Art of Life Counselling

What a year !!! It was a time of tumultuous self understanding and extreme life experiences. It was a time of love, sadness, confusion, victory and joy. The year began with my knowing that after 16 long, long years, I would finally face my childhood sexual abuser, Brother Bernard Hartman from the Marianist Catholic order, in court. https://www.facebook.com/events/406451209531857/ Innocent Child of the Village Event The date was set for the 20th April. The waiting was drawing to a close and I was looking forward contributing to furthering the protection of other potential victims. To mark the event I planned a gathering at Altona Beach to raise awareness if Childhood Sexual Abuse.                                                                  As the time of the trial was coming close our ...

https://newrepublic.com/article/126582/irresistible-psychology-fairy-tales

https://www.sane.org/mental-health-and-illness/facts-and-guides/reducing-stigma

https://www.sane.org/mental-health-and-illness/facts-and-guides/bipolar-disorder

http://www.filmsforaction.org/articles/the-top-100-films-for-action/

https://www.sane.org/mental-health-and-illness/5-the-journey-of-mental-illness

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/grief-loss/coping-with-pet-loss.htm

http://www.filmsforaction.org/news/9_mindbending_epiphanies_that_turned_my_world_upsidedown/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-clear/make-more-art-the-health-benefits-of-creativity_b_8868802.html?ir=Australia

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/margaret-howard/part-i-trauma-training-sh_b_3290291.html?ir=Australia

http://wypr.org/post/biography-and-biology-longterm-consequences-abuse

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-last-taboos/201511/birth-order-determines-almost-nothing?utm_source=FacebookPost&utm_medium=FBPost&utm_campaign=FBPost

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2015/12/surviving-festive-stress-some-simple-but-effective-tactics/

I see beauty everywhere. Of course, as the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and for me, I behold it every day and in every thing. I observe it in life and death, light and darkness. I embrace scars and blemishes and appreciate lumps and bumps. The roughness of bark and the smoothness of silk, the wings of a butterfly and the fluffiness of a caterpillar are equally beautiful to me. The things that I find most beautiful are the things that I see, hear, touch, taste and smell in the gifts of nature. I think that the story that lives within nature enhances it's beauty. What might be the history of a tree for example. What has it seen? What has it experienced? How are we connected and what do we have in common? Appreciating external beauty can calm and soothe my thoughts and feelings but is this enough? I believe that there is magic in being a living, breathing human as we have the capacity to experience, hold and share beauty from within. We can be enthralled by the ef...

https://majohnston.wordpress.com/working-with-our-inner-parts/

http://www.humankind-relationships.com.au/

www.redpencil.org

http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/healthandlife/parenting/a-new-book-for-kids-by-kids-shows-the-real-life-ups-and-downs-of-childhood-371020.html

http://www.emotionalgeographic.com/blog-1/2014/12/9/trauma-and-the-holidays-3-practices-to-reclaim-joy?utm_content=buffer21569&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ariannarebolini/this-is-what-its-like-to-live-with-schizophrenia#.jl2OJOpJE

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/arts-and-health/201509/bilateral-drawing-self-regulation-trauma-reparation

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/july/voices-culture-luhrmann-071614.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/art-therapy-techniques_56562017e4b072e9d1c19f9b?section=australia&utm_hp_ref=arts

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-truisms-wellness/201511/4-myths-about-schizophrenia-and-the-facts-you-need-know?utm_source=FacebookPost&utm_medium=FBPost&utm_campaign=FBPost

Bobbie, Daisy and Cat.   Sadly Bobbie died of old age 2 years ago and Daisy died from Canine Lymphoma 12 months ago. Cat is kicking on strong and healthy at 10 years old. https://theconversation.com/pets-and-our-health-why-we-should-take-them-more-seriously-47774

Krampus ensnares a child with his famously long tongue in this Viennese card, dated around 1911. Traditionally, he held a bundle of birch sticks with which to whip naughty children.

For information on gaining Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Competency please follow this link. https://www.ccca.com.au/

This Paralyzed Artist Paints Beautifully — With Her Mouth

https://archive.org/stream/cossackfairytale00bain#page/n9/mode/2up

http://online.csp.edu/blog/forensic-scholars-today/fasd-art-therapy

Whether we are parents or not, children are exposed to how we behave in any variety of situations, e.g. our language, how we behave in public, what we say to one another and how we express our emotions throughout our day, just to name a few. As we know, children are like little sponges, absorbing everything that their senses are exposed to. Many people have the difficult task in life of caring for a sick child. Often for the common cold but sadly, sometimes for illnesses that are long term and sometimes life threatening or terminal. My heart goes out to the families of children who were taken far too soon. Fortunately, my children survived their illnesses and continue to live productive, happy lives. I wasn't so sure in those dark hospital days, that we would ever get here but 25 years later, here we are. As a mother who had spent many, many years at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital with my twins who were both born with Kidney disease, I wish to share a particular ...

(I have found it a bit of a shame that this report has had a visual focus on what might be seen as the less palatable Traditional food to the Western palate but none the less, I hope these 12 Elcho Island women have great success in spreading their knowledge of the benefits of the Traditional diet.) http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-28/aboriginal-women-want-to-open-nt-community-health-retreat/6971012

http://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/whats-most-dangerous-drug-world-according-science

http://goodmenproject.com/ethics-values/10-simple-steps-stop-toxic-parenting-fiff/

http://www.boredpanda.com/free-book-tank-library-weapon-of-mass-instruction-raul-lemesoff/

In times gone by, people from all cultures would gain their wisdom not only through lived experience but by appreciating the importance of being connected to nature. Art, music, sculpture and dance were inspired by the powerful beauty of nature. This short film demonstrates how we might reconnect to nature to encapsulate it's beauty and magic.The creation of this one of a kind installation, powered by sea waves, produces light and sound, created by the environment.    

“We have a lot of artists who didn’t know they were artists, but as soon as they sell a few pieces, they get their Etsy account, start promoting and selling their artwork,” ..... “Then, instead of saying, ‘I have nothing,’ they can say, ‘I’m an artist; I have a way to increase my income.   ”   http://www.modbee.com/living/helping-others/book-ofdreams/article45888035.html   Read more here: http://www.modbee.com/living/helping-others/book-of-dreams/article45888035.html#storylink=cpy

https://www.sane.org/media-centre/the-sane-blog/1685-do-you-struggle-to-control-your-anger-here-are-ten-ways-to-gain-control

Link to the article -  https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/anxiety/types-of-anxiety/ocd  This video is only an introduction but you can find a  series of 10 videos on understanding OCD treatment by Katie d'Ath, OCD treatment specialist on You Tube

http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=136954&org=NSF&from=news

https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/science-tech/indigenous-phd-graduate-blends-traditional-medicine-and-modern-science Dr Shane Ingrey, the forth indigenous student to graduate from UNSW in 2015 with a PhD, a record for the university. Photo: Dan Wheelahan

http://intuitivecreativity.typepad.com/expressiveartinspirations/100-art-therapy-exercises.html