Funding those with mental health problems who cannot afford to receive necessary mental health treatment.

My name is Kathryn Ryan and I am a licenced Psychotherapist working in Private Practice. For the past 5 years I have organised a 16 week self-pay ‘Life Skills Group.’ This group programme is for those people with serious mental health issues who cannot gain services through the government funded mental health centres.

A recent participant of one of the Life Skills groups recounted her disappointment with current government resources, “I was recently diagnosed with emotional dysregulation, in addition to my depression, anxiety and eating disorder…I was told about a DBT course (at a local Community Mental Health Centre) and it sounded really good! But then I was told about the long waiting list and I knew I didn’t have that amount of time. To be totally honest, I didn’t know if I would be alive that long.” – anonymous

It is generally known that only the top three percent of the population needing mental health treatment are able to be seen at the government funded Community Mental Health Centres. This means that it could be YOUR partner, YOUR daughter, YOUR neighbour, or YOUR colleague who is left to cope with their highly stressful life without the appropriate care and treatment. Consequently:-

I am asking for your help! I need you to subsidise the fees of those individuals who cannot afford to attend our DBT/Life Skills Programme. Mental health treatment should be accessible to all.

What is the Life Skills Programme?

The Life Skills Programme is a very effective way of learning how to deal with such issues as depression, anxiety, intense emotional volatility, emotional vulnerability, and relationship difficulties. It is based on the strategies and skills of Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) and incorporates learning ways to regulate and soothe emotion upheaval. Each year I organise the programme and 2-3 colleagues teach a 16 week group. This happens twice in the year, usually March and August, and we have approximately 8-10 people in each group. These groups are held at in the early evening so that it doesn’t interfere with participants’ work or study. As part of the programme we also provide individual psycho-educational DBT/Life Skills training for those who do not do well in a group setting, or those who require ongoing skills assistance.

To learn more about our programme and the topics covered, please visit the Life Skills Programme website at:- www.lifeskillsprogramme.co.nz

Other clients’ testimonials:

“The DBT Life Skills Programme has dramatically increased the quality of my relationships, emotional stability and my happiness. In a safe group environment, I learned skills that have enabled me to handle extremely stressful situations. I can now identify my strong emotions and treat them effectively with a variety of tools.

The sense of self-awareness I developed through the course has empowered me to regulate my emotional state before it spirals out of control into harmful behaviour.

I have also learned to express myself non-confrontationally, empathise with others, cope with deep-rooted shame and insecurity, and how to accept the past and move forwards, rather than stay stuck in realities that cannot be changed.”

Participant:

“I was a single parent of a complex family with a full time job in caring, when exhaustion and anxiety became overwhelming and I felt that the wheels were about to come off my life…….. Practicing those skills, learning to check in with myself and beginning to understand self-compassion has empowered me to live my life with more acceptance, compassion and peace.”