What Animals Do for Our Mental Health
In my book, “Know Thyself: A Kid’s Guide to the Archetypes,” I recommend that children watch or play with animals in order to become more aware of the Innocent Archetype — the naturally curious part of our identity. Research into how animals affect our mental health is just in its infancy, but so far there are some compelling studies to suggest that animals can contribute to mental health on a number of levels and across a wide span of ages and mental health problems.
I have done some searching and reading, and here are some good resources on the growing body of evidence that pet ownership and spending time around animals has a positive correlation to physical and mental health.
From Australia, this paper talks about research showing animal-assisted therapy improving mental health for elderly people in nursing homes as well as children diagnosed with ADHD. It also points out that because of financial hardship, pet ownership for some people has become more difficult. It reports that pet ownership was on the decline in Australia due to increased renting and decreasing owning of homes.
The American Humane Association has a good page that talks about animal-assisted work being done with military families and children with cancer. Their hope is that with more clinical trials, animal-assisted therapies will become more mainstream and available for different treatment and caregiving environments.
On this page, Dr. Andrew Weil talks about how animal-assisted therapy and/or pet ownership can alleviate anxiety, depression and social isolation, while improving blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
My discussion of animals in “Know Thyself” is focused primarily on expressing your Innocent, but there are several archetypes that are expressed when animals are a part of our lives. Animals also call forth our Caregiver as we feed and nurture them, and most of us also know people who express a sense of deeper connection with animals — a sense of animals as Soul Mates. Essentially, animals give us the opportunity to express love, which is the basis for so much of what makes life pleasurable and fulfilling.
The Importance of Learning to Quiet Yourself
In my book, Know Thyself: A Kid’s Guide to the Archetypes, I recommend children learn to practice mindfulness and meditation. In essence, one of the most important skills you can learn in life is how to quiet yourself — how to quiet your mind, how to calm your body, and how, when the two are coordinated, you feel more whole and capable. This article from Greater Good Magazine describes how an elementary school in California is teaching meditation. The results are clear — less conflict, less test anxiety, and standardized test scores improved.
Support National Children’s Mental Health Funding
An email from the Children’s Mental Health Network about an upcoming Action:
ACTION ALERT
The federal government supports many programs that benefit all Americans, including mental health and social services; public health; housing; public safety and law enforcement; medical and scientific research; and education and job training. In Washington, these programs are collectively referred to as “nondefense discretionary” or simply “NDD” programs. On January 2, 2013 these programs will face devastating, across-the-board cuts of 8.2 percent through an arcane budget tool known as “sequestration” unless Congress works together to prevent these cuts through a bipartisan, balanced approach to deficit reduction.
On September 20th please join us in a National NDD Community Call-in and Tweet Day and ask your member of Congress to support a balanced approach to deficit reduction that does not include further cuts to NDD programs, including children’s mental health.
NDD programs represent a relatively small and shrinking share of the federal budget and our overall economy—already reduced to levels not seen since President Eisenhower held office. They are not the drivers of the debt. In fact, even completely eliminating all NDD programs would still not balance the budget. Yet to date NDD programs have borne the brunt of deficit reduction efforts. If sequestration is allowed to take effect, core services upon which Americans have come to rely will be greatly curtailed or even eliminated.
Email, Call, Tweet, or Facebook your Members of Congress on September 20th to let them know that NDD programs, including children’s mental health and research, have already done their part to help reduce the deficit – it’s now time for a balanced approach! We have made links on the Network website to send an email, sample Facebook posts, Tweets, and information about how to call your Members of Congress and are also included below to help you advocate to protect public health and research from further cuts! These materials are also available on the Coalition for Health Funding’s website.
Email Your Congressman
Take approximately five minutes and send an email to your Members of Congress: http://www.cmhnetwork.org/share-your-voice. You’ll simply click the “Take Action” button, scroll to the bottom of the page, enter your name, address, and contact information. Click the blue Send Message button and you’re done!
Call Your Congressman
For those not familiar with calling the offices of your Members of Congress, you can call the Capitol Switchboard and asked to be connected to your Members’ offices. The phone number is (202) 224-3121. You can also go to http://www.Congress.org to find the office’s direct line and to look up your Members of Congress.
Suggested Facebook Posts
This January, essential jobs and services will face more deep cuts through sequestration. There is bipartisan agreement that these cuts would be devastating to the nation. Only through a balanced approach can we avoid sequestration, balance the budget and restore the nation’s economic stability. Take action!
Suggested Tweets
How to Tweet Your Members of Congress:
Use the Children’s Mental Health Network Tweet Your Legislator tool to get in touch with your member of Congress via Twitter. For those relatively new to Twitter, this is a great Twitter 101 Guide from the folks at Half in Ten/Center for American Progress.Template
Invest in public health, mental health, medical research, & infrastructure [insert Member Twitter handle]. Support balance to stop #sequestration! #NDDUnited.Sample
Invest in public health, mental health, medical research, & infrastructure @MaxBaucus. Support balance to stop #sequestration! #NDDUnited———————————-
Template (links to NDD national sign-on letter)
Remember [insert Member Twitter handle] over 3000 groups want you to support a balanced approach to stop #sequestration! http://bit.ly/N2jgsB #NDDUnitedSample
Remember @MaxBaucus, over 3000 groups want you to support a balanced approach to stop #sequestration!http://bit.ly/N2jgsB #NDDUnited———————————-
Template
#Sequestration means an 8.2% cut to #mentalhealth funding in 2013. [insert Member Twitter handle] support a balanced approach! http://bit.ly/N2jgsB #NDDUnitedSample
#Sequestration means an 8% cut to #mentalhealth funding in 2013. @MaxBaucus support a balanced approach! http://bit.ly/N2jgsB #NDDUnited———————————-
Template (links to The Hill editorial by American Federation of School Administrators)
#Sequestration devastates medical research, education, & infrastructure. [insert Member Twitter handle] find a balanced solution! http://bit.ly/OPmbSl #NDDUnitedSample
#Sequestration devastates medical research, education, & infrastructure. @MaxBaucus find a balanced solution! http://bit.ly/OPmbSl #NDDUnited———————————-
Let us know what you need from the Network! We love feedback so let us know how we can improve the website to better meet your needs. Contact us here. As always, thank you for your continued support of the Children’s Mental Health Network, and remember to take action on September 20th!
Scott Bryant-Comstock
President & CEO
SCOTUS, with Chief Justice Roberts, Upholds Health Care Law
With a vote of 5-4, the Supreme Court of the United States has upheld the Health Care Reform legislation with the exception that the federal government's power to terminate states' Medicaid funds is narrowly read. Read the opinion here.
While Justice Anthony Kennedy was thought to be the swing vote, he ultimately dissented and Chief Justice John Roberts' vote ultimately saved the historic legislation.
The Book is Here!
We got in a big delivery of books today, so those who have requested it will be getting your copies. Local friends: if you would like me to bring a copy to you, let me know! We are also beginning plans for a publication party in late July or early August, so stay tuned!
And for you folks who aren't local, the easiest way to get a copy is through Lulu.com:
Know Thyself: A Kid’s Guide to the Archetypes by Kiersten Marek now Available for Purchase
I am proud to say that my book is now available for purchase! Also, there will never be a better time to buy the book — with a 10% discount on the list price, and an additional 20% off through the month of June by using Lulu.com promotional code JUNEBOOKS12. Here is a link to the purchase page on Lulu.com:
Know Thyself: A Kid's Guide to the Archetypes by Kiersten Marek (Paperback) – Lulu.
The Destroyer can take many forms, one of which is destroying other people’s special things out of anger, jealousy, or feelings of worthlessness.
I wrote this book because as I have practiced therapy with children and families over many years, I have found that talking about archetypes and having a visual tool to use when doing so is an excellent way to start meaningful therapy conversations. I also saw that the archetypes model was less stigmatizing than talking in diagnostic terms.
I wanted to create a visual tool that could help kids articulate their experience, and that they could make their own and recreate in their own special way. That is why “Know Thyself” is a workbook and can also be used as a coloring book — it is meant to be a co-creation between child and therapist, or child and parent, or child and teacher, or child and other child — a way to feel bonded to others and on the same team as we find our resources, both internal and external.
Please take a look at the book in preview of “Know Thyself” and consider making it your own.
Free PDF of "Know Thyself: A Kid's Guide to the Archetypes" by Kiersten Marek, LICSW
I am currently in the final stages of revisions for my first ever therapy book, "Know Thyself: A Kid's Guide to the Archetypes." If you would like to receive a free PDF of the book, please send me an email at kiersten.marek@gmail.com. This offer is only good until the book is officially published, so contact me today to take advantage of this special offer.
Should We Pay Doctors to Take Patients for Walks?
This is an interesting piece for the way it calls on us to shift our approach and pay doctors and other health care professionals to engage patients in prevention. I have to ask, though: what would the rate of reimbursement be for doctors taking patients for walks?
A Long View on Health Care – Think Like an Investor – NYTimes.com.
I have developed my own argument for how health care can be an important way to invest in economic development in our country. More to come on that shortly.
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