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Showing posts with label Fastminds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fastminds. Show all posts

Thursday, 31 October 2019

Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

Someone once asked me about what training I've done. So, here are some examples of the main Continuous Professional Development (CPD) training and events I've attended or delivered, books I've read or videos I've watched since 2014.

November 2022
  • Attended Shelter Homelessness & Mental Illness training (online)
October 2022
  • Podcast about the connection between ADHD and hoarding behaviours - for Clouds End CIC https://www.cloudsend.org.uk/podcasts/
September 2022
  • Represented Fastminds Adult ADHD support group at a SW London NHS/local authority Autism Strategy Workshop
December 2021
  • Commissioned to write a Court Report
November 2021
  • Attended HHSRS training: Damp, Mould and Excess Cold (CIEH)
  • Delivered hoarding awareness training to Occupational Therapists at St Peter's Hospital (Chertsey)
November 2021
  • Delivered hoarding awareness training to Surrey Fire & Rescue Service (Prevention & Fire Investigation teams)

 November 2019

  • Attended Psychosocial skills and support training for Adults with ADHD (UKAAN - UK Adult ADHD Network)

October 2019
  • Attended Basic Welfare Benefits An Introduction (Central Training, London)
  • Attended Advocacy Training Level 2 (Advocacy Training)
  • Co-delivered Stage 3 Professional Hoarding Practitioner Training, London
September 2019 
  • Co-delivered Stages 1&2 Professional Hoarding Practitioner Training, Birmingham

    •  June 2019



  • Co-delivered Stages 1&2 Professional Hoarding Practitioner Training, Birmingham

    • March 2019
    • Delivered Professional Hoarding Practitioner Training - Levels 1 & 2 (Birmingham)
    • Read Citation for Sheena Crankson at Royal Borough of Kingston's Mayor's Community Award - http://www.adhdkingston.org.uk/about-us.html 

    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018

    • Delivered Professional Hoarding Practitioner Training - Level 1 (London)

    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018

    • Attended consultancy meeting with Hoarding UK (charity)
    • Attended Train the Trainer training (College of Public Speaking, London)
    • Gave a talk about hoarding and the Hoarding Ice-Breaker Form to Elmbridge Locality Team

    March 2018 

    • Attended the two day 18th Annual Conference on Hoarding & Cluttering in San Francisco, which included various talks and workshops:
      • Dr Michael Tompkins 
        • Pre-conference Workshop:  Applying CBT Techniques When Helping Clients De-clutter Their Lives
        • The Essential Coaching Skills: Sorting, Making Decisions, and Following Through
      • Dr. Monica Eckfield - Listening and Learning from Participants in the Help for Hoarding Treatment Study
      • Chia-Ying Chou - Experiencing Compassion-Focused Therapy for Hoarding
      • Donald Davidoff - Thinking Outside the Box: A Neurocognitive Approach to Hoarding Disorder
      • Hannah McCabe-Bennett - New developments in hoarding research: A novel approach using virtual reality
    October 2017 
    • Attended  NLA Landlord Foundation Course (1 day) & NLA Safer Homes Course (1 day), London
    July 2017
    June 2017
    • Attended "The Autism Show" in London
    May 2017
    April 2017
    • Started working with Surrey County Council to produce a Hoarding Protocol
    • Attended Emotional Resilience for Practitioners training (Changing Lifecourse Training & Coaching)
    February 2017
    • Attended a fascinating talk on Anxiety and ASD by Laura Kerbey of The Curly Hair Project, based on the excellent book "Asperger's Syndrome and Anxiety" by Alis Rowe

    November 2016
    April 2016
    • Ran a facilitated discussion on "How clutter affects health, and how to ask for help" at Newbury Hoarding Disorders Self-Help Support Group
    • Read "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: A simple, effective way to banish clutter forever" by Marie Kondo.  My verdict? Take from it what you think might work for you.  It's unlikely to make much of an immediate difference to people who exhibit hoarding behaviours or suffer with mental health problems.
    March 2016 
    • Attended Autism Spectrum Conditions training (Surrey County Council Training Team)

    • Ran a workshop on "How to ask for help if clutter or disorganisation affects your health" at the annual conference of The Association of Professional Declutterers & Organisers - APDO Conference, London

    Nov 2015
    • Attended Self-Neglect Awareness training (Surrey Safeguarding Adults Board)
    Oct 2015
    • Attended Safeguarding Awareness training (Surrey County Council Skills Academy)
    Sept 2015
    • Attended Making Safeguarding Personal - Care Act briefing training (Surrey Safeguarding Adults Board)
    June 2015
     May 2015    
    • Attended Training - Meeting the needs of Learners with High Functioning Autistic Spectrum Conditions in the Classroom - Level 3, ongoing (Positive Autism Support & Training)
    • Attended Emotion Gyms with a client (First Steps Surrey/Virgin Care/NHS)
      • Communication & Assertiveness 
      • Self Esteem
      • Anxiety
    • Co-trainer - Hoarding Behaviour Awareness Training for Surrey Family Support Services (Empathic Decluttering)
    • Attended Emotion Gyms (with clients) - (NHS Virgin Care) - Mary Frances Trust, Leatherhead
      • Communication & Assertiveness (NHS Virgin Care) - Leatherhead
      • Self-Esteem 
      • Anxiety
    Apr 2015

    Mar 2015
    • Attended Mental Capacity Act-Awareness Training (Surrey County Council)
    • Attended Hoarding, Safety & Ethics for Professional Organisers training (Yourganize)
    • Attended Dementia Friend training (Dementia Friends)
    • Presented a workshop on Hoarding and The Care Act 2014 at the Annual APDO Conference, London
    Feb 2015
    • Attended Care Act 2014 training – An Overview (Central Training)

    Jan 2015
    • Attended a CPD Event - Standardisation & CPD meeting of Prevention, Protection & Safety functions subject matter experts (Fire Service College)

    Dec 2014
    • Attended Mental Health First Aid Standard training (MHFA), Kingston

    Nov 2014
    • Co-trainer of Hoarding Awareness Training for Professional Organisers (Clouds End CIC)
    • Attended Motivational Interviewing training (Central Training, London)
    • Attended Working with Hard-to-Engage Service Users training (Central Training)

    Oct 2014

    Sep 2014

    Jun 2014

    Mar 2014
    • Attended Understanding Chronic Disorganization session at APDO conference (Yourganize)


    Memberships & Committees
    Current

    Previously







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    Monday, 21 January 2019

    Celebrity ADHD

    Photo: Dan Jones - via The Sun online
    So, in an interview with The Sun newspaper, British tv celebrity Ant McPartlin admitted he has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADHD – at the age of 43. 

    In 2018 the presenter and on-screen partner of Declan Donnelly (“I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!” “Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway” and “Britain's Got Talent”) was arrested and convicted for drink driving, after which he took time off to go to rehab - which eventually lead him to receive his ADHD diagnosis.

    To many people (mainly those who have ADHD or their families) this probably won't be a surprise.

    As it says on the website of Fastminds - a wonderful ADHD and Autism Support Group in Kingston-upon-Thames in Surrey that we’re proud to be involved with – the implications of late ADHD diagnosis include:
    • Chronic psychological distress
    • Learned Helplessness
    • Poor self-care
    • Substance abuse (in 2015 after botched knee surgery Ant slowly became addicted to taking prescription drugs along with alcohol, including use before television appearances)
    • Low self-esteem
    • Employment difficulties
    • Troubled long-term relationships (Ant was divorced in 2018)
    Other UK celebrities with an ADHD diagnosis include comedian Rory Bremner; broadcaster Richard Bacon; performer, producer and award-winning founder of the band Black Eyed Peas will.i.am; and Olympic gymnast (and Strictly Come Dancing winner) Louis Smith, to name but a few.

    Of the four, Louis Smith and will.i.am are the only ones to have been diagnosed as a child. 

    We hope that Ant will join a good support group like Fastminds, as he’d be amongst his “tribe”: creative adults who probably struggle with the same type of Executive functioning issues as he probably does:
    • Paying attention
    • Organising and planning
    • Initiating tasks and staying on them
    • Regulating emotions
    • Self-monitoring - keeping track of what you’re doing (like speeding perhaps Ant?)
    It helps when people understand they're not going through the challenges alone - there are others in the group who may have lived through similar difficulties. They share their experiences (good and bad) of things such as mental illness; symptom history and diagnosis pathway, and strategies that help them cope with things like relationships, organising paperwork, financial problems, and decision making (such as decluttering).

     Cherry Rudge - Founder of Rainbow Red and the Hoarding Ice-Breaker Form - has been studying ADHD and Autism and attending local ADHD support groups for several years; in 2017 she wrote about how the ADHD brain in the context of clutter, disorganisation, compulsive shopping/acquiring or hoarding in Jo Cooke's acclaimed book "Understanding Hoarding", and contributed a diagram (below) which illustrates some of the challenges faced by people with ADHD.

    At an ADHD Support Group like Fastminds, Ant would be welcomed with open arms, and not judged. Because Fastminds is peer-led, and run by volunteers who live with ADHD and/or Autism every day, and people can be themselves, without having to put on a show and be what others feel they should be.

    And, by the way, we should point out that Fastminds is an acronym for common symptoms that are often seen in ADHD:
    • Forgetful
    • Achieving below potential
    • Stuck in a rut
    • Time challenged
    • Motivationally challenged
    • Impulsive
    • Novelty seeking
    • Distractible
    • Scattered 
    Without effective support groups and campaigners like the wonderfully creative folks at Fastminds (check out the amazing cards they designed and sell to raise money as part of their Neurodiversity Festival in 2018) there might be an awful lot more people in rehab, or in a drunken stupor or in jail, all because of a genetic neurological condition that has ruled their lives since birth.

    Sadly, despite the increasing need for support groups like Fastminds (because Autism and ADHD are genetic, so it's not going away any time soon!) they receive very little support from Government, and getting an ADHD or Autism diagnosis can take months or even years. Imagine the cost of this to tax payers in antidepressants and counselling alone (let alone benefits payments!).

    Some, like Ant, have money to pay for such treatment and therapy - others do not.

    So, Ant, we wish you all the very best for the future, and hope that you use your gift of ADHD to support support groups like Fastminds, and help raise awareness of the types of challenges faced by people born with a condition that can be:
    • wonderful - because of the gift of creativity and entrepreneurial spirit it can bring; there are LOADS of famous celebrities and public figures around The World who have ADHD, including American Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps, American singer and actor Justin Timberlake (who also has OCD), hotel heiress Paris Hilton and American Olympic gold medal gymnast Simone Biles.
    • a curse - because of the overwhelm and mental and physical health issues that can come with it; common co-morbid conditions include Autism, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Depression, General Anxiety Disorder, Fibromyalgia or OCD. Which often means people are unable to work and rely on benefits to live (that's another blog post for another time....)
    • Undiagnosed for many years. Medical professionals rarely have sufficient knowledge about ADHD or Autism to recognise it, and just end up treating a person's mental health (by prescribing CBT or antidepressants) instead of getting to the root cause and underlying reasons about why the patient's mental health has been affected
    • misdiagnosed by medical professionals - it's not uncommon for people to be misdiagnosed with conditions such as Bipolar Disorder or Borderline Personality Disorder

    If you’d like to know more about ADHD, please take a look at Rainbow Red’s Pinterest board for LOADS of helpful videos and information.

    https://www.pinterest.co.uk/rainbowreduk/addadhd/




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    Thursday, 20 September 2018

    Fastminds Neurodiversity Arts Festival 2018

    Cherry Rudge on the Hoarding Ice-Breaker
    stand at Fastminds Festival

    I feel very privileged to have been allowed to promote the Hoarding Ice-Breaker Form at an amazing ground-breaking event recently (14th & 15th September 2018) - The Fastminds Neurodiversity Arts Festival 2018.

    It was organised by the wonderful folks at Fastminds - the Adult ADHD/ASC Support Group I'm involved with in Kingston-upon-Thames.

    Performers, artists and people affected by a vast spectrum of neurodiversities and medical conditions came from far and wide for two days of creative inspiration, live music, interactive performances, short film screenings, market stalls, story-telling, poetry, and being themselves - enjoying spending time with people who accept them for who they are, irrespective of their disabilities - hidden or otherwise.

     Click here to see the video of the event.

    Cherry explaining the Hoarding Ice-Breaker form
    to the Mayor of Kingston
    The amount of effort, hard work and organising that goes into creating an event like this is phenomenal, and is even more magnificent in this case because of the difficulties with planning and organising that people with neurological conditions such as ADHD and Autism experience.

    The festival’s Creative Director - Isabelle Haythorne – did a GRAND job!  She's an art therapist and runs the Sutton ASD group.  Her can-do attitude and her connections with her partner Keith Gould - who has experience of live events and was the festival’s Technical Manager - made it all possible.

    Chill-out room
    I was particularly blown away by the fantastic chill-out room - where people could go for some peace and quiet – it was a triumph, so many congratulations to Sarah and her team!

    Fastminds art
    Wonderful original canvas artworks created by members of the Fastminds group were on sale, together with some absolutely STUNNING cards of paintings they'd created to raise money for the event and the group.  The cards are also available to purchase online - click here for the Fastminds section of the We All Send Cards website, or contact Fastminds .

    Sheena Crankson with
    Mayor of Kingston

    Thay Thayalan



    Special praise must go to the founder of Fastminds, Sheena Crankson, without whom there would have been no festival and no support group.

    Sheena had a life-changing experience when she was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 47, after her son was diagnosed with ADHD (he also has Asperger’s).  She is the Fairy Godmother and Guardian Angel for the Fastminds group, and works tirelessly to support and advocate for members, especially in their hour of need - whether it be offering help filling in forms; helping members to challenge cuts to their benefits; helping folks get a referral for a diagnosis; sourcing help and support; arranging activities for the group to take part in, or simply being there for them to vent their frustrations. 

    Afterward the festival Sheena said “A huge thanks to all the fabulous folks who attended this amazing event, and to all our volunteers who selflessly gave up their time to support us.  We made new friends and strengthened ties with existing ones.

    The core aims of this event were to:
    • Be user-led by members of our Fastminds support group
    • Demonstrate the value of neurodiversity within society and the arts
    • Promote the creativity of neurodiverse people, with free art & design workshops
    • Promote inclusivity and bring both ‘neurotypical’ and neurodiverse people together
    • Enable neurodiverse people’s voices to be heard, particularly by opinion formers and decision makers within NHS
    • Enhance partnerships between community, healthcare providers and organisations in neurodiverse contexts in Kingston Upon Thames.
    • Exhibit fine art, photography, film and performance (poetry, music, dance, standup comedy).
    • Keep the event disability / sensory friendly by making / providing reasonable adjustments
    We’re delighted that the two days more than achieved these goals, and we’re already planning further similar events”.

    Anna Dyson at her Intuitive Oils stand.
    The leggings, bags and cushions were fantastic!
    During the festival I was asked to speak in a thought-provoking and deeply moving story-telling session, run by Alex of The Mindful Compass.  One of the story tellers -  talented artist Anna Dyson of Intuitive Oils in Kingston - gave a moving account of her struggles at school where she was unsuccessful with her exams; the difficulties she’d encountered of getting a diagnosis of ADHD (which finally happened when she was 52), Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Irlen Sydrome, and the challenges she faces on a daily basis getting help and support for herself and her neurodiverse family.

    After the festival Anna said "I have laughed, cried, danced, sung, drawn, and been drawn and painted, spoke twice in front of a live audience, watched inspiring films, live music, was blown away by the live art installation The Suit Project, and so much more". 

    "I’ve met some of the bravest most courageous, amazing , colourful , intelligent, talented and creative people from all ages and all walks of life. I’ve seen people grow in confidence after exhibiting their art in our gallery, or having their art made into greetings cards, and also taking on other roles that they’re not familiar with.

    But most of all been reminded of the massive difference it can make when you are with people who just ‘get you’ just the way you are". 

    I'm very grateful to my wonderfully thoughtful friend Anna - who has high functioning Autism (and suspects she may have ADHD too) and raises loads of money for the National Autistic Society - for driving all the way from the other side of Surrey to attend the event.  This was a major achievement, as travelling can be difficult for her due to the sensory overload that goes with it - and of course then the social interaction with members of the public can sometimes be problematic.  Fortunately, she thoroughly enjoyed herself and had a go at making various crafts, listening to music and immersing herself in the amazing atmosphere.

    My own personal key takeaways from this wonderful event are that:
    • By working together amazing things can be achieved.
    • The event brought together some amazing non-judgemental, empathetic individuals from all walks of life: people who had been born with neurological conditions; people who had acquired or contracted them or had been affected by them through family or friends.
    • Having excellent local peer-led support groups such as Fastminds empowers people to talk about the problems they experience with like-minded, non-judgemental, compassionate people who have probably experienced similar issues.
    • Getting an appropriate early diagnosis and appropriate person-centred help and support – whether it be for neurological conditions; or issues associated with an inability to plan, declutter or organise; hoarding issues or mental health issues – could save the country millions of pounds, as without practical help and support, the implications can include chronic psychological distress; learned helplessness; poor self-care; substance abuse; low self-esteem; employment difficulties and troubled long-term relationships.
    • Having the Hoarding Ice-Breaker form at the festival was the right thing to do, as it encouraged conversations about the difficulties that many people with neurological conditions have with organising, planning, decluttering, disorganisation, hoarding and compulsive shopping, and how it affects their health. Some people were in tears talking about it, as I was the first person they’d spoken to who really understood their predicaments and who offered hope (through the services of Rainbow Red) for being able to make practical progress towards achieving their goals.
    • Embracing neurodiversity enriches my life, and has made me a more understanding and patient person as a result.
    • Amazing people like Sheena should be paid to run support groups for vulnerable people, and not have to give up their precious time without being rewarded for the invaluable service and safe-havens (micro-communities) they offer, or spend their time fund-raising to subsidise their expenses.
    • Educating people about neurodiversity and the difficulties faced by people affected by neurological conditions is essential if Governments and future generations are ever going to consider implementing a more holistic and compassionate approach towards supporting people who are neurologically different and vulnerable to abuse.  Abuse like withdrawing or reducing benefits for no good reason, for example.
    • It’s about time the Government realised the damage it can do to vulnerable people by cutting their benefits without justification.  The stresses and strains of receiving an inappropriate benefit grade without consultation; the sense of rejection; having to jump through bureaucratic hoops to appeal, and the financial and emotional strain it puts on people and their families often results in their mental and physical health deteriorating (and the health of their supporters too), which must surely increase annual health and social care costs by millions of pounds!
    An art installation by wheelchair artist Mary Ellen
    which included alarming statistics about the
    number of people who have died since
    being told they were fit enough to return
    to work...
    It also puts additional pressure on volunteers like Sheena, who already have more than enough on their plates.

    So I hope that sufficient funds can be raised to support Fastminds and make the Neurodiversity Arts Festival an annual or bi-annual event;  that way it will continue to raise awareness of the type of issues that were discussed in the story-telling sessions, and ensure that they get discussed at Fastminds Support Group meetings, as well as at both local and national parliamentary levels. 

    For more information about the Fastminds Support Group and their weekly and monthly meetings at Kingston Quaker Centre, check out the events page on their website:  http://www.adhdkingston.org.uk/events.html

    If you would like to help support Sheena, the Fastminds Support Group and the Fastminds Neurodiversity Arts Festival, please consider:
                    https://weallsendcards.com/cards/byartist/fastminds
    •      buying original canvases of the artwork for the cards – to have a look at what’s available, simply pop along to one of the Fastminds Support Group meetings, or contact Sheena Crankson directly
    Meanwhile, scroll down for a few more photos of the festival - hope to see you next year!

    ++++
    About the Fastminds ADHD/ASC Support Group
    FASTMINDS is an acronym for common symptoms that are often seen in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD):
    •      Forgetful.
    •      Achieving below potential.
    •      Stuck in a rut.
    •      Time challenged.
    •      Motivationally challenged.
    •      Impulsive.
    •      Novelty seeking.
    •      Distractible.
    •      Scattered.
    www.adhdkingston.org.uk

    What is Neurodiversity? 
    According to the University of California (San Francisco), there are more than 600 neurological disorders - diseases that affect the brain and the central and autonomic nervous system, and millions of people around the World.  

    They're broadly classified into:
    •       Sudden onset conditions (e.g. acquired brain injury or spinal cord injury)
    •       Intermittent and unpredictable conditions (e.g. epilepsy, ME, certain types of headache, or the early stages of multiple sclerosis)
    •       Progressive conditions (e.g. motor neurone disease, Parkinson’s disease, or later stages of multiple sclerosis)
    •       Stable neurological conditions (e.g. post-polio syndrome, or cerebral palsy in adults)


    Common examples include ADHD; Alzheimer's Disease; Aneurysms; Asperger's Syndrome; Autism; Bell's Palsy; Brain and Spinal Tumours; Carpal Tunnel Syndrome; Cerebral Atrophy; Dementia; Dyslexia; Guillain-Barre Syndrome; Huntingdon's Disease; Lyme Disease; Meningitis; Muscular Dystrophy; Sleep Apnea; Stroke; Tourette Syndrome and Traumatic Brain Injury.

    Check out the NHS website for some fascinating facts and statistics about Neurological conditions.   

       
            








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