|
|
|
|
|
|
This Week
|
Hello, we hope this week's newsletter finds you all safe and well. We have our usual issue for you below, with special features on how Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and other mental health struggles can play out in the summer months. As well as a piece from Kerry about how therapy can help you let the light in.
|
That said, we know that the events in the news at the moment are hugely distressing, and that many in our community are concerned for their safety. So we want to take a moment to signpost you to organisations you may find useful at this time.
|
If you are aware of or experience any far-right violence, ring the police on 101 and if it is an emergency ring 999. To record a hate crime go to Report a crime | Sussex Police.
|
Other organisations you can contact are:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mental Health in the News
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SAD Summer
|
|
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) isn't just a winter phenomenon. There's a lot to be said for the extra daylight improving our mood, but many of us find these months to be a difficult time. Now that we've had a hint of summer, one week into August, we thought it would be a good idea to explore how the season can impact our mental health, and some steps we can take to help.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Many medications used in the treatment of mental health conditions can affect the way our bodies regulate temperature. This can increase the risk of dehydration and heat stroke when the weather warms up. These medications include SSRI's, other antidepressants, and anti-psychotics. It's important to stay hydrated, and know how to spot the signs.
|
|
|
|
|
Summer can be particularly anxiety-inducing when everyone starts wearing less and going out more. For people who feel conscious about their weight or are susceptible to disordered eating, summer can exacerbate the tendency to compare and restrict. For people who are transgender or who, for whatever reason, feel their bodies are less socially acceptable, dressing for the heat can feel like a vulnerable experience.
|
|
|
|
|
We've all been a bit hot and sweaty this summer, but for those of us who are experiencing menopausal or perimenopausal symptoms, this can be another issue entirely. Battling hot flushes in the summer can be unbearable, and really affect our day to day life and mood.
|
|
|
|
The extra sunlight may be great for our vitamin D levels, but it can really disrupt our sleep. With later sunsets throwing off our circadian rhythms, and the heat in general making us uncomfortable in bed, worse sleep quality can really affect our mood.
|
|
|
|
|
We joke about the fact summer hasn't really happened this year, but the abnormally dreary season coupled with more extreme weather events abroad are causing a lot of us genuine anxiety. This anxiety is rooted in the very real climate crisis going on around us, so measures we might take to cope with it are probably going to be different to those we use to cope with other anxieties.
|
|
|
|
|
We might think Christmas is the worst time of year for our bank balance, but new research suggests July is actually the worst month for managing our finances. Maybe we are parents and have to cover childcare costs in the summer holidays. We might see friends on holiday and feel bad that we can't afford to do the same. We might stay home because we know we can't afford that one drink in the pub garden that turns into five. And then we feel like we are missing out. When we don't have a lot of money, this can be a difficult time of year.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
How the light gets in
|
|
A few words from CEO Kerry Evans
|
|
|
|
Cracking up. Nervous breakdown. Crackers. While they are generally used disparagingly, these words understand something important about what happens when we experience mental health problems.
|
People usually come to therapy because cracks are appearing in their sense of self. While this is inevitably uncomfortable, painful and disturbing, the solution isn’t necessarily to immediately glue the cracks together. If we do that, whatever was going on beneath the surface is lost from sight and it’s only a matter of time before new fissures appear anyway.
|
The proposition of therapy is to treat the crack as an opportunity because it sheds light on what is happening beneath the surface. To borrow from Leonard Cohen, ‘There is a crack, a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.’
|
|
If there is sufficient safety and metaphorical light in the therapy room, what we are likely to find there, under the surface, is something we have been led to believe is inconvenient, unacceptable or shameful - perhaps by a small number of significant people in our early life or by a larger number in the dominant culture.
|
|
|
This ‘something’ can be as obvious as a stigmatized identity, as ubiquitous as a feeling of badness, or as subtle as a longing to matter.
|
|
Depending on how dangerous this ‘something’ feels, it might take time to build the necessary trust in the therapeutic relationship for the difficult work of excavation to begin. But there is good reason for persevering. In my experience, things that have been deemed inconvenient, unacceptable or shameful often turn out to be beautiful once the light gets in.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Events Calendar
|
|
|
|
This exhibition features the work of Foka Wolf, and explores the invisibility of autistic people and people with learning difficulties in long-stay hospitals. It is accompanied by a free creative workshop for people with learning disabilities and/or autism on Friday 9th August at 10:30am, and an artist's talk on Wednesday 14th August at 6:30pm.
|
|
Wednesday 7th - 14th August, 2-6pm.
|
Fabrica Gallery, Brighton.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Prof. Hugo Critchley will be in conversation with Camilla Nord about her new book The Balanced Brain, in which she "offers a revelatory tour of the scientific and technological developments that are revolutionizing the way we think about mental health, showing why and how events - and treatments - can affect people in such different ways."
|
|
Wednesday 21st August, 7:00pm.
|
The Grand Central, Nightingale Room, Brighton.
|
|
|
|
|
|
This is an Uckfield-based group fro men going through divorce. It will offer mental and physical wellbing tools and resources, as well as peer support from people who have been through it.
|
|
Wednesday 14th August, 7:30pm.
|
Phoenix Health Hub, Uckfield.
|
|
|
|
|
This drop-in workshop is being held against the backdrop of ONCA's Michele Angelo Petrone exhibition.
|
|
"Michele Angelo Petrone was an artist who created a collection of artworks expressing the emotional aspects of living with terminal cancer. His paintings, workshops and speeches played a pivotal role in educating health professionals on the importance of complementary therapies and holistic care.
|
In this workshop the focus is on creative expression as a form of care-taking. "
|
|
Monday 19th August, 10:30am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Follow us on Social Media
|
|
See what we are discussing on our social media pages and join the conversation! On Instagram at the moment, we are starting to look at the things our therapists learn from their clients.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Book your Initial Consultation
Hastings Therapy Centre and Brighton Therapy Centre have vacancies for therapy throughout the week. We offer individual, relationship and group therapies.
|
We also have a number of low-cost appointments available.
|
|
Book your consultation now:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our Charitable Work
|
All BTC/HTC Practitioners commit at least 25% of their time to the provision of low-cost and no-cost therapy. Any surplus generated from our mainstream work is ploughed back into our charitable services. You can help someone in your community access the support they need by contributing using the button below.
|
|
|
|
|
Can't donate? Spread the word! If you're enjoying our newsletter, send it to your friends and get them to subscribe. Or if you know someone who might be looking to start therapy, send them our way.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"Through therapy, I was able to gain insight into my destructive behaviour and where it stemmed from. I joined therapy thinking I already had a high level of insight but my therapist, carefully and thoughtfully, helped me realise that having insight into trauma itself is a complex thing. She helped me navigate this in a way that was intellectually stimulating and helped me regain agency whilst also demonstrating the nuances of the situation. I am extremely grateful to her for meeting me at my level, for never patronising me and for showing me kindness when I needed it the most."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Have Your Say
|
|
Let us know what you would like to see in our Newsletter!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Meet our Practitioners
|
Browse the practitioners who offer therapeutic services from a range of modalities and specialities
|
|
|
Meet our Employed Team
|
Meet the friendly team behind BTC and HTC who will help you find the help you may need
|
|
|
Meet our Trustees
|
Meet our trustees who offer their valued experience and knowledge to support our charity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2nd Floor, 17 Havelock Road
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Charity Number: 1150032 | Company Number: 07791021
|
|
|
|
|
