Halloween and Mental Health: Balancing Fun and Emotional Well-Being
October 3rd, 2024
Halloween is often associated with fun and excitement—costumes, candy, and spooky decorations. However, the holiday can also bring about unique challenges for both children and adults when it comes to mental health. Understanding how Halloween might impact emotional well-being is key to making sure it’s a positive experience for everyone.
1. Managing Fear and Anxiety
For some, Halloween’s emphasis on fright can trigger anxiety or stress. Children, especially younger ones, might find certain decorations, costumes, or haunted attractions overwhelming. Similarly, adults who experience anxiety disorders or have had traumatic experiences may feel heightened stress during the season. It’s important to recognize these feelings and find a comfortable balance between participating in the fun and protecting mental well-being. Encourage open conversations about fear and help normalize any anxious feelings.
2. Social Pressure and Perfectionism
Halloween often comes with an expectation to have the best costume or attend the most exciting party. This can create pressure for both children and adults. For kids, the pressure to “fit in” with peers can lead to stress or self-esteem issues. Adults may feel the need to create elaborate costumes or host picture-perfect events, adding to their existing responsibilities. It’s important to remind yourself (and your child) that Halloween is about fun—not perfection. Let creativity, rather than competition, guide your participation.
3. Body Image and Costume Choices
Halloween can also bring body image concerns to the forefront. For children, especially teenagers, choosing a costume can become a point of stress, particularly if they feel self-conscious about how they look compared to others. Adults may experience similar feelings, especially with costumes that emphasize certain body ideals. These issues can negatively impact mental health, leading to insecurity or low self-esteem. Focus on costumes that make you or your child feel confident and comfortable, rather than conforming to unrealistic expectations.
4. Overstimulation and Sensory Overload
Halloween events are often filled with loud noises, bright lights, and large crowds—all of which can be overwhelming for people with sensory sensitivities. Children on the autism spectrum, as well as adults with sensory processing issues, may find trick-or-treating or large parties difficult to navigate. It’s helpful to create a sensory-friendly plan, such as attending quieter events or giving children noise-reducing headphones. Setting limits on how long you or your child participates in certain activities can also help prevent overstimulation.
5. Handling Disappointment
Not every Halloween experience will meet expectations, and this can lead to feelings of disappointment. Children may be let down by not getting the candy they wanted, while adults may feel regret over a low-key celebration or an unsuccessful party. Disappointment can affect mental health, but reframing the experience in a positive light—focusing on the fun moments rather than what didn’t go as planned—can make a big difference.
6. Creating a Safe, Inclusive Atmosphere
For children with mental health challenges such as ADHD, anxiety, or autism, Halloween can feel daunting. The unpredictability and stimulation may exacerbate their symptoms. For adults with mental health disorders, especially those who have experienced trauma, Halloween may bring up difficult memories or emotions. As a family or community, it’s crucial to make Halloween as inclusive and stress-free as possible. For children, this may mean attending events designed for special needs or adjusting traditions to ensure comfort. For adults, practicing self-care and setting boundaries can make the holiday more enjoyable.
7. Mental Health Awareness and Coping Skills
Halloween can serve as a reminder of the importance of mental health awareness for both children and adults. Use the holiday as an opportunity to teach kids coping skills for dealing with fear, stress, and anxiety. Similarly, adults should check in with themselves and recognize any discomfort or stress that arises during this season. If Halloween creates too much anxiety or stress, it’s perfectly okay to opt out or create new traditions that feel better for you and your family.
Conclusion
Halloween can be a fun, creative outlet for all ages, but it’s essential to balance that excitement with mindfulness about mental health. By acknowledging the emotional challenges that can come with the holiday, we can create a more positive and mentally healthy experience for both children and adults.
This course, “Mental Health Response to Mass Violence and Terrorism,” equips professionals with essential tools to address the psychological impacts of crises, a topic made all the more relevant in today’s turbulent times. As we approach Halloween, a season often filled with themes of fear, it’s crucial to remember the real psychological toll that trauma and violence have on individuals and communities, highlighting the importance of preparedness and mental health support.
Handy List of Words for Healthcare Workers
April 20th, 2024
As a healthcare worker, you are required to keep case notes. It’s important to maintain detailed records through case documentation. It allows you to create successful outcomes for your clients. Always make sure your case notes are useful. Do your best to make sure they provide insight and value. Analyze your notes and see if they would be useful to another case worker. You want to make sure you give an accurate picture of the client’s history, as well as their current situation.
It’s important to use language that is non-judgmental. Neutral language is the most common form of case notes in social work. It’s also helpful if you avoid making assumptions and remember to stick to the concrete facts. You should always indicate clearly when a comment is an observation. It is imperative you make it clear when you are recording the client’s own words by using quotation marks.
Notes are important in this type of work because the courts can subpoena records and other reports; you have to be careful about what you say about your respective client. Write your case notes immediately after you have spoken with a client. Here’s a handy list of words that many social workers use while writing up their case notes:
- Acknowledged
Actively Listened
Addressed
Advised
Advocated
Asked
Assisted
Challenging
Checked In
Clarified
Collaborated
Commended
Confronted
Conducted
Conveyed
Crisis Intervention
Developed
Educated
Empathized
Empowered
Encouraged
Ensured
Established
Explained
Explored
Expressed
Facilitated
Focusing/Refocusing
Framing/Reframing
Goal (setting)
Development/Goal Setting
Guided
Highlighted
Honoring
Identified
Information Giving/Gathering
Informed
Interacted
Interpreted
Joined
Modeled
Observed
Physical Activity
Played
Praised
Presented
Probed
Problem Solving
Prompted
Rapport-building
Recapped
Recommended
Redirected
Reflected
Reflective Listening
Reframed
Reinforced
Reiterated
Reminded
Reviewed
Role-played
Social Skills Practice
Suggested
Supported
Teaching/Lecturing
Urge
Stomp Out the Stigma of Postpartum and Perinatal Depression
April 14th, 2016
Many women feel guilty about feelings of separation that arise before and after the birth of their child. While postpartum depression has become more widely discussed and accepted, antenatal and perinatal depression are often overlooked or simply unheard of. If this is your first pregnancy, everything likely seems overwhelming. How can you prepare yourself for something that you’ve never experienced? Don’t hope for the best and ignore the possibility, create a psychotherapy plan during the early stages of your pregnancy.
The surge of hormones you experience during the late stages of pregnancy can create many significant changes in your life. Appearing in its most basic form, foods you once loved might suddenly seem unappealing. The bigger changes will be the change in lifestyle and dealing with exhaustion. If you are a professional, your regimented schedule will change to accommodate your new child. A simple change in schedule can cause more stress than you might realize. Social activities may become more difficult causing you to feel isolated. Depression doesn’t have to run in your family to develop the symptoms of postpartum and antenatal depression.
Devise a plan for every stage of pregnancy. Prepare for the both the slim possibilities and the inevitable changes. The more planning you do and the earlier you do it will make for a much less stressful pregnancy experience.
For more information on creating a pregnancy psychotherapy plan download our class Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Antenatal and Postpartum Depression
I’m a Social Worker, What’s your Superpower
July 28th, 2015
By Megan Ferguson
Dr. Anna Scheyett, Dean of the College of Social Work for the University of South Carolina discusses the concept of “social workers as superheroes” in her TED Talk. Social workers are social change agents and fight for social justice. Everyone will meet a social worker in some point of their lives as we all experience turmoil at various points of our lives. Additionally, social workers wear a variety of “hats” and work in a variety of settings such as addictions, child welfare, corrections, community development, gerontology, healthcare, mental health, public assistance, disability services, immigrant and refugee services, social policy and many other areas.
Connecting this article to its title, “I’m a social worker, what’s your superpower”, we operate from the strengths perspective and focus on individuals’ strengths, abilities and talents rather than deficits. Social workers’ roles may not be prescriptive, but we fill in the gaps wherever the filling is needed.
Dr. Scheyett’s TED Talk can be found by searching YouTube.
Care Planning from an Interdisciplinary Framework
May 26th, 2015
By Megan Ferguson
Care planning involves answering the following questions:
1. What are the problems/issues?
2. Who is involved?
3. How do we (as professionals) intervene?
4. What are the goals of the intervention?
5. How do we evaluate our intervention?
In order to build on this framework, interdisciplinary care involves teamwork from a variety of professionals. For example, within a hospital, all members of the healthcare team (doctor, nurse, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, social worker, etc.) may be working towards a safe discharge plan for a patient to return home. Interdisciplinary care must occur to bring about improved patient outcomes such as more efficient practice, an increased individualized and patient centered approach and improved quality in care. If healthcare professionals do not have the same intervention goals, the patient may suffer. Therefore, if practitioners focus on a single, shared goal, a patient will be more successful in receiving the care that they require.
In addition, the need for interdisciplinary care should be increasing with:
• A growing aging population with chronic and complex needs
• The increasing knowledge and skill required to provide comprehensive care to patients
• The increasing specialization in healthcare fields
• The growing encouragement to develop multi-faceted teams in healthcare, and
• The increased emphasis on continuity in care planning.
Therefore, changes in practice approaches and interventions need to take place to advocate for the use of integrated care plans. With a growing aging demographic and the development of more complex health problems, it is crucial that interdisciplinary care is used in all areas of the healthcare field. Therefore, it must be represented in practice to improve quality and efficiency of care to all individuals.
Source: Andrew Booth, Steven Ariss,Tony Smith, Pam Enderby,and Alison Roots4 Susan A Nancarrow, “Ten principles of good interdisciplinary team work,” Human Resource Health, 2013: 1-11
3 Myths About Online Continuing Education
April 28th, 2015
Do you know anyone who isn’t busy? These days, it seems as though everyone is carefully balancing family and home life, friendships, play, school, work, being active and more. When considering how Continuing Education Courses (CEC) will enrich your life and work, it’s important to find the right program and fit for you. Continuing Education Courses are a new take on the broad spectrum of ‘Adult Ed’ or secondary learning activities and programs. Some individuals choose CE units for personal enrichment or leisure, while others are driven to expand or grow within their field. Many people have already completed college credits or degrees. Others become familiar with the benefits of CEC, when branching out into a new market or career. While evaluating the direction that will foster your highest success, keep in mind the following similarities and differences. We will now contrast and address 3 myths about Continuing Education Courses.
Myth 1: Online Courses Aren’t As Good.
Fact: Whether you attend a campus based class or opt for an online model, be prepared to learn, study, work. It isn’t education without some effort and growth. There is a misconception that taking an online class will be easier when it comes to workload and less in depth in result. If basing one’s desire for an online course on not having to pay for parking, hotels, conferences, childcare, gas or transportation; then this idea might prove true. Indeed, those who choose online courses are inspired by the speed and ease of working from home and that’s one of the biggest benefits. This myth is false. With technology being so good, you will still get high quality continuing education done in the comfort of your home with the convenience of finishing it at your own pace.
Things to consider: If your home is a loud, active place or you have children or animals, which might distract you, consider having a work area or room within your home, so your study time will be more rewarding. Online classes often require a regular amount of time online so make sure you set aside the time to complete your continuing education.
Myth 2: All Programs Are The Same
Fact: Choosing the school or accredited program that fits your needs isn’t everything, but it’s a lot! Just like when you shop for a new vehicle and compare brands, strength and weaknesses; there are ‘high and low end’ Continuing Education Courses. How to tell which is which? Whether choosing an in person or online school, thoroughly review the website, links, and student or user reviews. Make sure that you only use an accredited course like the ones we offer at CEUnits.com so that you can make sure and get credit.
Myth 3: Spending More Equals Better
Fact: In-person learning can add up, especially when pursuing multiple classes over six months or a year and beyond. Dependent on the amount of money you have set aside for Continuing Education Courses, even online learning can add up (although the cost is typically much, much lower if you’re doing it online). Just because a school has a respectable or familiar name, doesn’t mean it’s online program is great. Nor does high cost mean you will always have a better experience. Don’t push your budget to a point where you feel uncomfortable or strained. Decide how much you’d like to spend on your CEU course and, then, evaluate the schools, which fit that financial availability. The plus of Continuing Education is that you can typically pay per course or session and when using a provider like CEUnits.com, you only pay when you pass. You are in control of your education!
For more information about continuing education credits see our courses here.
Insurance Scam Fails
April 23rd, 2015
Fraudulent insurance claims are increasing on a daily basis. In most cases, criminals are turning to this form of felony as a form of making illegal income. It’s very hard to get away with an insurance scam. Here are some high profile instances of insurance scams that have failed:
House on Fire
Mark Thompson, an executive in Chicago had accumulated a lot of debt in Chicago. He burned down his house out of desperation. So he essentially burned down his house hoping for $730,000 in insurance money. Furthermore, to make it appear as a suicide he convinced his 90-year-old mother Carmen to go downstairs, and then doused his own basement with an accelerant and tossed the match to get the fire started. Well Thompson’s idea fell flat and now he’s been given 190 years in federal prison.
Slip and Fall
Isabel Parker is known as the queen of the slip-and-fall scam. The 72-year-old scammer prostrated herself in several department stores, supermarkets and liquor stores. She has fell a total of 49 different times and she filed for claims totaling over $500,000. Her slip-and-fall scam is a sad byproduct of her serious gambling addiction.
Vehicle give-ups
Tramesha Lashon Fox worked in Houston as a high school chemistry teacher. She no longer wanted to make payments on her Chevy Malibu so she offered two of her failing students passing grades to torch her car for the insurance money. Authorities found out and she was quickly fired. She went on to serve 90 days in jail.
Fake tainted-food claims
Carla Patterson tried her best to tap into a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Virginia. She tried to get a $500,000 insurance settlement after discovering a mouse in her vegetable soup. The national chain investigated and found that the mouse had no soup in its lungs and had not been cooked. Patterson was then sentenced to a year in prison. Swindlers like Patterson will often target restaurants to make a quick profit in the belief that the restaurant won’t want the negative publicity. Chain restaurants like Cracker Barrel are smart enough to take the risk of fake tainted food claims. Furthermore, they have also tightened their food production procedures to combat false claims.
Antipsychotics May Increase Childs Risk for Medical Issues
April 21st, 2015
Our society can sometimes overuse psychotropic medications. It could be for different reasons but most companies make drugs like this because people believe they are the solution for our problems. Contrary to popular belief, antipsychotics are not ‘quick fix’ solutions. When it comes to children, these type of drugs are frequently misused. Some of these drugs are used because parents sometimes have an unrealistic desire to have their children behave like robots. Well-behaved children would most likely decrease the stress in our busy lives, but giving them antipsychotics is the wrong way to go.
In fact, a new study suggests that prescription antipsychotics can pose a significant risk to children’s health. Researchers have discovered that initiating antipsychotics may actually elevate a child’s risk not only for significant weight gain, but also for Type II diabetes by nearly 50 percent. You really have to evaluate your child before taking on this method.
Some children can truly benefit from antipsychotics, and those are generally the children who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Recently, more and more children are significantly overprescribed and that’s the main problem. Most of these kids just need parents who are engaged and supportive. Unnecessary consumption of antipsychotics can be very detrimental to their health.
Source: Antipsychotics May Hike Kids’ Risk for Medical Issues (http://psychcentral.com/news/2015/04/08/antipsychotics-may-increase-childs-risk-for-medical-issues/83277.html)
5 Celebrity Social Workers
April 16th, 2015
Social work is truly a rewarding career. Many people who have a career in social work have talents and gifts that also allow them to excel in other professional areas. Plenty of people find a career in social due to their backgrounds or experiences in life; this can force a person to develop an overwhelming sense of compassion for people in need. People step into this field due to their desire to help and serve those around them. Here are some examples of celebrities who active in social work before they became famous with among the media:
Samuel L. Jackson
Before Jackson started his award-winning career in acting, he worked as a social worker for two years in Los Angeles. He graduated with a BA degree from Morehouse University in Atlanta in 1969. After working as a social worker, Jackson went on to star in popular films such as Pulp Fiction, Coach Carter and now Marvel’s Avengers film franchise as Nick Fury.
Alice Walker
After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College in New York, Walker began her career in social work. She worked as a social worker, teacher, and lecturer during the Civil Rights Movement. Later in life, she gained popularity for her literary works. She is most famous for writing The Color Purple. Ms. Walker won a Pulitzer Prize for writing that novel.
John Amos
Amos studied social work at Colorado State University after receiving an athletic scholarship to play college football. He decided to major in social work because he felt like it would prepare him to work within the African-American community. After graduating from college, he went on to become a social worker at the New York’s Vera Institute of Justice. Soon after moving to New York he caught the acting bug and earned his first break-out role as a weather man on the Mary Tyler-Moore show in 1970.
Suze Orman
Before starting an extremely lucrative career in finance, Suze Orman received a B.A. in social work. She then struggled for many years and worked as a waitress until the age of 30 before earning her first financial role at Merrill Lynch.
Martin Short
We know Mr. Short as a comedian and actor, but before he started entertaining people he earned a degree in social work from McMaster University. He then worked as a part-time social worker in Toronto while building his entertainment career in comedy.
Solution-focused therapy
April 14th, 2015
Solution-focused therapy is a competency-based model that focuses on clients’ strengths and previous successes rather than previous weaknesses and challenges. In addition, solution-focused therapy operates within a focus on clients’ understanding of his/her own concerns/problems or situations and what clients want to change to improve their situation. The basic beliefs behind solution-focused therapy include:
• A focus on solutions rather than problems.
• A therapeutic process that focuses on clients’ desires for change and future goals rather than previous problems or conflicts.
• Encouragement to build-off and continue to engage in current useful behaviors, abilities and strengths.
• A belief that not all problems occur all the time. Thus, in instances where the problem could of occurred and did not can be used by a client and practitioner to work toward constructing solutions.
• A belief that solutions already exist for clients.
• A belief that small incremental changes can lead to larger changes that can be sustained.
Within solution-focused therapy, practitioners help clients find alternatives to current undesired patterns of behavior and/or thinking and collaborate with practitioners to construct solutions or alternatives to these patterns. Solution-focused therapy is an excellent approach to meet clients where they are at, collaborate with clients and uphold client self-determination; which are characteristic values of social work practice.
