Austerity: Why mental health training should remain a priority, especially in times of hardship. By Jane McNeice
I reall the recession of 2008-9 and my attempts to convince senior management teams that mental health training should be a top priority. This sat alongside efforts to influence General Practitioners and other health care practitioners to discuss return to work with their patients as part of mental health recovery and because work is extremely protective for our health. This was at a time when businesses were facing financial hardship, and their worries centred around preserving funds to pay...
Read MoreTime: As a matter of urgency… By Jane McNeice
“I can’t believe we are in May already!” I have heard myself say the same phrase each and every month since January. I’ve heard others iterate it too. Yet it is not the case that each week, month, or year has less time in it, so why the feeling that time is slipping away so quickly? I think many of us relate to the sense that time was slower when we were children, and as each year passes, it gets faster. I can vividly recall the year of 1981 when I was six years old, and we had the six weeks...
Read MoreI thought everyone experienced the world as I did, until I realised, they didn’t! By Jane McNeice
One thing is true of us all. We only know our own experiences of the world and the intricacy of what is going on in our own minds. We may interpret and filter what others share with us about their minds and their inner world, perhaps through the ways they behave, or in what they choose to share with us through the written or spoken word, but that’s as close as we will get. Of course all of this is filtered and interpreted based on our own brains processing system and life experiences. This...
Read MoreAutism: Does everyone want a label? By Jane McNeice ‘The Umbrella Picker’
It is not uncommon nowadays to hear comments like “Everyone wants a label these days”, or “There was none of this Autism in my day!”. This is stimulated by the increased number of people self-identifying and disclosing their being Autistic, and in many cases seeking assessment and formal diagnosis, which is currently being driven by two things: A considerable number of Autistic people receiving a diagnosis of Autism late in life. So why is this? Well, quite simply because they weren’t...
Read MoreNeurodiversity in the Workplace Training from Mind Matters!
Neurodiversity in the Workplace: Our ‘neuro difference’ IS our Strength! Does your workplace know how to support its neurodivergent employees? Is your workplace neuroinclusive? Just as nature needs biodiversity, the world and workplaces need neurodiversity – the range and richness of all neurotypes (brain types) coming together, co-operatively, for the greatest benefit. In the workplace neurodiversity allows for innovation, increased creativity, new and different approaches to problem solving,...
Read MoreBook Review: ‘Strength not Deficit’ Reviewed by Dawn Mills
Like Jane McNeice, I too discovered myself as Autistic in 2021. I did what Autistic people do; became obsessed with the stories of my late identified neurokin, especially the women, and the academic research behind our differences. Jane’s was a story I identified with closely, helped me feel less alone and strengthened my resolve to do my little bit to help find other ‘lost girls’ too. Jane’s new book extends beyond the journey toward identification as autistic; giving us a guided tour of her...
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