Book Review: ‘By Grand Central Station I sat Down and Wept’ by Elizabeth smart

During times of crises, one might think that we would be reminded of the triviality of our small, personal problems, but I think that one of the many things that the current Covid-19 pandemic has taught us is that our human responses aren't always so rational. Over the last two weeks, as the severity of …

Book Review: ‘Radical Help’ by Hilary Cottam

I am wary of the word ‘radical’. It feels brash, idealistic, even aggressive, somehow. Maybe it’s just been overused, it seemed to crop up everywhere during my Masters degree, attempting to appeal to some sort of youthful optimism – ‘this is radical! new! you young people will love it! a complete overhaul will happen right …

Book Review: ‘Heroines’ by Kate Zambreno

'Memoir is a woman writer's forbidden and often avoided continent. The threat perhaps is a woman writing her own narrative, being her own author.' (236) This book is perhaps best defined in Kate Zambreno’s own words as an emotion-fuelled ‘memory campaign’. In it, Zambreno takes up the worthy task of rescuing the voices of forgotten …

Recovery in ‘Will and Testament’ by Vigdis Hjorth

‘I expected to become psychotic, but I didn’t, so somewhat surprised I got up, looked around, and then I left, what else could I do? It was a clear and sparkling August day, I hadn’t noticed that until now. The air was warm, I hadn’t noticed that before. I walked down Bogstadveien, what else could …

Book Review: ‘On Becoming A Person’ by Carl Rogers

This book could be summarised into one paragraph, and while it has some good ideas, it is far too repetitive as a book. Carl Roger’s came up with what he refers to as ‘client-centred therapy,’ which today sounds like something that goes without saying, but in its own time was a fairly radical and novel …

First Day as a Mental Health Support Worker

Yesterday I had my first shift as a Support Worker at a Recovery House; it was both exhausting and fascinating. I arrived for 8am, which was when the night staff give us the hand-over on each individual staying at the house, how their night went, etc. so that we know how everyone is feeling in …

Book Review: ‘The Body Keeps the Score’ by Bessel van der Kolk

This is a fantastic book about psychiatry, trauma, PTSD, Complex-PTSD, and recovery. It is rare that a book written for such a wide audience manages to be both accessible and hugely informative. It references (seemingly) all of the relevant and up-to-date research, brings in case studies for more concrete examples and understanding, and keeps the …