 A New Role For Me! In addition to providing counseling services to women, young adults and those navigating life transitions, for the last couple of years in particular, I've focused on food allergy counseling - a clinical niche that I've been helping to highlight and expand. To that end, I've been writing about, taking part in interviews, and developing therapeutic content focused on navigating the psychosocial aspects of life with food allergies. I'm also proud to be an allied healthcare member of both AAAAI and ACAAI, serving as a member of ACAAI's allied health committee. Therefore, when the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Team (FAACT) asked me to join their Leadership Team as their Vice President of Behavioral Health, I was honored to jump on board! With a passion for helping the food allergy community develop resilience and an empowered mindset, this position will allow me to create content that will be unique in nature and more widely distributed. These resources, which will come in various formats, will be useful not only for individuals and families managing food allergies, but also for allergists looking for reputable psychosocial resources for their clients. (Resources created for FAACT are reviewed by FAACT's Medical Advisory Board).  FAACT's Leadership Team A couple of questions I've received since I announced my new position.... What projects do I have planned in this role for 2020? You'll just have to stay tuned! But trust me, they'll be useful. Will I still be seeing clients at my private practice? You bet! Like many in the healthcare fields, I enjoy a mix of clinical work, both client facing and non-client facing in nature. In my private practice, in addition to working with those managing allergies, I also focus on providing support to women, young adults, those navigating life transitions, and those with other chronic health conditions. I'm lucky to be able to have the best of both worlds between my new FAACT position and my private practice. How can I contact you for FAACT-specific matters? You can email me directly at Tamara.Hubbard@FoodAllergyAwareness.org, as well as follow my FAACT profile on Facebook for FAACT content and event updates. I'll still be sharing content via my professional Twitter and Instagram accounts, as well as the Food Allergy Counselor Facebook page, and my private practice Facebook page. Will you still be updating the Food Allergy Counselor Directory & website? Rest assured, I'll still be updating and enhancing The Food Allergy Counselor Directory and website, so be sure to check back often. Recent additions to the Food Allergy Counselor Directory include listings in Texas and Georgia, with more on the way. There have also been more resources added to the Food Allergy Mental Health Resource page as well, so be sure to hop on over there, too. With gratitude, Tamara Hubbard, MA, LCPC
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CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT 2019 IS ALMOST OVER?! As this year comes to a close, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past year and give thanks to the food allergy community. Food Allergy Mental Health Thoughts for 2019....In starting this website over a year and a half ago, my goal was to emphasize the importance of exploring the psychosocial impacts of managing food allergies and allergic conditions. Additionally, I wanted to develop and share psychosocial resources to help those managing food allergies. In that time, it's become even more clear to me that the food allergy community yearns for more focus and guidance on navigating the ups and downs of life with food allergies. I've also seen the allergists and allied healthcare professionals working within the field of allergy and immunology more frequently discussing the psychosocial aspects of food allergy life. So what does all of that mean? Just as we're watching food allergy treatment trends grow and expand, we can hopefully expect to see a shift in food allergy mental health as well. Trends I hope to see continuing to develop within this space:
Giving Thanks to the community....I'm a big believer in paying it forward, whether through actions or words, and truly believe that we don't do enough of this. Additionally, none of us live in a vacuum alone. We're all part of various systems: the family system, the community system, and in this instance, the food allergy system. Therefore, I'd like to give thanks to the food allergy community as I write my final post for 2019.  To The Food Allergy Community: Thank you for....
I look forward to continuing to develop food allergy mental health and counseling resources, and positively impacting the food allergy community in 2020 and beyond!
With gratitude, Tamara Hubbard, MA, LCPC Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor Founder/Creator of the Food Allergy Counselor website Day 6: Fight Food Allergy Fears w/Facts (If sharing this image, please be sure the logo is visible and The Food Allergy Counselor and/or Tamara Hubbard, LCPC are credited) Fear is a present-oriented basic emotion that typically occurs as a response to a real or perceived danger/threat. Threats can be from:
When managing food allergies, real and perceived threats pop up often, sometimes daily. Additionally, it's common to be thinking about potential food allergy threats even when not currently dealing with one. So what can people do to help tame and manage food allergy fears? One Tool To Fight Food Allergy Fears Is...KNOWLEDGE! Is it truly that simple - knowledge takes care of food allergy fears? No. However, knowledge is an important tool in the Food Allergy Fear Tool Kit individuals and families need to build in order to fight back against and ultimately manage fear levels. Other crucial tools needed in the Food Allergy Fear Tool Kit:
For the purpose of this article, let's focus on building your knowledge tool. One caveat that needs to be made about this tool is that you want to be sure that it is formed primarily with material that is evidenced-based in nature. That is, the information comes from reputable sources within the food allergy community, such as allergists, healthcare professionals, or well-respected food allergy organizations or groups. (While information gleaned from health support groups can be valuable, it's best to confirm information with your personal allergist and evidence-based resources). Below are four links to information addressing common fear-producing topics, as well as a general list of reputable food allergy information sources.
Reputable Food Allergy Information Sources: In case you missed the other Food Allergy Awareness Week mental health-focused tips, find them via links here: Day 1 & 2 (FA Support Groups & FA Mindset); Day 3: FA Thinking Errors Connected w/Anxiety; Day 4: Food Allergy Anxiety Resources; Day 5: Problem-Solving Method When Fear Rules Your Mind If you find yourself needing support for food allergy-related psychosocial impacts, locate a food allergy-knowledgeable clinical behavioral healthcare provider
via the Food Allergy Counselor Directory. Follow/connect on social media! Twitter: @TamaraTweets Instagram: @Counselor_Tamara Facebook: Tamara Hubbard, LCPC FABHA / FAC Directory Facebook: Food Allergy Counselor FABHA Twitter: @FoodAllergyBHA |
Follow on Twitter or Instagram, or on Facebook at FABHA & the Food Allergy Counselor Directory to get updates on the FAC Directory, blog or resources.
Listen to & subscribe to the Exploring Food Allergy Families podcast!
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