MENTAL HEALTH CARERS ARAFMI ILLAWARRA Inc Newsletter

Transcription

1 MENTAL HEALTH CARERS ARAFMI ILLAWARRA Inc Newsletter October / November 2017 Hello to our Carers, Family Members and Friends. It s upon us again - October is Mental Health month, and this year s theme is Share the Journey. The focus of this theme is our journey of resilience through social connection: exploring the importance of social connection & interaction in our mental health journey to further develop or gain resilience. ARAFMI Illawarra will be partaking in the Wollongong Mental Health expo which is in its 5 th year. This year the expo like previous years will be held in the Wollongong Mall, the expo will be kicked off with the arrival of the walk of Pride which is also in its 5 th consecutive year. The walk of pride will be starting at Civic Plaza like previous years, will then walk towards Crown street then continue west up crown street to the celebrations in the Wollongong mall. Walkers are asked to gather at civic plaza at 9.30 to register for the walk, the walk will then leave just before 10am. Once the walk arrives at the celebrations we will be officially opening a day of entertainment and celebration. We also would like to welcome our new Ambassador for both the Wollongong Expo and the Walk of Pride Madeleine Baker, who is excited to be able to share her life experiences and we are honored to have her share her journey with us. Madelaine is a young lady who was recipient of the Michael Heald award at last year s Highlights on Mental Health Awards, which raise funds for the Light and Hope Clubhouse. Madeleine Baker chose to become involved in Mental Health at the awards last year as she has had her own struggles and wanted to prove that illness does not define you. Together with TAFE students studying Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer support, our younger generations are leading the way in demystifying and taking away the stigmas associated with mental illness.

2 Madelaine joins Dan Hunt as the Wollongong s Walk of Pride and Mental Health Month Ambassadors, unfortunately though Dan cannot attend this year s event as he is super busy with his incredible work he is doing with the Mental Health Movement. The Mental Health Movement is the brainchild of former NRL player Dan Hunt. Dan s impressive sporting career spanned over nine years culminating in his 150th game played for the St George Illawarra Dragons. During his career as a professional athlete, he struggled with and overcome many adversities. Using the power of personal story and lived experience to break down the stigma which stops people seeking help for mental issues, Dan focusses on driving change by altering society s perception of mental health issues and those struggling with them. Dan was diagnosed with Type 2 Bipolar Disorder in At the height of his mental illness and the struggle it presented, he felt alone and isolated as access to information was not readily or easily available. This lead to him feeling vulnerable and fearful as he felt it showed weakness to ask for help or assistance. At the time, Dan knew there would be other people in similar situations, experiencing similar issues who also needed access to helpful information and support. Although a challenging time in his own life, Dan knew if he could openly and honestly share his experiences, knowledge and coping strategies, he would be able to assist others in better managing their own mental health. His own life experiences and determination to help others is what inspired the creation of The Mental Health Movement and lead to Dan s further study in Mental Health, Community Services, Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD), Fitness, Business and Career Development. It is through the power of story and lived experience, education, development of positive coping strategies and by creating strong support networks to help maintain and manage positive mental health that Dan aims to help improve outcomes for individuals experiencing a mental health issue. If you would like to know more about the Mental Health Movement which Dan Hunt created as a result of his personal experiences with Mental Illness, check out his website at and follow Dan in his Journey to raise awareness and tackle stigma that more than often attaches itself to Mental Illness. A great Job, well done Dan!

3 We have more Bunning s Sausage Sizzle s coming up in We are looking for volunteers for a few hours for these fundraising activities, time slots are available to choose from if you have a few hours to spare. The proposed dates are Monday November 1 st Monday December 1 st Then more to come in Time slots available to choose from are; 8am -12pm 12pm- 4pm If you would like to assist us with these sausage sizzles please give us a call on to register your interest. Thank you Bunning s Spring Launch Kelly Parrish and Toni Cadorin from ARAFMI attended the Bunning s Spring Launch in September. This day was an opportunity to showcase the services ARAFMI Illawarra provides and to learn about other local non for profit organisations.

4 GENERAL CARER SUPPORT GROUP This group is open to all carers and family members, and is held on Thursday nights at pm. The group has caring and sharing evenings, guest speakers (an agenda is available) and carer and family outings. This group gives carers the opportunity to unite together and receive support and make new friendships. Our information evenings and our community awareness sessions are open to everyone. MY SANCTUARY A Personality Disorder Support Group (for carers), this group is a therapeutic support group where carers and family members of someone living with BPD can come and share strategies on positive coping and is held on the 1st Tuesday of the month ( pm) at South Coast Private Hospital in Burelli Street. MY SANCTUARY also has an informal get together on the 3rd Thursday of the month 10am12pm which will be meeting at the Illawarra Leagues Club, Club Cafe. Please register your interest via phoning our office on and talk to Samara or Toni. Our general COFFEE GROUP for Carers is on the 1st Wednesday of the month at 10am-12pm. This is for Carers who like a Coffee, Cake and a Chat with other carers. This group meets at Cafe essay at the Salvation Army building in Burelli Street. If you would like to attend our general support groups for all carers, why not give one of our other support groups a try? A break for a couple of hours once a week may be the start of some lovely friendships with likeminded people. Contact us for details. Our carer focused evenings including caring and sharing groups are for carers only. We have some new workshops starting that cover skills to assist carers with self esteem, emotions and self soothing to name a few. To register your interest for these groups please contact us on , or us at: arafmi_i@bigpond.com.au. (Registering doesn t mean you need to attend every group, it is so we can keep you updated on any changes and / or cancellations of these groups)

5 What s on in October and November for Carers... Tuesday 3 rd 5.30pm (SUPPORT) My Sanctuary Support Group for carers and family members of someone living with BPD and/or symptoms of Emotional Dysregulation Venue: Mystics Room, South Coast Private Hospital 112 Burelli Street, Wollongong. Wednesday 4th 10am (SOCIAL) Coffee, Cake and Catch Up for carers Venue: Cafe Essay, Wollongong Salvation Army 13 Burelli Street, Wollongong Thursday 5 th 6.30pm (SUPPORT) General Support Group for Carers, this group is focused around general support needs of carers. Venue: Mystics Room, South Coast Private Hospital 112 Burelli Street, Wollongong. Thursday 12 th 6.30pm (EVENT) Mental Health Month Expo and walk of Pride Walk of Pride Venue: meet at Ipac Theatre, Civic Plaza, Burelli Street, Wollongong Mental Health Month Expo Venue: Wollongong Mall Thursday 12 th 9.30pm (SUPPORT) General Support Group for Carers, this group is focused around general support needs of carers. Venue: Mystics Room, South Coast Private Hospital 112 Burelli Street, Wollongong. Thursday 19 th 10.00am (EVENT) Carers Week High Tea Venue: Cafe essay, Salvation Army, Burelli Street, Wollongong Time: pm RSVP: ASAP, limited seats Thursday 19 th 6.30pm (SUPPORT) General Support Group for Carers, this group is focused around general support needs of carers. Venue: Mystics Room, South Coast Private Hospital 112 Burelli Street, Wollongong. Thursday 27 th 6.30pm (EVENT) Carers night out Venue: TBC closer to the date RSVP: Essential To register for any of these groups / events please call ARAFMI on Registration is appreciated to assist with bookings.

6 Coffee - Cake n Chat A social group for carers who support a friend or family member living with a mental illness, who want to meet other carers for a coffee and chat. This group is about friendship, peer support and understanding. This group is on the first Wednesday of every month. 10am 12pm Please call us to register your interest for this group, so we can keep you updated on venues and changes. Phone; Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. Leo Buscaglia

7 Carer s Week High Tea Mental Health Carers ARAFMI Illawarra and Aftercare would like to invite you to a Carers High Tea. Come along and celebrate Carers Week with us. When: Thursday 19th October 2017 Time: 11.15am 2.00pm Venue: Cafe Essay, Salvation Army, Burelli Street, Wollongong. Lucky Door prizes Fun Trivia Numbers will be strictly limited so please register early if you are attending. - RSVP by 12th October at the latest - Please call ARAFMI office on

8 Family Connections is a 12 week group program explicitly for family/friends of people with an emotion dysregulation disorder r borderline personality disorder. The goal of this program is to improve the wellbeing of family members and their relationship with their BPD loved one. It is also hoped that improved family wellbeing will promote the wellbeing of the person with BPD. What does it involve? Psycho-education, skills training and support, participants receive a FC workbook. The format of the sessions allows group participants to obtain the latest information about the disorder, acquire and practice skills, and enjoy an open and supportive forum for discussion. What participants say: I don t feel so alone anymore I know better what to do in a crisis We feel we are making progress as a family The sharing and problem solving really helps me deal with the grief This group is held periodically throughout the year. We are taking Expressions of Interest and as soon as we get enough people for a group we will notify you of the commencement date. To register your interest for this group please contact ARAFMI Illawarra on or arafmi_admin@bigpond.com

9 Me and My Relationships Building stronger and healthier relationships Staff from the University of Wollongong, in partnership with Mental Health Carers ARAFMI Illawarra, is running a free program in Wollongong called Me and My Relationships. This program aims to assist people who are providing care to a family member who is living with a mental illness, to overcome interpersonal problems and build stronger and healthier relationships with others in particular the person they provide support too. Me and My Relationships aims to increase our awareness of strongly held beliefs that contribute to our interpersonal problems and unpleasant emotions, and the current ways in which we try to cope with these (e.g. avoidance, drinking alcohol, arguing, and depending excessively on others). We will support group members to explore their values and consider how their current ways of coping complement or stand in the way of what they want for their relationships. Participants in this program will learn a range of skills that can increase their capacity and willingness to experience rather than avoid unpleasant thoughts and emotions, in order to experience healthier relationships and live life in the way that they value. Me and My Relationships consists of 12 modules that are provided in two formats. The program facilitators can help you decide which format might best suit your needs: Contact us to register for the next MMR program which will be starting early Call Samara or Cassandra on

10 ARAFMI Illawarra would like to thank all of our community supporters and partners Mental Health Carers "ARAFMI Illawarra" is funded by the ISLHD NGO Grant Program through NSW Health. We would like to acknowledge and thank them for their ongoing support of our organisation SOUTH COAST PRIVATE HOSPITAL 112 Burelli St Wollongong NSW 2500 Phone: Creating the best private mental health hospital for our region Brahma Kumaris Australia 41 Brentwood Ave, Figtree Ph: Please call for bookings Please call to book in or to find out about our meditation programs

11 Wollongong Legal Aid Office 73 Church St Wollongong NSW 2500 (02) Wollongong Bunnings Website: Rotary Club of Dapto BlueScopeWIN Community Partners Program Traffic Control Management and Planning Contact 109 Industrial Ln. Oak Flats NSW 2529 Australia Call us: