Lights, CCAMHS, Action

Transcription

1 Lights, CCAMHS, Action The Newsletter for Community CAMHS for everyone interested in emotional health and wellbeing on the Isle of Wight

2 CONTENTS Useful mental health resources page 2 Getting Mental Healthy page 6-9 A day in the life of Dr Clare Smith page 13 Community CAMHS News Flash page 3-5 Your Corner page Food for thought Chicken Tikka Masala page 14 Jargon Buster page 5 Update on CCAMHS groups page 12 Brain Gym page 15 WELCOME Welcome to the eleventh Isle of Wight Community CAMHS newsletter. This newsletter is produced once a term to provide news and information about child and adolescent mental health on the Island. The newsletter is for any children, young people, families or professionals with an interest in emotional health and wellbeing. We would be grateful for your contributions and suggestions. If you would like us to include your stories, poems, pictures, photos, comments or letters in our newsletter, please contact the service. We would also welcome your feedback on the newsletter and on our service in general so that we can make it even better. Please let us know of any ideas by ing Suggestions4CAMHS@iow.nhs.uk. USEFUL MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES Mental health issues with young people are common. This website is all about helping you to help your friends, who might be struggling to cope emotionally. The website includes information about common mental health difficulties, useful resources, supportive advice and fun quizzes. 2

3 COMMUNITY CAMHS NEWS FLASH Lesley Webb s retirement Huge congratulations to Lesley Webb, who retired from her role as Therapist and Group Facilitator at CCAMHS at the end of February. Les worked in the service for 18 years and has been a highly valued member of the team both professionally and personally. We miss her and wish her all the best for her retirement. Goodbye to Duncan Fleming Our CCAMHS Office Manager, Duncan Fleming, left the team to begin an exciting new post at the Earl Mountbatten Hospice at the end of March. Duncan worked for the service for nearly 4 years and made fantastic contributions to our team during that time. Wishing you all the best in your new role Duncan. CCAMHS Training Workshops We have now released all the workshop dates for 2015 for our three CCAMHS training workshops for professionals. The workshops each cover a different topic: Anxiety Self harm Resilience against low mood and low self esteem Thank you to everyone who attends our workshops and makes such thoughtful contributions. We often have lively and helpful discussions thanks to your engagement. The workshops have filled up quickly but if you would like to find out whether there are still any free spaces please contact ccamhs@iow.nhs.uk. 3

4 COMMUNITY CAMHS NEWS FLASH cont. Introducing Karl Love: Sexual Health Outreach I m the new Sexual Health Outreach Worker for the IOW Sexual Health Service at St Marys NHS Trust. It just so happens that my surname fits perfectly into my post title and that s really cool!! The focus of my work is to support and develop sexual health services for Gay and Bisexual men or men who have sex with other men on the Isle of Wight. During these first few weeks I m trying to meet as many people as possible to help spread the word about my post and the work I hope to achieve. I m aiming to facilitate sexual health initiatives and promote early treatment interventions, where appropriate or requested. Essentially I m here to promote safer sexual activities and support people who may have concerns, questions and/or would like to receive sexual health screening and other services. I m also here to increase people s understanding of human sexuality and to represent the Gay and Bisexual community issues at other forums. For some people who live on the Island, it can be difficult to ask or seek support. My post is an attempt to reach out and make it easier for Gay and Bisexual men to receive that support at the same time as promoting healthy choices, mental health and wellbeing for the whole Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community. Outreach work means that I will endeavour to provide services in Island locations and venues. This allows a flexible approach especially if people are nervous about attending clinical services. I m based within the Sexual Health Services at St Mary s hospital, as part of the outreach team. Working part time and flexible hours means that I may not be able to respond instantly to your s, telephone calls or requests. However, I will respond as soon as I am able to. It will be great to here from anyone who feels that my work can support them in some small way so please get in touch Karl Love Sexual Health Outreach Worker karl.love@iow.nhs.uk Outreach Worker IOW NHS Sexual Health Services

5 COMMUNITY CAMHS NEWS FLASH cont. Anti-bullying resource websites Public Health England has launched the 'Rise Above' website, created by young people for young people. It offers advice and tackles issues of concern including: relationships, alcohol, drugs, self-harm, peer pressure and mental health. Ditch the Label have published their annual bullying survey for In partnership with 73 schools and colleges across the UK, it gathered the opinions of 4, year-olds on bullying. Findings include: 50% of young people have bullied another person and 30% do it at least once a week JARGON BUSTER Q: What is selective mutism? A: People with selective mutism are consistently silent in certain situations or with certain people (e.g. at school, with unfamiliar adults) despite being able to speak freely at other times (e.g. to their parents at home). People with selective mutism often experience intense anxiety in these situations, which makes it very hard for them to speak. There can be lots of different reasons why a person might experience selective mutism. Here are a few examples of things that could contribute to selective mutism: Having a speech and language difficulty or impairment Being generally more anxious or shy Teasing or negative reactions from others A family history of social anxiety or shyness An experience of trauma, separation or loss Starting a new pre-school or school Belonging to an ethnic minority and using a different language The family being socially isolated More information on selective mutism is available at 5

6 THE INTERNET AND SOCIAL NETWORKING The internet and social networking can be interesting and exciting. Following your favourite comedian or celebrities on Twitter, viewing Instagram photos and watching the latest post from a Blogger. It s a place where you feel inspired, enjoy, research your interests, get creative, have fun and be entertained. For many young people we work with the internet is all of these things but there are times also when it fills them with dread, fear and worry. Going onto social networking sights and seeing what everyone else is up to can lead us to feeling as if our life isn t as good, we aren t as popular or not as pretty or successful. There isn t a lot of research as to the effects internet use has on young people s self-esteem, self-worth, anxiety or depression. However it is being debated around the country as to whether the internet improves mental health. The good bits that have been debated are: Being able to view positive images and quotes online that have a good effect on mood. The internet being accessible 24hrs a day 7 days a week. Access to and sharing information and being able to have the choice if you do this anonymously or not. The not so good bits that have been debated: Anyone can put anything on the internet about emotional health and wellbeing. So the information you can assess is not always factual and not evidenced based. There are some people that use the internet to share experiences of unhealthy coping strategies. 6

7 THE INTERNET AND SOCIAL NETWORKING cont. Please talk to an adult you trust if you are worried about anything discussed in this article or anything about social networking and the internet. You could try following Childline s top tips for being safe online. 1. Be careful what you share online When you choose a profile picture for a social networking website like Facebook or Twitter, avoid photos that could give strangers clues about where you live. Check your privacy settings regularly. Think about what should be shared in public and what shouldn't. Remember that future employers could have access to this.. 2. Think before you post Don t upload or share anything you wouldn t want your parents, teachers or friends seeing. Once you press send, it is no longer private. 3. Never share or reveal your passwords Use strong passwords that are hard for others to guess, using a a mix of letters and numbers. Keep passwords to yourself and change them regularly. 4. Be careful who you chat to If somebody you don t know adds you as a friend, ignore them and delete their request. Don t share personal information like your address or phone number with somebody you don't know. Have a look at some more useful websites: By Rhian Shipley, Inreach/Outreach Worker 7

8 UKSA RESIDENTIAL WEEKEND Building Confidence and Having Fun with UKSA Jo McCarthy (Community Mental Health Nurse) and Marlane Connolly (Primary Mental Health Practitioner) from CCAMHS were given the opportunity to stay at UKSA, based in Cowes, for a residential weekend with 6 young people involved in the service. The aim of the weekend was to boost the young people s confidence and self esteem and to help them to learn new life skills through a number of water-based activities. UKSA ran activities on two days, including water confidence, paddle boarding, indoor pool games and a whole day of keelboat sailing. All of the young people gained greater self assurance and said that they would recommend this as a positive way of challenging anxieties, developing poise and boosting social confidence. The young people involved have written short descriptions of their weekend on the next page. The UKSA charity funding was provided by the High Sheriff for the Isle of Wight and by Simon Davies (Director of Youth Funding for UKSA). Our young people would embrace the opportunity to work with UKSA again. A big thank you to UKSA for giving young people with emotional difficulties an amazing experience. 8

9 UKSA EXPERIENCE FEEDBACK FROM THE YOUNG PEOPLE I really enjoyed going to UKSA because some of the activities I did were literally breathtaking. I did things that I ve never done before and it gave me a big confidence boost. By the end of the weekend I met a group of people that I bonded really well with. The weekend was very fun and nice to meet new people. Also, the good thing was that we got along together as a team and friends. The best things were jumping in the water and going out on the boats. At my time at UKSA we enjoyed the freezing cold sea as everyone participated. We did stand up paddle boarding, which was a laugh. We did a whole day of keelboating, which was beautiful on the water even though it was choppy in the Solent. The views were amazing and the sun was shining. It was a very memorable experience and one of the best weekends I have ever had. 9

10 YOUR CORNER A space for children, young people, parents and carers to share your experiences of mental health or of life in general in whatever way you like, e.g. poetry, pictures, photos, stories. Please contact the team if you would like to contribute. Thank you to both those young people who have contributed this term. Fantastic creativity yet again! 10

11 YOUR CORNER Archie, 8 11

12 UPDATE ON CCAMHS GROUPS There are lots of groups running at the CCAMHS clinic at the moment. Here is an update on their progress. The Timid to Tiger group is a 10-week group for parents of children who are experiencing anxiety. The group draws on the cognitive behavioural therapy approach to give parents skills to support their anxious child. Our current group began in April Thank you to all those who are attending for your participation and engagement. Self Esteem groups: We completed another successful 7-week Self Esteem group on 24 th March, which involved 9 young people attending. The feedback was extremely positive and they were asking if we could look to include more group activities in the future as an element of fun and increasing people s confidence in the group. Therefore we will be reviewing sessions to incorporate more fun activities for our next 7 week self-esteem group, which will start on 13 th October. The 6-week Wonderful Me self esteem group for younger children has just been completed at Broadlea Primary School. This was another great success. We look forward to our next opportunity to deliver this group in September/October Skills for Life group: The second four-week cycle of Mindfulness started on the 13 th April 2015 and was another success. We will be running a third cycle in July. If you are between 15-18yrs and are interested please speak to your allocated worker. Thank you for all who have attended the group so far. We have enjoyed greeting new members to this module, as well as welcoming back those who have wanted to repeat the module. Our first tolerating distress module began on 1 st of June and is running for four weeks. 12

13 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF...DR CLARE SMITH Q. What is your job title? A. Consultant child & adolescent psychiatrist. Q. Describe a typical day doing your job A. I meet with a group of clinicians first thing in the morning to discuss any young people that we are very worried about and need some attention on that day. Then I have appointments to see children young people and their families. Sometimes I go to meetings at schools, the hospital or social care. Sometimes I need to see young people in clinic at St Mary s or on the children s ward. I also spend time ringing people in the lives of young people I see such as GPs, teachers, youth workers to think together how to help young people best. Other people in our team come to ask me my opinion or advice on things and I go to other team members to ask for theirs. Two or more heads are often better than one. Q. Name one of the best things about doing your job A. Spending time with young people who are so real and good to be with in many different ways. Even when young people are unwell or have many problems in their lives they are so brave and determined and I feel very grateful to be in the lives. TOP TIPS FOR LOOKING AFTER HER MENTAL HEALTH Always have something to look forward to. Appreciate true friends. Find any kind of exercise that you enjoy. Do it regularly. Remember that no pain or distress lasts forever, most things will get better. Be your best (YOUR BEST, not other people s ideas of you or what is best). Stay hopeful that things will get better they usually do. 13

14 FOOD FOR THOUGHT...CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA Here is a recipe for you to try at home Ingredients: 4 x 125g chicken breasts (no skin) 1 tsp smoked paprika 2 garlic cloves crushed 2 red onions, chopped 1 x 2cm fresh ginger peeled and chopped 1 tsp cumin seeds 1/2 tsp ground tumeric 1 tsp garam masala 1 small red chilli, chopped 1-2 tsps veg stock powder 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes 2 tbsps natural yogurt/crème fraiche chopped fresh coriander to taste Instructions: Chop the chicken into chunks and place in a bowl with the smoked paprika and crushed garlic. Preheat a non-stick frying pan and dry-fry the chopped onion until soft and lightly browned. Stir in the spices and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken to the pan, along with the paprika and garlic, and move the chicken around the pan so it gets coated with spices. Once the chicken has changed colour, add the chilli, stock powder and tomatoes and simmer gently for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Just before serving, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the yogurt and chopped coriander. Serve with boiled basmati rice, mango chutney and naan bread. 14

15 BRAIN GYM: Can you find the words below to create your own list of ways to maintain good emotional health? 15

16 AND THAT S A WRAP!! Please feel free to contact the service if you have any ideas for our next newsletter or for our service in general. We want to hear from you! Suggestions4CAMHS@iow.nhs.uk We hope you have enjoyed reading our newsletter!