
Let’s take care of the parent
Right now our phone lines are hot with worried and anxious parents .... we have something coming up to take care of you, our weary and warrior parents!
#parents #burnout #selfcare
Parenting Advice: Relationship Matters!
It’s no doubt that being a parent or caregiver is one of the most challenging roles in the world. You are on call 24/7 - the nurse, the counsellor, the friend, the taxi, the bank, the maid, the chef, the problem solver - going above and beyond to try to meet your child’s needs and care for them. No matter what role you adopt for your child, at the end of the day the relationship with your child is what matters most.
Seeing a child psychologist for the first time … what to say and prepare #childpsychology#childpsychologist #parenting
Seeing a child psychologist for the first time ... what to say and prepare #childpsychology#childpsychologist #parenting
What does a child psychologist do?
If you’re thinking about taking your child to see a psychologist, it is normal to have questions about what child psychologists do, and how they can help your family. In this blog, I’ll answer some commonly asked questions about what a child psychologist does.
Making mistakes with grace, a project to bust up that pesky perfectionism #perfectionism #grace #selfcompassion
Making mistakes with grace, a project to bust up that pesky perfectionism #perfectionism #grace #selfcompassion
Why Am I So Rejection-Sensitive?
While it is true that no-one actually enjoys feeling rejected, for some of us, a sensitivity to rejection can become more than the sum of its parts - it can become a mechanism for social isolation and chronic mental health issues. If this is your experience, understanding the components that have come together to create your sensitivity is an important place to start.
What Have You Learnt From COVID-19?
As we all come out of COVID-19, let's start a conversation with our loved ones around how we want life to look like moving forward. Does it look the same as before or does it look different?
Want to Reconnect With Your Child? Here’s How.
Special Time involves setting aside a regular 15-minute block where a parent spends individual time with a child. So how exactly do you do it?
Helping Your Child Manage Big Feelings
By acknowledging and reflecting your child’s emotions, e.g. “You are so mad your brother broke your toy”, your acceptance of your child’s feelings helps them to recognise and accept their own emotions.
Rewards in our job and roles and how they link to our measures of wellbeing at work #motivation #burnout #moneymindset
Rewards in our job and roles and how they link to our measures of wellbeing at work #motivation #burnout #moneymindset
Checking in on our high school children #depression #anxiety #anger
Checking in on our high school children #depression #anxiety #anger
What are we searching for today Australia?#trends #mentalhealth #knowthyself
What are we searching for today Australia?
#trends #mentalhealth #knowthyself
Clinical nuggets from today: Narrating events and not jumping to solutions#processing #reflection
Clinical nuggets from today: Narrating events and not jumping to solutions
#processing #reflection
Good Habits for Students
I often observe that some habits that lead to overwork or avoidance stem as far back as high school or university days. Here I map out something I did with my high schooler this weekend that respected their need for meaning and interest in their work, while juggling commitments to their overall study load.
COVID-19 and Self-Worth
COVID-19 has been impacting people in so many different ways. If you notice your overall sense of confidence and self-worth being lower, you are not alone. Small steps we take or don’t take can have significant differences in our level of confidence.
Worried About Your ATAR?
It might feel like the world is crumbling around you, yet somehow, you’re still required to focus on getting good grades and making a certain ATAR. I want you to know that everything will be okay. What you’re experiencing will pass, and your ATAR will not define your future.
What can we learn about the impact of COVID-19 from the 2003 SARS experience ?#mentalhealth #trauma #healthcare
What can we learn about the impact of COVID-19 from the 2003 SARS experience ?
#mentalhealth #trauma #healthcare
Online Schooling
Below are some simple suggestions for supporting families in managing these activities during the COVID 19 restrictions:
Working From Home
Below are some simple suggestions for supporting you in managing your work and activities during the COVID 19 restrictions
Anyone notice how beautiful the air and the sky are these days? #covidcare #covidair #thankyou
Anyone notice how beautiful the air and the sky are these days? #covidcare #covidair #thankyou
Place priority on your mental health – don’t push through, get the support you need
Place priority on your mental health - don't push through, get the support you need
Your separate entrance to the practice… avoid the main mall
Your separate entrance to the practice... avoid the main mall
COVID Family Coping Part 1: Helping my Child
You might be noticing that your child is asking you lots of questions, looking for more play and physical affection, having more ‘meltdowns’, pushing the boundaries, crying more or seeming less bubbly than usual.
Whatever you have noticed, it is a signal that your child is trying to understand and cope. Just like the rest of us. And just like the rest of us, they will need a bit of extra support at this time.
Adapting and thriving at home with your neuro-diverse learner
Parents of children with non-neurotypical learning profiles are some of my favourite
people.
They have learned, often through blood, sweat and tears, to gather resources, accommodate learning outcomes, collect a support village, and reach for joy. They also remind the rest of the world that diversity is wonderful and education systems must be inclusive and hospitable places for every learner. However even this group of survivors have their limits, especially when it feels as if their carefully cultivated equilibrium has tilted and begun to careen off in a bizarre direction.
Across Sydney over the last week alone, families have had to adapt to a new COVID-19 normal. There have been fears, tears, and meltdowns (not just the children!) as schools scramble to move lessons online and parents negotiate working from home. Against a backdrop of global fear, the times are incredibly challenging, and a sense of what has been lost for our families has grown with every update.
However, here we are; adapting.
We are adjusting to new ways to shop, work, and educate our children. The challenges are undeniable, however parents of neuro-diverse children have an edge – we understand that learning involves striving. We are used to smashing through barriers and we are good at grabbing the resources we need to turn striving into thriving, against the odds.
However, we are also vulnerable to overwhelming stress without our usual supports, and our children become vulnerable too.
The psychologists and therapists at The Centre for Effective Living are passionate about what they do in the parenting and neuro-developmental space and it’s business as usual (now that Zoom has become usual!). We have worked with our child, adolescent and adult clients significant transitions and chronic stress. We are able to support families in the following areas:
- Stress management + self-care for parents
- Communication strategies for talking through difficult global issues
- Strategies to address family stress
- Managing compliance with home learning (giving instructions, communication strategies, establishing family rules + routines)
- Emotional and psychological support for children with specific learning and neurodevelopmental disorders (Eg Dyslexia, ADHD)
- Sibling rivalry
- Helping children manage bossy thoughts and relentless worries
Children don’t need to lose their village, and parents don’t need to suffer alone with family stress. We can step into that space with you. We have expertise and evidence-based strategies to help you survive and thrive.
If you are feeling overwhelmed with the task of managing your neuro-diverse child’s home learning, why not call the centre for more details?