on Saturday, 24 January 2015 at 4:00 p.m.
at Symphony Suites, Jalan Sultan Nazrin Shah, Ipoh
Please call Wai Kheng at
05-2413742 or 016-5518172
to reserve your seat.
From the author, Ms Betty Ong:
I am a Registered Counsellor, with a nursing background in general and psychiatric nursing; and a Specialist Nurse in substance misuse (drug/alcohol). My last workplace was in Central North West London NHS Trust, UK. In my career in the Mental Health setting and in Independence Practice (Counselling), I have been exposed to a full spectrum of human capability — both positive and destructive. In my years of experience in trying to help a broad sampling of people who have vocational, personal and educational problems, I feel humble about the modest knowledge which I have gained.
Anything else I feel I need to achieve? I think it is important always to go on learning, to stay vital, to keep developing and growing and not to become complacent!
Moving on: What impelled me to write the book — RIPPLES stems from the vast distress I see in our society and yet Seeking-Help is not an inherent response. People seem to choose to wallow in the fragmentation of mental health. And when fatality sets in, they wonder why!
People are individuals and their problems are complex. Sometimes what seems like a problem is just something that needs to be talked through. Thus when in distress, Seek-Help. Talk through with someone we rely on, someone we trust. Talking helps us think outside the box. Don’t put blinds on our minds and blinkers on our thinking — this seriously limits how flexible we can be.
None of us is independent — no one is an island but ALWAYS a piece of the continent, a part of the main. INTERDEPENDENCE which comprises mutual need and trust is the foundation of our social bond. The glue that holds society together.
The context of the book — RIPPLES — is therefore a reminder that we are all responsible for our mental health and can take measures to live meaningful lives.
To summarize, the book:
- Explains what mental health is, in relation to enduring attributes or personal moral qualities and how these are integrated in our everyday life practices to make the world a better place.
- Emphasizes what the Social Model of mental illness is, in relation to stressors or crisis, and how these highlight the uncertainty of the human experience leading to major change, loss or moral dilemma.
- Lays bare the misconception of stigma and argues that a new pragmatism is needed that contests denial. To this end, SEEKING-HELP must be accepted as a natural process.
- Touches on emotional literacy, focusing on developmental influences and adaptive coping skills. All these rich life influences ensure the nurturing of meaningful relationships and the ability to deal with difficult situations.
Through this body of knowledge, the hope is that we will all be able to:
- Understand mental health and our capacity to love, share, help and be happy
- Value life’s influences in developing clearer thinking, feeling and fostering connectedness in life.
- Accept that crisis will be triggered by stressors and Seek-Help at once. Recognize that stigma does not exist unless we choose to think it does.
As an adjunct to the book, a series of Forums have been planned. This further opens the gateway towards exploring our capacities to govern daily living in:
- parenting,
- growing up,
- persevering with love that brings family success
- joining friends and families in celebration of life’s threshold
The forums are for ALL people, especially for young people — as FUTURE PARENTS
“The CHILD is FATHER of the MAN”
(W. Wordsworth)