Bethany Paterson Shrinkwrap Psychology in Kadina, South Australia | Psychologist

Bethany Paterson Shrinkwrap Psychology

Locality: Kadina, South Australia

Phone: +61 428 399 169

Address: 17 Frances Terrace 5554 Kadina, SA, Australia

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• Psychologist

23.01.2022 I’m having some time off with my family over Christmas and will be back at work on the 11th January. Thinking of everybody this holiday season and sending my best wishes for a better year in 2021.

23.01.2022 Take care of yourselves

22.01.2022 Do not fear failure but be terrified of regret.

21.01.2022 I think my hairdresser wants a cut of my business! Just to clarify, I still bulk bill with a Mental Health Treatment Plan from a GP, so there are no hair raising fees with me. However I definitely recommend the lovely ladies at Hair on Hallett, chatting with them is definitely a highlight ... and they tell less dad jokes than me

15.01.2022 Your New Year’s resolution?

14.01.2022 It’s International Men’s Day, a time to celebrate the great men in our lives and promote their health and well being.

12.01.2022 A beautiful reminder from the amazing team at @wonderdoodles

09.01.2022 RUOK DAY CAN YOU READ THE SIGNS? I had an experience when I was much younger which I have held close to my heart and spoken with very few people about. It sti...ll haunts me to this day - and it’s not something I really feel comfortable sharing. But I will on the small chance that it might just prompt an action which may possibly make a difference to someone, somewhere, sometime. It would have been when I was about 19-20, I think. There was a guy I was a friend with who was a couple of years younger than me who I didn’t see very often as he lived some distance from me, but we always got on well. Occasionally we would call each other and have a chat. And usually when we did, we would talk for some time. On this one particular night when he called, I really wasn’t in the mood to chat. I recall it was later at night when long distance phone calls were capped so it didn’t matter how long you spoke. I had just had a long. tiring day, and my immediate reaction when he called was that I wasn’t in the mood to talk and I would quickly find an excuse to get off. One thing I recall about the conversation in hindsight was that it was all about him, and he asked little about me. He had just been on a school camp and it had been fantastic. He regaled stories from the week away and we laughed a lot. I remember being struck by how good a mood he appeared to be in and in a great place mentally. In fact, it was the most positive I had heard him for some time. But while I put up a friendly supportive front, I recall just wanting to get off the phone and go to bed. But something kept me on the line. I can’t say what it was. Some would say fate or luck. I think more like divine intervention. Eventually after an hour or so we hung up and I slumped off to bed, thinking of all the excuses I should have made to get off the phone earlier. I never heard from him again for about six months. This time I was in a much better mood and keen to chat. After a while he said the me "There’s something I need to tell you. When I last called you I was actually in a bad place, so bad that I had decided to kill myself. I found a razor blade and was about to harm myself when something made me call you. That whole conversation while I was telling you about how great my school camp was, I was holding that blade against my wrist. But the more we spoke, the better I felt about myself. I can’t believe you actually sat there and listened to all my cr*p and helped me make me feel that my life was worthwhile. I just wanted you to know that I am okay now and to say thanks". How do you respond to that? I can’t remember now what I actually said to him then, but I was obviously stunned. I rarely see him these days as he lives a long way away and we have drifted apart - and we have never spoken about that night since. He is now happily married, seems to have had a great career - and from what I see from afar is very settled and doing well. But I must admit it still chills me to the bone to this day thinking about that conversation. What if I would have had caller ID back then and not answered? What if I would have found an excuse to get off the phone early? What if I would have said the ‘wrong’ thing? How would it have affected my life if he had followed through and I knew that his final conversation was with me? A lot of the focus of RUOK Day is around seeing the signs. But sometimes there are no signs. Actually, I think it is more about being there for people, genuinely being there - whether you believe there are concerns or not. My mate may not have chosen to share the real story of that night with me six months later, but that wouldn’t have changed the impact of the call on his life - even if I didn’t know about it. Please don’t give me credit for what I did because I believe it was in spite of my intentions that that it ended up okay. All I did was not hang up when I felt I wanted to. I just kept talking to someone who I felt wanted to talk. That day changed me, and I am now much more conscious of how I listen, respond and engage with people especially when I am not really in the mood. So, what does this all mean in the context of RUOK Day? I would say yes, it is very important to be proactive and call a mate who you feel may be bogged down in some way. Yes, its important to read the signs, be encouraging and walk the journey with people who may be struggling. But its also important to realise that every conversation you have could be an influential one, even with people you feel are doing fine. That person you slam on social media may happen to be on the edge. The lady at the bakery who gives a cheery hello which makes you feel good may also need a cheery response to brighten her day. A compliment on how someone is dressed or a positive acknowledgment of an action may be just the thing that person needed right then, right now. Genuinely praising another farmers crop at the pub might be just the lift he needed today. Seeing your neighbour fixing a boundary fence and going across for a chat may be just the thing he or she needed right at that moment. A wave and a smile could make a difference you may never be aware of. Sometimes you don’t see the signs. Sometimes you just don’t know. But sometimes what you do or say can make all the difference even if you never realise it...

09.01.2022 Who can relate?

09.01.2022 So much respect for the Kadina Football and Netball Club for this initiative. It’s ok to have a blue day. Don’t be reluctant to have a conversation about it. Ask someone ‘R U OK?’. Being strong and resilient doesn’t mean you can’t talk about feelings, having the courage to open up is true bravery. Talking and listening saves lives.