Autism - alternatives to talk therapy?

PARC/Stepped care was very helpful for me. During my stay, i met several autistic people. I'm still in touch with them now. For some, it was an opportunity to learn life skills. For others, it was to support them to manage through a difficult period without the need for intensive inpatient care.

Back when I used the service, I stayed for 2-6 weeks at a time. Nowadays, I think it is limited to 2 weeks.

There was a daily calendar of events. Each day started with a group meeting where all residents met to talk about what was happening during the day and what support looked like. There would also be a roster for who was cooking each night. So staff and a different client would make an evening meal for all the residents. (Max 10 clients at a time)

There were staff on duty 24/7 and each client was assigned a key worker to work on recovery goals with them.

Every day, there were psychoeducation groups run such as mindfulness, healthy eating, sleep hygiene etc. I still have my resources and work books from these psychoed groups.

There would also be outings such as dog walking, going to the beach, bowling, going for a drive or going for coffee.

We also had physical activities such as walking groups, yoga, boxing etc.

Oh, I should mention pool table, drum kit, movie nights, trivia quizzes.

It was PARC where I was introduced to diamond art. We all got a diamond art to complete.

When i think back, I'd love to work in these services because i know how helpful it was for me.

We had access to a psychiatrist on site as well, and people from NDIS would come and support clients to complete access requests etc.

My peer worker visited me while I was in PARC a few times. We did craft together.

All in all, wow... I can't believe such a service existed and was so helpful for me @Spungold And this was all through the public health system so it didn't cost anything.

Does this info help: https://brisbanenorthphn.org.au/web/uploads/downloads/WEB_MHAOD_stepped-care-factsheet.pdf

@Spungold

I don't know any of these services listed in the document, but maybe you do?

I’ve heard of a couple of those but will need to research further.

Thank you for finding this @tyme ☺️🙏

All the best with it @Spungold .

For me, I spent years in Sydney looking for the right therapist and the 'right' treatment... never happened.

But when I moved to Melb, the doors just opened.

Note: I'm not saying the system is either state is better or worse. In my case, it felt like the luck of the draw.

But yes, NDIS may be a route you want to go down. You need to be able to prove the impact of your 'disability' on functional skills such as communication, independent living, social skills, self-care. It means providing strong evidence and proof how your 'disability' affects every aspect of your functional. It's only getting harder and harder to access NDIS. They have a support line that may guide you through filling out the access request though.

@tyme Your experience sounds amazing and highly beneficial. I had no idea such a holistic program existed, and publicly funded too 😲

If you ever decide to work in a similar service, they would be extremely lucky to have you! The knowledge and insights you could provide would have lifelong benefits for many.

I will definitely contact NDIS again to see if I can apply again.
Asking for help is not my strong suit, let alone having people know just how difficult life is for me. However I know something needs to change.

Qld is definitely behind other states in a lot of medical areas and the attitude towards mental health is appalling. But I will definitely make another go of it.

Fingers crossed I get a decent contact a NDIS and I can complete the application.

Thanks again @tyme, this conversation has been motivating and insightful. I appreciate you 💜☺️

Maybe an animal therapy would be good. One example is riding for the disabled. Pets can also help us regulate our moods. Many of us neurospicy people connect better with animals then other people. Animals can be very calming and I have bennifited from Animal support a lot.