Humansolutions Bulletin - August 30th 2022

Spirituality, whether or not rooted in religion, is a core feature of what it means to be human. In this important practice manual, two very experienced writers and educators explain  why spirituality and religion should be a fundamental consideration for the people professions, broadly defined – that is, professions based on helping people tackle their problems and fulfil their potential. Available from here or Amazon

The importance of listening is well established, but what is often not realized that the most effective for of listening involves paying attention to what someone is not saying, as well as what they are saying. Just as silence is an important part of music, working out what is not being said is a key part of genuinely connecting with people, of forming an effective rapport. To hear what is not being said involves tuning in to the situation, considering the context, the emotions involved, where the conversation is coming from and where it is going. These are quite advanced skills, but they can be developed over time. Click here to read more

Esenam lives in Ghana, and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Fearing COVID-19 infection, she waited almost a year before going to the clinic for therapy. Unemployed at the time, Esenam did not have enough funds for treatment. Her parents, thanks to their pension, ensured she could get her medications, but many others cannot. The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented stressor to the mental health of many individuals. According to WHO, in 2020, COVID-19 had disrupted or, in some cases, halted critical mental health services in 93% of countries worldwide, while the demand for mental health support increased. Click here to read more

When Sunita Nandihalli was a psychology graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, they and an undergraduate intern found themselves in an lift with a man who seemed fascinated with the intern. She was multiracial, and he repeatedly quizzed her about her hair. Nandihalli, a queer person of colour, had experienced similar obnoxious comments and stepped between the two of them, asking the stranger about his day and where he was going. “I had to take the intern’s safety into account,” they recall. Nandihalli knew what to do because of ADVANCEGeo, a project that trains researchers in how to intervene when they see bias and harassment in the geosciences. Nandihalli had lent their expertise to the project to adapt ‘bystander-intervention…

What is it like to live with psychosis, or Parkinson’s, or dementia, or to be autistic? The traditional approach is for an interested team of psychologists to design a study, and run it. But this is changing. People with disorders are no longer simply subjects to be studied but ‘experts by experience’, who can play key roles in the research process itself. ‘It’s about working with rather than on or for people,’ says Georgia Pavlopoulou, of UCL and the Anna Freud Centre. New academic/patient co-productions are now delivering all kinds of benefits, from unprecedented insights into complex disorders to improvements in vital services. Click here to read more

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