Engage Aotearoa

Category Archives: Trauma

Hikoi for reTHiNK of Mental-Healthcare Choices Arriving in Auckland

February 3, 2013 12:17 pm ⋅

One Woman Walking: Hikoi for a Big reTHiNK of Mental Healthcare Choices 

Annie Chapman is on a hikoi across the length of the North Island to raise awareness about the need for better mental healthcare choices to be made available to service-users in New Zealand.

“I have ceased to be surprised now by how almost everyone I talk to about why I am walking has a story to tell of friends or loved ones in need, utterly failed by the mental health system.” ~ Annie Chapman, 21 December 2012

Annie Chapman will be in Auckland from the 14th – 21st February 2013 (and in fact she may arrive a few days earlier than this).

So far the Auckland events in place are:

• Saturday morning, 16th Feb, from 10 am til 12 noon at Morra Hall, Waiheke.  Note: there has been a change of venue to allow for a more formal setting.  Instead of Ostend Market as originally planned, Annie Chapman will now be at Morra Hall, Oneroa, Waiheke
• A meeting on 15th February with colleagues of Brigitte Sistig re Yoga and Depression
• A second radio interview with “Take it from Us” (Feb 19)
• A screening/talk of Jim Marbrook’s film “Mental Notes” as a fund-raiser on the 17th of February  at Connect SR in Glenfield.

If you have any questions or suggestions of other good possible places to meet, speak or be interviewed by media, please contact Annie direct on 027 4272644 or Hikoiforhealth@gmail.com

Find out more on the official Facebook Page

Help spread the word – invite your friends to the Facebook Event

Posted in: Community Participation, Families/Whanau, Maori Communities, Older People and Aging, Parents and Parenting, Pasifika Communities, People with Disabilities, Politics and Policy, Rainbow / LGBTQI+ Community, Service-User Movement, Social Change, Suicide Prevention/Support, Trauma, Young People and Youth Issues ⋅ Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Bullying Can Lead to PTSD Symptoms

January 23, 2013 3:05 pm ⋅

A new study has found a high incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among teenagers who have been bullied.

The study of 963 teens aged 14 and 15 in Norwegian schools found symptoms of the disorder in about 33 percent of the students who said they were victims of bullying — though it did not determine that these students were diagnosed with full-blown PTSD.

“This is noteworthy, but nevertheless unsurprising,” said psychologist Dr. Thormod Idsøe from the University of Stavanger (UiS) and Bergen’s Center for Crisis Psychology.

“Bullying is defined as long-term physical or mental violence by an individual or group. It’s directed at a person who’s not able to defend themselves at the relevant time. We know that such experiences can leave a mark on the victim.”

Read the full article at Psych Central

Posted in: Online Resources, Research, Trauma ⋅ Tagged: , , , ,

Acclaim Otago Launches Independent ACC survey

July 23, 2012 6:55 am ⋅

As a support group for injured people, Acclaim Otago is concerned that there is very little in the way of current and independent data available that accurately describes aspects of an injured person’s experience with ACC.

Acclaim Otago’s president, Dr Denise Powell says, “This is especially obvious when talking about rehabilitation and Vocational Independence. We are hearing anecdotally, that people are being exited from ACC without first receiving meaningful rehabilitation”.

ACC has recently said that “rehabilitation always comes first” but Dr Powell says “We have no simple way of finding out if this is correct or not. ACC does not currently keep data that identifies what happens once a person exits the scheme and we believe that is a huge gap. This survey aims to find out what happens to people who are clients of ACC.”

“We hope to use the survey results to make recommendations that will substantially improve the experience of injured people in New Zealand. We believe any improvements we can identify to the scheme will benefit not just the ACC and their clients, but potentially generations of New Zealanders to come” Dr Powell states.

The survey can be found at

Posted in: Community Participation, Disability Issues, Older People and Aging, Parents and Parenting, People with Disabilities, Research, Trauma, Young People and Youth Issues ⋅ Tagged: , , ,

Documentary about Trauma Release Exercises

June 21, 2012 9:10 am ⋅

Here is a link to a short documentary on TRE and its creator (Dr David Berceli) the last time he was in NZ. Just for your information.

https://distrify.com/films/2655-tremors

Posted in: Documentary, Online Resources, Trauma ⋅ Tagged: , ,

Survey About Treatment of Sexual Abuse Victims by ACC

June 21, 2012 8:44 am ⋅

ACC “cold blooded” to victims

by Off the Couch: Kyle MacDonald on June 18, 2012

This post appeared as an article in the Sunday Star Times on Sunday the 17th of June, 2012: click here for the original

A survey around sensitive claims and the treatment of sexual abuse victims has raised more questions about the Accident Compensation Corporation…(Click here for the rest of this blog post)

Posted in: News, Research, Trauma ⋅ Tagged: , , ,

Nationwide Ministry of Health Resources

May 3, 2012 11:27 am ⋅

for your information and reference – Nationwide resources….provided by Ministry of Health across New Zealand

Support and help for individuals

Helplines

  • Lifeline 0800 543 354
  • Lifeline’s Suicide helpline 0508 TAUTOKO
  • Youthline 0800 376 633
  • Kidsline 0800 543 754 (weekdays 4-6 pm)
  • What’s Up 0800 942 8787 (one to 11 pm 7 days, for young people aged 5 to 18)
  •  Depression Helpline 0800 111 757
  • Samaritans 0800 826 666 (lower North Island and Upper South Island) provides confidential, non-judgmental emotional support through their telephone helpline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to people in distress and at risk of dying by suicide.
  • Healthline 0800 611 116

Websites

  • The Lowdown (for young people) www.thelowdown.co.nz or freetext 5626
  • The Depression website www.depression.org.nz  which provides information about depression and an online depression self-management programme ‘The Journal’ presented by John Kirwan, which is backed up by online and phone base personalised support services.
  • Samaritans www.samaritans.org.nz

Services

  • Primary care professional or general practitioner
  • Community mental health service through the local district health boards (contact details in the white pages or at www.moh.govt.nz/districthealthboards

Support for families and friends

General Information Sources

  • Ministry of Health www.moh.govt.nz/suicideprevention – information about suicide and suicide prevention, facts, and Ministry publications
  • Suicide Prevention Information New Zealand www.spinz.org.nz – the national information service to provide high quality information to promote safe and effective suicide prevention activities.
  • The Mental Health Foundation www.mentalhealth.org.nz provides free information and training, and advocates for policies and services that support people with experience of mental illness, and also their families/whanau and friends.
Posted in: Addiction/Substance Abuse, Asian Communities, Families/Whanau, Maori Communities, Older People and Aging, Online Resources, Parents and Parenting, Pasifika Communities, People with Disabilities, Refugees / Migrants, Suicide Prevention/Support, Support, Trauma, Women, Young People and Youth Issues ⋅ Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Call for Govt Recognition of Past Abuse in Psychiatric Institutions

April 26, 2012 10:30 am ⋅

Sign the on-line petition: An Acknowledgment of historic injustice against former patients of NZ psychiatric hospitals

Between July 2005 and April 2007 a Confidential Forum was held for former In-patients of psychiatric hospitals. Over 400 former patients spoke about their experiences. The final report of the Confidential Forum Te Aiotonga (2007, available from the Department of Internal Affairs) outlines the themes that emerged including occurrences of physical violence and sexual misconduct; and de-humanising environments. The report remains formally unacknowledged by the government.

A United Nations report on New Zealand’s compliance with the UN convention against torture in 2009 recommended that the NZ government should take appropriate measures to ensure that allegations of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in the “historic cases” are investigated promptly and impartially, perpetrators duly prosecuted, and the victims accorded redress, including adequate compensation and rehabilitation.”

Phoenix Group, a Wellington group of people who have experienced mental distress are using the publicity surrounding the release of Jim Marbrook’s Mental Notes to call on the government to make a formal apology.

How can you help? 

Print this postcard and send it to parliament – and give a copy to a friend so they can do the same. Postage is free. 

confidential forum protest postcard for print

And share this notice around!

 

Ma te whakatau, ka mohio

When we are shown, we come to know

Ma te mohio, ka marama

When we know, we come to understand

Ma te marama, ka ora ai tatou

When we understand, we all achieve wellness

Posted in: Addiction/Substance Abuse, Asian Communities, Community Participation, Documentary, Families/Whanau, Human Rights and Legal Issues, Maori Communities, News, Older People and Aging, Parents and Parenting, Pasifika Communities, People with Disabilities, Politics and Policy, Refugees / Migrants, Service-User Movement, Social Change, Trauma, Young People and Youth Issues ⋅ Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

ACC Threatens Blogger with Legal Action

April 15, 2012 11:06 pm ⋅

Legal row over ACC blogger

from Off the Couch: Kyle MacDonald on April 15, 2012. This article appeared on the Stuff website on Sunday the 15th, 2012.

A senior medical officer in ACC’s sensitive claims unit has made legal threats to a blogger who posted information about his employment history, in the wake of a mass privacy breach.

Peter Dodwell, the branch medical advisor of the unit that deals with rape and abuse victims, was fired from his previous job in Australia over a privacy issue.

Both Dodwell and ACC’s senior medical advisor, Peter Jansen, have threatened legal action against blogger Kyle Macdonald, a psychotherapist who regularly speaks out against the corporation… (Click here for the rest of this blogpost)

 

Posted in: News, Online Resources, Politics and Policy, Trauma ⋅ Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Off the Couch by Kyle MacDonald 22 March 2012

March 22, 2012 11:39 am ⋅

Where there’s smoke…

by Off the Couch: Kyle MacDonald on March 22, 2012

When all this ACC carry on about Sensitive Claims kicked off in 2009, and I started this blog, I had no idea that three years later I’d still be banging on about the problems and difficulties claimants and professionals encounter.

I’ve become one of those people who have become embattled with ACC, albeit for a much different reason and with none of the the consequences experienced by many claimants.

Stories that have begun to break about Bronwyn Pullar that suggest she has been fighting for ten years.  There are also many, many others who don’t have such powerful friends.

And this reaction to the ACC has been of interest to me as a psychotherapist, and I believe in many ways unique to the ACC.  So what is it about ACC that means that people fight and keep fighting with them?…(Click here for the rest of this blog post.)

Posted in: Grants & Funding, Human Rights and Legal Issues, News, Parents and Parenting, Politics and Policy, Trauma ⋅ Tagged: , ,