Rebuilding and healing broken communities can be a slow and frustrating process. But as Max Rashbrooke writes, it starts with listening to the powerful stories of those with lived experience. Just before lockdown, in Porirua’s Te Rauparaha Arena, a reversal of fortunes took place. At the People’s Voices conference, organised by Wesley Community Action, the … Read more
Psychologically distressed survivors of the Christchurch terror attacks can’t get ACC help. Can a government which says it’s prioritising mental health continue with this ACC model? This post was originally published by RNZ. Yama Nabi’s father had been killed, he had seen dead bodies, wounded children and a river of blood. He was traumatised and unable … Read more
For many reporters covering the Christchurch terror attacks, detachment and objectivity gave way to human emotion, and journalist turned academic Dr Rukhsana Aslam argues that’s perfectly fine. To be objective, neutral and dispassionate while doing a story is the long-practised norm of journalism. It is the principle we journalists live by. We are trained to … Read more
The days ahead will be full of difficult feelings and even more difficult conversations. Louisa Woods writes about how to start and have these conversations with your children. For many of our children and teens, yesterday dawned full of hope. They stood together, united, passionate, and energised. We saw them reject apathy, counter ignorance, and … Read more
A landmark court ruling in Australia reexamines journalism’s weight on its practitioners, writes former AUT professor Lyn Barnes. At last, it’s finally being acknowledged – secondary trauma encountered on the job as a journalist can do psychological damage. The $180,000 awarded to the Australian woman in a Melbourne court case last month may not be … Read more
Many of us, especially young women, have been experiencing dark thoughts and emotions in the aftermath of Grace Millane’s death. It’s called vicarious trauma, writes 20-year-old Waveney Russ, and it’s a totally valid response. Yesterday was a day like any other, a day when I let routine guide my path through the city. It was … Read more
It is easier to create perfect fictions of heroes than acknowledge their failings, vulnerability and the suffering they caused. But maybe if we stop just seeing the dark stuff as personal, we can really start to deal with it, writes Isa Ritchie. On the April 25 every year, Australians and New Zealanders gather to remember … Read more
Saradha Koirala reviews two teen novels which both deal with girls who have “survived something horrific at the hands of a male classmate”. I will talk literature with anyone who’ll listen. Most recently the ones listening have been clinical psychologists. And yes, I’m sure it’s all very Freudian that my mum and my partner share … Read more