Group Therapy

Good on you. I am a CAT person too.

Hi there 9th session of 10

We talked in some detail about going back to work after somewhat long periods of time off for treatment of Depression. This did not apply in some cases as we are retired. However, it applies to us if we are involved in work
as volunteers or general community contributions.

Two of the group are going back part time and they are finding it difficult as they have been on Sick Leave for
many months. They are back part time to start with and they both admitted to being very tired after a day's
work. Some co-workers understand and some are less supportive. It depends entirely on the environment
and the sort of work you are returning to.

Insurance companies are of course in favor of a full return and the shortest possible time of readaptation. In
today's high pressure employment atmosphere, there may be little sympathy for your illness. Once again it
is the stigma of mental illness that rears it's ugly head. Money affects everything and has no patience with
the affected, so getting back in the saddle is what they want. Easier said than done.

Back problems or sickness of a more physical nature is much easier for most people to understand. The type of employment comes into effect as well. If it is a large organization or a public or government institution they can change work tasks to help with gradual reentry. Smaller work places may find this difficult.

In any case the return to work is a challenge. The session we had was called "Harmonizing With Your Work
Environment"

Next week is our last. We will review and decide how we have been helped as individuals. I think it has been an
overall positive exercise . Some weeks and topics have been more interesting than others. This is just an example of personalities picking and choosing which topics most applied to them.

Take care of yourself Karen.

Sounds like it's time for that chicken soup.

Group session number 10 (final week)

Where to start with this subject? Well it went about the way I expected. There were various conclusions as
you would expect. The general feeling is that the interaction among all present was mostly enjoyed in that we all
had gained something because everyone was suffering from the same thing. Before each get together we
would greet each other with "how was your week?". In general the responses were some good days and some
bad.

With the exception of one or two people who did not enjoy the efforts of our moderator, the exercise was deemed a success. We had all filled out a list of answers to general questions in our first meeting. We answered the same questions at the last and checked to see if our outlook had changed over the 10 week period. There had been some
improvements.

The next step is to have a one on one meeting with the therapist to document and evaluate our experience and
get some feedback in order help us to work on things more specifically as individuals.

I should mention that there was an incident which happened during the meeting. A person in an connecting room
was screaming loudly and had to be removed by security. This had an effect on our group, as it was of course
frightening. One must admit that in a department treating all levels of mental illness you could expect the odd
problem.

I should say again that we were provided with much useful material and web sites selected by the department
that will remain useful to us.

We are able to meet once or twice a month on a Friday afternoon . This is in order to maintain contact
for those that wish to do so. I intend to take part.

I hope this has been useful to those following the thread.

Glad you got a puppy. They are so adorable at that age. Had a dog when I was young. I was
heartbroken when he passed on.

We have a much loved cat. Don't have to walk a cat


Stay well. Ian

Further developments--

I have been called in to have a sort of exit interview for a one on one meeting with
our leader and therapist next week. The program was called the "Self-Management of Health
Therapy Series"

Results of the ten week Group Therapy Sessions

I had a one on one with the therapist. She said I had shown 20% progress and I show a "borderline" Depression.

My conclusions are as follows:

1. Being with others that share the same sickness is beneficial, as one does not often get a chance to interact with
them and gain the trust in sharing episodes of ups and downs of our daily lives.

2. The organized and carefully planned subjects given from week to week, and with times to reflect on our
experiences helped a great deal.

3. in general it was a worth the effort and most of the group has had a positive attitude and would like to look
into further classes.

We are getting together for a little visit on Dec. 20th.

Will report if there is news.


Ian

Due to time constraints, I was unable to attend the get together. Holiday Greetings to all who are on this site.



Ian ( Cloudy )

We are having a get together this week. I intend to be there this time. Will let you know how people are doing post meeting.

Thank you for those reports... they're very helpful with learning about what to expect and deciding whether to go through with the doctor's suggestions on different group sessions. It's also great to make new friends who may be in the same boat and can identify.

I am glad group therapy was so beneficial for you Ian. I know what you mean about hospital stays. My mother was in a psychiatric ward at the state mental hospital when I was a kid. I remember going there. It wasn't so much what I saw but the things I heard. This was in the 60's though and things have changed a lot since then. As I got older I noticed the changes. But when I was a kid, it sounded scary. I know hospital stays are beneficial for many though.

I am glad that your meeting went well. I hope you continue to see these people (maybe some friends now) again.

I hope you are having a good day today. Here it is extremely cold. And getting colder for the next two days. I will be staying in.

Take care Ian... Thanks for posting.

Hugs, Karen...