From Anxiety to Meltdown – An Interview with Deborah Lipsky

“once people understand meltdown triggers and why they occur the enviroment can be modified to help reduce the number of meltdowns. And more compassion instead of critism can be offered to us because we feel awful afterwards; feelings of remorse and regret are common because we didn’t want it to occur. It isn’t like we have a “quota” of so many meltdowns we need to have in a day. It just happens due to overwhelming factors beyond our (the autistic person’s) control.”

June 16, 2011Counselling

Understanding Crisis Therapies – An Interview with Dr Hilda Loughran

“I’d like to think that balancing the individual and social approaches to crisis does offer something special at a time when people may be so burdened by stressful/crisis situations that they may take too much on themselves. This book really emphasises the idea that crises happen in a social context, that social supports can mitigate the devastating effects of a traumatic event and that a lack of social support can make even a simple problem seem insurmountable.”

May 17, 2011Arts therapies

“Dancing at the crossroads and playing on the battlefields” – An Interview Stephen Levine and Ellen Levine, authors of Art in Action

“To focus on conflict usually means that individuals and groups get stuck in polarizing positions and are unable to see alternatives. Art-making, within an expressive arts framework, ‘decenters’ from the usual perspective and opens up new possibilities. It also makes us aware of resources that we might have otherwise overlooked in our focus on our difficulties.”

April 21, 2011Arts therapies

Shakespeare behind bars: An Interview with Curt Tofteland, contributor to ‘Performing New Lives’

“My personal passion for continuing this work with the incarcerated is driven by my bearing witness to the transformational awakening of the empathic humanity within inmates who were unaware of the innate goodness that dwelt within them, awaiting discovery.”

April 8, 2011Adoption and Fostering

Lisa Spillane on How Qigong can help children who feel ‘pushed and pulled’ by their emotions

“…it dawned on me how ridiculous it was that even though I’d had this body for so many years and took an interest in health and nutrition, I was unable to confidently point to my spleen, pancreas or liver. I thought to myself that if I’d learned these exercises as a child, not only would I have known more about my body but I’d have been able to help myself in those dark times when I felt pushed and pulled by my emotions.”

March 29, 2011Dementia

Video: Michael Mandelstam, author of ‘How We Treat the Sick: Neglect and Abuse in our Health Services’

In this video series, Michael Mandelstam talks about his new book, How We Treat the Sick, which shows beyond question that neglectful care is a systemic blight,…

March 23, 2011Arts therapies

Rehabilitation Through the Arts at Sing Sing: An Interview with Brent Buell, contributor to ‘Performing New Lives’

“We all spend much of our lives building up defenses against an unfriendly world, an uncomprehending universe. That surely is true of the men I met and taught in prison. They were like me. They were tough guys hoping that someone somewhere could reach that almost-forgotten part of them, break it loose, set it free and let them feel human again. After all, to portray a character is to find that character’s heart—and in the process to find your own.”

March 22, 2011Counselling

Dr Yvonne Yates on using Human Givens Therapy with Adolescents

“I’ve found Human Givens to be especially useful with children and adolescents because they generally crave interactions with others who give them their full attention, and are interested in what they have to say. They take well to setting their own goals, and identifying their personal resources, which helps them to address their areas of difficulty. They also enjoy working creatively to build up their skills, and meet their needs, which the approach allows for.”

March 16, 2011May 8, 2017Autism

Aspies on Mental Health – Editor Luke Beardon talks about the latest book in the ‘Adults Speak Out about Asperger Syndrome’ series

“I was humbled by the contributions [to this book]; the openness, willingness, and selflessness of the accounts are stunning. The stark reality of the experiences of the contributors is extremely powerful, and I can only hope that professionals reading the book really do take to heart what people are saying, and the devastating effect mental health can have on people with AS.”

February 24, 2011Adoption and Fostering

Understanding and Working with Parents of Children in Long-Term Foster Care – An Interview with Gillian Schofield and Emma Ward

“Parents felt that, with a few exceptions, social workers did not and could not understand what it was like for them as parents of children growing up in care. There was stigma to bear as well as the emotional loss. In contrast, social workers talked of being aware of the parents’ distress and loss, but often not having the time to see parents, because they were focussing on work with and for the child, or simply not knowing how to help parents.”