Engage Aotearoa

New Talking About Suicide Resource

January 24, 2012 6:38 am ⋅

If you haven’t seen this resource and do take a moment to read through it. Although the title is about reporting suicide for the media, the information provided will help anyone to think about how to talk about suicide and share information when it is necessary. Please, do not hesitate to share this to your colleagues or other people.

More information can be found here.

Reporting Suicide: A resource for the media

A new resource for the media reporting of suicide has been adopted by New Zealand print and broadcast media agencies.

Published online: 22 December 2011

Summary

The resource is designed for quick access by busy journalists. It describes issues relating to suicide reporting, suggests areas that journalists should think carefully about, and identifies sources of information that journalists may find useful.

The media resource was developed in 2011 by a roundtable of key stakeholders, convened by Hon Peter Dunne, as minister responsible for suicide prevention.  Roundtable members included representatives of the news media (including the Media Freedom Committee, Fairfax, TVNZ and Radio NZ), and mental health professionals. Officials from the Ministries of Health, Justice and Education attended roundtable meetings in an advisory and secretariat capacity.

The final version has been adopted by the Newspaper Publishers’ Association and the Media Freedom Committee.

Posted in: Asian Communities, Families/Whanau, Maori Communities, Older People and Aging, Online Resources, Parents and Parenting, Pasifika Communities ⋅ Tagged:

Free Mammograms

January 24, 2012 5:56 am ⋅

Start 2012 with a free mammogram

Waitemata women are being encouraged to start the year with a free mammogram.

BreastScreen Waitemata is part of the national BreastScreen Aotearoa programme, which checks women for early breast cancer. Women aged 45 to 69 years, who have never had a mammogram before or who have not had one for more than two years, are being encouraged to take advantage of the free breast screening appointments.

Having a mammogram can save your life – and all it takes is 15 minutes. It can detect a cancerous growth as small as 2mm, which is about the size of a grain of rice.

By comparison when a breast cancer is big enough to feel, it is on average 2-3cm – the size of a walnut.

Appointments are available Monday to Saturday, including early mornings and late nights.

Call now tomake your appointment on
0800 270 200, text the word “breastscreen” to 4040 or email enrolments@bswn.govt.nz

Posted in: Physical Health, Women ⋅ Tagged: ,

Updated Community Resources Directory

December 31, 2011 1:08 am ⋅

The latest updates to The Community Resources Directory are now live on the Engage Aotearoa website for general browsing or sharing.

Our Information Manager has just added 5 pages worth of community resources – and we are pleased to announce that we have begun including services from around the country. The services remain predominantly Auckland-based or National offices, but we are on our way. We have added a new nation-wide Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse help section as well.

You’ll also notice we’ve got a shiny new, colour portal button too.

Happy New Year from us here at Engage Aotearoa to everyone out there.

Wishing you metaphorical blue skies for 2012.

Posted in: Asian Communities, Community Participation, Families/Whanau, Maori Communities, News, Older People and Aging, Online Resources, Parents and Parenting, Pasifika Communities, People with Disabilities, Refugees / Migrants, Support ⋅ Tagged:

Shine A Light: New online resource

December 28, 2011 9:42 pm ⋅

Shine A Light On Depression – marie claire magazine Australia

To help end the stigma surrounding depression and mental illness, marie claire brings you Shine A Light, an online forum where we can come together to show our support for sufferers of depression everywhere.

When you visit the site you’ll find a bunch of lights circling your screen: click on one and you’ll be able to read someone’s message of hope, happiness, freedom or love. If you’ve got a bit to share around yourself, you can add your own message to the mix for others to read later.

A great initiative to get women talking about their experiences and feeling okay about asking for help!

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

Good Article Alert: Time Management vs Multi-tasking

December 27, 2011 10:21 pm ⋅

Good time-management trumps multi-tasking.

If you are a multi-tasker and pride yourself on working on several things at once, you might be surprised to discover that you’re not getting as much done as you think.

“It’s not clever to have lots of applications open and lots of things going on,” says Robyn Pearce, one of the world’s leading time-management experts. “There is vast research to show that if you try to do a whole lot of things concurrently, you take longer than if you’re doing things consecutively.”

Pearce says that having good time-management practices in place is the best way to survive in today’s highly technological workplace. And the more we try to do at once, the less we will achieve. Pearce was a real estate agent who never had enough time and couldn’t distinguish between urgent and important tasks. “I just let everybody demand my time and I was very bad at prioritising.” ….

Continue reading this article on the Herald website here!

Posted in: Personal Development Tools ⋅ Tagged: , ,

Meta-Analysis Compares Cognitive and Exposure Therapy for Anxiety

December 27, 2011 10:44 am ⋅

A recent meta-analysis (a study that collates and analyses existing studies to date) has compared cognitive therapy to exposure therapy to try to find out which is most effective.

A number of studies have already found these components to yeild largely the same effects. This study combined the results of 20 separate studies that directly compared cognitive therapy to exposure therapy for anxiety disorders.

This study has found no difference in the effects for panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder, but found that cognitive therapy had a better effect for social anxiety than exposure therapy did.

Read the abstract here: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/11/200/abstract

So in a nut-shell – both kinds of therapy are effective options, it’s down to your preference. Cognitive-behaviour therapy which combines these two approaches has been shown in some studies to be even more effective than either component on its own. 

Ougrin, D. (2011). Efficacy of exposure versus cognitive therapy in anxiety disorders: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry 2011, 11:200 doi:10.1186/1471-244X-11-200

Posted in: Online Resources, Research ⋅ Tagged: ,

Pacific Voices DVD

December 19, 2011 10:52 pm ⋅

You can now check out the new PACIFIC VOICES DVD online. Watch it yourself and then help spread the word about this very welcome documentary by the AIDS Foundation.

“Sexual minorities are some of the communities most at risk of HIV and are often the silent voices in the Pacific. Research shows that the development of inclusive, strong and supportive communities and organisations is essential for building an HIV resilient New Zealand and Pacific. ‘Pacific Voices’ provides this opportunity for Pacific People to speak up and be heard.”

http://www.getiton.co.nz/pasifika/pacific-voices-dvd/ ( length 24:43)

Posted in: Cultural Considerations, Documentary, Online Resources, Pasifika Communities ⋅ Tagged: ,

Save Auckland’s 24-Hour Rape Crisis Centre

December 15, 2011 7:52 pm ⋅

Funding starts to dry up for Auckland’s sexual abuse crisis centre today — and petition creator Kirsty McCully has made an urgent appeal for people to contact John Key personally. Hundreds have already responded by posting on John Key’s Facebook — can you join them and tell Key that he should continue to fund this critical service?

Click here to go directly to his Facebook wall, and post a message calling on him to fund Auckland’s only 24 hour sexual abuse crisis centre now.

Like any other politician, John Key is incredibly sensitive to social media. He’s all too aware that public channels like Facebook can be hugely powerful in the hands of ordinary individua ls.

It’s important that you speak from the heart when you leave your message. But if you need ideas, here are some things you could consider including:

  • Why you think the Auckland 24 hour crisis service is important
  • What message the government would send by failing to support it
  • What impact this would have on your support for the government

Stand with Kirsty, the centre’s staff and the thousands who depend on them — tell John Key why he should save this crucial service on Facebook now.

Just days into its new term, John Key’s government is already under pressure. And it’s about to skyrocket — at midday, Kirsty and supporters are organising an attention-grabbing media stunt that’s sure to make headlines, and draw even more support for their cause.

PM Key is desperate to maintain public goodwill — and he’ll be anxiously monitoring the press and social media for more signs of opposition. Leaving a message on his Facebook will drive home the message that each and every signature represents a real voter whose support he stands to lose if he doesn’t act.

Click here to join Kirsty, and send John Key a message on Facebook.

Hundreds of messages on his wall will add to the media storm, and Kirsty’s a ttention-grabbing stunt today — he’ll have no choice but to listen.

Thanks for being part of this,

Nick and the Change.org team

Posted in: Community Participation, News, Politics and Policy ⋅ Tagged: ,

A violent-free Christmas is the best gift

December 15, 2011 1:41 am ⋅

A Message from the NZ Police Force.

Christmas is anything but festive for some families as the stresses of the   season, combined in many cases with alcohol, take their toll.

Traditionally the police see an increase in the number of calls to family   violence incidents throughout December and January so Central District Police   are appealing to all families to plan, stay calm and take care of one   another.

Family Violence Coordinator for Central District Police, Maree Rooney-Duindam said: “For many, Christmas is a time of fear and apprehension. There can be a   real strain on relationships as families try to manage the expectations of   the holidays; the food the presents, the bills.

“The material things shouldn’t matter, what matters is the opportunity to spend quality time together, have fun, celebrate and share in the spirit of   the occasion. The best present many women, men and children could ask for is   a violent-free Christmas.”

Nationally, the police respond to a family violence incident every 6 minutes. On average, 14 women, 6 men and 10 children are killed by a member of their   family every year. About half of all murders in New Zealand are family   violence related.

Police in Central District attend on average 722 calls to attend reports of family violence per month; approximately 24 incidents per day.

Anyone finding themselves in a family violence situation where they feel threatened for their immediate safety or a member of the public is aware of a  family violence situation unfolding, they should ring police immediately.

There are also a wide range of other support services available through the national campaign’s helpline – “It is OK to Ask for Help” on 0800 456 450. An alternative is calling your local Women’s Refuge on 0800 733 843.

  • Planning is the key, especially when there are different family groups involved or where parents of children are separated and there are access issues. Agree social and family arrangements in advance and stick to the agreed plans. Make sure children get to spend quality time with both parents if there is shared custody.
  • Don’t spend what you can’t afford. Work out what you need to buy for Christmas and what bills you need to cover and set that money aside.
  • If you are finding the whole idea of Christmas too stressful talk to a friend or someone else that you can trust.
  • Think of the children. Don’t let them grow up with memories of Christmas tarnished with violence.
  • Go easy on the alcohol. If you are drinking make sure you have equal amounts of water or non-alcoholic drinks.
  • If an argument starts to brew, take a deep breath and walk away. Time out to let everyone calm down and if necessary sober up.
  • If you have real concerns for your safety or the safety of your children contact the police.

Media enquiries should be referred to Communications Manager Kim Perks on 027  234 8256. Please view the full news release online at: http://www.police.govt.nz/news/release/30240.html

Posted in: Families/Whanau, Human Rights and Legal Issues ⋅ Tagged: , ,