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Nau mai, haere mai The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission opened its doors on 9 February 2021. Establishing the Commission was one of the recommendations of He Ara Oranga, the Government inquiry into mental health and addiction. The Commission's objective is to contribute to better and equitable mental health and wellbeing outcomes for people in New Zealand. It will perform an enduring role in transforming Aotearoa New Zealand's approach to mental health and wellbeing. Karen Orsborn...

On Friday 29 October 2021 the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission’s released their first report: 'Access and Choice Programme: Report on the first two years - Te Hōtaka mō Ngā Whai Wāhitanga me Ngā Kōwhiringa: He purongo mo ngā rua tau tuatahi'. This is the first report released by the Commission since their establishment in February this year. The independent report on the Access and Choice Programme has found that the programme has put much-needed investment into primary and community...

This is great news for people with a disability in New Zealand. Many thanks to all those who worked so hard to make this happen and to Carmel Sepuloni our Minister for Disability Affairs and to Andrew Little our Minister for Health On Friday 29 October 2021 the NZ Government made an announcement on transformative changes for disabled people A joint message from Minister for Disability Issues Carmel Sepuloni and Minister of Health Andrew Little Tēnā koutou katoa, It was a pleasure for both of...

The Dibble Institute is pleased to present an introductory webinar by Rev. Dr. Bryant T. Marks Sr. of the National Training Institute on Race and Equity , which will provide foundational information on implicit bias. It will focus at the individual level and discuss how implicit bias affects everyone. Strategies to reduce or manage implicit bias will be discussed. Broadly speaking, group-based bias involves varying degrees of stereotyping (exaggerated beliefs about others), prejudice...

I want one moment in time. Really listen to Whitney sing The lyrics are So very powerful We are all survivors We are one We are never alone One Moment in Time Whitney Houston Each day I live I want to be A day to give The best of me I'm only one But not alone My finest day Is yet unknown I broke my heart Fought every gain To taste the sweet I face the pain I rise and fall Yet through it all This much remains I want one moment in time When I'm more than I thought I could be When all of my...

This arrived in my inbox this morning. Many thanks to Miss Kendra This applies to us here in NZ The Road to Recovery is Not Linear Schools are in the process of recovery from the pandemic. Recoveries are rarely linear, and this one, in particular, will challenge everyone. When we think of goals and objectives they are often achieved in a linear fashion: you start from point A and go to point B. You prepare the class, you teach, the students learn, and objectives are met. You start with the...

Many thanks to Stuff and Popsock Media , investigative journalist AARON SMALE for all the hard work you have done in order to get THE LAKE series released. Lake Alice was a psychiatric hospital between Whanganui and Palmerston North in New Zealand. Lake Alice is effectively isolated as it can be found in the middle of farmland. Nowhere to run. Noone to see. Noone to hear. Lake Alice was a place for both adults and children with "psychiatric problems" including children with bad behaviour. It...

(Blog image of Paul Zentveld - Lake Alice abuse survivor) Read this NZ Stuff article by Aaron Smale I ask that you reflect on your definition of mental health Your definition of mental health will determine how you respond to people with mental health The term "mental health" does not need to change Our perceptions, our definition, our response to the term "mental health" needs to change. Once I said that we need to take away the term "mental health" and replace it with another term. I...

Our child protection services in NZ have the knowledge they struggle with the implementation I identify the problems I have found supporting parents who have had their children removed by child protection services in NZ (CYFS) These are the solutions: Build trusting relationships - change social worker when required Create full, accurate, objective records Complete thorough ecological assessments Identify the strengths of parents and use them to address the needs Support parents in the...

We're Going on a Bear Hunt is an old favorite of mine. When I was a teacher I would sing this song and do the actions in our school assemblies. The children loved it. Now that I am older with all my lived experience of trauma. I can identify the strong message the story gifts to us We are all going on a bear hunt When we face adversity We can't go over it We can't go under it We can't go around it We got to go through it Then when we find the bear in the deep dark cave We can run home to our...

@Umi Asaka kindly shared this short sound clip (3:29min) with me. As I read it I thought came floating gently into my head Interview between Mia Mingus and Alice Wong 23 August 2014 This is a short audio clip from an interview of Mia Mingus, activist, and writer, conducted by Alice Wong, Project Coordinator of the Disability Visibility Project at StoryCorps San Francisco on August 23, 2014. Text transcript: Alice: In your blog, Leaving Evidence, this passage really resonated with me. You...

This is a good article to read: Why we should befriend Adversity Snippet: We all go through difficult situations, period. There is no magic formula for dealing with these times, but there are ways we can learn to manage them. Through the process of struggling, we acquire knowledge and skills that allow us to function at a higher level. We gain an understanding of our strengths, as well as those areas of life which need improvement. It allows us to connect with our values, which leads to...