Smiles All Round Psychology

13/03/2026

Boundaries and belonging exist together, but how this works is something that takes loads of experience.

Children can’t learn respectful, kind, strong boundaries without someone who has modelled this over and over. It doesn’t have to be perfect every time, just enough times.

The presence kids and teens need from us is one that is warm AND strong. Love and leadership. They need both in the one person.

Strength without warmth will be experienced as controlling or bullying. Disagreement will come to mean rejection. To avoid rejection, they might be more likely to people please, say yes when they mean no, or denying their truth.

Warmth without strength will be experienced as ‘flaky’ or unreliable. If they don’t feel an adult leading, they will be more likely to take the leadership role from the adult. Someone has to fly the plane.

The third option is both - keep the boundary, add the warmth.

Make space for their disagreement, their ‘no’, and, hold the boundary with warmth.

‘Warmth’ doesn’t mean dropping the boundary. It means being kind, and not withdrawing our affection because of their response. It means rejecting the behaviour, not them

‘It’s okay to be angry at me. I won’t listen while you speak like that. Im right here. You’re not in trouble.’

‘I get why you hate this decision. It’s ok to be annoyed with me. I’m not changing my mind.’

‘It’s my job to keep you safe. I know it’s a tough decision and I’m not changing my mind. It’s okay to be angry at me.’

‘I care about you too much to let you do something unsafe. That’s my decision. I expect you’ll have a bit to say about it and that’s okay.’

If the give you information that does change your mind, it’s always ok to do that but make it clear it’s still a decision you’ve made in strength, not because you’ve been worn down: ‘What you said about … makes sense to me. I’d decided to change my mind.‘ OR, ‘Let’s talk about this calmly when you’re ready. What you’ve said about … makes sense to me. I’d like to talk about how we can make this happen in a way that works for both of us.’

This doesn’t have to be perfect - we’ll also reach the end of ourselves sometimes - it just has to be enough.♥️

13/03/2026

First, we ask the questions of us:

Are they relationally safe?
- Do they have an anchor adult at school?
- Do they know how to access this adult?
- Do they feel welcome, a sense of belonging, warmth from their adults?

Do they feel safe in their bodies?
- Are they able to move their bodies when they need to?
- Are they free from sensory overload or underload?
- If not, what is their bare minimum list to achieve this with minimum disruption to the class, keeping in mind that when they feel safer in their bodies, there will naturally be less disruptive behaviour and more capacity to engage, learn, regulate.

Then we ask the question of them:

What's one little step you can take? And don't tell me nothing because I know that you are amazing, and brave, and capable. I'm here right beside you to show you how much. I believe in you, even if you don't believe in yourself enough yet.❤️

04/03/2026

🌟This is great news for SA🌟

💙 Relaunching Autism Assessment Service
We’re excited to share that Autism SA has relaunched its autism diagnostic assessment service — with improved processes and reduced waiting times.

Assessments are available for:
• Young children (2+)
• School-aged children
• Adolescents
• Adults

We know families and individuals often come to us looking for clarity and understanding. Our approach is collaborative, respectful, and neurodiversity-affirming — while still maintaining high clinical standards.

Our goal is simple:
To help people feel heard, validated, and empowered with clear next steps.

✨ No referral is required from medical professional.
✨ We are currently booking assessment within 3 months.

To get started, complete a Request for Services form below and select Autism Diagnostic Assessment.
https://autism-sa.splose.com/public-form/7ff8caf9-18ee-42e9-b1b0-584984b27cfa

If you’ve been considering an assessment, now may be the right time to reach out.

Click here to learn more: https://autismsa.org.au/autism-diagnosis/autism-diagnosis-process/getting-an-autism-assessment/

26/02/2026

✴️Term 1 Workshop ~ 3rd March at 10am✴️

📒Have you noticed that our children don’t come with a manual?
That’s one of the reasons we offer a range of practical, solution-focused workshops at Smiles All Round. You don’t need to wait for a crisis. We can upskill our children from a young age (and ourselves too).

👶🧒Young children, especially toddlers and preschoolers are like little sponges. They’re curious, observant, and incredibly capable of learning through repeated positive connection and interactions with a trusted adult in their life. We’ve had children as young as 3 and 4 years old learn basic brain science and simple calming strategies!

Never underestimate what a young child can learn, particularly when they have you, their trusted adult in their corner.

We receive training for most other things — we even take our dogs to Puppy School! So it makes sense to seek guidance and strategies from all different sources along our parenting journey.

This upcoming workshop provides an opportunity to come along and learn practical ways to help teach your children to notice their emotions, and develop strategies to cope with those big or tricky feelings.

Our information and strategies are backed by science and show you how to apply these concepts in everyday life. We’ll explore how to teach children about the brain 🧠 science behind emotions, support them to regulate their feelings, and help them move through, rather than avoid unpleasant thoughts and emotions.

This term our workshop will be held during the daytime. So if you’re a parent or caregiver with young children at kindy, childcare, or primary school, this timeslot might suit you better than our evening workshop.

We can’t wait to connect with our community on Tuesday!

You can purchase tickets via this link:
https://www.stickytickets.com.au/organiser/392253/events/188951

23/02/2026

🎉Celebrating 10 Years ~ Mandy Clark 🎉

In January, our longest-serving team member reached a very special milestone — 10 years with Smiles All Round.

In January 2016, Mandy joined me, helping to grow Smiles All Round from a solo practice into the team of nine we are today in 2026. When we first started working together, Mandy was based at home, making phone calls to clients to schedule appointments and follow up on enquiries.

By April, we had rented our first premises. We didn’t even have an EFTPOS machine and clearly remember celebrating the day it was installed! We had a clunky old printer, paper invoices, and paper files stored in manila folders. Since then, we have grown from a paper-based system to an online practice.

Mandy’s role has evolved over the years. She has been our 2IC and worked across administration, finance, HR, workshop coordination (over 80 workshops!), overseeing our assessment service, workshop preparation, daily scheduling, and so much more.

Affectionately known as my “Wingy” — the Robin to my Batman — Mandy has also accompanied me on many road trips to present workshops, especially in the early days when we were just getting started. She has supported me through the many ups and downs of running a business.

Mandy is also a mum of three, and her youngest was barely two when we first started working together. We’ve literally shared in watching our children grow up! Over the years, she has also been actively involved in our local Little Athletics and Naracoorte Netball and Football Club, giving back to the communities we support.

It is impossible to put into words all that Mandy has done and more importantly, the incredible person she is. What is also truly special to me is having a teammate and friend who treats Smiles as if it were her own. There is no doubt about her dedication and investment in the work we do and the families we support across the Limestone Coast and West Wimmera.

Thank you, Mandy, for who you are and all that you do. Thank you for putting up with my ideas, humour, and emotions, and for helping bring plans and dreams to fruition.

Now it’s time to book some well-earned holidays 🙂

Smiles from a very grateful boss lady,
Lana-Joy 🙂

22/02/2026

This post from NeuroChild Community is just as relevant today as the day they shared this:
1. Regulate
2. Relate
3. Reason

A dysregulated person (child, teen, or adult) struggles to access reason because the thinking part of their brain has gone offline.

At Smiles, we focus on these steps often, whether we’re supporting parents and caregivers in our consulting rooms, or sharing practical strategies and insights at workshops for caregivers and educators.

There is always something to learn...and apply 😉

19/02/2026

Thank you for sharing Onwards and Upwards Psychology 🙏🌈

18/02/2026

✴️Term 1 Workshop 〰️ 3rd March✴️

You can purchase tickets via this link:
https://www.stickytickets.com.au/organiser/392253/events/188951

17/02/2026

As parents, we have the privileged and challenging role of teaching, nurturing, and loving our children. Here are a few points to consider when promoting strong mental health and resilience in our young people:

🟢In the early years, plenty of face-to-face (connection time) is recommended, not the “tech type” on your smart device. The best place for your child to learn about emotions and develop their play skills is through their relationship with you.

🟢Let your children experience discomfort and allow them to struggle when completing tasks or activities. Let them have a go and ask for help when needed, instead of stepping in immediately to keep them happy. If we make everything “happy” and do everything for them at the drop of a hat, how will they learn to use coping skills when things get tough? Remember, F.A.I.L stands for “First Attempt In Learning.” (Note: They need help learning and applying the coping tools - think skill development 😉).

🟢Validate your child’s feelings. This encourages empathy and helps them understand themselves better.

🟢Teach your children how to label both pleasant and unpleasant emotions by modelling it yourself. For example, say “I am feeling happy because [situation].” Use phrases like “I feel [emotion] when…” instead of “You make me feel…” This helps your child take ownership of their feelings.

👨‍👩‍👦Young children need adult guidance to manage and express their emotions appropriately. Be a positive role model, and be mindful of how you express your own emotions. After all, our children are amazing observers!

We’re planning to run more practical parent support workshops this year. If you're interested in adding to your parenting toolkit, let us know at admin@smilesallround.com.au.
Also check out our socials and website homepage for upcoming workshops. Soon our most popular workshop will be available on demand too, which will help to make it even more accessible!

Our children didn’t come with an instruction manual. We're often given “Huff and Puff” classes, give birth, and sent on our merry way, leaving us second-guessing ourselves and wondering how to handle this parenting journey. Know that we are here to help, guide and encourage!

17/02/2026

FYI

16/02/2026

Same goes for adults too!

When kids are outside, they’re not just passing time. They’re restoring their minds, strengthening their bodies, and finding space to breathe. 🌿

Nature isn’t extra. It’s essential.

Let them roam. Let them play. Let nature do what it does best.

(Any why not start with some birdwatching this weekend? See my previous posts about the Backyard Bird Count happening right now!)