**Mental health****** We've been granted limited funding to support mental health in our community in Scotland related to the COVID-19 crisis **PLEASE**, if any of you could do with some one-to-one support right now to deal the stress of this time, do ask - we're here for you.
**I have recruited a counsellor to offer 3 - 4 private sessions, delivered via Zoom (camera optional).**
Her name is Terese.
She started counselling in 2015, opened her own practice in 2018 and has a background in psychology, including a Masters in autism research, which led to her doing a placement with SWAN.
Terese is also trained as a coach and applies practical, future-thinking tools when appropriate, offering a holistic, integrative way of working.
You'll offered a 30 minute pre-session to get a sense of whether Terese and you are a good fit and that you'll be comfortable carrying on via Zoom.
****Please get in touch, if you're interested.**** Write a line or two of what's going on with you that you'd like support with, and your availability, DM or email at swan.scotland@gmail.com and we'll pass your details on to Terese. She will then get in touch with you directly, ensuring your confidentiality and privacy are respected and protected. ...
Many comments and memes on social media just now tell us that autistic people are fine with isolation and because we spend our lives practicing ‘social distancing’ it doesn’t impact on us - in fact we enjoy it. We feel it is important to stress here that many autistic people are as uncomfortable and disturbed with the lack of social contact we’re experiencing just now as anyone else.
All human beings need a sense of community, a sense of belonging. That autistic people spend so much of our lives without those things, doesn’t mean we don’t need them to thrive. It’s notable that the two autistic-led charities in Scotland, Triple As - Autism and SWAN: Scottish Women's Autism Network, are all about peer support for autistic people. We create opportunities for autistic people to meet and socialise with others, to share interests and lived experiences.
Joining the autistic community is often regarded as one of the best things about knowing that you are autistic, being able to communicate simply and easily, meeting others who socialise in similar ways to you, sharing interests and humour. Many members of Triple As and SWAN have reported that the sense of well-being they feel after attending a group or going along to a meet up is life-changing. There are feelings of inclusion and community, validation, improved confidence and self-belief. It can be the beginning of self acceptance. People tell us that their partners and children actively encourage them to go to SWAN meet-ups or Triple As activities because of the positive effect socialising with other autistic people has on them.
More generally, the reality that socialising might exhaust us and that we need to take ‘time out’ after, does not mean we don’t like socialising. It’s not about not caring about other humans, it’s about pacing how much connecting with other humans we ‘do’. Many of us are extroverted introverts, - people who love being around people, giving and sharing and touching and hugging, as long as we get to retreat to our own space when we need to.
If you are used to attending groups or meet ups and these have suddenly stopped, there can be a sense of loss for both the members of the groups and those facilitating them. Change is hard for all people, for autistic people, probably especially so. Moreover, for many autistic people living on their own, much of their social interaction if not all of it, may be through going to work, the shops, attending activities or groups. Many do not have ‘friends’ or social circles and are currently experiencing quite severe isolation.
Both Triple As and SWAN understand the importance of community and are committed to ensuring our members continue to have opportunities to socialise. We know that autistic people need social contact and support, possibly more so now that ever. Triple As and SWAN are continuing to hold groups and meet ups on line and through apps. As the memes suggest, check in on your extroverted friends as they won’t be doing so well, but check in on your autistic friends and relatives too. They may not be loving the lockdown as much as the internet might be leading you to believe.
The staff and volunteers at Triple As, SWAN and One Stop Shop Aberdeen ...
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Mary Baird Sommerville
5 days ago
I put off going food shopping as long as I could. I braced myself today and drove to asda but the sight of the queue had me straight back in the car. I'm just going to have to ration what I have .I thought I was coping on with the lockdown and my house move being postponed. Now I'm shaking coz I can't get my vegan cheese... ...
Celebrating with our autistic colleagues! World Autism Awareness Day.Autistic people are autistic all throughout their lives, every second of every day. We know that if we want to learn more about a minority group, the best way to do that is to speak to members of that group and the autistic community is no different. Those of us employed here at the OSSAberdeen have several lifetimes worth of experience of being autistic and are always happy to help others learn more about and understand autism better.
One of the most frequent pieces of feedback we receive when delivering training, providing 1:1 support or visiting groups is the value of hearing from the lived experiences of autistic people. Autistic people can highlight aspects of their daily lives that many others had not even considered.
Lived experiences are valid and powerful. We all know what it is like to imagine how something will be – having worked with children for a long time before becoming a parent I naively thought I had a good idea about what parenting would be, but the reality of what parenting is compared to what I expected is, of course, very different! It is one thing to imagine what something is like, it is an entirely different thing to actually walk in the shoes of someone who experiences it. So speak with autistic people, follow them on social media, watch the videos they make, read books and articles by autistic people. We are all vastly different in many ways, but there are reasons why we all have the same diagnosis – we share many of the same lived experiences. Locally in Aberdeen we have the One Stop Shop Aberdeen which is part of Aberdeen Autism Association, and also SWAN: Scottish Women's Autism Network which are all autistic led. Here is a very small selection of autistic people and autist led organisations on Facebook we suggest you check out too:
Agony Autie, Autistic Not Weird, Neurodivergent Rebel, Growing Up Aspie - A Comic By Nathan McConnell, Kristy Forbes - Autism & Neurodiversity Support Specialist, Beth Wilson - Artist, Autistic Inclusive Meets Community Group AIM, Yenn Purkis Neurodiversity page, The Autistic Cooperative, Autistic, Typing, Michael McCreary - AspieComic, AUsome Ireland, The Autistic OT, Labels Go On Soup Cans, Autism Is A Diagnosis. Leah Taylor Official., Haley Moss, Kayla Smith, Lydia X. Z. Brown - Autistic Hoya, NeuroClastic and so very many more.
Marion@OSSAberdeen ...
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