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Tag Archives: Kyle Macdonald

People’s Review of the Mental Health System

Share your story and help create a better mental-health system.

The people at Action Station have teamed up with Kyle MacDonald to create a People’s Review of the Mental-Health System. They want to gather together as many personal stories as possible, to convince our politicians of the need for improvements.

Their question to you is simple: what has your experience of the public mental health system been?

The public invitation goes on to say “Everyone has a story about mental health in New Zealand. Whether you work as a mental health professional, have experienced the mental health system directly yourself or someone in your family has, your story matters. We don’t need more statistics, the numbers already add up to make it clear that we have a crisis and need urgent action, and still nothing has been done. But personal stories can do what numbers cannot – they can move Ministers to action. Stories create empathy, and empathy creates change.

Find out more here.

Survey About Treatment of Sexual Abuse Victims by ACC

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)

Kyle MacDonald Comments on New Beneficiary Strategy

The following is an excerpt from Kyle MacDonald’s blog, Off the Couch. Click the link at the bottom of the post to continue reading.

System failure

by Off the Couch: Kyle MacDonald on May 8, 2012

“I was always taught not to raise the topics of politics, sex or money unless you wanted to start an argument.  Todays policy announcement about free long term contraceptives for beneficiaries from National raises all three.

But why are people so concerned?  John Key seems keen to reassure us it is all optional:

“Mr Key said he did not believe Work and Income case managers would put undue pressure on beneficiaries to take up the long-term contraceptive options, saying they would simply be made aware of the options they had.” http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10804304

I think the question we need to ask is what can happen when people who have been disempowered, victimized by trauma, and suffering mental health difficulties engage with these policies in the real world?..” (Click here for the rest of this blog post)

 

ACC Threatens Blogger with Legal Action

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)

 

Off the Couch by Kyle MacDonald 22 March 2012

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.)

Review of ACC Sensitive Claims

This notice relates to a survey for ACC Sensitive Claims Providers (“Counsellors”) and clients.  

The last step of the Independent Clinical Review of the ACC Sensitive Claims Treatment Pathway is nearly upon us, namely the 18 month follow up review.  As part of that process representatives of the various professional bodies will be meeting with Barbara Disley, the review’s lead author in late March to discuss how ACC are going with implementing the changes mandated in the initial review report.

As part of his role as the New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists (NZAP) representative Kyle MacDonald is circulating a survey open to all Sensitive Claims treatment providers and clients.  All individual responses are anonymous, and it will only take about 5 – 10 minutes of your time.

See this link for the survey:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VVXGXXS

Please take the time to complete this survey, your responses are important and it will be the last chance we all have to give feedback to ACC before the review is officially completed.

The survey will be closed midnight on Friday March the 9th.