Post by Veritee on Jan 3, 2008 10:10:30 GMT
This is very 'off topic' but very important to me personally
If you feel after reading this you can sign this petition please go to the links below:
Links to the petitions:
I am a life long supporter now of what is known as the 'Democratic Therapeutic Community movement' in mental health.
In fact while an on-line forum support service can never be a TC, but the Therapeutic Community Movements and some of the ethos of this kind of support and therapy has influenced some of how this charity is run.
A Therapeutic Community in its true 'residential' form is a unique and often very effective way of treating people with substantial issues which are often multiple i.e having several mental health, personal and emotional issues together. - and using non - medication, non - invasive therapies - Undertaken in a particitive collaborative, democratic and deinstitutionalized approach to staff-patient interaction.
We know it works and quite honestly very little else does for people with such multiple issues.
Some examples of what theses could be are:
I have personal reasons to know TCs work which if appropriate I will share - but also I have used it professionally.
We also used Therapeutic Community dynamics, skills and techniques at the non residential group work project I was assistant coordinator of which worked with young people with multiple, social, personal and mental health issues.
However, not all the staff were even aware of TC or where the techniques came from as TCs are so little known about, yet the skills learned from TC shave permeated many areas of current therapy.
I have found them very effective even in non residential settings.
If you are interested to read further about democratic Therapeutic Communities, one of the 'inventor's' of this was Maxwell Jones- some links
www.pettarchiv.org.uk/pubs-dhclark-maxjones.htm
www.tc-of.org.uk/wiki/index.php/Dr_Maxwell_Jones
www.therapeuticcommunities.org/journal-pines.htm
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapeutic_community
www.therapeuticcommunities.org/faq.htm
We have a Wikki here:
www.tc-of.org.uk/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
And a yahoo group here: groups.yahoo.com/group/TC-OF/
Anyway, the reason for this thread is that the NHS is closing the foremost Therapeutic community- started by the TC pioneer Maxwell Jones over 60 years ago!!!
And the very few others are under threat too!!
The one being closed currently is called The Henderson Surrey UK
They are closing it because they believe that a central TC is obsolete and that 'part time ' therapeutic' and or T community style therapy can be offered just as effectively ( and much more cheaply) within local areas ( Perhaps one day a week) and there is therefore is no need for the expense of a full time TC and center of excellence in terms of TC practice and training.
Those of us who know the value of the Henderson and other full time TC believe this is short sited and totally wrong and is being done for cost saving only ...............
I do support local Therapeutic community Initiatives - part or full time - and think that this is a really useful innovation and expansion of the TC idea
................but believe that they need to run along side of a full time centers of excellence like the Henderson.
A Place like the Henderson is needed to train potential practitioners in the TC practice and to 'path the way' in new thought, practice and research. Full Time residential TC are pioneers in the field.
( In my opinion to close main TCs would be a bit like in cancer care closing all major cancer treatment and research centers and trying to disseminate all practice, equipment, staff, research and expertise around small cancer treatment centers in local hospitals)
There is a forum just started for all those interested in saving the Henderson, including ex- residents and their relatives here: savethehenderson.forumotion.com
Anyway I will not ramble further as I am sure that I am not explaining what a TC is and you may not understand what I am rambling on about
But I would just like to ask you to read the links and if you think you can sign the petition to keep the Henderson open
It means a lot to me
PS: News Stories about the Henderson Closure - links below
If you read any of the news stories below about the closure of the Henderson please do not be alarmed at the description that those who go to the Henderson all have 'personality disorders'
As I said above, this in my opinion - and from first hand experience - is only one of the reasons people seek ( or indeed need) treatment in a residential Therapeutic community like the Henderson ( or a locally based part time TC) It is also an unfortunate label as it give the impression that those who benefit from TC are dangerous - which is rarely the case.
Links to News stories about the Henderson Closure:
www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2007/12/19/points-of-disorder-89520-20259726/
www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/dec/22/mentalhealth.nhs?gusrc=rss&feed=society
www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=502805&in_page_id=1774
news.independent.co.uk/health/article3260712.ece
view.nowpublic.com/?src=http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/paul_farmer/2007/12/a_service_in_disorder.html
www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/dec/17/mentalhealth.nhs?gusrc=rss&feed=society
www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2007/12/18/106813/london-health-trust-axes-pioneering-mental-health-hospital. html
www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2007/12/18/nhs-axing-sparks-fury-89520-20259101/
observer.guardian.co.uk/letters/story/0,,2231733,00.html
www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/display.var.1901441.0.0.php
www.epsomguardian.co.uk/news/suttonnews/display.var.1914877.0.henderson_hospital_closure_an_obscenity.php
If you feel after reading this you can sign this petition please go to the links below:
Links to the petitions:
www.tc-of.org.uk/wiki/index.php/Henderson_Campaign
Direct Links:
petitions.pm.gov.uk/Savethehendo/
petitions.pm.gov.uk/SaveHenderson/
I am a life long supporter now of what is known as the 'Democratic Therapeutic Community movement' in mental health.
In fact while an on-line forum support service can never be a TC, but the Therapeutic Community Movements and some of the ethos of this kind of support and therapy has influenced some of how this charity is run.
A Therapeutic Community in its true 'residential' form is a unique and often very effective way of treating people with substantial issues which are often multiple i.e having several mental health, personal and emotional issues together. - and using non - medication, non - invasive therapies - Undertaken in a particitive collaborative, democratic and deinstitutionalized approach to staff-patient interaction.
We know it works and quite honestly very little else does for people with such multiple issues.
Some examples of what theses could be are:
severe self harm, very low self worth and self esteem, extreme generalized anxiety, panic episodes; sometimes combined with severe phobia which restricts quality of life, eating disorders like Bulimia and Anorexia, difficulties with social and personal relationships, self management difficulties, inability to sustain relationships and sustain any job over time, inappropriate behavior, anger and emotional management difficulties, emotional oversensitivity - i.e everything emotional hurts even nice things - lack of personal boundaries or understanding of outside boundaries, Alcohol and/or Drug abuse problems - although most TC do not allow people in until they are drug and alcohol free - there are other issues, theses are some of them[/i]
*This is my own description of what issues those who benefit from a TC may have
- unfortunately because they have never found another way to label people who have theses issues in multiples the name most commonly used is personality disorder -
A description I really disagree with and it has connotations that theses people are dangerous to others! and in fact few who go or are suitable for treatment at a Therapeutic Community are EVER dangerous to others although with often extreme self harm can be dangerous to themselves. I suppose they cant repeat the long list of possible combined symptoms when describing who a TC best treats. But I hate the term and I just wish someone could come up with a different description!
I have personal reasons to know TCs work which if appropriate I will share - but also I have used it professionally.
We also used Therapeutic Community dynamics, skills and techniques at the non residential group work project I was assistant coordinator of which worked with young people with multiple, social, personal and mental health issues.
However, not all the staff were even aware of TC or where the techniques came from as TCs are so little known about, yet the skills learned from TC shave permeated many areas of current therapy.
I have found them very effective even in non residential settings.
If you are interested to read further about democratic Therapeutic Communities, one of the 'inventor's' of this was Maxwell Jones- some links
www.pettarchiv.org.uk/pubs-dhclark-maxjones.htm
www.tc-of.org.uk/wiki/index.php/Dr_Maxwell_Jones
www.therapeuticcommunities.org/journal-pines.htm
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapeutic_community
www.therapeuticcommunities.org/faq.htm
We have a Wikki here:
www.tc-of.org.uk/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
And a yahoo group here: groups.yahoo.com/group/TC-OF/
Anyway, the reason for this thread is that the NHS is closing the foremost Therapeutic community- started by the TC pioneer Maxwell Jones over 60 years ago!!!
And the very few others are under threat too!!
The one being closed currently is called The Henderson Surrey UK
They are closing it because they believe that a central TC is obsolete and that 'part time ' therapeutic' and or T community style therapy can be offered just as effectively ( and much more cheaply) within local areas ( Perhaps one day a week) and there is therefore is no need for the expense of a full time TC and center of excellence in terms of TC practice and training.
Those of us who know the value of the Henderson and other full time TC believe this is short sited and totally wrong and is being done for cost saving only ...............
I do support local Therapeutic community Initiatives - part or full time - and think that this is a really useful innovation and expansion of the TC idea
................but believe that they need to run along side of a full time centers of excellence like the Henderson.
A Place like the Henderson is needed to train potential practitioners in the TC practice and to 'path the way' in new thought, practice and research. Full Time residential TC are pioneers in the field.
( In my opinion to close main TCs would be a bit like in cancer care closing all major cancer treatment and research centers and trying to disseminate all practice, equipment, staff, research and expertise around small cancer treatment centers in local hospitals)
There is a forum just started for all those interested in saving the Henderson, including ex- residents and their relatives here: savethehenderson.forumotion.com
Anyway I will not ramble further as I am sure that I am not explaining what a TC is and you may not understand what I am rambling on about
But I would just like to ask you to read the links and if you think you can sign the petition to keep the Henderson open
It means a lot to me
PS: News Stories about the Henderson Closure - links below
If you read any of the news stories below about the closure of the Henderson please do not be alarmed at the description that those who go to the Henderson all have 'personality disorders'
As I said above, this in my opinion - and from first hand experience - is only one of the reasons people seek ( or indeed need) treatment in a residential Therapeutic community like the Henderson ( or a locally based part time TC) It is also an unfortunate label as it give the impression that those who benefit from TC are dangerous - which is rarely the case.
Links to News stories about the Henderson Closure:
www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2007/12/19/points-of-disorder-89520-20259726/
www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/dec/22/mentalhealth.nhs?gusrc=rss&feed=society
www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=502805&in_page_id=1774
news.independent.co.uk/health/article3260712.ece
view.nowpublic.com/?src=http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/paul_farmer/2007/12/a_service_in_disorder.html
www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/dec/17/mentalhealth.nhs?gusrc=rss&feed=society
www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2007/12/18/106813/london-health-trust-axes-pioneering-mental-health-hospital. html
www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2007/12/18/nhs-axing-sparks-fury-89520-20259101/
observer.guardian.co.uk/letters/story/0,,2231733,00.html
www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/display.var.1901441.0.0.php
www.epsomguardian.co.uk/news/suttonnews/display.var.1914877.0.henderson_hospital_closure_an_obscenity.php
