September Update!
Updated: Apr 29, 2022
Hey there,
It’s been a while since I did one of these so here’s a few updates on how things are going.
I’m a Mental Health Worker within EWMHS (formally CAMHS, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services).
I’m part of the Neurodevelopmental pathway in the team. This means that most of my referrals into the service are young people with a diagnosis of (or in the process of obtaining) Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or other neurodevelopmental disorders.
As it’s a Mental Health service the interventions that I deliver are tailored towards supporting feelings of increased low mood and feelings of anxiety. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Behavioural Activation are two forms of psychological treatment that is delivered to service users and has significant amounts of evidence to support its use (Clark & Layard, 2014).
I had the absolute pleasure to attend the BAME in Psychiatry & Psychology event that was held at Kings College London, free for all (the response was incredible, and the event sold out!). Here, we got to listen to a select few of the incredible Black & Minority Ethnic professionals working and contributing to the field of Psychology. Clinical, Occupational, Forensic and Educational psychology insight was shared amongst the inspired young minds in that audience – including my own. I felt a strong sense of belonging at that event, and it inspired me to spend some more time over the next few months to really get to know myself and my heritage. Recommendations are always welcome.
Working in CAMHS is giving me the harsh reality about these services. They do a phenomenal job in supporting the Mental Health of children and young adults, but they’re stretched, and there needs to me a lot more done to support our young people. Waiting lists are barriers to our young people accessing mental health services, and I hope to help breakdown some of those barriers during my time there.
I’m officially 28 days into my Headspace journey after taking some time away from meditation previously. I’ve found it to be incredibly useful in helping me transition back into work after some time off, and for curbing anxiety in tricky situations. I’ve also been having CBT myself and have since been working on helping myself manage my anxiety. Worry Time has been a really effective way for me to manage my worries during the day, and I use the notes app on my phone to help me keep track but you can use a notebook too. I’ve also managed to fit a bit of meditation into my daily commute to work and this has helped me achieve a sense what’s becoming known as ‘quiet confidence’.
For more day to day content you can find me at @YoungBlackPsych on Instagram.
That’s all for now, thanks for reading.
Shy