Anaphylaxis UK: Let's Talk About Allergies

Discover how to navigate Christmas events at school when a child has allergies in this episode of Let's Talk About Allergies. The festive season is a time for celebration, but for families managing allergies, it can also mean navigating potential risks, advocating for inclusion, and ensuring safety. Join us as we chat with Tracey Dunn, Education and AllergyWise Manager at Anaphylaxis UK. With 16 years of experience as a headteacher in allergy-aware schools, and personal experience as a parent of teens with severe allergies, Tracey shares expert advice and practical strategies to help parents, teachers and children confidently enjoy Christmas celebrations at school.Discover actionable tips for advocating allergy safety, creating inclusive events, and making this holiday season a joyful experience for all. Don't miss this essential guide to allergy-friendly festivities!For more information on how to manage allergies at school, visit out Safer Schools Programme. The information and resources in this programme will support your school to develop best practice policies and procedures to ensure children with allergies are managed safely. This includes the importance of whole school allergy awareness, information about our AllergyWise® for Schools online training course with, best practice resources, such as a model policy for allergy management at school, a downloadable allergy awareness assembly presentation, information about spare pens in schools, responsibilities, allergy bullying, FAQs for schools, plus more!

In this episode of Let's Talk About Allergies, Anaphylaxis UK welcomes back Prof. Chrissie Jones to delve deeper into the mental health challenges faced by parents, adults, and children living with food allergies. Join us as we explore Prof. Jones’s recent research on two key psychological approaches: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). We’ll discuss how these methods can effectively reduce anxiety, worry, and depression related to food allergies.This episode also highlights the potential benefits of group therapy settings, the importance of training non-psychologists, and strategies to expand access to these helpful resources. We’ll address the trauma associated with anaphylactic reactions, effective ways for parents to manage anxiety transfer to their children, and the unique challenges faced by those newly diagnosed with allergies. Tune in for an insightful conversation that aims to empower those navigating the complexities of allergies.Chrissie Jones is a Professor in Clinical Health Psychology and was awarded a PhD from the Brighton & Sussex Medical School evaluating the extent to which social cognition models could explain adherence to self-care behaviours in children and young people with food allergy. Prior to her PhD, Chrissie completed an MSc in Health Psychology and BA in Social Psychology both at the University of Sussex.Please see below the resources mentioned in the podcast:Online, group, low-intensity psychological intervention for adults, children, and parents with food allergyA review of freely available online support for food allergy related emotional well-being. This paper has links to helpful resources.Follow @JonesChristinaJ

In this episode of Let's Talk About Allergies, we revisit our CEO Simon Williams’ conversation with Professor Rebecca Knibb, as they explore the significant psychological pressures individuals with allergies face and the progress made in recognising their mental health needs.They discuss the importance of accessible psychological support for those feeling anxious about their allergies. Prof. Knibb shares her journey into the field, discussing how psychological support for allergy sufferers has evolved over the years. She highlights the need for tailored mental health interventions, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), to help manage anxiety and fear related to allergies. Learn about resources, the significance of addressing mental health in primary and secondary care settings, and how individuals can access psychological support to improve their quality of life.This episode was recorded in 2023 so the studies Prof. Knibb discusses are no longer recruiting. You can learn more about the GAPs study led by Prof. Rebecca Knibb here: Allergy journal article - 2024.Rebecca Knibb is a Chartered Psychologist, practitioner Health Psychologist, and a Professor of Health Psychology at Aston University. Her research interests include the health related quality of life and mental well-being of children, adolescents and parents who are managing allergic conditions and asthma. She is also interested in development of strategies to help families cope through CBT based behaviour change methods and illness beliefs and lay perceptions of medically unexplained symptoms that patients associate with a reaction to food.Follow @rebeccaknibb81

In this episode, our CEO Simon Williams and Prof. Chrissie Jones explore the mental health challenges faced by individuals after receiving a serious allergy diagnosis. Prof. Jones explains how different people respond to this life-altering news, from relief at having a plan to overwhelming anxiety about navigating daily life.They discuss the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), mindfulness techniques, and other psychological interventions that can help manage allergy-related fears, particularly when avoiding social events and eating out due to safety concerns. Learn about practical tools and online resources for building confidence and improving quality of life, as well as how assertive communication can empower individuals in allergy-sensitive environments.Chrissie Jones is a Professor in Clinical Health Psychology and was awarded a PhD from the Brighton & Sussex Medical School evaluating the extent to which social cognition models could explain adherence to self-care behaviours in children and young people with food allergy. Prior to her PhD, Chrissie completed an MSc in Health Psychology and BA in Social Psychology both at the University of Sussex.Please see below the links mentioned in the podcast:The psychological interventions for patients and their parents with food allergy via Nutricia’s in-house magazine called Small Talk: https://www.nutricia.co.uk/patients-carers.htmlThe review Chrissie's team did is freely available online: A review of freely available online support for food allergy-related emotional well-being. Table 1 is very helpful as has a link to all of the webpages they identified.Get Self Help has lots of downloadable resources; the problem-solving worksheet is accessible for people to use on their own.Follow @JonesChristinaJ