For Mental Health Workers — Refracting Hope

$Refracting Hope$

mental health.jpg — For Mental Health Workers

I have been in the Australian mental health system on and off for over three-quarters of my life. I know it’s quirks, and it’s glitches, what is and isn’t helpful. I know the system. I know it well. Sometimes accessible, often not. Sometimes helpful, sometimes not.

Each blog post is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Failing healing. Survivors of child abuse support groups. A personal experience.

Failing healing. Survivors of child abuse support groups. A personal experience.

Survivors, walk gently with each other.

Hope Gordon13 October 2020child abuse, childhood trauma, support groups, PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder, consumer, hope gordon, abuse survivor

"I am not overly optimistic about her outlook".

"I am not overly optimistic about her outlook".

My psychiatric reports are an albatross around my neck.

Hope Gordon21 July 2020freedom of information, psychiatric, psychiatrist, PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder, psychiatric report, mental illness, hope gordon

Suicidal 2018

Suicidal 2018

Choice of words really matters when speaking to a suicidal person.

Hope Gordon15 June 2020suicide, suicidal, PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder, hope gordon, suicide PTSD, suicide child abuse

Mental health lines

Mental health lines

Here is just one of my encounters with mental health telephone services in Australia.

Hope Gordon7 April 2020mental health lines, mental health hotline, post traumatic stress disorder, mental health telephone, crisis line, PTSD, hope gordon, PTSD challenges, helplines

Self-harm - Why?

Self-harm - Why?

Why did I do it? I couldn’t tell you back then, but I think that I can tell you now.

Hope Gordon1 April 2020self harm, self injury, PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder, child abuse, hope gordon

The Mental Health Care Plan and I

The Mental Health Care Plan and I

This is my experience of the Australian Mental Health Care plan. Our ups and our downs.

Hope Gordon18 March 2020australia mental health care, mental health care plan, PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder, child abuse, hope gordon, consumer, PTSD challenges

Beaten, berated, broken but not defeated (Abridged version)

Beaten, berated, broken but not defeated (Abridged version)

Words are powerful. They can heal, or they can break someone. Particularly those with a history of trauma.

Hope Gordon18 March 2020hope gordon, adele victoria, compound trauma, childhood trauma, emotional abuse, power of words, impact of abuse

Mental health care service frustration

Mental health care service frustration

I’ve tried and failed to access various Australian mental health services over the years. Here are a few reasons why.

Hope Gordon18 March 2020mental health care service, australia mental health care, PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder, consumer, hope gordon, PTSD challenges