Food Allergy Mental Health Thoughts & Thanks for 2019

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 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:

• Continued discussions and resources within the food allergy community on topics such as navigating food allergy anxiety, building resilience, developing confidence and empowerment, impacts to family systems, working through and finding acceptance with the diagnoses, and more;

• An increase in the number of sessions and scope of psychosocial content at allergy and immunology conferences; 

• Assessment of psychosocial stressors becoming a standard part of allergy care (even if only through brief questions at appointments); 

• Continued exploration of collaborative patient care, allowing for various disciplines/healthcare providers to work together to provide resources for patients (i.e. allergy/immunology, nutrition, counseling, etc).
  

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...

• Helping to bring awareness to very important food allergy mental health and psychosocial topics by sharing your stories and asking questions, as this helps the treatment community better understand these needs;

• Being open and honest about the highs and lows of life managing food allergies and/or parenting kids with food allergies, because by acknowledging both, we can find our way to acceptance, empowerment, and resilience;

• Showing kindness, support, and understanding to one another within the community, because none of us are alone;
  

and for...

• So warmly welcoming my voice, resources, and the Food Allergy Counselor Directory & website into the community over the past year and a half!
  

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