Mental Health and trauma

I recently had the opportunity to hear Dr. Adam Montgomery speak about his research with our veterans who served in Afghanistan and Operational Stress Injury which is sometimes described as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder by civilians.  One point he brought out is sometimes it is the witness to trauma who suffers more than the recipient.  The main reason is because of that sense of helplessness that comes with it and the feeling that they should have done something about it.  I realized from that conversation that is why caregivers of individuals impacted by FASD will struggle with mental health sometimes.  When our child is having an intense emotional outburst and we can't figure out how to help them, we can get that sense of helplessness.  We will think we should have done something differently and take responsibility.  Again, this is why a counselor or psycho therapist for the entire family is so important to help us find strategies on how to manage that trauma.

While we recognize all of our stories are different and unique to our situation, Shelley would like to share her story with you and how she is coming back from a debilitating stress injury.  She was asked to share her story recently at an Employer Symposium with the purpose of showing how an employer can have a key role in supporting individuals with mental health challenges.

https://youtu.be/y5yZa01T6U4


To me, this is why we stress every caregiver needs support as well.  It can be challenging to maintain hope for both the individual impacted by FASD as well as their caregiver.  This is why the need for school boards and caregivers to be in collaboration as to how to support our children impacted by FASD is vital for all parties involved.  When solutions can be found and success is maintained by all, individuals, caregivers and teachers are renewed to continue progressing forward.

You may have seen this petition already supporting Bill 191 but if you haven't, please consider signing and passing it onto all your friends and family.  https://www.thepetitionsite.com/287/637/880/support-bill-191-am-end-the-education-act-to-include-fetal-alchol-spectrum-disorder/?taf_id=51852813&cid=fb_na#bbfb=243730049

Bill 191 continues to wait for House Leader Yasir Navqi to schedule its second reading.  It should be noted that 3rd party House Leader Gilles Bisson has asked for an audience with a FASD delegation so progress continues to slowly be made.