Many of us cringe when told we need to accept things as they are. To understand what acceptance is, it’s sometimes easier to learn what it is Not. Acceptance is NOT agreeing, nor forgetting, nor judging or forgiving. It’s a profound practice that can change how you relate to the world and to yourself. Radical Acceptance – doesn’t mean you don’t try to...
What’s AAT? Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is just one type of treatment method utilized by psychologists that allows people to bond, play, and receive emotional support from an animal. Animal-assisted therapy is used for a wide range of medical, developmental and emotional disorders, including autism. The theory is that animals are a source of calming, non-judgmental support and can help...
Since 2004, the 17th of May has been globally recognized as The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), a day that brings attention to the ongoing violence experiences by people who identify as sex, sexuality, and gender diverse. On May 17th 1990, the World Health Organisation declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical...
April is a month of stress awareness and has been held every April, since 1992 to increase public awareness about both the causes and cures for our modern stress epidemic. Stress can be emotional or physical, and can feel like frustration, anger, or nervousness. Stress is your body’s hard-wired response to challenging experiences. It can be helpful in the...
31st March is the International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDoV); a day of bringing awareness, visibility, and acknowledgement of transgender and non-binary people. Frequently, the focus of this day is on the accomplishments and achievements of gender diverse people throughout history. The trans visibility day also focuses on raising awareness of the discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide. TDoV was...
Thousands of people joined dozens of rallies around Australia in the last week to protest against sexism and gendered violence. These were the key events raised during the rallies: March 4 Justice organiser Janine Hendry appealed to the Deputy Prime Minister to act on a sexual harassment national inquiry report following Brittany Higgins experiences in parliament, stating the “system is broken”. Sexual...
Identifying What’s Important: If we were to take a positive perspective on COVID-19, it’s vital to identify what is really important to us. This is different for each of us, and its good to reflect upon what the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown had upon you, and what you now value more than you did previously? What we have...
White Ribbon Day is on the 25th of November; its aim is to raise awareness and prevent men committing acts of violence against women. Violence against women is a public health issue; on average one woman a week is murdered by a current or previous intimate partner. White Ribbon Day acknowledges that men play a role in preventing violence against women,...
What is the Transgender Day of Remembrance? The 20th of November is the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR); it is one part of Trans Awareness Week which celebrates diversity from November 13th to November 20th. It is a day that brings awareness gender diverse people who have died due to gender-based violence. Glossary Transgender is a term that refers to a person...
Self-harm is more common than many people realise. It’s when a person deliberately hurts themselves through some form of self-injury, often cutting, but also: Scratching one’s own skin repeatedly Picking at scabs so they don’t heal Burning oneself with cigarettes and other items Biting, bruising or hitting themselves Head-banging A common misconception about self-harm is that it’s an attempt at...
