SCHOOL REFUSAL: ADAVIC LECTURE

  

School refusal is a complex and common issue in our society affecting up to 5% of children, and is stressful for the child, their family and the school.  The more time the child is away from school, the more difficult it is for the child to resume normal school life.  If school refusal becomes an ongoing issue it can negatively impact the child’s social and educational development.

This information session will provide parents and teachers with an understanding of this complex issue and will provide them with a range of strategies they can use to assist their children back to school, including:

• What is school refusal?
• How common is it?
• Types of school refusers
• Why children refuse to go to school?
• The symptoms school refusers present with
• Short and long term consequences of school refusal
• Things to consider in assessment
• What parents can do (practical strategies)
• What schools and other professionals can do

About the Presenter

Joanne Garfi is a psychologist with 23 years experience and expertise in child and adolescent issues.   She has 8 years experience as a school psychologist, working in both primary and secondary schools providing specialist training to teachers.  She has special interests in the treatment of Anxiety and Panic Disorder and is well known for her work with school refusal, childhood anxiety, behavioural disorders and developmental issues.  She utilizes Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and skills development and prefers to take a whole person approach to treatment.  Her emphasis when working with children is to have families and schools working together to bring about change.

$10 for members, $20 for non-members, Wednesday 8th August, 2012, Wyndham City
(Council Chambers Room) 45 Princes Highway (entrance Foyer - Southern Lobby), Werribee, VIC Melway Ref: 206 / B7, 7.30pm  to 9.00pm 

  

YOUR COMPASS

The Black Dog Institute and the Federal Government have launched a new website designed to help people who may not otherwise seek help about their anxiety issues. 

"myCompass is an interactive self-help service that aims to promote resilience and wellbeing for all Australians. myCompass is a guide to good mental health – it points you in the right direction. You can track your moods, write about them and view information and tips. You can also choose to do one of the modules designed to help you manage mild to moderate stress, anxiety and depression."

"To get the most out of myCompass we recommend you:
track at least 2 moods, feelings or events each day
complete at least 2 of the modules & home tasks
use the program regularly for 6 to 8 weeks"

Check it out! 

NATUROPATHY

 

We've all heard it before, but some of us may not be entirely sure, or just need some reminding. Naturopathy: what is it, what does it do, and why should it be considered? 

 What is it?

Naturopathy relies on a holistic system of healing,  meaning that by incorporating a range of natural treatments and therapies, your own body is able to aid itself. The underlying belief is that our immune system may be less prone to sickness and general negative well-being if one can maintain a natural equilibrium of the body. 

As opposed to drugs, a Naturopath typically recommends systems of exercise or dietary changes  

What does it do?

Naturopathic approaches may include: 

• dietary advice
• herbal remedies
• homeopathy (the idea that like cures like, i.e. what makes a healthy person sick, will make a sick person healthy)
• hydrotherapy (use of water for pain relief and treatment)
• iridology (idea that patterns, colours and other characteristics of the iris can assist in pinpointing information about one's systemic health) 
• massage
• nutritional supplements
• osteopathy (work on muscles and joints; general belief that body has its own self-healing mechanisms).  

ADAVIC's workshop, 'Nourishing your nerves: Managing stress and anxiety through natural therapies' will include lectures in naturopathy, nutrition, Chinese medicine and yoga therapy - that's a diverse range of topics pertaining to naturopathy! Let's take a look at each of these topics briefly - to wet your appetite!

Nutrition: 

Rocco Di Vincenzo, an accredited practicing dietitian will talk about the role of optimum nutrition in the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders. His school of thought is that treatment occurs on a case-by-case basis, and that with the right diet for each individual, mood and anxiety can be better managed. 

Chinese Medicine:

 Robin Marchment, a lecturer in Chinese medicine at RMIT will discuss how herbs and acupuncture can calm the mind. Chinese herbs are said to restore your Qi (Chee); herbs are said to cure things like: fatigue, eczema, digestive problems and stress amongst others. Acupuncture, where very thin needles are inserted into the skin at acupuncture points, to restore the imbalance of the flow of Qi. The concept of Qi and Yin & Yang, are extremely prevalent in China, and many claim to have successfully manage their ailments. 

Yoga:

Originating from ancient India, Yoga is an increasingly popular exercise today. The main focus is to attain spiritual insight and inner tranquility. Essentially it is a kind of meditation which also physically as well as mentally manages.

Why should it be considered? 

Naturopathy claims to be able to treat a range of conditions, from weight loss to arthritis - book your seat at ADAVIC's 'Natural Therapies Workshop' to get a better understanding of natural therapies and how they may be able to assist you. 

Book here.

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES

 Don't waste your life in doubts and fears: spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour's duties will be the best preparation for the hours or ages that follow it.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ask yourself this question:
"Will this matter a year from now?"
Richard Carlson, writing in Don't Sweat the Small Stuff 

A mistake in judgment isn't fatal, but too much anxiety about judgment is. Pauline Kael

“Anxiety is the space between the "now" and the "then."”

Richard Abell 

It ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!  

Rocky Balboa

                 

DEALING WITH UNCERTAINTY

“Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security.”

~John Allen Paulos

Uncertainty is challenging for everybody. Some struggle with the inability to plan ahead, others with the risk that can accompany uncertainty (“will I have enough money to pay my rent?”) and some people just cannot stand that feeling of anxiety that uncertainty can bring. For mental health sufferers this may be something that is all too familiar. For everybody else, that feeling that overcomes your stomach and the thoughts that circulate in your mind, still do not seem easy to combat.

Lets discuss a light example of uncertainty. I will volunteer myself as an example (as a past volunteer for ADAVIC, it seems only fitting). I always knew what career path I would follow. When I finished my undergraduate degree at University I enrolled straight into an Honours course and was sure I would follow that with a masters degree. Half way through that Honours course I realised my heart (or maybe my head?) was not in it anymore. So I finished that year without any idea what would come next. Was I making a mistake not re-enrolling? Would I find a job I liked? What would everyone say if I was unemployed for the next year and had to then slink back to Univerisity with my tail between my legs? The thoughts that cross your mind when you face the anxiety around being uncertain can vary from the logical to the ridiculous.

Unfortunately, if we don’t expose ourselves to feelings of uncertainty, it probably means we are not taking any chances. If we protect ourselves from the unknown forever then we end up living a life without any challenge and without any excitement. I am not suggesting that you throw caution to the wind and let fate control every outcome in your life, but it is important that we loosen those ties we have with control every so often.

Here are some examples on how you can ease into it:


Prepare for different possibilities: In the example I used above I really had two logical outcomes, either I would get a job or I wouldn’t. So planning would involve searching for a job, and understanding that if I didn’t get one I would need a plan b (for example, re-enrolling in study or volunteering). Make a list if you have several possible outcomes.

Use stress-reducing techniques as soon as uncertainty becomes a possibility: The best way is to use breathing techniques and meditation.

Understand your uncertainty: Is it really being uncertain that bothers you, or is it the feelings that uncertainty elicits? Learn to check yourself and your thoughts. Have your thoughts gone from “I might not be able to find a job” to “I will end up unemployed, lonely and surrounded by twenty cats” – if so, then you are probably stressing out more than is necessary and for that, you can follow the previous step (breathing and meditation).

Focus on what you can control: You may not control whether someone hires you for a job, or whether an elderly parent passes away. However, you can control how well you write your resume and perform in a job interview. You can also control how you choose to spend your last days with a loved one. No one ever expects you to have the utmost control over your life, just do what you can (not what you think you should) and you will be all the better for it.

Understand that escape from uncertainty as impossibility: You will never have a life free from uncertainty. Understanding this and that we all deal with things in different manners, is why getting a hold of this, and realising what works for you is important in living a fulfilling life. Try a few techniques and see what eases those feelings and thoughts that we all know too well.


By Jessica – former ADAVIC volunteer who let uncertainty into her life and found…it paid off.

'GREEN TIME' GOOD FOR KIDS

EXPLORING the great outdoors is not only good for the body - it can improve the mind.

Regular 'green time' can help boost children's grades and confidence, while reducing stress, obesity, depression, and even the severity of ADHD, a new report says.

Heading outside can recharge children's circuitry, helping them pay better attention in class, the report commissioned by Planet Ark found.

But most parents are unaware that just half an hour a day immersed in nature can pay academic dividends for their children.

The research, commissioned ahead of National Tree Day, surveyed Australian parents and carers, and reviewed international findings on nature's health benefits.

It found one in four Aussie kids had never bushwalked or climbed a tree, and 11 per cent had never been to a zoo.

While most parents agreed that contact with nature was beneficial, 86 per cent did not believe children spent enough time outdoors.

Seventy-six per cent of parents said children could not identify common Australian trees like the wattle and bottlebrush, and nearly half felt children preferred indoor activities.

But Deakin University School of Health and Social Development Associate Professor Mardie Townsend said trees and shrubs could improve capacity to learn in the classroom, called 'attention restoration theory'.

"Even 30 minutes of green time can level the playing field for children who aren't naturally good at book learning by having a positive impact on their higher order cognitive skills,'' Dr Townsend said. 

"Doing nature-related activities can boost self-esteem for kids who struggle to learn the traditional way and natural settings reduce stress by providing a soothing atmosphere.''

The report says Australians are at risk of "generational environmental amnesia'' - where younger generations view the degradation of the environment as "normal'' and "acceptable''.

"Over time, our society's baseline by which we view the health of the environment declines,'' it says.

Planet Ark spokeswoman Rebecca Gilling rued the loss of basic adventures in nature.

"These things were absolutely standard in my childhood and ring alarm bells for me,'' she said.

National Tree Day is on Sunday 29 July.

(source)

SCHOOL REFUSAL - A VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH SALLY-ANNE MCCORMACK

In light of the upcoming ADAVIC lecture on School Refusal by Dr Joanne Garfi, here's an interview with another of ADAVIC's speakers Dr Sally-Ann McCormack talking about school refusal on The Circle.

Research pariticpants required for OCD!

Obsessive Complusive Disorder: Attachment, cognition and self-beliefs

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder that is characterised by the repeated occurence of instrusive thoughts and by compulsive actions. Researchers from Swinburne University are looking to extend research into current models of OCD through asking about beliefs about self and relationships.

Please note, we are seeking people without a diagnosis of OCD to do this research. IF you have OCD you are free to continue, although you may find some questions to be confronting.

Participation in this research involves completing an anonymous online survey. The survey involves a series of questions about you in relation to others, your thought processes, current mood state, and some demographic details. It should take around 30 minutes to complete. Please note that some questions about sensitive topics will be asked in this study. If you are uncomfortable with this, you may wish not to participate (e.g.: symptoms of depression and OCD, experiences of close relationships, and views you have about yourself).

If you decide to participate in this research, please complete the anonymous survey online. It is important that you understand that your participation in this study must be voluntary. You are free to discontinue participation at any time.

• Direct link to the survey is http://opinio.online.swin.edu.au/s?s=11212

If you have any questions about this project, please contact:

• Supervisor: Dr Richard Moulding, Lecturer, Swinburne University of Technology: Phone: (03) 9214 4686, Email: rmoulding@swin.edu.au

• Student Researcher: Jude Allamby: Email: j.allamby@bigpond.com

Want to assist in Research?

Want to assist in research by completing a survey?  If yes, read the below information:-

Our survey is centered on positive psychological factors which may act as resilient factors to depression. Particularly we are looking at optimism, goal setting, and self-efficacy to assess if they act as protective factors to depressive symptoms. We are doing it in an online form and participation is of course completely voluntary and anonymous. Further information about the study is provided in a plain language statement which can be found on the first page of the survey.

Below are the links to our study. I have included two surveys which are identical apart from the order of scales as a way of counterbalancing. This is just to ensure that the order of the scales doesn’t affect the data we obtain. People who volunteer to participate simply click on one of the two links and follow the prompts. It only takes on average 15 minutes to complete.

http://medusa.ballarat.edu.au/limesurvey/index.php?sid=93884&lang=en

http://medusa.ballarat.edu.au/limesurvey/index.php?sid=37811&lang=en

inspirational quotes

 The man of wisdom is never of two minds;
the man of benevolence never worries;
the man of courage is never afraid.
Confucius

Life has no smooth road for any of us; and in the bracing atmosphere of a high aim the very roughness stimulates the climber to steadier steps, till the legend, over steep ways to the stars, fulfills itself.
W. C. Doane

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
Wayne Gretzky

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Lao Tzu

COMIC RELIEF

 They say laughter is the best medicine, and a good comedy is always a great source of laughter. The films listed below are not only funny but they rely on the theme of anxiety disorders which may provide at least a new perspective on the condition. But remember as Shakespeare said, "A light heart lives long."

Some of the Best Anxiety Comedies of All Time:

High Anxiety (1977)
If you like Mel Brooks movies you’ll love High Anxiety. Brooks plays Dr. Richard Thorndyke  a  new administrator sent to the Institute for the very, Very Nervous. After being wrongly accused of murder, Thorndyke tries to clear his name and has to confront his own anxiety in the process.

  What About Bob? (1991)

Bill Murray plays a phobic psychiatric patient who can’t be without constant therapy. So much so, that Murray tracks down his psychiatrist while he’s on vacation. He then befriends the entire family and drives his psychiatrist crazy as the shenanigans unfold.

As Good As It Gets (1997)

Jack Nicholson plays a misanthropic writer with a severe case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The movie follows his attempts to overcome his anxieties while he also tries to win the heart of a local waitress. This movie is a great example of how hard, and rewarding, it is to overcome anxiety.

  Analyze This (1999)
Robert Deniro and Billy Crystal star in this hilarious comedy about an anxious mafia boss. Crystal tries all he can to make a “Happy well adjusted gangster” out of the troubled Deniro.

  Annie Hall (1977)
Woody Allen plays an anxious comedian that falls in love with his ditsy girlfriend Annie (Diane Keaton).  The movie is jammed packed with great dialogue and funny insights about anxiety, relationships, and life in general.

  Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
Adam Sandler plays an angry, yet passive, small time business man that struggles with social anxiety. He also tries to find a way around his sisters’ judgment as he seeks true love. This is by far one of Adam Sandler’s best films.

Possibly, one of the most hilarious scenes from these kinds of movies is from 2003's Anger Management starring Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson. Here's a clip to wet your appetite and leave you in stitches!

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

Below are some stories from real PTSD sufferers:

"I had three or four flashbacks a day" 

In some exceptional cases, the vivid recollection of a trauma can cause distress many years after the incident. Andy, an ex-fire officer, describes his experience of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and how the right treatment has helped him to move on.
"The event that caused my trauma happened 20 years ago when I was a fire officer. I was in charge of an appliance at a house fire where three people had died. It was my job to take their remains out of the house.

"A few days later I became distressed and started crying and feeling upset. This strong reaction came as a shock, but I said nothing at the time. I think this was partly because I didn't want to share my emotions with anybody. 

"My feelings and thoughts continued to bother me for a few weeks. After a while I decided that, because of my job, being like this was no good and I had to put these emotions to one side.
"These early responses to the trauma indicated the huge wave of feelings and sensations that would come back 17 years later in a way I couldn’t ignore.  

"I was still a firefighter. I kept remembering that terrible event and the feelings it left me with, but I tried not to think about it. A few days later my colleagues and I were at another house fire. It was similar to the one in which the family had died. Suddenly, I felt as if I wasn’t there. My mind was totally occupied in a flashback of the original incident. One of my colleagues had to step in and take over from me. 

"From then on I started to become distressed for no real reason. Everything seemed emotional, and I felt raw and exposed. I got easily frustrated, which made me short-tempered and angry.
"When the distress was at its worst, I had three or four flashbacks a day. I would sweat and become very nervous as I remembered the events 20 years ago. All the smells were there, and I even felt the heat of the fire moving across my face. People who saw me say that I sometimes walked about and mouthed words, but I was completely detached from my surroundings.

"That was when it became obvious that I couldn’t go on. After some time, I had a course of trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy with a PTSD charity called ASSIST. They helped me to understand that I had experienced something abnormal, that none of it was my fault, and that there was nothing wrong or crazy about my emotional responses.

"Talking about the fire was uncomfortable at times, but it helped me to process my memories so that they stopped reappearing as flashbacks. They have gone now, and I am able to get on with my life."


(source)

*

My Story of Survival: Battling PTSD

“I'm no longer at the mercy of my PTSD, and I would not be here today had I not had the proper diagnosis and treatment. It's never too late to seek help.”

by P.K. Philips

It is a continuous challenge living with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and I've suffered from it for most of my life. I can look back now and gently laugh at all the people who thought I had the perfect life. I was young, beautiful, and talented, but unbeknownst to them, I was terrorized by an undiagnosed debilitating mental illness.

Having been properly diagnosed with PTSD at age 35, I know that there is not one aspect of my life that has gone untouched by this mental illness. My PTSD was triggered by several traumas, including a childhood laced with physical, mental, and sexual abuse, as well as an attack at knifepoint that left me thinking I would die. I would never be the same after that attack. For me there was no safe place in the world, not even my home. I went to the police and filed a report. Rape counselors came to see me while I was in the hospital, but I declined their help, convinced that I didn't need it. This would be the most damaging decision of my life.

For months after the attack, I couldn't close my eyes without envisioning the face of my attacker. I suffered horrific flashbacks and nightmares. For four years after the attack I was unable to sleep alone in my house. I obsessively checked windows, doors, and locks. By age 17, I'd suffered my first panic attack. Soon I became unable to leave my apartment for weeks at a time, ending my modeling career abruptly. This just became a way of life. Years passed when I had few or no symptoms at all, and I led what I thought was a fairly normal life, just thinking I had a "panic problem."

Then another traumatic event re-triggered the PTSD. It was as if the past had evaporated, and I was back in the place of my attack, only now I had uncontrollable thoughts of someone entering my house and harming my daughter. I saw violent images every time I closed my eyes. I lost all ability to concentrate or even complete simple tasks. Normally social, I stopped trying to make friends or get involved in my community. I often felt disoriented, forgetting where, or who, I was. I would panic on the freeway and became unable to drive, again ending a career. I felt as if I had completely lost my mind. For a time, I managed to keep it together on the outside, but then I became unable to leave my house again.

Around this time I was diagnosed with PTSD. I cannot express to you the enormous relief I felt when I discovered my condition was real and treatable. I felt safe for the first time in 32 years. Taking medication and undergoing behavioral therapy marked the turning point in my regaining control of my lifeI'm rebuilding a satisfying career as an artist, and  I am enjoying my life. The world is new to me and not limited by the restrictive vision of anxiety. It amazes me to think back to what my life was like only a year ago, and just how far I've come.

For me there is no cure, no final healing. But there are things I can do to ensure that I never have to suffer as I did before being diagnosed with PTSD. I'm no longer at the mercy of my disorder and I would not be here today had I not had the proper diagnosis and treatment. The most important thing to know is that it's never too late to seek help.

(source)

*

 The Story of One Iraq Veteran's Struggle

Two years ago, the Rand Corporation released a study saying that 20 percent of all military service members who returned from Iraq and Afghanistan -- 300,000 in all -- reported symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder or major depression.

Many of those did not seek help because of the military culture or fear for their careers, and Rand said only half of those who did, received treatment that was "minimally adequate." The Veterans Administration says that since 1991 there have been 129,654 veterans of the two wars who officially received provisional diagnoses of PTSD.

Mike Nashif, who the Dallas Morning News says "spent 27 months (in Iraq) ... dodging roadside bombs, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and snipers" and seeing friends die, was one of those stricken by PTSD.

Nashif had been married with children before he left for Iraq. Now that 12-year marriage is gone, another victim of the war, the newspaper said. He sees his children only every other weekend.

Back at home after his first tour, his wife immediately noticed how much he had changed. The Morning News said Nashif "could not distinguish between the battlefield and his living room," and when he became emotional, "he went off like a rocket," at one point grabbing one of his misbehaving children by the throat and holding him against the wall.

Nashif said at the time that seeking psychological help was out of the question for him. He didn't want the Army to know he had problems "especially when your livelihood depends on your being promoted."


Later, Nashif did seek help. Army doctors "noted his searing migraines, frequent nightmares, memory lapses, hyper-vigilance and anxiety. They diagnosed severe post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury and recommended him for medical retirement," the Morning News said.

Nashif ultimately found another companion -- and solace in fishing. After his second deployment ended and he returned to Texas, he was put in charge of Fort Hood's Warrior Transition Brigade -- work that led him to found a nonprofit called "Take a Soldier Fishing," which he runs today.

 (source)