is one my favorite activities of the year. Our garden is going on its 5th year and we are hopeful it will be our best! We’ve had our fair share of ups and downs. one year we had a tree fall on our tomatoes. This year we built raised beds and were able to fill them with free compost from our local yard waste sites. The plants seem to be growing quickly so far!
When you think of unconditional love, who comes to your mind? Your parents? Your spouse or significant other? Your children? All of these examples would be correct, but we would be missing one of the purest forms of love that we can find; the love from and for our fur babies. A fur baby can come in many different shapes, sizes, and species; from the traditional dogs and cats, to guinea pigs, bunnies, hamsters, and even rats. They greet us when we come home with so much joy in their eyes because we are their world. They love to play, go for walks, snuggle and sleep by us. When we are sad they comfort us. They will listen to us and never tell another soul our deepest thoughts.
In our field of work, we use words like; progress, achieving stabilization, growth, advancement, and development. We help people achieve goals. We help people change. I, for the past two decades, have worked with some amazing and dedicated people. All devoted to helping people change. What’s puzzled me at times is these very dedicated people, myself included, are often resistant to change.
