Well today the children of Richardson Support House started school again for the year! When we set Support House up, we wanted it to be a friendly place where visitors, staff and clients could bring their children. So over the school holidays we have had lots of children about. We moved a cubby house into the back yard and built a secure fence, so the children have enjoyed the back yard. But it has been very hot, so there have been a lot of quiet indoor games too.
Sometimes our children worry about starting school again. School anxiety is a common issue. There are many websites set up to address this.
How To Relieve School Anxiety http://specialchildren.about.com/od/specialeducation/ht/anxiety.htm
Social Causes of School Anxiety http://stress.about.com/od/studentstress/a/school_anxiety.htm
May the start of school be a time of great joy to your children.
Best wishes from the Richardson Support House Team
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Counselling and Local Walks
The Richardson Support House Team are very pleased to welcome a new tenant in the building - Robyn, a social worker, started here last week. Robyn has many years experience particularly with children, chronic conditions, family and relationship counselling. She will also be available for general counselling. So now there is a Psychologist, Psychologist Intern, and Social Worker available for community counselling needs. Please don't hesitate to contact us for further details on 02 62918009.
The Walking Group is going well, now meeting on Monday mornings at 9.30am. The group walks 15 minutes out and 15 minutes back. Everyone can then join us for a cuppa or cool drink at Richardson Support House (RSH). There are some very pleasant walks in Richardson. The Bike path from Isabella Plains to Calwell is only a short distance from RSH. Much to the children's delight, there is a playground just before the road underpass to Calwell.
We have talked to people about what interesting walks are available locally. The local Girl Guide Unit recently visited the Indigenous Axe Grinding Grooves at Theodore. The access is via Christmas Street in Theodore. A short walk along the reserve road (access through large gate) brings you to an access gap in the fence. The fence protects the grasslands on the hill. If you walk towards to large trees on the top of the rise (eastward) the grooves are easily found in several rock banks along the ground. It is a special place.
The children have several favourite walks locally - particularly in the school holidays! The walks and excellent playground at Tidbinbilla are always worth visiting. Then a short drive to Burra provides some interesting walks to "London Bridge" - a rock arch over the River there.
Apart from that there are bike paths throughout the local suburbs. The children always enjoy ending up at the Fadden Pines Reserve which has a skate area and terrific playground.
Happy walking in the holidays!
The Richardson Support House Team
The Walking Group is going well, now meeting on Monday mornings at 9.30am. The group walks 15 minutes out and 15 minutes back. Everyone can then join us for a cuppa or cool drink at Richardson Support House (RSH). There are some very pleasant walks in Richardson. The Bike path from Isabella Plains to Calwell is only a short distance from RSH. Much to the children's delight, there is a playground just before the road underpass to Calwell.
We have talked to people about what interesting walks are available locally. The local Girl Guide Unit recently visited the Indigenous Axe Grinding Grooves at Theodore. The access is via Christmas Street in Theodore. A short walk along the reserve road (access through large gate) brings you to an access gap in the fence. The fence protects the grasslands on the hill. If you walk towards to large trees on the top of the rise (eastward) the grooves are easily found in several rock banks along the ground. It is a special place.
The children have several favourite walks locally - particularly in the school holidays! The walks and excellent playground at Tidbinbilla are always worth visiting. Then a short drive to Burra provides some interesting walks to "London Bridge" - a rock arch over the River there.
Apart from that there are bike paths throughout the local suburbs. The children always enjoy ending up at the Fadden Pines Reserve which has a skate area and terrific playground.
Happy walking in the holidays!
The Richardson Support House Team
Friday, January 9, 2009
A Surprise
The Richardson Support House Team was delighted to have a visit from the Richardson Primary School Choir in the last week of school 2008. They sang Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer for us. Thank you very much indeed!
This time of year brings many celebrations: Chanukkah, Christmas, Yule, Rohatsu, and Kwanzaa. Not to mention Australian New Year celebrations... Of course, we celebrated various events with family and friends over the last couple of weeks.
Holiday celebrations can have positive and negative effects on people. Positive in the creation and maintenance of social bonds (family and community), the opportunity to 'look forward' (completely different to worry about the past or anxiety about the future). But it also brings pressures - like unrealised expectations of happy family, or accentuating loneliness, or financial pressures to provide special food / drinks / gifts.
There are some websites that offer ideas and suggestions for how to cope with holiday stress:
www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/MH00030
www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Holiday_stress?open
We do hope that your holiday provides much enjoyment and little stress!
Best wishes and Happy New Year from the Richardson Support House Team
This time of year brings many celebrations: Chanukkah, Christmas, Yule, Rohatsu, and Kwanzaa. Not to mention Australian New Year celebrations... Of course, we celebrated various events with family and friends over the last couple of weeks.
Holiday celebrations can have positive and negative effects on people. Positive in the creation and maintenance of social bonds (family and community), the opportunity to 'look forward' (completely different to worry about the past or anxiety about the future). But it also brings pressures - like unrealised expectations of happy family, or accentuating loneliness, or financial pressures to provide special food / drinks / gifts.
There are some websites that offer ideas and suggestions for how to cope with holiday stress:
www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/MH00030
www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Holiday_stress?open
We do hope that your holiday provides much enjoyment and little stress!
Best wishes and Happy New Year from the Richardson Support House Team
Volunteers
Friday the 5th of December 2008 was International Volunteers’ Day (established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1985.) So the Richardson Support House decided to hold a special celebration dinner to thank all those who volunteered this year. Since we opened in August, several people have offered assistance - people have helped us move in, worked in the yard, painted the building, did library or administration work, worked on community development, provided counselling to the community and much more. We are so very grateful for their support.
ACT Critical Incident Stress Management Information Service Inc. is staffed entirely by volunteers. They have a room at Richardson Support House for their public research library. The library has articles and books on stress, stress management, trauma and disaster recovery.
So, there are many organisations in Australia that benefit from the good will and hard work of volunteers. The Australian Bureau of Statistics survey of Voluntary Work in 2006 indicated that 5.4 million Australian adults (34% of the population) do voluntary work each year.
Many newspaper articles note that volunteering has a positive effect on stress and depression. Many general Stress Management books also recommend volunteering for this reason. For example Coping with Stress by Gwen K. Packard (Coping with Stress 1999) writes that volunteer work has many advantages. It gives volunteers a chance to think about something other than events causing them stress, it builds self esteem because they are helping the community and/or people in need, it can keep people from getting bored, they can meet new friends, or learn new things.
There are several studies that support this idea that volunteering has positive benefits for people. A survey conducted by the UK organisation Community Service Volunteers of over 600 volunteers found that 71% thought volunteering helped combat depression (CSV and Barclay’s 29 September 2004). Over half the respondents also indicated it alleviated personal stress.
Best wishes from the Richardson Support House Team.
ACT Critical Incident Stress Management Information Service Inc. is staffed entirely by volunteers. They have a room at Richardson Support House for their public research library. The library has articles and books on stress, stress management, trauma and disaster recovery.
So, there are many organisations in Australia that benefit from the good will and hard work of volunteers. The Australian Bureau of Statistics survey of Voluntary Work in 2006 indicated that 5.4 million Australian adults (34% of the population) do voluntary work each year.
Many newspaper articles note that volunteering has a positive effect on stress and depression. Many general Stress Management books also recommend volunteering for this reason. For example Coping with Stress by Gwen K. Packard (Coping with Stress 1999) writes that volunteer work has many advantages. It gives volunteers a chance to think about something other than events causing them stress, it builds self esteem because they are helping the community and/or people in need, it can keep people from getting bored, they can meet new friends, or learn new things.
There are several studies that support this idea that volunteering has positive benefits for people. A survey conducted by the UK organisation Community Service Volunteers of over 600 volunteers found that 71% thought volunteering helped combat depression (CSV and Barclay’s 29 September 2004). Over half the respondents also indicated it alleviated personal stress.
Best wishes from the Richardson Support House Team.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Relaxation
Richardson Support House recently obtained a massage chair - it is available in the foyer for any visitors (and staff!) to use. We thought it would be a great aid for relaxation, which helps with stress management. Richardson Support House is open from 10am to 2pm each weekday, so feel free to drop in - try the chair, have a cuppa, and / or read the health promotion materials in the reading rack!
There are some great articles on relaxation available on the web - see http://www.reachout.com.au/default.asp?ti=309 on the "Reach Out" website or http://www.depressionet.com.au/treatments/relaxation-2.html on Depressionet.
There are some great articles on relaxation available on the web - see http://www.reachout.com.au/default.asp?ti=309 on the "Reach Out" website or http://www.depressionet.com.au/treatments/relaxation-2.html on Depressionet.
Monday, November 3, 2008
The Benefits of Regular Exercise
Friday 24 October 2008
Today we had our first Heart Foundation walking group which had a great turn out of six people. Molly the dog joined us and the weather was lovely. We walked through the local green spaces on paths through Richardson for thirty minutes, the national recommended amount of healthy activity.
As our Walking Group at the Support House gets up and running, we have been thinking about the various benefits of regular exercise.
Evidence shows that benefits include:
- Improving physical health, fitness and wellbeing
- Helping with psychological well-being and stress management
- Increasing levels of neurotransmitters (chemical messengers in the brain) and endorphins (‘mood-lifting’ chemicals)
- Enhancing self esteem
- Increasing positive social contact
- Assisting with managing depression and anxiety symptoms
- Protecting the cardiovascular and immune system from the consequences of stressful events
- Being an enjoyable distraction from every day concerns and blocking negative thoughts
- Helping people to get a good night’s sleep
- Increasing energy levels
- Providing an opportunity for new skills and challenges
Joining a walking group is a great way to enjoy the benefits of regular exercise. Walking is suitable for most fitness levels, is cheap, doesn’t involve travel when walking locally, and is easily incorporated into a busy lifestyle.
Walking in a group also helps to keep motivated and stick to a plan, with a regular timeslot and meeting place. People are more likely to keep active if it’s fun and there are people to enjoy it with, because participating in activities with others helps to feel connected and confident.
The Heart Foundation also offers great incentives to those who participate in walking groups through the Walker Recognition Scheme. This includes certificates when you reach walking milestones.
References
Babyak, M. J. et al. (2000). Exercise treatment for major depression: maintenance of therapeutic benefits at 10 months. Psychosomatic Medicine, 62: 633-638.
Barabasz, M. (1991). Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Transient Mood State. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 73: 657 – 658.
Bauman, A. et al. (2002). Getting Australia active: towards better practice for the promotion of physical activity. National Public Health Partnership. Melbourne.
Beyondblue: The National Depression Initiative. (2007). Keeping Active. Fact sheet 8. Hawthorn West: Beyondblue.
Blumenthal J. A. et al. (1999). Effects of exercise training on older patients with major depression. Archives of Internal Medicine, 159: 2349 – 2356.
Brown, J. (1991). Staying Fit and Staying Well: Physical fitness as a moderator of life stress. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60 (4) 555 – 561.
Critical Incident and Stress Management Information Service Inc. Newsletter. May 2006. 7 (4): 1 –2.
Department of Health and Ageing. (2004). Get out and get active: Australia’s Physical Activity Recommendations for 12-18 year olds. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.
Dunn, A. et al. (2001). Physical activity dose response effects on outcomes of depression and anxiety. Medicine, Science and Sport, 33 (6): 587 – 597.
McNeil, J. K. et al. (1991). The effect of exercise on depressive symptoms in the moderately depressed elderly. Psychology and Aging, 6: 487 – 488.
Paffenbarger, R. S. et al. (1994). Physical activity and personal characteristics associated with depression and suicide in American College men. Acta Psychiatr, 377: 16-22.
Singh, N. A. et al. (1997). A Randomised controlled trial of progressive resistance training in depressed elders. Journal of Gerontology, 52: 27 – 35
Weyer, S. (1992). Physical inactivity and depression in the community. Evidence from the Upper Barvarian Field Study. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 13: 492 – 496.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The importance of social activity and having interests and hobbies
7 October 2008
Monday was a public holiday, so people from Richardson Support House enjoyed the long weekend. Psychologist Karen went off to a science fiction convention, Conflux 5, and met up with new and old friends. Office Manager Kylie enjoyed time with her family. Social Work student Laura had a relaxing time (and a cold swim) at the coast. And volunteer Michael (soon to be an intern psychologist) attended a medieval recreation event. He arrived at work Tuesday to tell us that Sir Alpha and Sir Beringar had beaten him in battle.
All this activity reminded us about the importance of social activity in good mental health! Keeping active helps elevate your mood, helps to block negative thoughts and distracts you from hassles, reduces loneliness and increases well-being. So it is terrific when you have interests and hobbies.
So, back to the Medieval battle! Naturally we had to enjoy the recreation as well, so we promptly declared war on Sir Alpha and Sir Beringar for “besting our champion”. In our scroll, we challenged them to combat. Poor Michael! However, as it was school holidays, we had a number of children visiting. They have volunteered to be Michael’s viking horde should Sir Alpha and Sir Beringar take our challenge seriously!
Monday was a public holiday, so people from Richardson Support House enjoyed the long weekend. Psychologist Karen went off to a science fiction convention, Conflux 5, and met up with new and old friends. Office Manager Kylie enjoyed time with her family. Social Work student Laura had a relaxing time (and a cold swim) at the coast. And volunteer Michael (soon to be an intern psychologist) attended a medieval recreation event. He arrived at work Tuesday to tell us that Sir Alpha and Sir Beringar had beaten him in battle.
All this activity reminded us about the importance of social activity in good mental health! Keeping active helps elevate your mood, helps to block negative thoughts and distracts you from hassles, reduces loneliness and increases well-being. So it is terrific when you have interests and hobbies.
So, back to the Medieval battle! Naturally we had to enjoy the recreation as well, so we promptly declared war on Sir Alpha and Sir Beringar for “besting our champion”. In our scroll, we challenged them to combat. Poor Michael! However, as it was school holidays, we had a number of children visiting. They have volunteered to be Michael’s viking horde should Sir Alpha and Sir Beringar take our challenge seriously!
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