June 2018 – Trish’s Mental Health Resources Blog

Fawn’s Touching Tale: A Story for Children Who Have Been Sexually Abused

Fawn’s Touching Tale: A Story for Children Who Have Been Sexually Abused (Help for Sexually Abused Children), by Agnes Wohl, LCSW, Irene Wineman Marcus, & Jackie Bluzer (Illustrator). (2018).

From Amazon.com: “Introduction to Parents, School Personnel and Psychotherapists: There are many books aimed at the prevention of sexual abuse; few story books are geared for children that deal with the profound emotional aftermath. This book is unique because it offers the use of engaging animal protagonists, which allows the child to work through painful emotions in a less threatening and more effective manner. Among the most universal issues for the sexually abused child are: the mixed feelings toward the abuser, the dread and wish to be loved, the difficulties of disclosing the abuse, the fear of being blamed and/or of not being believed. The effects frequently culminate in a sense of vulnerability, damaged self-esteem, guilt and faulty defenses against the feelings of being hurt. This can lead to a wide range of self-destructive behavior in childhood and adulthood. This gentle, “child friendly”, animal tale provides children with a story they can listen to again and again. Parents, psychotherapists and school professionals can use this book as a point of entry into complex feelings that the youngster, or any sexually abused person might experience. Our hope is that with the help of this book, the child will begin the process of healing and gradual resumption of his or her healthy psychological development.”

The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity

The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity, by Nadine Burke Harris (2018)

From Amazon.com: “A pioneering physician reveals how childhood stress leads to lifelong health problems and what we can do to break the cycle. Dr. Nadine Burke Harris was already known as a crusading physician delivering targeted care to vulnerable children. But it was Diego—a boy who had stopped growing after a sexual trauma—who galvanized her to dig deeper into the connections between toxic stress and the lifelong illnesses she was tracking among so many of her patients and their families. A survey of more than 17,000 adult patients’ “adverse childhood experiences,” or ACEs, like divorce, substance abuse, or neglect, had proved that the higher a person’s ACE score the worse their health—and now led Burke Harris to an astonishing breakthrough. Childhood stress changes our neural systems and lasts a lifetime. Through storytelling that delivers both scientific insight and moving stories of personal impact, Burke Harris illuminates her journey of discovery, from research labs nationwide to her own pediatric practice in San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point. For anyone who has faced a difficult childhood, or who cares about the millions of children who do, the innovative and acclaimed health interventions outlined in The Deepest Well will represent vitally important hope for change.”

Connect with Others Facing Disability and Mental Illness

The Mighty

https://themighty.com/

Check them out, per their website,

“We face disability, disease and mental illness together.”

Psychotherapist …?

Hope and Help for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia

Hope and Help for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia, by Russell Howe, Alan Logan, & Alison Bested, MD. (2008)

From Amazon.com: “Hope and Help for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia is designed to educate patients suffering from CFS/FM about their illnesses and to teach them coping skills that will improve their quality of life. And while the good news is that people who suffer from CFS/FM aren’t dying, the bad news is that it’s going to take a lot of time and effort to get better since there is no one specific treatment that works for everyone.

Some of the issues covered are:

Understanding the symptoms and how diagnoses are made
Causes of CFS/FM and common psychological consequences, including anxiety and depression
The role of stress and how to manage it
The connection between the mind and the body in coping with CFS/FM
The potential of medications, nutrition, and lifestyle changes
The role of complementary medications and dietary supplements in pain management
The value and limitations of alternative and complementary therapies such as acupuncture, massage, homeopathy, and aromatherapy
Legal issues about how to deal with medical and legal problems that may arise if insurance benefits have been stopped”

Managing Chronic Illness Using the Four-Phase Treatment Approach: A Mental Health Professional’s Guide to Helping Chronically Ill People

Managing Chronic Illness Using the Four-Phase Treatment Approach: A Mental Health Professional’s Guide to Helping Chronically Ill People, by Patricia A. Fennell. (2003)

From Amazon.com: “A pioneering book to help maximize the quality of life for chronically ill patients Written by a leading authority on chronic illness treatment and management, Managing Chronic Illness Using the Four-Phase Treatment Approach provides evidence-based practice guidelines for clinicians to help their clients with debilitating health problems embrace a new “normal,” understand the cyclical nature of their illness, and function at the highest level possible.

Patricia Fennell’s groundbreaking model for understanding chronic illness identifies and describes four broad phases experienced by the chronically ill: crisis, stabilization, resolution, and integration. Using a broad array of case histories, Fennell vividly illustrates what clients need at each phase and how to assess and respond to them compassionately. Fennell also suggests how clinicians may best use their own changing experiences in their work to help clients transition through the four phases.

The goal of the “Four-Phase Model” is to maximize a client’s quality of life without offering false hope for a cure, making it an effective treatment strategy for diverse client populations, including people with physiological diseases; patients whose lives are being prolonged by modern medicine; and people who suffer from addiction, post-traumatic stress syndrome, intractable pain, and post-rape and abuse conditions.

Complete with detailed treatment protocols for documenting a client’s symptoms and quality of life at each phase, Managing Chronic Illness Using the Four-Phase Treatment Approach is a highly practical book for everyone working with chronically ill clients.”

The Chronic Illness Workbook: Strategies and Solutions for Taking Back Your Life

The Chronic Illness Workbook: Strategies and Solutions for Taking Back Your Life, by Patricia A Fennell. (2012).

From Amazon.com: “THE CHRONIC ILLNESS WORKBOOK brings clarity and order to what feels like an unmanageable and isolating experience. It shows both those who are ill and those who care for them how to live a full and meaningful life despite undeniable difficulties. Using her extensive experience with chronic illness patients, Patricia Fennell has created an original, comprehensive, research-validated approach that considers not only the physical aspects of chronic illness, but the psychological, social, and economic apsects as well.”