Kellevision

What a Difference a Year Makes!

Hello loyal readers.  I apologize for my absence, but I had to get some things straight in my own life.  So I quit my job working for an abusive boss and asked myself what kind of counseling I would do if I could any kind at all.  I've seen a lot of violence and I've learned that there is only so much I can do to stop it.  Though I can't change the entire world, I can create a safe place in my little corner of it.  And if there are two things I want most in this world, it is to save children and animals from violence.  So I created a nonprofit organization which rescues animals, rehabilitates them and works with them to provide animal assisted therapy to children who have experienced violence.  We are small, but growing and you can visit the website for my new organization, TherapyWorks.

As for this blog, I shall now take up my "pen" and try to return to regular posts.  I am reading all of your comments during this past year (I'll try to catch up on responding to them) and appreciate your patience. 

"If you don't live what you sing about your mirror is going to find out." 
Ani DiFranco,  "The Million You Never Made"

 

 

Saviors and Warriors

I watched a social worker trying to "save" a woman from a domestic violence situation.  It was disturbing to say the least.

Children, Psychotropic Medications and Death

Jung at Heart writes about "Things to Worry About" on his blog.  His worries?  Overmedicated children.

The Prostitute in the Alley

I work in a homeless shelter so I see a lot of street people.  While leaving the building the other day I overheard two coworkers derogatorily discussing a well known prostitute who was in the alley.  It made me sad.  If only they knew.

Most prostitutes I've worked with have had a long history of sexual abuse, often starting in early childhood.  They were trained as children that they were on this Earth to provide sexual favors to whoever asked.  And they carried this into adulthood.  Drugs and alcohol are often involved to numb the emotional pain of the early sexual abuse.  Many attribute prostition to drug or alcohol abuse, but the sexual abuse often preceded the addiction.  The person continues to use alcohol and/or drugs to numb the pain to the continued sexual abuse as an adult.  So when I see a prostitute, male or female, this is what I think of.  They should not be a subject of scorn, but of empathy.

 

 

 

To "Heal" or not to "Heal"...

... that is the question.  A veteran of Vietnam was talking about his experiences in Vietnam, about coming home and about the trauma he experienced and about how others believed he should react to that trauma.  The mental health professionals, the V.A., his family and his friends all wanted him to "heal".  But what they meant by "heal" was to forget, to stop talking about it, to move forward as if nothing happened.  But he disagrees.  He doesn't want to "heal".  He wants to remember.

"I hate war. I can't wait for it to begin."

I listened to this veteran of the "war" in Iraq and understood what he meant.  I've seen this with abused children and victims of domestic violence.  It's a curious feeling - unless you've been there.

"Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son about his Father"

One of my readers reminded me of this movie.  It is a beautiful, but heart wrenching documentary created for a son, about his father. 

Trauma Nightmares and Lucid Dreaming

Trauma nightmares can not only rob you of sleep but make you dread going to bed at night.  They can become a force that destroys you mentally and emotionally.  It's important to learn techniques for handling them so they don't handle you. 

ADHD Medications Do Not Affect School Performance

A recent article on the Child Psychology Research Blog, "ADHD Medications and School Performance" cites a research study which shows that "medication alone may not have a significant impact on" the childrens' school functioning.   

When Childhood Bipolar Disorder - Isn't

I really have a problem with the recent surge in diagnosing children with Bipolar Disorder.  The children I see with this diagnosis are often the victims of serious issues at home, issues which may even include abuse.  Some struggle with PTSD and the mood swings which are inherent in a traumatized individual are attributed to "Bipolar Disorder" and medicated.