Furious at a broken system yet again

@tyme I have an update

I kept trying to get through to the place that was funding my referrals for quite a few days but they finally got back to me. They were extremely apologetic and apparently they weren’t even told by the government that their funding would be stopped until the exact moment it happened too.

Yeah. Typical.

They are supposed to be getting more funding again in July from what I’ve now been told, and suggested my psychology clinic rings them directly in case I can have an exemption so I’ve done that. They also suggested I voice my concerns to a particular minister they say is responsible too.

I called my psychology clinic straight away. Told them what they told me. They’re organising what they can on their end.

As the saying goes……..disappointed but not surprised. I’m so sick of governments not taking mental health seriously enough.

Oh @lonemushroom . So sorry to hear this. It sounds so frustrating. At the same time, is there anything you can do to help yourself through this? Anything you can think of that the community here can do to help you?

I'm so sad to hear that these things happen to REAL people who are struggling.

Please know we are here for you.

Hi @tyme, thanks for getting back to me and I hope you’ve been doing well 💗

I’m sorry I haven’t responded or been very active on here for so long.

Honestly I’ve been so ridiculously busy the last few months STILL going back and forth trying to solve this issue. I’ve called so many people and still nothing. Psychology clinic refuses to lift a finger to help in any way anymore. There’s a lot more updates I could list and I may do later on while still being conscious of anonymity rules, even just to raise awareness or something like that. But for now I’m very burnt out and really struggling to manage

I would love to know if there’s anything that other people find helpful when being thrown around the system like this and waiting for more support if that’s okay

It’s so hard not knowing if I’ll ever be able to get the full support I need for my recovery

Gosh @lonemushroom, this sounds so so tough. I can hear there is a lot more you'd like to share and we will definitely be here when you're ready to do so. In the meantime, I just want to validate how hard and overwhelming it can be to access support in a system that, well, isn't always so supportive... it's exhausting. I can hear you are trying your absolute best here to ask for help and navigate your options and I would like to suggest a couple of other things that may be helpful whilst you are waiting for answers.

1. Obviously, you have us - yay!

2. RecoveryClub will reopen this month - have you looked into it all?

3. ListenWell is a peer-led phone line you can access for free support: https://www.wellways.org/our-services/listenwell-warmline/

4. Grow Groups could also be a helpful addition for free mental health support: https://grow.org.au/grow-program/

These are just a couple of ideas that come to mind first, but absolutely happy to help you brainstorm some other options too - just let me know. 🫶

PS: So nice to have you back!

hi @AuntGlow so good to see you 💗thank you so much for your message I truly always appreciate your help and seeing you around here

I’m currently in recoveryclub but only for 4 more weeks, so I’m not entirely sure if I’ll still be in whenever the groups come back on but I’m definitely gonna try to make as much use of what I can while I still can with where the new format is at currently. I’ve definitely been meaning to sign up for grow groups so I think I’m gonna get onto that as soon as I can too as I’ve realised having support groups is really beneficial for me, the groups in recoveryclub was my first time having access to that

One small update I can say is that I’ve been told I’m eligible for a mental health nurse program, but there’s only two available in the entire health district that’s supposed to cover thousands of square kilometres, and one of them is “likely to decline” my application 🙃 what a joke right! so I’m seeing my GP today about how I’ve been lately and getting a referral for just that ONE mental health nurse available as well as discussing whatever the heck else I can do, it’s crazy that it gets to a point where we end up feeling like we need therapy JUST from not getting said therapy lol!

I’m really glad to be back as well and so glad people here understand ❤️

Aww always, @lonemushroom.

And apologies for my delay, I am playing a bit of catch-up as we speak!

How are you feeling this week? 🫶

Oh! Hmm, you should still be able to access groups within the 6-month window. Would you like me to find out for you?

Groups can be so helpful. I have heard good things about Grow, so I think that's a great idea. Just knowing we aren't alone is key to shifting through any feelings of shame or isolation - I think so many people can relate to the things you have shared on the forums too. 🥰

Oh my goodness! That sounds like an inordinate amount of pressure, I completely hear you. Do you have any word on the mental health nurse program?

I am looking forward to your updates. 💛

Hi @AuntGlow so good to see you ❤️

This week hasn’t been so bad thankfully aside from chronic illnesses flaring up, I’ve been trying really hard to focus on self care as much as I can. I stupidly underestimated the need to wear gloves to chop chilli while cooking dinner last night so my hands are burning a bit today 🤣 luckily it’s not too bad but definitely lesson learned lol!

Sadly today is pretty much my last day in RecoveryClub so I’m making good use out of that but unfortunately I think I’ll have to wait out the six months to refer myself to go to the groups again, which isn’t ideal but I plan to sign up for Grow groups next week so I hope that will be good

There’s still nothing from the mental health nurse 🙃 so I think I’ll be chasing that up early next week too as they should have gotten the referral and made contact by now, I could ring today but I’d rather give it a couple more days as it’s a nice day so far

I hope you’ve been having a wonderful week 😊

and yes knowing I’m not alone makes the biggest difference as I’ve very much been alone the last few years until I found Sane

especially when trying to navigate the mental health system I am so often made to feel like my problems are niche and “too complex/too much” but here at Sane I’ve never felt that way not even for a single moment

If anything it’s the opposite here, it’s infuriating that so many of us face such horrible distress simply trying to find appropriate help but it’s incredibly reassuring to know none of us are alone or too much at all

Hello wonderful human! @lonemushroom

How has your week been?

I am so glad you have found space for self-care. Do you find that it helps to soothe your symptoms at all?

Oh nooo! I love chilli, but I totally hear you - it can be dangerous business. What did you cook??

I am sorry to hear that your Recovery Club access has ended, you will definitely be welcomed back with open arms in six months! But until then, Grow could be a great option. Have you been to a session yet?

I am curious to know if the mental health nurse got back to you at all?

It's so lovely to read that Sane has helped you to feel seen and heard, and that is truly a testament to the kindness and vulnerability of our community members - like you! 💛

Hi @AuntGlow long time no see!! Wow I hope I never have to be away from the forums for that long ever again and I’ve missed talking to you and everyone here so much 💜 I’ve been truly so busy the last few months plus I had some trouble logging in during the site changes but it’s not an issue now so I’m finally back yay!

I believe from memory I was cooking either a curry or a Latin American recipe and they were scotch bonnet chillis 🤣 they are my favourite but also one of the spicier ones around so now I’ve worn gloves every time I use them since that incident haha

I did eventually get in touch with the mental health nurse finally, I’ve been having one hour sessions with them once every week over the phone which will continue until the end of the year when I’ve been told their contract finishes. As for psychology referrals, I was given constant reassurance that the funding would be back to normal by the start of July, only for the start of July to come around and be told that because so many people with exemptions used up their psychologist sessions while waiting for EOFY, the funding has yet again been exhausted…..or all the psychologists that accept these specific referrals are no longer accepting new patients because they’re too busy with all the ones that needed exemption sessions in the interim? Even though the one psychologist I managed to get a recommendation for who doesn’t use the therapy approach I need said they hardly have a wait list when I spoke to them and they’d be happy to take me on. But also they can’t tell me who’s on the list of places that accept these referrals for some magical reason. But also the funding is back on I just can’t access things this way because here’s a big list of complicated excuses and shoving blame to other people/places. Honestly, the answers I’ve been getting are just as vague and confusing as they sound 🙃 I keep meaning to chase it up and figure out what on earth is up with the lack of transparent communication but then deciding that I just don’t have the energy to deal with how distressing the whole situation is and sweeping it under the rug. Well maybe not sweeping it under the rug because I am actively trying to do as many things that I’ve learned from previous therapists and being in RecoveryClub as I can healthily manage, and I am trying to find other avenues of treatment that don’t cost a fortune (preferably free of cost since I am tremendously broke lol) or rely on a huge amount of cortisol spiking red tape. I guess advocating myself just gets really hard and I’m still trying to get a lot better at managing it. I’m glad I can talk to my mental health nurse each week though, even though it’s not the most ideal situation for the help I actually need since they can’t really help with strategies the same way a psychologist would but at the very least having being able to have that regular weekly/fortnightly debrief and peer support always makes the biggest difference for me. They’re really lovely and understanding to talk to and we get along well. Also I can say now since they wanna be unapologetic about the recent changes and cuts to NDIS, I can be unapologetic in saying I’ve been told in no uncertain terms by multiple sources working in the mental health field out here that Mark Butler is also responsible for this exact issue I’m having with funding cuts to local mental health programs ✌️ so I can’t get into NDIS because they wanna make it ten times harder to access if you’re neurodivergent or have a psychosocial disability, but the resources they wanna push people onto instead are getting cut too. I just want at least this information out there, I’ve done my best to not to name names but I think this bit is justified since there’s not much pushback from them about this being public. I’ve actually had people begging me to speak up because they’re not allowed to.

I did try one Grow session and while it went okay I decided not to continue as I felt like the format didn’t really suit what I need. It wasn’t anything terrible or wrong or discomforting, I’m open to trying it out again if I feel like it would suit me in the future and I can totally see how they help other people for sure but it was just a simple “this isn’t what I’m looking for right now”.

I have some good news though…I’m so proud of myself and I rarely ever say that 🥹

Something I think I’ve mentioned before on here is the fact that I hardly leave the house and really struggle with it due to complex trauma, my disabilities and a few other reasons. It’s always been a massive part of my recovery journey since adolescence but last half decade has been pretty bad for it. This year one of my goals I made was to get back into bushwalking and I finally did it!! I’ve gone a handful of times now to a few different places on easy grade walks that don’t tire me out too much to start with and it’s been amazing. I went camping recently too which felt like finally getting the reset my soul has been dying for since this decade started.

A long time ago I used to enjoy looking after dogs whether it was a rescue situation or simply minding someone’s dog while they were away. I’ve recently been lucky enough to look after one again and it’s made me realise how much I really need to stop putting off trying to get a service dog or even just adopt one full stop 😭 it’s always played at the back of my mind for ages but I’ve constantly put it off because I felt I wasn’t ready yet and wanted to make sure I could handle the commitment in every way…now I think I’ve proven to myself that it’s finally time to go for it 🥲 it even got me out walking around my own neighbourhood which I rarely do because it’s not a very safe place. In a few days this amazing dog that’s brought me so much joy will be back with their owners and I know the emotions are gonna hit me incredibly hard, so I’m super relieved I managed to get back on the forums right at the perfect time when I know I’m really gonna need it. I’ve been gradually able to talk to people face to face on rare occasions too! I’ve also been attending more online webinars on all kinds of interesting topics both mental health and non-mental health related, and keeping an eye on volunteer opportunities.

The only thing about gradually getting myself leaving the house again at a comfortable pace is that I forgot about catcalling, the biggest reason I became terrified of leaving the house in the first place 🙃 so that’s a whole other thing to deal with that I’m trying to manage without risking re-traumatising myself. It’s sad that the toxic behaviour in my town really hasn’t changed throughout the years that I haven’t left the house. One person hitting on me was a neighbour just a couple houses away and the other was at a national park! I chose going to national parks as my starter goal for peace and quiet, like goodness it’s a national park not a pub or dating app. People have suggested to me that maybe I should go for self defence classes but so many of them are pretty much just martial arts and tough love. Apparently empowered self defence is a thing though, where a lot of the work is psychology exercises as well as practical so it can help teach how to get out of that freeze zone which I think is fantastic as that’s the most important bit I need to learn for my safety really, so I’m keeping my ear to the ground in case something like that comes up local to me.

Whew I know this is quite the long ramble after being away for a few months, but I have to say I’ve really gotta credit the motivation I now have to keep going and keep recovering to everyone here at SANE ❤️ I’m not always doing this well and I know there’ll always be rough patches but all these things I’m doing now were absolutely out of the question for me even just a few months ago. I am so, so grateful to have found this amazing community and for all the helpful support I’ve gotten here. I’m super glad to be back 🥲