People First Media program archive
Header

Grassroots group set to open houses

September 1st, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Grassroots group set to open houses)

Nanaimo Transitional Housing group opens two houses for homeless people in Nanaimo this week

The Victoria Human Exchange Society has been successfully assisting people in need of housing for 19 years—and now the organization’s Nanaimo branch is opening two transitional houses, one for men and the other for women.

Community organizer and Nanaimo Transitional Housing chairperson Leanne Salter says the houses will provide shelter for up to six months to people who might come to Nanaimo and find that they are homeless, couch surfing, or unexpectedly without shelter. An on-site facilitator will assist with community service referrals and the search for stable housing. The transitional housing is drug and alcohol-free. (more…)

, , ,

The enjoyment of ‘doing art’

July 7th, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on The enjoyment of ‘doing art’)

Anne Turner’s journey with art continues, as she opens a show at Studio 366 and turns herself ‘inside out’

Anne Turner became involved with art therapy in 2003 at Other Hand Studio in Parksville, B.C. Anne is an artist because she says she enjoys “doing art.” But Anne also uses art to help her combat severe anxiety and depression. Over the years she has moved from collages to painting with oils to chalk pastel work. She’s just launched a show of her work at Studio 366 in Nanaimo. (more…)

, , , ,

Using art to express and heal yourself

July 7th, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Using art to express and heal yourself)

Mehdi Naïmi says that good art therapy empowers people, strengthens relationships, brings peace of heart, and joy to life

Long before there was “art therapy,“ artists explained themselves with their inner images as references to reality [Wikipedia]. Now considered a mental health discipline, art therapy combines the creative process and psychotherapy, facilitating self-exploration and understanding. Using imagery, colour, and shape as part of this creative therapeutic process, thoughts and feelings may be expressed that would otherwise be difficult to articulate. (more…)

, , ,

The social construction of mental illness

June 23rd, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on The social construction of mental illness)

banner pfr“Mental illness”, diagnoses, and associated concepts are all social constructions, but the professions haven’t yet recognized it, psychologist says

(more…)

, , , , ,

In the mental health holding cell

June 23rd, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on In the mental health holding cell)

Multiple fingers point to a ‘debacle’ unfolding at the psychiatric emergency service in Victoria, British Columbia

The Archie Courtnall Centre [opens to PDF], also known as the Psychiatric Emergency Service (PES), is connected to the ER at Victoria’s Royal Jubilee Hospital. Two years after its opening, the number of patients trying to access services at PES was overwhelming what was available. The clinical director resigned, saying the PES had “become the default processing centre for addicted individuals seeking treatment” due to lack of detox beds in the region. (more…)

, , , ,

Writing for the health of it

June 16th, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (0 Comments)

From the two-minute miracle to writing your memoirs—expressive writing holds the promise of health benefits

Life Writing is an organic process—living and vital—with interrelated functions. In simple terms, it’s anything you write about your life. Life Writing’s genres and practices include autobiography, biography, memoir, diaries, letters, testimonies, autoethnography, personal essays and digital forms such as blogs and email [source: Wikipedia].

But what are the benefits of writing about your life…your experiences…your emotions…your thoughts?  Author and life writer Sharon Lippincott says that results from three decades of research are clear: expressive writing is good for you, however you go about it. And research by Chad Burton and Laura King [opens to PDF] found that—amazingly—health benefits follow from just two minutes of written expression. (more…)

, , ,