Category: Coping

FABHA Fridays - Lori Moussapour, MA, LMSW

3/22/2019

0 Comments

Lori Moussapour, MA, LMSW

1. What is your clinical background?

Social Work; Parenting, Social and Emotional Literacy, Food Allergies, Relationships

2. What state do you practice in?

New York

3. Why did you choose to work with clients managing food allergies?

As a parent of a child with food allergies, I understand the journey and its inherent challenges. I offer compassionate and informed services to individuals, parents and families who find themselves challenged or limited because of food allergies. I care deeply about empowering clients with food allergies to harness the protective elements of vigilance while mediating the harmful outcomes of prolonged and pervasive anxiety.

4. What's one piece of advice or favorite counseling/mental health-related resource to share with clients?

I find it very rewarding to help clients identify the possibility of beautiful and positive outcomes of living with food allergies. While I wouldn't wish a food allergy on anyone, I so admire and respect the many qualities that often evolve in our children. Our kids are more often than not more compassionate, self-regulated and have the ability to do "their own thing" despite what the crowd is doing. I love helping, for instance, parents of young ones see how these characteristics will be valued assets in short time!!!

[Lori Moussapour, MA, LMSW is listed in the Food Allergy Counselor Directory. You can find more information about her services, or locate other food allergy-knowledgeable licensed behavioral healthcare providers there.]

To learn more about the Food Allergy Behavioral Health Association (FABHA), check out the first "FABHA Fridays" post, or the FABHA webpage.

0 Comments

FABHA Fridays (Food Allergy Mental Health Focus)

3/15/2019

0 Comments

Did you know that there's a growing network of licensed counselors/therapists, social workers, and psychologists that are food allergy-knowledgeable, and may even specialize in working with this population?

The focus on food allergy -related mental health is growing. Food allergic individuals and families often express concern over emotional aspects of life with food allergies. With more targeted research studies on this topic, allergists are expressing interest in gaining a better understanding of how psychosocial factors impact life with food allergies and/or treatments.

Due to the establishment of the Food Allergy Behavioral Health Association (FABHA), there is now a central hub for licensed clinical behavioral health professionals committed to positively impacting the lives of those managing food allergies. In an effort to highlight this growing network and the importance of acknowledging food allergy-related mental health, "FABHA Fridays" will highlight a brief interview with a member of the Food Allergy Behavioral Health Association, sharing insight into how/why they choose to work with food allergic clients. (Read more about FABHA, including its development and purpose, below).

So let's start off with the first "FABHA Fridays" member spotlight!

Fawn McNeil-Haber, PhD

1. What is your clinical background?

Child & Adolescent; Trauma; Anxiety

2. What state do you practice in?

New Jersey-based private practice:
Brave Minds Psychological Services

3. Why did you choose to work with clients managing food allergies?

As the mother of a child with severe food allergies, it pains me when young people or their parent's are struggling to find a therapist who understands the anxiety and intensity of living with food allergies. Every child should be able to be connected with an experienced therapist who can understand an empathize with their experience. I wanted to merge my knowledge living in the food allergy world and my work as a child and adolescent trauma therapist.

4. What's one piece of advice or favorite counseling/mental health-related resource to share with clients?

The Land of Not by J.J. Vulopas is an amazing children's book about choosing to live in the world of what you CAN do as opposed to living in the work of what you CANNOT do.

[Fawn McNeil-Haber, PhD (Brave Minds Psychological Services) is listed in the Food Allergy Counselor Directory. You can find more information about her services, or locate other food allergy-knowledgeable licensed behavioral healthcare providers there.]

What exactly is the
Food Allergy Behavioral Health Association?

In 2018, in an effort to connect with others, Tamara Hubbard, MA, LCPC founded a professional networking group for food allergy-knowledgeable counseling professionals called the Food Allergy Counseling Professionals Network (FACPN). After members from various clinical behavioral health professions continued to join and connect, it became important to better highlight the fact that the group was for licensed clinical behavioral health professionals, not just those that identify themselves as counselors. Tamara and fellow member Lisa Rosenberg, M.Ed, MSW, LSW put their heads together to determine how to transition this space into something more encompassing.

The result was to transition FACPN into the Food Allergy Behavioral Health Association (FABHA), as this name better reflects who the members are and the overall goals of this growing professional community. FABHA continues to be a professional collaboration space for licensed clinicians in Clinical Counseling, Clinical Family Therapy, Clinical Social Work, Clinical Psychology, and Clinical Psychiatry or those that are pursuing their clinical license, and who are committed to improving the lives of anyone impacted by food allergies. (This includes health-focused research psychologists that focus on food allergies or related conditions). However, beyond connecting, networking and sharing resources, FABHA also presents opportunities to receive/offer mentoring, and to collaborate to help expand and positively impact the behavioral health needs of the food allergy community. (Learn more about FABHA, or express interest in joining, via the FABHA link above).

0 Comments

Coping with Food Allergy Tragedies

2/27/2019

0 Comments

Photo Credit: Pixabay (Ryan McGuire)

Another food allergy-related tragedy recently populated our social media feeds. This story involved a teenage boy, all set to graduate high school, but suffered an anaphylactic reaction to walnuts days before that led to his death.

Food allergy parents across the world feel these losses deeply. It can feel as if it's happening to someone in their own family, such as their own child. Inevitably it evokes intense emotions such as fear, panic, anxiety, and uncertainty, which may result in the loss of comfort with their own food allergy routines.

In short, these tragedies may make parents feel emotions often associated with trauma. These tragedies can potentially set parents back, boldly reminding them that food allergies can be unpredictable, even with evidence-based guidelines in place. It's a place of major discomfort, leaving many uncertain how to cope. It's very easy to fall into the rabbit hole of fear if you let yourself.

Given that these stories will unfortunately inevitably pop up on social media, what can parents, and food allergic individuals in general, do to navigate them and cope?

....Below are three tips to help empower yourself during these moments of raw emotion.....

1. Set Boundaries for Self-Preservation

While we may be drawn to reading these stories, it's important to evaluate whether it's a good idea to do so. Here are some questions to ask yourself to help you determine if you should immerse yourself in the details right now or not:

What is your current emotional mental state? Are you feeling anxious, down or overwhelmed lately, or are you feeling grounded?
What are the benefits of reading the story? What are the drawbacks?
What coping skills do you currently have in your emotional toolkit? Do you feel you have adequate tools to cope with the emotions that will arise from learning the details of the tragedy?

Maybe you feel you need to read the full story for various reason - to offer support to the family experiencing loss, or to glean insights in order to ensure your safety guidelines are strong enough. While those goals may certainly be achieved by understanding all of the details, if your mindset isn't in a good place at the time, or you don't feel you have strong enough coping skills, NOW may *not* be the right time to read beyond the headlines. Set boundaries that work for you. This may even mean taking a momentary break from social media and/or support groups, where the topic is likely being discussed. Another option is temporarily turning off your notification settings from groups/social media outlets that tend to discuss the topic in-depth. You absolutely can offer support and condolences to the family, and the food allergy community in general, without compromising your emotional well-being.

THIS MAY HELP: How to Set Boundaries - 10 Examples and PDF Worksheets from www.PositivePsychologyProgram.com

2. Reconnect With Evidence-Based Data

Our emotions have the incredible ability to disconnect us from logic. They're that powerful.... IF we let them take control. Sure, even with the best guidelines in place, tragedies can happen, but it's important to keep things in perspective as much as possible.

In times of tragedy, it is crucial that you reconnect with the established and evidence-based food allergy-related facts. In doing so, it not only helps to balance emotions, but also benefits you by:

Reminding you that you ARE prepared for reactions, with your emergency action plans, epinepherine and safety guidelines in place
Highlighting areas where you may want to revisit and practice more, such as navigating scenarios that you feel less confident about
Encouraging you to connect with your allergist to get an epinephrine autoinjector, revisit areas of concerns, questions you may still have, or data you'd like to learn more about

THIS MAY HELP: The best sources for evidence-based information are reputable food allergy organizations, such as the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, and the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. (Here is a study posted in JACI on Fatalities Due to Anaphylaxis to Foods)

3. Practice Self-Care

Practicing self-care is important, even when you're not navigating a recent food allergy-related tragedy.

Think of a car. If you aren't filling the tank with fuel, taking it in for routine checkups, and making sure to use it rather than letting it sit untouched for long periods of time, the car isn't going to run as effectively.

The same is absolutely true when it comes to our minds and bodies. Both need to be taken care of, which isn't easy to prioritize as a parent or busy adult. But in times of tragedy, self-care becomes crucial, as coping abilities are stronger when you're taking care of yourself. Here are a few questions to ask yourself in order to evaluate your own self-care lately:

Are you able to find time weekly, even if extremely brief, to take your parent or work hat off and reconnect with yourself - as YOU?
Do you have an activity or routine you take part in that helps ground you, make you feel more balanced, or better able to navigate each day?
Do you constantly feel overwhelmed, worn out, and like you can't find any sense of peace?

Based on the answers to these questions, you should begin to get a sense of how you're taking care of yourself and start considering where you may need to make adjustments. Practicing self-care doesn't mean you have to add many more tasks to your already busy day. It's less about quantity and more about quality.

Think about the things that make you feel a sense of calm, happiness, and connection to yourself, and work them in as often as possible, even if in very brief formats. Maybe it's reading an empowering passage each morning to start your day off right. Perhaps it's taking deep breaths and listening to the water falling while in the shower. Or even simply remembering to regularly eat meals and snacks so your body has enough fuel to get through the day.

Self-care is about quality, consistency, and ultimately prioritizing yourself so you are better able to navigate the daily ups and downs of life. It's never too late to make self-care part of your routine, and the time is never better when you're feeling heartbreak.

THIS MAY HELP: Check out 15 Grounding Exercises to Manage Stress from Anxiety or Trauma (post via The Mighty); Free Mindfulness Apps Worthy of Your Attention (via Mindful.org)

Feel like you could benefit from additional support
from a food allergy-knowledgeable
behavioral health or counseling professional?

Visit the Food Allergy Counselor Directory
to locate one in your area.

0 Comments

Forward>>

FABHA Fridays - Lori Moussapour, MA, LMSW

Lori Moussapour, MA, LMSW

FABHA Fridays (Food Allergy Mental Health Focus)

Fawn McNeil-Haber, PhD

What exactly is the
Food Allergy Behavioral Health Association?

Coping with Food Allergy Tragedies

1. Set Boundaries for Self-Preservation

2. Reconnect With Evidence-Based Data

3. Practice Self-Care

Archives

Categories

FABHA Fridays - Lori Moussapour, MA, LMSW

Lori Moussapour, MA, LMSW

FABHA Fridays (Food Allergy Mental Health Focus)

Fawn McNeil-Haber, PhD

​What exactly is the​Food Allergy Behavioral Health Association?

Coping with Food Allergy Tragedies

​1. Set Boundaries ​for Self-Preservation

2. Reconnect With Evidence-Based Data

3. Practice Self-Care

Archives

Categories

What exactly is the
Food Allergy Behavioral Health Association?

1. Set Boundaries for Self-Preservation