In Season 2, episode 7, Chris, James and Lola Alvarez-Romano (a mental health expert and NHS psychotherapist) talk about the threat to mental health for the entire autism community during the Coronavirus / Covid-19 pandemic.
Clearly, the Coronavirus pandemic represents a public mental health emergency for all of us but in particular for the autism community who are particularly vulnerable. This is mainly due to the situation threatening routines, structures, access to usual external support and services, and access to support from family and the wider community.
Therefore, to support the community, the London Autism Group Charity have begun doing is a series of livestreams with interviews of autistic people and advocates around the topic of mental health and wellbeing. These are happening weekly at our public Facebook page (facebook.com/londonautismgroupcharity) with full details about what and when livestreams are taking place listed there (as well as our Twitter: @lagcharity)
This podcast episode is the audio from one of these livestreams, in which we talk about how the autism community can support their mental health, self-care and boost resilience. We also took some questions from the audience. We think it was a really useful discussion and therefore decided it was worth uploading as its own standalone podcast episode, so that more people could access it and potentially benefit from the advice and suggestions provided. The video recording is also available from our youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9HnzChJg_9jMaV8NmJuXig) which you can find by going to youtube and searching for London Autism Group Charity. We'll be uploading our other livestreams there also.
Please note that the London Autism Group Charity is also looking for volunteers to support us in our work during this difficult period. You don't have to be London or even UK-based, so if you do have time and wish to support us, and are interested in mental health in particular, please get in touch with us via our website (londonautismgroupcharity.org).