04/09/2024
I have been concerned for some time about how many people and institutions have been pathologising young people. I share this concern with my good friend Lisa Martello-Hart from Kojonup, who is working with young people with impressive results. I’ve been thinking for a good while, and talking with […]
13/03/2023
After nearly twenty years working as a neuroscientist, I closed down my university research laboratory at the beginning of the millennium. I no longer believe in the biomedical approach to helping people overcome addiction and mental health problems. I believe that long-term use of psychiatric drugs causes more […]
07/03/2023
The most common approach to ‘helping’ communities has involved focusing on the community’s needs, deficiencies, and problems. This depersonalising approach disempowers and often causes other forms of harm to community citizens. The alternative path to community development, Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), focuses on a community’s assets, capacities, and abilities. Significant community […]
28/02/2023
Here is the Forward of a book written by Perth Clinical Psychologist Bill Saunders, What Happened? What Mental Health is Really About. This is a really important book, essential reading for anyone interested in mental health or psychological wellbeing. I agree with all of Bill’s statements below about […]
16/02/2023
I’ve recently been posting on my Recovery Stories website about an inspirational woman and her fascinating recovery storytelling initiative. In 2009, Meghann Perry ‘was in jail, facing a 5-year prison sentence for selling crack, after decades of profound chaotic substance use and everything that comes with it.’ In […]
09/02/2023
I just love the film clip below from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health that involves Dr. Bruce Perry talking about mental health and trauma. Here are the three major things that Bruce points out: Trauma sharing is a way for storytellers, not experts, to lead the conversation. Storytellers […]
06/02/2023
In 2013, I posted 14 Addiction Recovery Stories on my Recovery Stories website. Some of these Stories were written by the person, whilst others I wrote after interviewing the person (or people) on a number of occasions. In these latter cases, stories went back and forth across the […]
23/01/2023
This blog post is an extract from the book Telling our stories in ways that make us stronger by Barb Wingard and Jane Lester (Dulwich Centre Publications, 2001). The original extract can be found here. [Please note that I broken up some of the long paragraphs in the original […]
09/01/2023
I recently read an amazing story on the ABC website that I felt I had to publish on The Carrolup Story. The article ABC journalist Suzanne Dredge shares her story of overcoming adversity to become the first Head of Indigenous News focuses on a remarkable Wiradjuri woman, Suzanne Dredge. […]
29/12/2022
Last week, I posted a blog about the content John and I have posted in 2022 on The Carrolup Story blog relating to the story of the Aboriginal child artists of Carrolup. I’ve also been posting on our Healing blog, posts related to trauma, healing, addiction, and related […]
27/12/2022
Here’s an excellent article by the late Deron Drumm about the importance of Stories in helping people recover and change the mental health system which appeared on Mad in America in 2014. ‘”It’s important that we share our experiences with other people. Your story will heal you and your […]
21/11/2022
A couple of months ago I came across an excellent article in the Guardian newspaper by UK clinical psychologist Sanah Ahsan entitled ‘I’m a psychologist – and I believe we’ve been told devastating lies about mental health’. The article is well worth reading. It is important to note […]
14/11/2022
Whilst in the UK recently, I bought a hardback copy of Gabor Maté’s thought-provoking new book The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture. Yes, today’s Western society capitalist culture is toxic, according to one of the world’s leading trauma experts. Here is what […]
09/11/2022
Firstly, I’d like to apologise for the long period of time since my last post on the website. I was away for nearly eight weeks visiting family and friends in Europe. Since getting back, I’ve been catching up on a number of things, as well as working on […]
18/07/2022
Last year, I was interviewed by Huseyin Djemil of Towards Recovery for his ‘Journeys’ podcast. I was really pleased to be Huseyin’s first interviewee for his podcast, as I hold him and his initiative in high regard. It was also really nice to talk to him again, the […]