Tag: Awareness

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A Year of Giving :: August – Childhood Cancer Research

A Year of Giving

 

Have you ever had a thought that you first write off as crazy, but that it just keeps popping into your head and nagging you over and over again? So each time, you try to think of a million reasons why you shouldn’t do it, but the more you think about it, know that you should? Well, this is that for me.

In 2012, I opened my tiny little store on a mostly unknown website called TeachersPayTeachers selling activities and resources I had used in my school social work practice. My main purpose in doing so was to try to make life easier for social work, counselors, and special ed. teachers by giving them access to things I had made for my own practice. I honestly expected to sell maybe 1 item a month.

Fast forward 3 years and in a true “Little Engine that Could” type of story and I would have never imagined that I would sell over 17,000 games, activities, and lessons to people all over the country. Thinking about it truly makes my head spin.

Which brings me to today. I’m so thankful for everything TeachersPayTeachers has been able to provide to my family, from improving and efficiencizing (is that even a word?) the way I plan and work with students, to the amazing people I’ve met, and the extra income to allow my husband to stay home part-time with our 17-month old daughter. I truly believe we were each put on this Earth not to just exist, but to make a difference in the lives of others in whatever way we can.

So, beginning this month, I will be donating a portion of the proceeds from my store to a different charity each month. My original goal is to do this for a year, but I hope to be able to continue it even past that!! Thoughts such as “but you have a daughter to support,” and “what if your car really dies this time?” keep popping into my head, but I’m determined to not let them linger.

This month, it’s childhood cancer awareness month, so I wanted to donate to a childhood cancer charity. I don’t want to give the name because I didn’t ask them first, but I promise they’re a good one!! To date, they have raised more than $100 million and funded over 500 research projects towards the goal of putting an end to childhood cancer. They also fund nursing and psychosocial grants to improve the quality of life and care of children with cancer and their families. It’s pretty awesome!

So if you’re a school counselor, social worker, SLP, or special ed. teacher-type, I encourage you to help me support a great cause. You don’t have to type in a fancy code or anything. Just purchase any item in my store and I’ll automatically donate at the end of the month. And if you’re a TpT seller, I challenge you to join me in giving back!

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Counseling Connections :: Shopping Addictions

Shopping Addiction

One of the things I love about having a blog is the ability to connect with readers about issues that are important to them. I’ve had the opportunity to get to know teachers, parents, school social workers, and other counselors and I truly feel like I’ve been able to benefit from their stories and expertise. Last week, a reader named Mel Forbes contacted me asking if she could talk about shopping addictions with you all. It’s an issue near and dear to her heart and I learned a lot from the information she shared with me! While it’s not an issue that typically affects school-aged students, I found it very interesting and felt like many of the principles apply to other addictions our students may experience such as eating disorders or addictions to drugs or alcohol.

Have something you want to share? Let me know and I may feature you in a future post!

Is Shopping Addiction a Real Addiction?

When we think about addiction, the typical picture that comes to mind is of someone who abuses alcohol, prescription medications, or illegal drugs. But substance addictions aren’t the only addictions that people can be affected by. Behavioral addictions like compulsive shopping can be just as destructive, but often in entirely different ways.

The Physiological Basis of Shopping Addiction

Many people find it difficult to think of behavior like compulsive shopping as an addiction, and this is typically because of the mistaken belief that in substance addiction, the addict is dependent on the high provided by their drug of choice. This isn’t strictly true. While the high is a factor, it’s much more accurate to say that addiction is more about what the habit does to an addict’s brain chemistry.

Addictive substances are addictive not because of the high they produce, but because they cause the brain to produce large quantities of chemical neurotransmitters like dopamine and endorphins. These neurotransmitters are responsible for pleasurable feelings, meaning that they make us feel good, and it’s the dopamine and other neurotransmitters that an addict is really dependent on.

The same principles are at play when it comes to behavioral addictions like a shopping addiction. A person with a shopping habit becomes addicted to the neurochemical high they get from shopping, because the behavior causes the release of dopamine and other neurotransmitters.

The problem is, when someone is addicted to something, whether it’s a drug or a behavior, the brain’s natural dopamine response becomes dysfunctional. Over time, the addicted person becomes increasingly reliant on their habit in order to feel good, and eventually just to feel normal.

There’s no question that behavioral addictions are real: studies show that these kinds of addictions cause similar changes in brain chemistry as physical substance addictions do, and these behavioral addictions can be just as difficult to recover from as drug and alcohol habits.

How can You Spot a Shopping Addiction?

Behavioral addictions are often much more difficult to detect than substance addictions, and it’s even harder to shop a shopping addiction, simply because shopping is something that many people enjoy doing, and it’s an activity that is encouraged by the barrage of media advertising that we see every day.

But there’s a huge difference between shopping for enjoyment or out of necessity, and shopping as a result of a behavioral addiction. There are several warning signs that might indicate someone has a shopping addiction.

  • Spending more than you can afford
  • Buying items that you never use
  • Shopping when you feel depressed, anxious, or angry
  • Lying about going shopping, or about the amount spent on a shopping trip
  • Shopping to ease guilt about previous shopping trips
  • Damaging relationships as a result of shopping or shopping-related spending
  • Losing control of finances due to shopping

Recovering from a Shopping Addiction

One of the problems with behavioral addictions is that in many cases, the addictive behavior is something that most people have to do as part of everyday life. Shopping, for example, is a normal everyday activity that virtually everyone has to do sometimes.

Just as important for the addicted person is the fact that the behavior often becomes a way of coping with or masking other problems they may have in their life. For the shopping addict, therefore, some kind of professional psychological help, such as therapy or an addiction support group, is important to help the person understand why they became addicted, and learn how to find healthier ways of coping with their problems.

References

Alavi, S. S., Ferdosi, M., Jannatifard, F., Eslami, M., Alaghemandan, H., and Setare, M. (2012). “Behavioral Addiction versus Substance Addiction: Correspondence of Psychiatric and Psychological Views.” International Journal of Preventive Medicine, 3(4), 290–294. Accessed May 7, 2015.

Barbra Jaurequi. “Behavioral Addiction Self-Assessment.” Accessed May 7, 2015.

Barna Konkolÿ Thege, Erica M Woodin, David C Hodgins, and Robert J Williams (2015). “Natural course of behavioral addictions: a 5-year longitudinal study.” Accessed May 7, 2015.

Jon E. Grant, Marc N. Potenza, Aviv Weinstein, and David A. Gorelick. (2010). “Introduction to Behavioral Addictions.” In American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. Accessed May 7, 2015.

National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Understanding Drug Abuse and Addiction.” Accessed May 7, 2015.

Psychguides. “Shopping Addiction Symptoms, Causes, and Effects.” Accessed May 7, 2015.

Steve Sussman. (2012). “Substance and Behavioral Addictions: Co-Occurrence and Specificity.” In International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Accessed May 7, 2015.

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Tips & Tricks :: Strategies for Working With Students Who Self-Injure

Self Injury Awareness

Last week, I talked about several myths surrounding self-injury. This week, I want to follow that up with some information about some of the warning signs of self-injury, as well as what you can help students who self-injure.


Warning Signs of Possible Self-Injury

  • Self-Injury Interventions & SupportsUnexplained wounds or scars from cuts, bruises, or burns. Scars are most often seen on the wrists or arms, but can be in other locations as well.
  • Frequent “accidents.” Someone who self-harms may claim to be clumsy or have many mishaps, in order to explain away injuries.
  • Covering up. A person who self-injures may insist on wearing long sleeves or long pants, even in hot weather.
  • Needing to be alone for long periods of time, especially in the bedroom or bathroom.
  • Isolation and irritability.
  • Pervasive difficulties in interpersonal relationships
  • Persistent questions about personal identity, such as “Who am I?” “What am I doing here?”
  • Behavioral and emotional instability, impulsivity and unpredictability
  • Statements of helplessness, hopelessness or worthlessness

Starting the Conversation

Talking to a student who you believe to be self-injuring may feel very uncomfortable for one of both of you. Many students compare it to the process of “coming out.” Sometimes, a teacher notices some of the warning signs above and asks me to talk to the student. If I have a relationship with them already, it can still feel difficult. However, if I don’t know the student, the conversation can be VERY awkward. “So…yeah…uh, so you don’t know me at all, but tell me about your injuries.” This is why when possible, I prefer to have the teacher or another adult the student trusts breach the topic and then come talk to me with the student. Sometimes, bringing up self-injury can make a student feel the need to be defensive or make excuses if they don’t feel comfortable with the adult talking to them. I want to avoid that as much as possible!

Here are some conversation starters I’ve found to be helpful before. This list is in no way exhaustive and may not be beneficial for every student. Use your professional judgement!

– I’ve noticed __________________. Can you tell me about that?
– Your teacher has noticed _______________. Can you tell me about that?
– Do you want to change your self-injury behaviors? We can’t force anyone to do anything. We can only provide they help that they want and make sure that they are safe.
– How can I help you with your self-injury?
– Sometimes people have things happen to them in life that are really difficult to deal with and hurt themselves to try to cope. Has that ever happened to you before?

Strategies and Interventions

  • Self-Injury Interventions and SupportsListen and affirm. After a student discloses self-injury, listen. Admitting self-injury takes a great deal of courage and risk on the part of the student. Acknowledge this courage in asking for help and reaffirm their worth as a person. Make sure to remind them that self-injuring does not have to define them. But most importantly, validate the feelings they are experiencing.
  • Assess for suicidality. Although many people who self-injure are not suicidal, there is a link. Ask if they’ve thought about killing themselves and if they have a plan, but if they haven’t/don’t, don’t dwell on it. If they have/do, be sure to refer them to appropriate mental health services immediately. Confidentiality must be breached if you are concerned a student is a danger to themselves or someone else.
  • Less may be more. If a student does not want to talk about their self-injury, don’t force them. As a school employee, you have a professional responsibility to make sure they are safe, but you don’t need to find out everything about them and incident that happens. Refer them to a medical professional if you are concerned about current injuries, but be brief in your conversation if they don’t want to talk. If a student is not in immediate danger, give them some places they can find help if they need it and offer your support in the future.
  • Help the student to identify self-harm triggers. Many students who self-harm first seek information and help on the internet. Fortunately, there is a lot of good information available to students, including what self-injury is, how to talk to someone, and other more positive ways to deal with strong emotions. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of personal stories which may show pictures and delve into great detail regarding injuries people received and how they injured. This information can be intensely triggering for individuals who self-harm. Students should be made aware of good places online to get help, as well as the implications of viewing triggering information.
  • Teach coping skills for stress, anger, or sadness. Often, I have students make lists of alternative activities to self-injury, stress-relieving activities, or distractions they can use if they feel as though they need to self-injure. Many of my students who self-injure choose to use coping strategies such as journaling, drawing, or listening to music. However, one size does not fit all. Have your student determine what they think will work for them.
  • Identify external supports for the student outside of school. More than likely, triggers to self-harm probably occur after school hours. So as much as you’d love to be able to have the student come talk to you when they feel as though they need to self-injure, it not practical. It’s also better for the student to find support in their life outside of school for when they move on to another school or graduate. Their friends and family will be with them a lot longer than you probably will. Depending on the age of the student and your state/district regulations, you may be required to notify a student’s parent. Sometimes I help students write letters to their parents, or call them on the phone. Ultimately, you should encourage the student to communicate with others in whatever way is most comfortable for them.
  • Encourage the student to keep a record of certain emotions or behaviors that led to them wanting to self-harm, as well as what they did instead. You can use a free impulse control log here. Keeping track allows students to better see patterns that emerge, and can provide a good starting point for you or another counselor to help them address their antecedents to self-harm.
  • Refer to community resources. Most of the time, I unfortunately don’t have the resources available to address issues of self-harm exclusively in the school setting. 30 minutes once a week (minus days off of school, meeting days, field trips, standardized testing, etc.) is just not enough to meet the needs of my students who self-injure. As a result, I often recommend they receiving counseling outside of the school setting. Follow your school guidelines as far as referrals are concerned, but be prepared for the fact that the needs of those who self-injury often go beyond the resources that are available in the school setting.

Self-Injury HelpNeed help?

If you self-injure and need help, but don’t knowwhere to turn, call the S.A.F.E. Alternatives information line in the U.S. at (800) 366-8288 for referrals and support for cutting and self-harm. For a suicide helpline outside the U.S., visit Befrienders Worldwide.

In the middle of a crisis?

If you’re feeling suicidal and need help right now, call 9-1-1 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the U.S. at (800) 273-8255.