12 Points Psychology

12 Points Psychology 12 Points Psychology provides mental health and well-being services and animal-assisted therapy

17/12/2025

14 years of Rory! And how lucky are we?!

Back in 2011, I was blown away to discover that having a dog was even better than I had imagined it would be!

Rory arrived with equal parts fluff, sweetness and sass, and not much has changed! She still gives epic side-eye (especially when I dare to sing around her!) and still has zero interest in being anyone’s “lap dog” (hip real estate only, thanks very much).

For nearly 14 years now, she's been my sidekick through it all - clinic builds, burnout zones, early morning coffees, and late night cuddles. And even now, as we both slow down a bit, my favourite place in the world is still the couch… with her stubborn, fluffy, adorable little self perched firmly on my hip.

Here’s to the OG Therapy Dog.
The best girl.
Happy Birthday, Rory. 💜

Who do you want to see featured in our Christmas wall display?!Rory as the abominable snowman?Winston as the Grinch?Tell...
13/11/2025

Who do you want to see featured in our Christmas wall display?!

Rory as the abominable snowman?

Winston as the Grinch?

Tell us who you want to see and what ideas you have for the theme!

31/10/2025

🎃 No dogs were dressed up in the making of this post
(although they still don't entirely trust us again...)

We promised our poor, patient therapy dogs that we wouldn’t do Halloween costumes this year.

And technically… we didn’t.

We just used AI to generate the costumes instead!

So no side-eye from Rory at all this year - just pure spooky nonsense - and some new wall decor for October.

Let us know your favourite one - and start thinking of what you'd like to see hanging up in the clinic come Christmas time! ;)

👇 and just to make us feel better about past choices, drop a 🐾 if your pet’s also been emotionally blackmailed into a costume before...

31/10/2025

What feels scarier for you this Halloween - showing up as your authentic self, or trying to be the perfect therapist?! 👀

In honour of spooky season (and our collective fear of imperfection), I present:

👉 “Perfectionistic Psych” - The Halloween anthem no one asked for, but every therapist secretly needs.

Featuring:
☕️ Cold coffee.
💀 Chronic overfunctioning.
🧠 A sprinkle of self-awareness.
✨ And a dash of caffeine-induced chaos.

Because whether we’re a Perfectionistic Psych, an Authentic Therapist or some changling-type hybrid of the two - we’re all just trying, one case note at a time.

So tell me - which one gives you the bigger fright this year?
👻 Living up to all the expectations of being The Perfect Therapist
🧟 Or the vulnerability that comes with showing up as The Authentic One?

PS - to fit the timing I had to go with 'psych' but in this context - you should know that I'm referring to all mental health therapists!

20/10/2025

📣 Part 2 of the Self-Care Rebellion drops tomorrow

In Part 1, Monique Nesa, Poh Gan and I, all talked about the personal AND professional drivers that:
* led to our own burnout,
* changed our views on ourselves and our profession, and
* formed the basis of our different approaches to self-care and burnout prevention.

From the feedback we received after that video went live, we're definitely not alone in this!

So tomorrow, we get into the practical stuff:

✔ What effective self-care actually looks like

✔ How to make it work in real life - even when you're at capacity

✔ Why it's honestly not as hard (or as hokey!) as you think it is!

Join us live:

📅 Tuesday 21st Oct: 5.30pm AWST / 8.30pm AEDT

or watch the replay

📩 Sign up now to get the live link (and replay) straight to your inbox:

http://subscribepage.io/lzZdNd

Everyone who signs up will also get some bonus implementation resources when we send out the replay.

Refresher of Part 1 - in this 1-min excerpt we're focused on how co-regulation drains our energy – even when we don’t notice – and what happens when we don’t find ways to discharge what we take on.

Full video of Part 1 is also now available on YouTube
https://youtube.com/live/Im6USPoYOA8?feature=share

Tired of people talking about autism like it’s a tragedy?So are we.At 12 Points, we’re rejecting outdated ideas that say...
07/10/2025

Tired of people talking about autism like it’s a tragedy?

So are we.

At 12 Points, we’re rejecting outdated ideas that say difference = disorder.

Our work is grounded in understanding, and supporting, not fixing.

That means:
❌ No "one-size-fits-none" behaviour charts
❌ No fake and insulting “cures” or fear tactics
❌ No pressure to learn how to be more “palatable” to neurotypicals

Just real, affirming therapy that helps ND folks (and their families) feel seen, heard, and safe.
If you’re looking for neuroaffirming counselling or want to support someone who is, we’re here.

Always.

For more on why autism doesn’t need “prevention,” but understanding, read our latest blog post by our AAT Counsellor, Mathew - who brings both professional expertise and lived experience as an AuDHDer:

👉 https://www.12pointspsychology.com/psychology-blog/rejecting-autism-myths

05/10/2025

Autism isn’t increasing.
Awareness is.

More diagnoses doesn’t mean “more autism.”
It means we’ve finally got the skills and knowledge to see what was always there - quirky, brilliant people who were previously judged for simply being wired differently.

At 12 Points, we welcome all wiring! :)
And we do our best to create spaces that work with all brains, not against them.

Therapy doesn’t have to be one-size-fits-neurotypicals-only.
We tailor support to match you. Or your child. Or your partner. Or whoever in your life needs a little less judgment and a lot more understanding.

For more on why autism rates aren't increasing AND why the rhetoric around 'prevention' and 'cure' is so damaging - read our latest blog post by our AAT Counsellor, Mathew - who brings both professional expertise and lived experience as an AuDHDer.

https://www.12pointspsychology.com/psychology-blog/rejecting-autism-myths

29/09/2025

Just 3 months left in the year - and only 3 group supervision sessions to go!

So this is your last chance to grab a 3-Session Supervision Pass before it disappears for good on Wednesday 1st October.

You pay $247 total for 4.5 hours of CPD - that’s just $82 per session!

These aren't your standard supervision sessions either!

Alongside supportive, reflective practice and case discussion, we often share extra resources - like topic-specific tools, checklists, or planning templates, and more. (Last month’s group walked away with a working Medicare bot + an AI ethics pack 👀)

Bonus for pass holders:
Grab the 3-Session Pass and you’ll also receive exclusive access to the Core Competency Chatbot - a tool to help you stay up to date and on track long after the sessions wrap up.

Final Topics for 2025:

Core Competency 7: Equity & Diversity - with Tania this Weds 1st Oct

Systemic Fatigue + Review of all 8 Competencies - with Danielle on Tues 11th Nov

End-of-Year Wrap-Up & Planning Session for 2026! - with Danielle & Tania on Weds 3rd Dec.

Can’t make a session live? No worries - you’ll still get the resources.

Grab your 3-Session Pass before Wednesday - we won’t be continuing these in 2026!

There’s been some scary headlines of late – headlines like, “Tylenol in pregnancy causes autism”.The people who have the...
25/09/2025

There’s been some scary headlines of late – headlines like, “Tylenol in pregnancy causes autism”.

The people who have the most to gain from the fear these headlines generate rely on the fact that the vast majority of the population have never read a scientific journal article and wouldn’t have anything to compare it with if they did.

So let me break it down for you.

The most important point here is: one study (or one headline) is never - and can never - be the full story.

Most research papers only ever aim to answer one specific question in one specific area of one specific discipline. It’s the cumulative findings that lead to larger theories and developments.

So to understand research, it helps to look at the whole paper – and the context that paper sits within, not just the conclusion.

Here’s what to check:
1️⃣ What question are they asking?
2️⃣ How did they test it? (The methods matter most!)
3️⃣ Did they include all the data?
4️⃣ What do the results actually say?
5️⃣ What are the limitations?
6️⃣ What’s the conclusion - and how cautious is it?

Takeaway: Science is about testing, questioning, and updating with new evidence.
It’s not about scary headlines or miracle claims.

💡 Save this post for next time you see a viral “health warning” - so you can read with confidence instead of fear.

24/09/2025

A favourite drama teacher of mine, and later, one of my favourite profs at uni both wore mismatched socks every day.

They also both had phenomenal memories!

(One for scripts and Victoria epic poems - and the other for obscure research papers - titles AND authors!)

Does that mean odd socks boost brainpower?

Probably not. But it’s exactly the kind of coincidence-that-sounds-like-proof we see all the time in tik tok trends, wellness fads, and shonky self-help advice.

This week, we’re breaking down the difference between real science and good-sounding fluff - so you can feel more confident about what actually helps.

🔍 Want a cheat sheet to sort science from vibes? It’s coming!

I've been lucky enough to work with this sassy little lady for 13 years today!!! (And if you don't think that's a long t...
05/09/2025

I've been lucky enough to work with this sassy little lady for 13 years today!!! (And if you don't think that's a long time, just look at the old phone photos! 🤣)

And while we're both a bit creakier these days, we still completely adore what we have the privilege to do!


04/09/2025

🐶 And the winner is…

…a very clever cookie (who will remain anonymous, of course!) — but let’s just say the pun was pawsitively unbeatable!

The votes are in, the treat jar has been emptied, and we have a winner for our Dog Movie Pun Challenge! 🏆

We’ll be donating $50 to Beagle Rescue on their behalf - and they’ll also receive a custom-designed framed poster of their brilliant entry (which we’ll be showing off soon!)

Thanks to everyone who joined in the fun last week - from paw-some puns to purple pantsuits and ponchos, we loved celebrating two of our favourite things with you: therapy dogs and inclusive community 💜

Drop a 🎉 in the comments if you want to see more fun challenges like this one!

Address

Crown Court
Ferntree Gully, VIC
3156

Opening Hours

Monday 12pm - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm

Telephone

+61387993907

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