Au Revoir

...for the holidays!

We're off to Dublin in the wee hours of the morning, then to Belfast in the evening :).

So, wishing everyone a happy holidays and a peaceful new year as we won't have internet access back in the sticks :).

xxx

In Belfast?!?!?!

My congratulations to Shannon Sickles and Grainne Close and to Henry Kane and Christopher Flanagan!

They became the first gay couples in the UK to have civil partnership ceremonies in Belfast of all places!!! I'm quite chuffed that my home town was the first. Its not often Northern Ireland manages to be on the forefront of implementing gay rights (or any other civil rights for that matter)! Naturally, the Free Ps couldn't let it go without a protest - but they protest events organised by other churches so where would we be without them, eh?! I'm quite impressed that the protest was so small and only Free P. As I said, they seem to enjoy protesting and will protest just about anything so I doubt very many will take much heed.

As it is, civil partnerships are "marriages in all but name". Personally, I'm hoping for the day when they're truly recognised as being emotionally and spiritually equal to marriage and they can be called marriage should the couple want that.

Still today is one step along the path and one piece of news to be happy about. So I toast to their happiness! I'm loving the big grins on Henry and Christophers' faces :)

I start my new job, first Monday in February. I could have started the first Monday in January, but I don't think its realistic for us to find a flat by then. That gives me one extra and very needed month to finish my PhD, delve into the very depths of my overdraft, find a new place to live and move there.

It all feels rather unreal at the moment. The lady on the phone said, 'Great, I'll make sure the consultant psychologist clears their schedule for that morning so they can show you around and introduce you to everyone.' Finally - clinical work! Woo woo!

Apparently they have taken on another new assistant and we'll be sharing an office. I've seen the office, its really nice and bright. Great working space, and hopefully, a new friend :)

I'm also looking forward to working with people with learning disabilities again. Having spent over 3 years working in an academic ivory tower, where everyone is judged by their intellectual weightiness, it will be nice to come back down to earth. What little experience I have had working alongside people with learning disabilities before has always reminded me of my own humanity and to value people for people's sake.

PS. For American readers - learning disabilities is called mental retardation in your land. It's considered appalling to call it that in the UK!

Remember...

Please continue to keep Tom Fox, Norman Kemble & the two Canadian hostages in your prayers/in the light/in your thoughts...

I cannot help but be humbled by the grace and peace that comes across in their messages home and in Tom Fox's blog, Waiting in the Light.

"I have been opposed to this war, Mr Blair's war, since the very beginning but I ask him now... to work for my release and the release of the Iraqi people from oppression."
Norman Kember

One thing that has made a strong impression on me is militants who have opposed Western involvement in Iraq speaking out on behalf of these men. More info here. Abu Qatada, described by a Spanish judge as al-Qaeda's ambassador in Europe made this plea from prison in the UK:

"I am your brother Abu Qatada, Omar bin Mahmud...I urge my brothers in the Brigades of Swords of Truth in Iraq to release them in line with the principle of mercy of our religion, if there was no compelling religious duty against it."

How much we need men of peace like these men. Who else could bend the ear and earn the respect of both Western governments and Al Quaeda? The way they have followed may well be the way forward for all of us.

I hope for their release and that they will be able to continue to wage peace in Iraq.

"Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God." ~ Jesus

CA

I found the Queen of England lurking in my old files...

Remember this?

Well, Elton's back :)!!!

I will survive my thesis write up...

Chapter 1 done
Chapter 2 done

The worst is over - 300 references (count them) and 62 pages later...my main lit review is finished, accompanied by Elton at his most camp!

Now to write my empirical chapters...*yawn*...

CA

Peacemakers kidnapped in Iraq

This letter is doing the rounds at the moment - I thought I would put it here to raise awareness.

I hope that everyone who reads this blog, Christian, Quaker, Muslim, Atheist or something else entirely will be inspired by Tom Fox's example and consider how we can all join together not only in support of Tom Fox and those who have been kidnapped, but with the Iraqi people in their quest for peace and justice in the face of Saddaam's regime, the recent invasion by the US and the UK and terrorism.

Tom Fox was writing a blog when he was in Iraq which you can find here. He has written some very challenging and moving accounts of his experiences in Iraq which make for very uncomfortable but very necessary reading.

There are three parts to this blog post:

1. A letter from Friends (Quakers) concerning Tom Fox
2. A open letter from Lorcan Otway
3. A message from Premier Christian radio (whoever would have thought the day would come when Premier Christian radio would get a mention on my blog) concerning Norman Kember who was also taken.

Peace to all,

CA.
------
1. Quaker Letter

Dear Friend--

We are Quakers and admirers of Tom Fox, kidnapped in Iraq with three other peaceworkers on Nov. 26. Please join us in taking action aimed at helping free them, safely and soon. Joining together through the web, we can keep their plight and innocence before the world, and their captors.

To this end, we have put up a new website,: http://freethecaptivesnow.org/.

We believe that the most help those outside Iraq can be to these prisoners is to make clear to the world, and especially their captors, that they were in Iraq NOT as spies, military contractors, or even missionaries, but as unarmed advocates of peace, justice, and reconciliation.

They have done no wrong, and deserve to be free and safe. We call on their captors to let them go, now.

If you agree, here are the specific steps we advocate. Time is of the essence:

1. Visit the website: www.freethecaptivesnow.org. There you can sign a special petition page, aimed at the captors.

You can also link there to Tom Fox's Iraq blog.

2. Hold a public vigil or prayer service focused on the call, expressed in your own words, to release the captives, end the occupation and stop torture. Join with like-minded groups, and invite the media to attend and report on your action.

3. Write to newspapers, call in to radio shows, and tell them of the innocence of these peaceworkers and your support for their immediate release. Mention the website!

4. Send emails to the feedback pages of media such as Al-Jazeera, Al Arabiya and other major national and international media, especially in the Gulf region (any other links??), repeating the call to free the captives.

5. If you are part of a group or church with a peace and justice emphasis, ask them to join this effort in whatever public way is appropriate to their polity.

6. Let us know what you are doing.

7. VERY IMPORTANT - Pass this message on! Tell your friends about the www.freethecaptivesnow.org website, petition, and action suggestions..

With your email help, we can quickly reach supporters of peace and justice throughout the world. Together our voices can make a powerful chorus for freeing the captives and ending the war.

As this urgent effort continues, we'll be updating the site. They have done no wrong, and deserve to be free and safe. We call on their captors to let them go, now.

Thank you and Peace,

Chuck Fager & John Stephens

-----

2. Letter from Lorcan Otway

Please pass this along, if any can translate the following into Arabic, please do me the honor of so doing. I am placing this letter into many hands, in hope it will reach those for whom it is intended.

An Open Letter to our Brothers holding Tom Fox and other CPT members in Iraq:

Dear Brothers in the one God:

It is early morning in America. I am a Quaker and I am trying to find words to stay your hand. I can only say that hatred is blind and love is unconditional.

Many people from our nation have come to your nation in blind hatred and killed innocent people. Tom Fox is not one of these people. He came to your nation with all his human fears, because his love was unconditional. He came to ask his own people not to kill you. He came not to judge you, innocent or guilty, but to say live together in peace and find a better way. He did not come to change your government, but to change our own people's hearts towards you.

He came to your country in the same light that Rachel Corrie went to Palestine to stand in the way of Israeli tractors destroying Palestinian homes. To spare Tom Fox and his companions is to show the Israeli people that it was wrong take the young life of Rachael Corrie.

I ask you to stay your hand, because we will still love you, no less or no more, if you break our hearts by taking the life of these good people who love you.

I ask you to stay your hand because you can. When you stand before your God, next to the American who wore an army uniform, next to the one who drove the tractor that killed Rachael Corrie, and our God asks each of you, why have you taken the lives of innocents, what difference will there be in your answer? When, some day, and I pray after a long life of loving works, Tom stands before our God and is asked why he placed his life in your hands, I think you know his answer. Because hatred is blind and love is unconditional.

"Whoever has saved a life, it will be as if he has saved the life of all mankind" (Quran 5:32)

Gods love and mercy to thee

In unmovable Friendship

Lorcan Otway

A member of the committee of Ministry and Counsel for the New York Quarterly Meeting
of the Religious Society of Friends
also known as Quakers.
-----
3. Message from Premier Christian Radio, courtesy of Kate K from talkback

It is likely you have seen or read reports on the capture of the Christian aid worker Professor Norman Kember in Iraq. As a conscientious objector to war, Norman Kember was visiting the Middle East as a gesture of support for other Christian aid workers in the field.

A devout Christian, Professor Kember spoke to Premier Christian Radio weeks before his trip as part of Remembrance Sunday. He told Dr Rob Frost his visit to Iraq was 'a gesture of solidarity with the Christian peacemaker teams in Iraq.' He hoped to 'meet ordinary Iraqis of various backgrounds, Shiats, Suni, Christians and hear their stories, then come back and talk about it.'

We are all praying for the safe release of Norman Kember and his fellow hostages, for his wife Pat and the families and friends of all the hostages involved in this terrible event. I urgently request you do the same.

Church Leaders please contact everyone within your congregation and network urgently and ask them to pray for the release of Professor Norman Kember and his fellow hostages. Fellow Christians please log on to the premier website www.premier.org.uk to listen to the full interview with Professor Kember to find prayer points and an area to leave your own prayers.

Prayers for Professor Kember and his family members are needed as a matter of urgency, please persist in your prayers and in encouraging other Christians around you to pray.

Yours in Christ
Peter Kerridge
for Premier Radio

Last month as a postgrad...

Or at least, the last month I'm paid to be one.

My supervisor told me he had just written a reference for my new job and that he'd told them he was very confident I would be written up by January. I'm glad he's confident. I'm still writing chapter 1. Er....

Anyway, this cartoon made me giggle....

Oh my....

I called my grandparents this afternoon and got into a conversation with my gran about the X-factor and made a shocking discovery.

My granny, a woman in her 70s with a very dodgy hip is a serious Chico fan.

I just don't know what to say...but hee hee.

For the Americans and people from other countries on my blog (or those who consider themselves too cultured to watch the X-factor)...the X factor is the UK equivalent of American Idol. You know the set up, two judges gush and coo over the participants, Simon Cowell sneers mockingly, 'Really, it was like a very bad karaoke performance. I don't know why you are in this competition, ' and the audience boo.

Chico used to be a stripper, in the run up to the show he performed in Ozzy Osbourne's house and ran into the pool with a microphone. Even the prince of darkness himself said he was mad. He has a certain cheesey charm about him. Simon described last week's performance as, 'Horrifically brilliant.'

He is fun and I enjoy him being on the show - but my gran, a fan?!?!

Instructions for life

Instructions for Life From the Dalai Lama, on the Millenium

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

3. Follow the three Rs:
-Respect for self
-Respect for others and
-Responsibility for all your actions.

4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship. 7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

8. Spend some time alone every day.

9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.

12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life. 13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.

14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.

15. Be gentle with the earth.

16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.

17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon

I feel sick...

I am about to take my clinical psychology training application to the post office.

I feel sick as a parrot, want to vomit and I am shaking like a leaf.

I managed to find a glaring typo this morning after I had printed the darn thing 5 times. Amazing, having read it some thousand times myself, had my spelling & grammar guru of a dad, my partner, a professional proof reader and God knows how many 'I'll read your's if you'll read mine' deals with other applicants.

PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC.

I am told this is normal. Another applicant I know off queued at the postoffice, only to get to the desk and decide she had to proof read it just one more time. So, she grabbed it back again, apologised profusely, amidst many stares, glares and giggles from the rest of the staff and queue. She read it, joined the queue again and there was much raucous from the post office staff...I will not do this. I promise myself, I will not do this.

But I can't have it sitting on my desk for a minute longer - so I am off to the post office. Wish me luck! Now to look forward to the dread of interviews or the dreadful melancholy of rejection. As you can see, its happy happy joy joy all the way with me today.

PS. Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends for this weekend.

PPS. I have a new guestmap, please stick your pin in it :)

Do something good today...

My good mate, Paul Turner's girlfriend, a qualified teacher from England, is in Malawi, teaching and caring for orphan kids and families that are victims of aids and famine.

She's blogging about her experiences here

This is her with a very very cute kid. There are lots of very cute kids she's working with who lack even the very basics - clothes, writing materials, food, shelter, a family. Even a small gift means so much to these kids. So if you can spare a few pounds or dollars...then consider dropping a gift directly to Caroline. T-shirts, pens, pencils, little notebooks, silly toys for kids who will be going to their first ever party...Send it to her at
Caroline Tredrea
CCAP Likhubula House,
PO Box 111,
Mulanje,
MALAWI

If you want to help, send things to her directly, or contact me. Paul's going out to Milawe in January and can take stuff to her directly. Otherwise, feel free to post things to Caroline. A little gift can make such a huge difference to these kids. Caroline will personally distribute anything you send.

She writes as follows....

Well, I have received a number of lovely lovely emails from people lately in support of what I'm doing but a common thread that seems to be appearing in many of them is that people still want to help. First off, this amazes me since I am still overwhelmed by the donations and support I received when preparing to leave and now the ongoing generosity is genuinely moving.

Anyway, if you did feel that you wanted to send out anything for the children here to help with school or just generally, I thought I'd write a little list of things that I know they would all appreciate so much.

PLEASE NOTE: I AM NOT ASKING FOR ANYTHING AND DON'T WANT YOU TO FEEL OBLIGED TO DO ANYTHING. THIS IS JUST IN CASE YOU WERE ASKING ABOUT WAYS TO HELP.

First off, any packages that you want to send out, can be sent directly to me at the following address and I will distribute where the need is greatest.

Caroline Tredrea
CCAP Likhubula House,
PO Box 111,
Mulanje,
MALAWI

Please note that the postage costs soar with parcels over 2kg, so if want to send out more than 2kg, it pays to sent two parcels! Also although packages have generally arrived within 2 weeks so far, the postal service (as with all the other services here!) can be hit and miss!

And so to things that would go down well here...

* Children are often without pencils or pens so any type of writing materials will be appreciated.
* There are NO reading or story books at the school. Children are taught from STD1 in English so any kids' English comics or light reading books would be greatly treasured by the recipient.
* Tiny toys such as the plastic ones you might put in children's party bags in the UK. I remember seeing bags of about 10 in ASDA for a pound or so. Oh, and playing cards or travel games that I can play on street corners with kids rather than trying to make conversation in basic English and it drying up within 30 seconds would be handy for me!
* (girls are not allowed long hair so hair accessories and the like would not really be used)
* T-shirts and things are tricky because once word gets around, 1000 children appear at the door wanting one. However, some of the children's clothes are in a terrible state - more holes than t-shirt, especially the little ones, so t-shirts for ages about 4-10 would find good and appreciative homes.
* Little non-perishable treats such as Haribo are like gold dust!

I'm organising a party for my class on 12th November, for most of them it's their first party, and although post wouldn't reach me before then, I am just appealing for any games ideas that would work during my party. I have had a good think but I get stumped by the following restrictions;

* There are 120 of them and if we wait for them to have a go each, we'd be there till November 13th.
* There is no electricity
* I am still not yet fluent in Chichewa so games should keep language to a minimum
* There are no chairs or tables so musical chairs etc are out the window.

Any ideas, please let me know!

I think that's about it. I hope you find these ideas useful. As I said before, please don't feel obliged to send anything, these are just ideas and I appreciate so much the generosity of people in the past.

Reality bites...

I'm staring blankly at my application for clinical psychology training. Thus far, the one thing that has kept me going through my PhD - the possibility of getting to work with people at the end of it and suddenly I'm shitting myself.

I mean. Firstly, I am applying to courses in places I have never been before because they look kind of interesting. I'm not even sure I could place Norwich accurately on a map. I have a vague idea of it being on the right hand side, around the middle-ish.

Not only that, but I am opening myself to the possibility of moving anywhere with about a 50 mile radius from any of these courses (with the intention of buying a house), and thinking, 'OMG, I have no idea how to buy a house.' My 'rents will be getting many many phone calls.

I keep swapping and changing my mind about which courses I want to do. I cannot get my form to look 'just so' - perfectionism is paralysing sometimes!

Then the self doubt comes in. Am I really cut out to work with people? I get pretty narked off with people sometimes. Do I have the stamina to go through another doctoral level degree? My current one regularly has me loosing sleep, crying and swearing at the computer.

Will I dig commuting long distances to placements? Will I cope with the driving? And what if I'm no good at "therapy"? I could be crap...the first time I did a research interview I was shaking. The interviewee had to make me a cup of tea! Even now, when my participants cry, I feel really awkward. Don't do tears I'm afraid. That's pretty poor show for a psychologist.

And if I don't get on a course, what do I do?!?! There's nothing else - and I can't do research! Social work - God save me!

ARGH!

O n e t h i n g a t a t i m e . . . . . .

Rock on Jamie

Jamie Oliver's 'Fifteen' program, a training scheme for disadvantaged young people to train as chefs with top restaurants and chefs in the business, is set to offer a program for young people with cannibis habits.

We need more schemes like this in our country. Lead the way Jamie!

ADHD - the big debate

I've spent the past 3 years of my life studying ADHD - more specifically, I study how family factors impact on children and parents' attitudes to medication - particularly around issues of stigma associated with taking medication. ADHD is a real hot potato at the moment. Some don't believe in it, some are adamant that it is a neurochemical disorder and therefore can only be treated by neurochemical means. Others say it is a social construction, designed to oppress masculinity.

Recently I have been feeling frustrated...Let me re-phrase, at times I have been feeling downright angry at my own situation as a psychologist in an increasingly medical-model dominated (did I say dominated, I mean monopolised) research group. My skepticism has been growing at an exponential rate. So I thought I would record my random thoughts on my blog and invite my blog readers - informed or not, to comment. I know there are some people with ADHD who read my blog, at least one other psychologist and goodness knows who else. So please...Feel free to contribute.



I will talk about genetic and neurochemical approaches to ADHD and their limitations. I will talk about the implications of research funding for the kind of research we do and how we interpret it. I will take about the critical voices and how perhaps they aren't quite so critical afterall. I will talk about a need for genuine reflection on the social and cultural aspects of ADHD and ask if there are other ways of responding outside the medical model. And as this is my blog, not an academic paper, I will intersperse it with little cartoons for amusement value...enjoy!



Ok, so. Firstly there is some evidence for a genetic basis but equal evidence that genetics are far from being the whole story. Whatever the genetic component of ADHD, it is entangled with other environmental and social factors and this should never be forgotten in genetic research.

Secondly there is evidence of neurobiological correlates to ADHD symptoms. These shouldn't be ignored, but in themselves I don't think they legitimise drug therapy.

Thirdly, medication (e.g. ritalin) does have a beneficial impact on children who have been diagnosed with ADHD. We know this both from clinical trials and from the experience of countless parents and children. HOWEVER, the is a real issue of publishing bias. Almost every researcher in this field (myself included) is funded, at least in part, by pharmaceutical companies. Basically no drug company money, no jobs.

Whether we are aware of it or not, the fact that most research and most researchers are dependent on financial contributions from the pharmaceutical industry effects what we publish, what we research, how we research it and how we interpret it. I've yet to hear a drug-company funded researcher really give an open and critical reflection on these issues. More to the point, I do not feel comfortable bringing up these ideas within my research group as I know they would not be welcome. They would be deemed wacko and far too political. I think, that says it all really. My PhD research has not encouraged me to think critically around these so vital issues.



There are people who write very critically about ADHD and drug treatment. However, most papers in this field are highly emotive and fail to seriously engage with issues of genetics, neurochemistry and research highlighting the potential benefits of medication. I suspect the motivation behind most of the opposition is a philosophical objection to psychtrophic medication rather than a pure concern for child welfare. Let me be frank, the critical psychologists aren't helping themselves be heard, and IMHO, their over-emotive and scientifically inaccurate ranting represent a serious barrier to intelligent dialogue and discussion.



Nevertheless, I think many of them have points that are worth listening to. As a disorder, ADHD is shockingly ill-defined and it is really more of an umbrella term for a set of behaviours and cognitive symptoms that are currently socially devalued. ADHD is culturally defined and constructed - lets never forget this. ADHD symptoms are problematic in a social context. The history of psychiatry should humble (or maybe even humiliate) us into a bit self-critical reflection every now and again! It wasn't that long ago we thought gayness was a psychiatric disease and transsexuality is still in the diagnositic handbook! (That's a whole other discussion - but I think it ought to be removed - sharpish!)



It is possible that the social disapproval and resulting stigma and systematic exclusion of children who have ADHD symptoms may cause more distress than the ADHD symptoms themselves per se. Therefore the social-constructionists amongst us really do have an important contribution to make, and I think we do need to think on a systemic and community level regarding ADHD. Are the demands we put on our children reasonable? Do we allow our children space to be themselves (whatever that means)?
Do we utilise our children's natural abilities and aptitudes in order to maximise their enjoyment and development? Personally, I'm very interested in interactive and kinetic teaching methods and how these might help a lot of children learn in a more dynamic way that suits their temperament and fosters their unique talents.



In discussions with psychologists, social workers and teachers, I have often encountered an incredibly negative reaction to medication for ADHD. Again, I suspect this is an emotional, philosophical reaction. Parents are often blamed and medication is seen as an easy option. However, I think parent-blaming is unacceptable and the vast majority of parents I know, think long and hard and really battle with themselves before accepting medication for themselves. Often it is used as a last resort (which may not be particularly helpful or wise.)



At the moment, there was very little evidence as to the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for ADHD. BUT, success in psychosocial intervention trials is often measured in medical model terms, focusing on symptom reduction. Psychosocial intervention needs to be tailed to the individual, familial, social and cultural situations of each child & family (and school for that matter). Therefore, randomised controlled trials may not be the ideal methodology for research in psychosocial intervention, and measuring success in medical model terms is outright ridiculous as our aim is often to reduce the distress associated with ADHD symptoms rather than "curing" the symptoms themselves.



With regard to medication, I do think there is a need for serious reflection and discussion on the social and psychological impact of taking psychotrophic medication in childhood (and in adulthood - and for any kind of mental disorder). Personally, I am convinced that taking medication has psychological and social repercussions for the individual and for society quite separate from the pharmacological effect of the medication itself. (Is this hard to explain, because I once attempted to have this conversation with my supervisor and he acted like I was suggesting leprechauns were real?). What does taking medication for behaviour mean to a child? To a parent? To a teacher? To a peer group? How does it impact on a child's sense of self? Does is lead to stigma? These are very real issues not only for people who take medication or whose children take medication - these are issues for all of us and how we all think about our own behaviours and our own interaction within society and response to those individuals who find themselves diagnosed with a mental illness or taking psychotropic drugs.



Finally - where is the ADHD advocacy movement? In autism there is a growing movement seeking to value neurodiversity. I recently read an article written by an autistic man who insisted he wasn't a man with autism (the current language in vogue amongst the politically correct) but an autistic man. His autism was a part of his identity and he was proud of it. That's challenging to me as a psychologist about to take a job where some of my clients will have autism.



But what are the unique skills and attributes of children and adults who could be diagnosed with ADHD. How can these be valued and encouraged within our society? Many adults and older teenagers I have met with ADHD say they would never want to be "cured" - but where are their voices, and will researchers, psychiatrists, psychologists, teachers and parents be brave enough to listen?

An ode to beetroot...and Jamie Oliver

I am addicted now. Ever since the market at uni started selling bags of fresh beetroot, I've been eating tons of the stuff.

We had a couple of beets left over from my latest batch of borscht and I went off on a great web-search for interesting recipes, whereupon I discovered Jamie Oliver's website and this recipe for baked beetroot with garlic & balsamic vinegar. YUM! It was the best Sunday evening supper ever.

Mmmmmmm

I'm so disappointed that despite eating all this beetroot my wee has yet to turn pink.

We're moving....

To High Wycombe.

I got an NHS Assistant Psychologist post in a Learning Disabilities Team.

Woooo...kind off. We've got to leave our wee flat...*sniff*...and our friends *wails*.

This job...that job...the other job

I've just been offered that elusive thing I've been searching for....an Assistant Psychologist (AP) job!

Its in a charity working with people with learning disabilities. I was impressed by the set-up - its working partly in a residential facility and partly in the community. All of the staff (I've met the manager, some of the care staff and the current APs) seemed geninely nice, friendly people and the whole place does seem to be a really friendly, people-centred place to work. The psychologist was absolutely lovely and in the interview, we did actually have a long discussion about the pros and cons of working for the charity versus the NHS and the potential for getting on to a training course from the position. I am stunned that after such a frank discussion and my own admission that I might be put off the job by the fact it wasn't NHS that they offered me the job!

The job is very heavily clinical - most of the work is direct client contact with relatively little audit/administrative work. The supervisor was fantastic - I really felt I clicked with her. She likes to work systemically (which is something I'm seriously interested in) and says she will insist on a minimum of one hour formal supervision a week and to expect much more in informal supervision as there is a lot of clinical responsibility in the job. There's also lots of working within a mul-disciplinary team, training care staff etc. Its the kind of post I think I need as I have oodles of research experience and a lot of child psych experience so this would be an entirely new area for me.

My only dilemma is that it isn't an NHS post and the pay is peanuts (less than the NHS - shocking isn't it!). I've been applying for some of the senior AP positions in the NHS and I'm still waiting to hear back from several of them. Its very competitive and I don't want to shoot myself in the foot by holding out for another job offer and then not getting one! On the otherhand, if I were to be offered another post, was impressed by the psychologist in the interview, it was NHS and the pay was substantially higher...I can't say I wouldn't be sorely tempted! I don't like messing people around, so I want to give them a straight yes or no answer. I just wish I could wait to hear back from other places first.

I have one week to decide...answers on a postcard please...

But on a more positive note. Look what partner dude surprised me with this morning :D. Thank you darling!

All our senses

All our senses are given to us to enjoy,
And to praise God.
The smell of the sea,
The blossom borne on the wind,





of the soft flesh of a little baby;








the taste of a ripe plum









or bread fresh from the oven,

















the feel of a warm cat's fur,










or the body of a lover -
these are all forms of thanksgiving prayer.








-Bella Brown (in 'Plain Living - A Quaker Path to Simplicity' by Cathering Whitmire)

5 things

Courtesy of Amanda...

What I was doing 10 years ago:
I was 15, right this moment, I was probably waiting for the bus to take me home from school. I was far to studious.

5 years ago:
I was on placement in a child mental health clinic and really enjoying it. I was running a telephone helpline and raising riot in studentland. Ah, those were the days. *sigh* (and omg, was it really 5 years ago...)

1 year ago:
I was just starting the third year of my PhD. Again, being far to studious. Getting fed up with it and preparing myself to move to NYC for 4 months. Actually, maybe I was also preparing to go to Oslo. That was fun :) Actually, it wasn't that fun because it was work related and I had to be at booorrrriiiinnnggg talks from 8am til 10pm most days. But the day I had off was fun. I discovered that handles on coffee cups are not the norm in Norway. :D

Yesterday:
I worked from 9am til midnight. Yawn. But I did get to re-acquaint myself with a fantastic album from my youth, so all is not lost!

5 snacks I enjoy:
clementines (I love them!)
dairy milk (Americans, you don't know what you are missing)
maya gold (mmmmm & guilt free - organic fair trade yummyness)
blueberry muffins
green tea (not really a snack, but I like the stuff a lot)

5 songs I know all the words to:
Imagine (John Lennon)
Closest Thing to Crazy (Katie Melua)
These are the Days (Jamie Callum)
Eye to the Telescope (KT Tunstall)
Fields of Gold (Sting...was it him originally tho?!)
& far too many embarrassing happy clappy crappy Jesus songs :S

5 Things I would do with $100 million:
Pay off my student loan
Give a lot of it away to some worthy charity
Fund a few students who wouldn't otherwise be able to go to uni
Buy a house & pay off my mum's mortgage
Go on a world tour with partner dude

5 locations I would like to run away to:
Scottish Highlands
West Coast of Ireland (ok, the first two aren't very imaginative, but they're the most quiet, peaceful places on earth...well, in the UK anyway)
India (although I doubt I could cope with the heat)
New Zealand
Thailand

5 bad habits I have:
I chew my nails
I procrastinate
I stay up too late
...and get up too late as a consequence :S
I am messy sometimes

5 things I like doing:
Going to quiet, remote places where I cannot be contacted
Web geekery related activities
Volunteer work
Watching arty farty films & documentaries
Spending time with partner dude & friends

5 things I would never wear: (We need visuals!)
hot pants (it wouldn't be pretty, ok!)
a cat suit
um, um, um, um
I'm not sure if I can think of anything else!

5 TV shows I like:
ER
Jamie Oliver stuff
The Apprentice
The X-factor
How Clean is your House (I know, terrible choices...sorry!)

5 biggest joys of the moment:
The prospect of a job change!
Spending time with partner dude
Spending time with friends
Seeing my PhD looming towards an end (on occasion I get a glimpse of it - about 1 second a week, but still, that's 1 second a week when I see an ending)
Entering data...a lot of it :)

5 Favorite toys:
Partner dude's computer
I'm, um, I'm, er, out of toys...how pathetic is that?! Ok, I need new toys! :(
I want an ipod!

5 Next victims:
Well, whoever does it!

All I really want...

...is a life.

Its 8pm, I've just spent a day at work teaching...

-t-tests
-one way anova
-how to enter more complex data sets
-repeated measures anova
-mixed design anova
-main effects & interactions
-post-hoc comparisons
-controlling for multiple comparisons using simple effects analysis

...to second year students who are still struggling with very basic statistic concepts. Oh and, btw, they have a test on this next week that counts to their final grade...watch my inbox swell...

Hmmm. I taught this course last year and I'm sure we taught all that over the course of a term - not in one 2 hour tutorial?! (I don't design the course, in case you're wondering why I would do such a thing!)

Now I am entering data (I am grateful to have data, no really I am) at 8pm at night, having been at work til 7pm. Thankfully partner dude has escaped to the pub for the evening, leaving me at home to crank up good old Alanna at her angiest.

How appropriate.

Tips on stress management welcome.