Calm Connections Counselling

22/01/2026

The School Year is about to begin and along with the changes of a new school, new class room or year level , can also come some back-to-school jitters. This is normal and often accompanys a mixture of feelings including anxiety, excitement, and nervousness that both kids and parents can experience. Due to changes in routine, new teachers, or social worries, typically easing kids back within the first few days to a week with good habits and practices can ease jitters.

Here are 5 tips to ease them and yourself back into school...

➡️Establish routines early. Start by creating a morning and bedtime routine that works for your family and stick to it as much as possible.

➡️Normalise feelings; Listen to their specific worries and validate their feelings; share your own normal first-day feelings.

➡️Promote Independance; let them pick out their own school supplies and help with packing their backpacks and lunches, this helps them gain a sense of control and excitment.

➡️Familiarise and explore; visit the school beforehand, create playdates, involve kids in preparation and discuss new routines.

➡️Focus on the positives, By focusing on the exciting aspects of the new school year, seeing friends and new learning opportunities, you can help your child look forward to the changes.

By following these tips, you can help your kids and yourself feel more confident and prepared for the new school year. Remember, it's okay to take things one step at a time, and don't be afraid to seek support if you need it. If anxiety is intense, lasts for weeks, disrupts daily routines, or prevents them from going to school, don't forget to seek professional help, Calm Connections Counselling can support this transition for your family. With patience, understanding, and support, you can help your kids thrive in the new school year!

18/12/2025

As the Christmas and holiday season arrives I would like to thank all of our clients, collegues and partnerships for your commitment, dedication and passion in collaborating with us whether in counselling, systemic family practice, suppport for families, educators and in community well being. It's been a wonderful year of development, learning and growth and I couldn't be more grateful.

Our practice will be closed from December 18th 2025 and will re-open on January 12th 2026. As the year comes to a close we wish you a joyful season, a well-deserved rest and calm connections to end the year and start the new one.

We look forward to re-joining with you in 2026 to share some exciting developments. Until then, take care and enjoy xx

17/12/2025

Thank you for this reminder this Christmas 🎄🎅🧡🎁

15/12/2025

Our hearts and prayers go out to all those who were involved in the Bondi shooting. After the shock of this tragedy, the road back to healing and hope can be a difficult one. Loss, shock, grief, political unrest are all factors that contribute to stress and trauma.

By now, you and your children would be inundated with continuous updates, scenes , distressing news and unfolding of the casualities. As a parent being able to process this for yourself is an important step to support your children. Allowing your child to ask questions and discuss it with you in moderation, along with discussion around limiting their media consumption are all important steps to healthy mental and emotional health outcomes.

Act for Kids have a checklist of ideas of how to support your children.
https://www.actforkids.com.au/news/statement-bondi-beach-terrorist-attack/

Most importantly remember you dont have to do this alone. As tragedy often reminds us, we are part of a community and we pull together when it matters. Please know that support is available to you.

LifeLine - 13 11 14 (24/7)
Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636 or online chat (24/7)
Kids helpline - 1800 55 1800 (24/7)

Below can be attributed to Act for Kids: The tragedy that has unfolded at Bondi Beach in Sydney is deeply

10/12/2025

I am grateful to be able to wrap up the year finishing Circle of security with this amazing group of parents.

What I love about faciliting this program is that is all about relationships. I love seeing how Parents' view shift from seeing the child as the problem to seeing the needs of the child and seeing what is happening for them. It's a two way street. This program helps parents see the importance of 'being with'' emotions, with their child through co-regulation and with their own emotions through self-regulation.

In the COSP program what is being suggested is instead of a series of techniques and strategies, it becomes a way of being. The quality of relationship is the solution. As one parent shared ''this program helped me to create safe and secure parenting, be more kind to myself and understand my children's needs'

I would like to thank this amazing group of parents for staying with the journey for 8 sessions of COSP and I would like to thank the City of Port Adelaide Enfield , Lifewell and Enfield Baptist Church for your partnership in making this happen.

04/12/2025

With the new social media age limit coming on December 10, Jenny Brown and the Parent Hope Project share some good insights for parents to prioritise relationships and connection and to lead with values.

Parents, adjustments take time, remember self compassion and you’ve got this!

Australia’s 16+ social media age restriction is a big change—here’s how parents can guide their children effectively while staying connected.

30/11/2025

It is such a privledge to do the work I do, to journey alongside people experiencing challenges and struggles. It always amazes me in my work with individuals, couples and families that by providing a safe, therapeutic space they begin to find their inner strength and inner resources to find a way forward.

As a Counsellor and Family Therapist, I have the privilege to offer clients a non-judgemental, welcoming space, I get to collaborate with them to learn new skills, process difficult emotions, create new insights, re-frame the problem and navigate their way through. Through therapy, I offer the torch but the client is the expert in their life, the one who switches on the light and says “yes” to a life of meaning.

09/11/2025

Catching your triggers is the first step to responding rather than reacting. This takes practice of a pause and self awareness. Thanks

21/10/2025

The Circle of Security program for parents is about relationships, it offers a community and space for parents to come together and reflect on their relationship with their children.

It was wonderful to finish a circle of security with parents after 7 weeks providing an opportunity for the parents to build trust, share vulnerabiliity and connect as a parent group. One parent shared that she had just arrived in Adelaide and this course provided her with the opportunity to meet other parents, feel safe, build trust and know she is not alone in her parenting journey. She felt that she developed greater confidence in her abilty to parent her child.

Other benefits of the course included:
🌿an increase in knowledge and awarness of what their child's needs are around the circle.
🌿An increase in understanding of creating safety being with their child's needs and being the hands on the circle for their children including limited hands on the top and bottom of the circle.
🌿an increase in awarenss about their own history and ''shark music''and an ability to pause and respond rather than react.
🌿an understanding of good enough parenting
🌿an increase awareness about rupture and the means to make a repair with their child which deepens their connection.

A big thank you to partners LifeWell, Enfield Baptist church and Port Adelaide for collaborting with me to offer this wonderful course to parents in Adelaide.

I look forward to facilitating the next Circle of Security which commences next Tuesday with a full circle of parents.

21/10/2025

Thanks for sharing Maggie Dent such an important message.

This blog contains some frightening statistics that may be hard to read however as parents and educators, we need to be aware of the harm that is occurring in the ...

12/10/2025

Thank you Soulhearth Retreats for inviting me to share my self care workshop with these beautiful mums at the Soulhearth retreat on the weekend. What a joy it was to come together as women, mothers, daughters, sisters, friends.

I used a metaphor of a symphony orchestra to describe self care. The orchestra has 4 areas to it; percussion, woodwind, strings and bass which represents 4 areas that underpin self care; awareness, mindfulness, self-compassion and healthy boundaries. In each area we bring in various instruments or activities that we use to self care such as journalling, going to the gym, time in nature. Some times we need to play a solo (solitute and rest) and sometimes we need to bring in some special instruments, with self care this looks like a change in jobs that aligns with our values or a retreat to refresh and gain perspective. As the conductor with practice and consistency greater awareness of your ensemble is gained and a rhythm that is in tune with your life.

We also learnt that:
🌻that awareness of our autonomic nervous system and self - regulation is the key to catching our calm and our calm is contagious to our children and family.
🌻That we cant pour from an empty cup and that self compassion is the antidote to mother's guilt, inner critic and high expectations of self that can lead to burnout.
🌻That doing it all as a mum is a myth and that every mum needs a circle of support and village.

We need eachother and these retreats created by are the perfect way to connect you, refresh you and revitalise your journey. LIa, the founder of soulhearthretreats offered such a beautiful space of peace a d harmony in a special tranquil location. She plans on offering more in 2026, follow her page to find out about the details.

02/10/2025

Mums of Adelaide this mums haven retreat is just for you. Set in the beautiful Adelaide hills, Lia from Soulhearth Retreats, Malissa and I welcome you 💖