Blog Category: Community
Support & Inclusion Of Disadvantaged Children
Despite this great nation’s wealth and sustained economic growth, sadly in Australia there are children living in poverty and disadvantage. Research results showed confronting statistics that were presented to the Australian Government in the ACOSS report. The ACOSS Report showed: In Australia 1 in 6 children under 15 years of age are living in poverty…
The Christian’s Mental Health Self-Care Kit
For those living with a mental health condition, self – care is particularly essential to help keep ourselves in the best of health, and hopefully to make our condition more manageable. What this looks like for each individual can differ from person to person based on varying factors such as genetics, mental health, location, and…
Qualities That Make My Dad A Good Father
Fathers play a vital role in the family home for the development of their children. Growing up with a fun loving and caring father was great for me and my siblings. His love, support, affection and love for our mother made us feel secure. His efforts and hard work meant that we were loved and…
Where To Find Emergency Counselling in Australia
Australians have free and confidential counselling services available over the phone, online as a chat and by email for those struggling with mental health issues, suicidal thoughts, personal problems, relationships or family problems. The types of calls received can range from urgent crisis calls to the less urgent matters. However all calls matter. Counselling services…
Counselling – A Healing Journey of Connection
Seeking counselling help doesn’t mean we no longer believe in Christ and the healing power of God. Many Christians interpret seeking help from external sources as “not having enough faith.” However, equipping ourselves and the church with knowledge is an act of grace for the relief of those needing emotional support. Knowledge can save lives. Hosea…
18 Year Old Saving Lives With Her Suicide Prevention Efforts
An 18 year old girl from England is posting notes on a bridge in her local community in an attempt to save lives, where many jump to their deaths. Paige Hunter leaves notes all over the bridge to let others know they are loved, cared about, worth saving and that life is worth living. Many…
How A Lack Of Counselling Training Is Hurting The Church
Many of us feel a strong pull towards comforting those who are experiencing emotional turmoil. Even if we have a natural knack for counselling others, our empathy and listening skills might need fine tuning to help us reach a higher standard of counselling.
Advice For New Students From aifc Students & Graduates
Before starting a course, advice and recommendations from current and former students is usually something most of us want to learn. So we recently asked on Facebook, “As a graduate or current student of aifc, what piece of advice would you give a new student?” Here are their responses. Shivon Barresi Persevere – you won’t…
Fearing Social Rejection & Loss of Leadership Credibility
The fear of facing social rejection or losing leadership credibility within the christian community due to the present stigma and the over spiritualisation of mental illness that is often deemed solely as a spiritual condition, is very real. This raises some concerns for those who might be managing their mental health issues and leadership roles quite…
Help Line Calls Surge After Release of Netflix ‘13 Reasons Why’ Depicting Teen Suicide
Labelled the latest binge-worthy series from Netflix, ’13 Reasons Why’ also has many people alarmed by the content of the show. The series features a high school student, Hannah Baker played by Perth actress Katherine Langford, who after suffering cyber bullying and sexual assault takes her own life leaving behind a box of tapes pointing…
Unions Organise Mental Health Training to Help Australian Truck Drivers
The truck driving industry is a very male dominated industry. Professional truck drivers face a higher risk than other Australians of developing depression. ABC News reports as many as 1 in 5 truck drivers in Australia are experiencing mental health issues. In a recent survey of over 4000 drivers, 918 of them said they had…
Reconnecting Absent Fathers With Their Children
There are ever increasing statistics of couples going through separation or divorce in Australia and globally which can have an emotionally huge impact on all children but especially the adult children who are caught in the middle of the break up. We were created to be born into families of mums and dads who support…
The Growing Number Of Homeless People in Australia
Most of us whip out our warm winter clothing, put our heaters on, and enjoy warm meals and hot drinks under a blanket to snuggle up with a good book or to watch a movie in our creature comforts when the temperature drops during the cold winter months. For many people who are living on…
Aboriginal Children Being Scarred by Process
The landmark ‘Bringing Them Home’ report on ‘The Stolen Generations’ was delivered in Federal Parliament in 1997. The Report detailed the damage caused to Indigenous Australia when their children were forcibly removed from their families by the government to be placed elsewhere for education. Aboriginal Children living in ‘Out Of Home Care’ has risen significantly…
Mental Health of The Australian Police Force
ABC News reported how changes are impacting on the mental health of Australian Police. On the 29th May police officer Brett Forde was shot dead by gunman Rick Maddison who fired at police in an overnight standoff. In a separate incident, Sergeant Brendan Poustie was hit by a car while he was jogging and soon…
Cultivating A Sense Of Community With The Neighbours
Having a good relationship with our neighbours is great for many reasons. Sadly in many neighbourhoods people keep to themselves. Reaching out to the neighbours and making connections is just as easy as inviting them over to a barbecue or having a street party. This opens the door to having spiritual connections and relationships with…
What is Animal Assisted Therapy?
Animals and pets have long being thought to bring out the best in us. Guide dogs have been and used for years to assist the blind giving them mobility. Now in Australia and abroad some mental health professionals are using animals as part of their therapy. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) involves the use of animals as a form…
Parents Be Vigilant About Protecting Children From Online Predators
Recently the ABC reported that a 16 year old Sydney girl was lured to the United States by a convicted 39 year old predator who allegedly groomed the girl on Snapchat. An international police operation rescued the girl from the basement of the accused man’s home. Unfortunately these are the times we live in and…
Churches Addressing Mental Health Issues Offer Grace & Hope
Churches can become trained to recognise mental illness and be better equipped to extend God’s grace and hope to those who are mentally unwell.
8 Steps for Empowering Children with Intrinsic Motivation
Of the many factors that can predict a student’s failure, the lack of intrinsic (self) motivation. This is the main reason why students fail.
Our Communities Rely On The Strength Of The Family
The strength of the family plays a vital role as the building blocks for the community producing a safer, healthier and more secure environment to live in.
Jesus Christ The Risen Lord Transforming Lives Today
Jesus died and rose from the dead at Easter offering himself as atonement for man’s sins. We often focus only on the death of Jesus at Easter, and while this is important, we can sometimes forget that 3 days later Jesus rose from the dead. In so doing Jesus conquered death and provided us all…
7 Challenging Activities For Seniors
Problem solving or doing something new that stimulates thinking processes is good for the mind. Seniors need challenging activities to help keep them mentally agile so that seniors keep their minds sharp, active and alert in old age. Below are 5 activities for seniors to consider taking part in. Computers – Learn computer basics like,…
6 Low Impact Exercises For Seniors
Most seniors want to remain active and healthy by taking part in physical activities that aren’t going to have a negative impact on joints or be too strenuous on their aging bodies. Seniors who take on regular exercise can improve their mental, emotional and physiological health. Seniors will also need to factor in mobility issues…
