Full Description
This book is a compassionate guide providing practical yet therapeutically oriented mental health support and self-care strategies for people with Huntington's disease and their families to empower them in navigating this journey with hope and clarity.
This book offers strategies for self-help and wellbeing that are firmly grounded in the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). It bridges professional and personal insight by bringing together the author's professional expertise as a clinical psychologist and researcher, and lived experience as a member of a family affected by Huntington's disease (HD). Topics covered include, but are not limited to:
• Physical symptoms and mental health difficulties associated with Huntington's disease.
• Understanding Huntington's disease in the family context, including impacts across families.
• Benefits of ACT strategies for managing difficulties associated with Huntington's disease.
• ACT aligned practical guidance on emotional resilience, acceptance, and meaningful living.
It expands on similar works in the field to explore the experiences of 'at risk' family members, individuals without the gene expansion, caregivers and loved ones, and specific challenges that these respective groups may face.
With evidence-based strategies to support mental health and wellbeing, this is a compelling read for families and individuals with lived experience of Huntington's disease. It will also interest practitioners and healthcare professionals who wish to better understand Huntington's disease and provide more effective support.
Contents
1. Wearing three "Huntington's hats": family member, therapist and researcher 2. "Knowing the enemy": Impacts of Huntington's on individuals 3. Knowing yourself and your family 4. Introducing "Acceptance and Commitment Therapy" 5. "Your dad does that!": The stories we tell ourselves 6. Inviting the monster in for tea 7. "The price we pay for love": Grief and Huntington's 8. To defeat it, we have to name it: Shame, stigma and Huntington's 9. Finding what matters 10. Bringing values to life: Aiming for "better, not perfect" 11. "Committed action": Setting a meaningful goal 12. "All roads lead to Huntington's": Difficult decisions 13. Building your forward plan 14. Testing your brakes regularly 15. Reaching out for more support 16. It's better in the light 17. Appendix A: Exercises and resources 18. Appendix B: Mental health concerns
