Lights, CCAMHS, Action The Spring Term 2017 Newsletter for Community CAMHS for everyone interested in emotional health and wellbeing on the Isle of Wight
CONTENTS Useful mental health resources page 2 Getting Mental Healthy pages 6-7 A day in the life of page 13 WELCOME Community CAMHS News Flash pages 3-5 Your Corner pages 8-11 Food for thought page 14 Jargon Buster pages 5 Update on CCAMHS groups page 12 Brain Gym page 15 Welcome to the sixteenth 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 emailing Suggestions4CAMHS@iow.nhs.uk. USEFUL MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES If you are experiencing anxiety, depression or other mental health worries and would like online advice and support to help you take control and feel better you can contact www.bigwhitewall.com, a confidential 24 hour service for 16-24 year olds on the Isle of Wight. We are a safe online community of people who are anxious, down or not coping who support and help each other by sharing what s troubling us, guided by trained professionals. Available 24/7, Big White Wall is completely anonymous so you can express yourself freely and openly. Professionally trained Wall Guides ensure the safety and anonymity of all members. 2
COMMUNITY CAMHS NEWS FLASH We are thrilled to announce that our CCAMHS Newsletter has been highly commended by the Building Better Healthcare Awards for the artwork in the Newsletter. Thank you to every young person who has contributed to our newsletters. We value your creativity very much. CCAMHS raised 85 for Taylor for the Little Princess Trust Lauren sent you a Thank You message You donated 85.00 to Lauren s Page. 85.00!!! Wow. Thank you SO much to Nana and the staff at CAMHS for raising such a huge amount! Taylor is getting her hair cut on Saturday and we will be filming it so hopefully all those who have donated will be able to see what an amazing cause you ve all supported and how you re making a difference in the lives of at least 2 little children who have lost their hair through chemo x 3
COMMUNITY CAMHS NEWS FLASH Update on Training Workshops Our introductory workshops on anxiety, self harm and resilience against low mood and low self esteem for professionals working with children and young people continue to run, with each workshop being run once a term throughout the year. The dates for this term are as follows: Anxiety - Wednesday 3rd May ~ 5.30pm - 7.30pm Self Harm -Thursday 8th June ~ 5.30pm - 8.00pm Resilience - Tuesday 4th July ~ 5.30pm - 8.00pm Please contact ccamhs@iow.nhs.uk if you want to find out more about booking a place on one of the workshops. Further dates for 2017 will be announced in the summer newsletter. Places are limited and will be given on a first come, first served basis. If you book a place and then are unable to attend please contact us as soon as possible or send someone else in your place. Please note there will be a 50 fee payable if you do not attend or cancel your place in advance. Christmas Jumpers for Save The Children... The Team raised money for Save The Children by wearing their Christmas jumper to work. Helping others and getting together with friends and colleagues to have fun can boost your mood and improve relationships. 4
COMMUNITY CAMHS NEWS FLASH cont. Anti-bullying JARGON BUSTER Panic attacks... Sudden periods of intense fear that may include palpitations, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, numbness, or a feeling that something really bad is going to happen. The maximum degree of symptoms occurs within minutes. Typically they last for about 30 minutes but the duration can vary from seconds to hours. There may be a fear of losing control or chest pain. Panic attacks themselves are not dangerous. 5
GETTING MENTAL HEALTHY School Survival Tips Acknowledge that school is important -especially if you want a positive future. School also provides you with opportunities to practise your social skills and friendships. Develop as many types of healthy friendships as you possibly can, with both genders. Look to make friends with everyone. Be confident and be yourself. Get in to the habit of saying hi to everyone. Whilst being especially welcoming to any new member of your class. Try not to compare yourself to others. Acknowledge your qualities and skills. Always take some time to focus on yourself. Looking at what you can do to help improve things yourself. Develop strong relationships with your teachers (you do not need to be teacher s pet) but be polite and friendly. Do not be afraid to ask for help. Always tell someone if you are being bullied. Get involved within your school, join sports or activity groups. Figure out what hobbies you like and find a club or activity that matches them. Whilst school is important, so is having a fun social life. Try to go out of a weekend. Look to do what you enjoy doing, with the people you enjoy being with. Although having some special me time is fine too. Get in to a routine, use your planner/timetable to make sure you have the right equipment, are In the right place at the right time. 6
GETTING MENTAL HEALTHY cont. Eat breakfast and Lunch. Skipping meals actually only slows down your metabolism, causing you to gain more weight not less. Stay healthy inside and outside of school, avoid the vending machines, go for healthy snacks - fruit, nuts, low fat crisps, yoghurts, etc. Get enough sleep. 7-8 hours at least, along with a good sleep routine - no electronics 2 hours before sleep. Learn to relax, try Mindfulness. When going to school, look to go to bed at the same time every night. Also looking to get up at a regular time of the morning, so there is less chance of feeling rushed. A good nights sleep improves your complexion, your mood, it makes you more alert, plus you will feel and be so much happier and healthier. Stay positive, calm and relaxed, even if everything feels as if it s falling apart. Try smiling as you will appear more confident, warm and friendlier. Allow yourself to be able to talk over any worries, upset and distress that you may have, with someone who is special to you. Someone who understands you a parent, a friend, a teacher, a counsellor. Whoever you believe is the best for you. Also remember to talk of and share the good things about yourself, be proud of what you are good at, of your skills and of your talents. Remember just how truly amazing you really are. 7
YOUR CORNER Thank you to all the children and young people who contribute to our Newsletter each term. It is what makes the Newsletter so special. You are all super stars in our eyes! A positive note that Lauryn uses on difficult days Take a deep breath. It will be okay. Not every day will be as intensely bad as this, you know it. Focus on now, the next few hours ahead of you. You can get through this- you are strong!!! Think of the positives of right now. You have survived 100% of your bad days so far. Don't worry about tomorrow or the rest of the week right now. That's another day's problems. You have enough strength for today so stay focused on today. Be kind to yourself. You cannot control and take responsibility of everything and you cannot change what has already happened- focus on now but think ahead. 8 The Rose By India age 17
YOUR CORNER Chest Collage By Georgia age 15 9
YOUR Spring Term 2017 CORNER Heart By Georgia age 15 10
YOUR CORNER By Anonymous 11
UPDATE ON CCAMHS GROUPS There are lots of groups running at the CCAMHS clinic at the moment. Timid to Tiger group: The group has a focus of helping parents of primary aged children with anxiety disorders to adopt a calm, warm, clear and reliable parenting style within which their children can overcome their fears and worries. The current group ended in February. This is a group we attempt to run twice a year. Self Esteem group: This 7-week group aims to help young people understand what self esteem is, how it develops and how to improve it. Our next group will be starting in February. We aim to run two groups every year. Skills for Life group: The next Skills for Life group for adolescents will be starting on 6th March. The group is for 14-18 year olds and the aim is to help young people develop new skills to manage with the difficulties life throws at us. Facing Your Fears group: This 6-week group is based on cognitive behavioural therapy approaches to overcoming anxiety and gives young people a chance to share ideas and support each other to overcome fears. The team are looking to start the next group in April this year. Relaxation group: This is a 4-week group focused on helping young people to learn relaxation skills. Watch this space for new dates. Activities group: We ran our first Activities group over the summer of 2016. This group helps young people increase their activity levels and socialise with other people, which in turn boosts their mood. The group was a definite success and we plan to run it again in this summer. 12
FOOD FOR THOUGHT... Thai Green Pork Lettuce Cups Serves 4 Prep 10 mins Cook 15 mins Ingredients: 1 tbsp. sesame oil 500g lean pork mince 1 tbsp green curry paste 1 red onion, finely chopped Juice of 1 lime 1 tbsp fish sauce 1/2 small pack of mint leaves, roughly chopped 4 little gem lettuces, leaves separated Rice to serve (optional) Instructions: Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the pork for 8-10 minutes or until cooked thoroughly. Stir in the green curry paste and 2 tbsp. water. Then cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the red onion, lime juice, fish sauce and herbs. Spoon the pork into the lettuce leaves. Serve with Rice (Optional) 13
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF... Q. What is your job title? A. I am a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist (Locum) in Community CAMHS and have joined the team about 7 months ago. Hence, I am relatively new to this team and the island! Q. Describe a typical day doing your job A. The good thing about this job is that every day at work varies from the other. Usually, my day starts with meeting with colleagues to discuss young people or families who need intensive support by our team. Then I am seeing young people and families, some new to our team, some are new to me but are working with a colleague, and some who I have been seeing for a while. I also provide consultations to my colleagues on young people they are seeing on their own. I also attend various meetings, some within CCAMHS and some within the broader services, to review our ways of working. Sometimes, I am teaching medical students or junior doctors and help them understand how to help people with their emotional health and well-being. Q. Name one of the best things about doing your job A. The best thing about my job is being able to develop a shared understanding with the young person on why they are feeling this way at this stage; and to understand what strengths they have which they can use to help feel better. The other best thing about this job is the strong shared understanding within the team. TOP TIPS FOR LOOKING AFTER MENTAL HEALTH Doing small things with my family, and my spirituality of being compassionate towards all living beings, helps me look after myself. 14
Answers: 1.A Stamp, 2. A Coin, 3. A Needle. 4. Mt. Everest. BRAIN GYM: Can you solve the following Riddles? 1. What can travel around the world while staying in a corner? 2. What has a head and a tail but has no body? 3. What has an eye but can not see? 4. Before Mount Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain on Earth? 15
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!