Month: May 2021

Creative therapy is good therapy

Creative therapy is good therapy

I’ve spent my day off this week binge-watching the TV documentary series, The me you can’t see with Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry, and I was encouraged and inspired by the open and frank discussions around mental health, mental illness and people’s experiences of therapy.  I really encourage you to watch this series if you have the chance and opportunity to (please pay attention to the trigger warning at the start though because people are very candid in their explanations and personal struggles).

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Childbirth is a contact sport

Childbirth is a contact sport.

I am writing this blog with the honour of nearly 16 years’ worth of hindsight.

My firstborn child had to be induced as she decided that almost 42 weeks of hanging out in my (clearly very comfortable) womb-hotel, wasn’t sufficient so she had to be nudged along! She would arrive after less than six-hours of very fast labour which, with the distinct lack of wisdom that comes with first-time motherhood, saw me push her out in literally two attempts. (My eyes still smart when I recall that burning pain.)

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Creating healthy boundaries

Creating healthy boundaries

Where last week we were looking at why we need to have healthy boundaries – both within ourselves and with those around us – this week I thought we’d put together some practical suggestions and strategies around how we might create, communicate and enforce boundaries in our lives.

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Having healthy boundaries

Having healthy boundaries

Much of my work relates to our connection with other people – parents, children, partner, friends, co-workers – usually when these important relationships are not working as well we might want them to.  I always have one eye on the underlying cause(s) of why these relationships are not serving my clients (this is often a bit multi-layered and can be a bit funky to get to the bottom of) however, one of the missing links we almost always have to navigate is the thorny subject of boundaries.

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Working through grief and loss

Working through grief and loss

I had the absolute pleasure to spend a day out of my usual clinic work last week to hang out with the awesome humans that work at Lilydale Cemetery. It might sound a bit random but it’s actually a pretty innovative and creative approach to therapy – what if the therapist came to the person, rather than the person coming to the therapist?  Not only does it serve to normalise the process of counselling, but it really does remove a whole bunch of barriers to accessing help when you need it.  Massive high-5’s to Greater Melbourne Cemeteries Trust and their Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), Allos Australia for making it happen…and thank you for allowing me to be part of it!

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