G a t e w a y

N e w s l e t t e r

Unit 1, 2 Parker Hill, Rathmines Road, Dublin 6 ( opposite the swimming pool )
E-mail : thegatewaynewsletter@gmail.com

Blog : projectgateway.blogspot.ie

Phone : 085 752 1220 OR 01 4977005 ( Office hours )

OCT

Hours : Monday and Thursday

1.00 pm - 5.00 pm

2015

Hi all,

We would also like to say a big Hello to all new

members that have joined us in the last few months.
And welcome to our monthly newsletter. People at this We would also like to welcome Declan to Gateway.
time of year spend time, energy and money seeking
Declan is on a 3 month placement from Maynooth
out courses to do that meet their needs. We at Gateway University doing his Degree in Community and Youth
are very fortunate enough to have at our disposal
Work. We hope he enjoys his time with us. So read on
courses that have been already organised for us, such and we hope you find this months Newsletter as
as, Creative Writing, Arts and Crafts and Film-Making informative and as interesting as usual.
which will start in October with Tim and Amy.
The Newsletter Team

here is a saying It is the grit in the oyster

that makes the pearl. In my opinion
Gateway is a collection of pearls, and one
could say it is a Collection of Pearls of
Wisdom.

loving kindness, knowledge and

tranquillity
In a desert of greed, prejudice, cruelty, ignorance, and
chaos, Gateway is an oasis of generosity, loving
kindness, knowledge and tranquillity. The people
working in Gateway I find are genuinely
compassionate and caring, some even making financial
sacrifices in order to have the opportunity to work
there.
We recently had a visit from Anne O Connor,
National Director of Mental Health at the HSE and
Orla Barry the CEO of Mental Health Ireland. Both in
my opinion - from the brief meetings with them and a
little bit of research on them - are very capable, caring
and knowledgeable about what is needed in
community based mental health services to aid people
in recovery.

Gross National Happiness

Unfortunately Anne and Orla can find themselves at
the mercy of the technocrats and bean-counters who
are very knowledgeable about GNP and GDP but

know little about GNH (Gross National Happiness).

I have recently completed a WRAP course in Gateway
at a cost of 20 Euro. An equivalent course at St. Pats
University would have cost 8,000 Euro. Hopefully
what I have learned in Gateway will help me avoid a
crisis which may necessitate hospitalisation at a cost of
813 Euro per night, plus doctors fees and medication.
Research suggests that people who feel connected to
others are happier, healthier and may even live longer.
(The latter may be of concern to the technocrats or in
the case of Philip Morris, who when sued by the
Romanian State for health costs associated with
tobacco consumption, sent his bean-counters to inform
the state that they would actually save money as the
smokers were unlikely to live long enough to collect
their state pensions).

to laugh again
Gateway is an invaluable resource where I have
learned to laugh again, to feel more optimistic and
regain my confidence, so much so that I am
considering going back to work for the first time in
five years.
I would like to sincerely thank all the workers and
members and others who make Gateway a reality and a
life-saver that it is.
-Eucabious Mc Grail

he Irish Institute of Mental health (IIMHN),

in conjunction with the School of Nursing
and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin
announced a public lecture at the end of June
which I heard from John Murray of the Gateway
Team. So I booked a place and went along to DOlier
Street and found it of interest as follows.
Professor Gail Hornstein says people have a creative
way of helping themselves and that there are divisive
kinds of help available.
Ccccccc the mind is not rocket science
When it comes to
understanding the
mind it is not rocket
science and there is no
need to make
ourselves more
vulnerable then is
necessary.
Our own coping
strategies need to
appreciate what we
are doing already to help ourselves. We need a
narrative scaffolding to make sense of our experiences,
patterns and explanations, and the problems so that
there is hope in the dark. Keeping track of things that
are having a positive effect on our lives is important.
What is normal variation, example depression for a
month after a funeral. Definitions and what is the risky
stage as we can change things to help us stay on track
and prevent what is the mental health symptom. This
may require come kind of change of habit.
Professor Hornstein.

Think of our mental health and changes we need to

make knowing your own characteristics. Like staying
at home from the office when one gets flu so that it
does not affect colleagues. There is not standard metric
to define mental health so we have look at how we
define ourselves. Regardless of symptoms, narratives
to make sense of our lives and having enough faith in
our lives to have coping mechanisms.
Shared experiences in peer support groups and telling
our own story, this can further articulate ones own life
and what is going on it, like talking to one another in a
genuine way. There is a wider range of peoples
experiences which is not like going to the doctors, we
only seek people for help.
Good treatment for a resilient illness and what are the
causes of distress relevant to all i.e. of what has
occurred. What are peoples own perceptions of
themselves this could be nave or un-informed.

When we talk more openly to like-minded

groups
People learn to defer problems to doctors in the current
framework. What are the symptoms and diagnosis and
how we look at them and take care of ourselves and
cope effectively with the problems we face. When we
talk more openly to like-minded people it helps cheer
ourselves on like running or being at the gym. The
encouragement and support of other people has a huge
positive effect as well as the insights that people have
when shared. -Mary H.

UCC & CRITICAL

VOICES NETWORK
CONFERENCE 11th
& 12th November
This very interesting two
day Conference was
attended by Gateway
members last November. It
is being held again this
November in University
College Cork with plenty of
interesting lectures and
seminars on mental health.
The theme this year is on
and beyond Talk Therapies.
Anybody interested in going
get your name down fast.

#Dignity
in Mental Health
Last year 10 Gateway
members attended the
Conference. There is an
option of staying over. It
worked out well last year
and everyone enjoyed
themselves in Cork, as one
would!!!
Critical Perspectives On & Beyond
the Therapy Industry

World Mental Health Day is Saturday 10th October. Join us in

Gateway from 2pm for a special and uplifting afternoon of
activities including a members storytelling circle to share our
experiences of dignity and why this is so important. Mental
Health Ireland s campaign #Dignity where we work, love, live
and learn has helped to inspire our event and is the theme for this
years World Mental Health Day. We hope this will help to raise
awareness of the necessity of dignity for mental health recovery
and wellbeing.
When? Saturday 10th October from 2pm at Parker
Hill

Gateways Management Committee for the future is under development...

Oliver D, a member since 2010, is a representative on both Gateways Advisory Committee and the new Management Sub-Group
working to develop Gateways management structure. Oliver will be reporting back at members meetings with organisational updates.
Main Points from the first Management Sub-Group Meeting
Aim: to develop a terms of reference and processes for the Gateway Management Committee while shaping the Gateway ethos and:
Develop the nominations process and the role descriptors (for the Management Committee)
Future proof the terms of reference for possible independence of Gateway
Avail of tele-conferencing where possible (as well as face to face meetings)
Timeframe: It was decided to have 3 or 4 meetings before December and to bring the work to the Advisory Committee before
December.
Work Plan: It was agreed to review the constitution and draft board pack
Transparency: It was agreed to display the meeting notes and agenda for upcoming meetings in drop in so members could be
informed and contribute items to the agenda.
For any more information please speak to Oliver D at drop-in / after member meetings. The Agenda for the next sub group meeting
and notes from the last meeting are on display in the drop in kitchencheck it out!

Member meet ups in the community

Reminder: members meet up on the last Wednesday of
every month in Caf Moda. Gateway contributes some
money towards teas and coffees but members also
contribute the grand total of 1 per person to help spread
the costs. These meet-ups are very well attended and a big
Thank You to the members who volunteer to host them.

QUESTION CORNER ?
A new regular session where questions about Gateway
get answered! This months question is

Can I use the computers in drop-in anytime and is

there a charge for using them?
And the answer is yes and no. Yes you may use the
computers (during drop-in hours), and no, there is no charge.
They are completely free to use...Yayyyyyyy Please be
patient as these computers are for Project Workers too, who
may need to use them for officey-work stuff during drop-in.

givers successful use of the Tools

and suggest other Spottings that
also could have been used).

ontinuing on from my
earlier article about
Recovery International, let Secondly we have Mutual Aid.
me explain the method used in their This is time for informal discussion
about how participants are using the
meetings.
Recovery International Tools.
Firstly the group reads from one of
attendees enjoy socialising
Abraham Lows books or listens to
his recorded lectures. At some
This is a good time to ask the group
meetings participants highlight
leader or a veteran member to help
parts of the reading that were
develop an example to share at a
especially meaningful to them.
later meeting, or to ask questions
Then participants take turns
about specific Recovery
describing an event from everyday International Spottings that were
life that caused distress. They
discussed. Some groups have
explain how they used Recovery
refreshments at this point and
International Tools to address their attendees enjoy socialising.
discomfort and to control their
My personal experience of
responses. After each example
others offer comments (referred to recovery has been very special. Its
about changing my thoughts and
as Spotting that highlight the

behaviours for the better. It taught

me that each thought is either
Secure or Insecure...If insecure,
you can change your thoughts to
secure ones with self training. It
has also taught me Not to take my
own dear self too seriously and
that Humour is our best friend It
also taught me to control my
muscles i.e. To get out of bed and
walk, no matter how I felt. Also to
have the courage to make a
mistake. These are just a small
example of the spots we use. I can
say it can lift depression and
anxiety and other emotional
problems, if you use the method, try
it yourself .
Local Meeting Tues and Thurs
8pm, the Parish Centre, 52
Grosvenor Rd. Rathgar. 016260775

T o m O B .

These are a few of my favourite things

Dee P.H.
Pastime : Attending Gateway
Smell : Fresh cut grass
Food : Pasta
Person : Harrison Ford
Season : Autumn
Clothes : Coats
Colour : Blue
Song : Love is all around
Sound: Rain falling.

Leaving Behind
I leave behind pain, hurt, deceit,
Destructive patterns of relating
No more fighting for dignity, for respect
Torn apart, torn to shreds.
No more. No more, I shout
No never again to be broken
I journey onwards in a new light
In a new direction clear.
I open my heart
To new love that lies waiting
For I journey forth for
something better and
ennobling
No longer pain that leaves me
raw and aching.
~Rose
Rose
Most people like this poem, sometimes
describing it as beautiful. I was inspired to write
this because of a situation that was as ugly as
bullying

We started a new conversation group on the 23rd of

Sept which we liked and plan to continue every month.
The first part of the workshop will be an open
conversation, and the second part a facilitated
discussion on selected themes e.g. Our Rights &
Responsibilities, Peer Support in times of crisis, what it
means to be peer led, and on Integration which Rose
put nicely as all things working together to make a
whole.
Next workshop: Thurs 15th Oct 5-7pm with pizza
Topic: Our experiences of mental health and the
idea of Nothing about me, without me...

The Pool Competition

by Stephen

The August pool final was between Oliver R and Tom. It

was a cagey affair where just the odd ball was potted.
Towards the end of the game, I saw a chance for the underdog twice to win the game by knocking his red ball in and
knocking down Olivers yellow, leaving his red ball in the
jaws of the pocket and giving Oliver two shots but blocking
his pocket. But it was not to be and he took an alternative
shot and Oliver went on to claim yet another title. Can
anyone beat Oliver is the question we all want
answered?!?

Jiffy How long a jiffy is seems to depend on the area in which you are working. In computer engineering,
a jiffy is the length of one clock cycle, or tick, of the computers system clock. In bags, its equal to one padded
brown item in which you place things you want to post somewhere else. Hang on; I think my facts are wrong!
Ill check them. Back in a jiffy!!!
Thanks and appreciation to all our supporters

MY MIND in Ranelagh is offering discounted

counselling services. Vouchers are available to
Gateway members at 10 per session for 5
sessions. Contact Gateway on 01-4977005. Thank you to
the ESB for supporting this service.