this is self-care? more like chaos-management...
'a place to belong - the uncentre game'
Its been another couple of full-on weeks on placement etc. The uncentre game is roughly based on the Ungame, a non-competitive board game about feelings and communication. This version incorporates the concept of a centre, which is not an activity-based centre, but which supports community inclusion and emotional safety. So there are no walls, and places you can go to for different feelings, and lots of pathways to those places. As with the collage above it, both seem pretty chaotic to me.
One bright spot in the past week, however, was a workshop with the inspiring Rufus May, who is a British psychologist (amongst others), who is pioneering non-medical and more humanistic approaches to working with people who hear voices. His approach is similar to other forms of trauma recovery, and it was a very practical, informative workshop, despite being in the somewhat surreal Broncos Leagues Club in Red Hill. (Large photos of rugby players, large statue of stallion displaying his crown jewels, a cavern full of pokie machines, etc. etc.).
Tonight I am finishing a parenting group, and will be handing in a major group assignment on Saturday, so things should start to look a little bit easier after that. Only five more weeks of placement to go, including this week. One day at a time...
more later.
2 comments:
Glad to hear that things are easing up a little for you. The Rufus May work is fascinating. Thanks for posting the link.
Thanks Amanda! Yes I am very excited about this stuff: its like a total paradigm shift for me. I have been sharing the information with a woman who hears voices who I met via my placement, who is blown away with it, and who is seeing it as very helpful and insightful, which to me is the proof of the pudding. It has enabled her to start to talk in depth about her experiences of voice hearing to a mental health professional (ok, social work student) for the first time, exciting stuff.
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