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Carla Anderson Clinical Psychologist & Trainer

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Australia
Sunshine Coast, QLD
Carla Anderson Clinical Psychologist & Trainer

I have a long history of involvement in national and community projects focusing on the perinatal period. I will share more soon.

📚Training for healthcare clinicians by Perinatal Clinical Psychologist, Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner & Florist 💐

⚠️ Educational and Training-focused content only—not therapeutic support. I am passionate about providing Training and Clinical Reflective Supervision to other health professionals (mental health clinicians, medical, midwives, allied health professionals) related to Perinatal and Infant Mental Health and related topics. I've presented at conferences, developed training workshops, provided organisation in-services for staff, and co-facilitated on the following topics and more:

# Perinatal Mental Health
# Perinatal Grief and Loss (including co-developer of Perinatal Training Centre's) Grief, Trauma and Attachment: An Integrated Approach to Perinatal Loss)
# Birth Trauma
# Fertility
# Perfectionism in the Perinatal Period
-Compassion for Health Professionals
Workshops: Combining Floristry, Selfcare and Mindfulness

I have also collaborated with other organisations:

the Board of Advisors for the Perinatal Training Centre
# Co-facilitated Bronwyn Leigh's (Perinatal Training Centre) Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Masterclasses
# Co-facilitated Elly Taylor's Becoming Us: Perinatal Relationships, Wellbeing & Mental Health (PRaM)
# Training for Gidget Foundation's clinicians
# Contributor and Panel Presenter for The Pink Elephants Support Network Workplace Support Program
# Facilitator of Precious Wings Support Group
# Co-developer with Kristy Howard: Nurtured by Nature: Working Therapeutically with Plants and Flowers. I am working on building online training focused on psychological support skills for frontline perinatal health professionals such as midwives, child health nurses, neonatal nurses, GPs, obstetricians, and doulas etc. I have also completed a Certificate 3 in Floristry and am a qualified Florist. I use these skills in combination with psychology in Floriful Worskhops: Combining Floristry, Mindfulness & Self-Care. I recently gained my membership as a Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner. I am currently building on training offerings in therapeutic horticulture using floristry, with a focus on using it for health professional self-care. Please reach out if you are interested in finding out more about any of these offerings.

06/11/2025

I’m presenting at TWO conferences in one week this weekend and Monday 💫.

I am so excited to have two opportunities to present on my new training that I have developed for Midwives, Child Health Nurses and other medical perinatal clinicians. Focused on integrating psychological support skills into everyday practice, I will be discussing the training, why it’s needed, research and reflections on my pilot program I delivered, to firm up content based on participant feedback in developing the final training product ➡️

“Tender Talks: Confident Conversations in the Perinatal Period”

🛫Friday I fly out to Newcastle to present on Saturday at The Childbirth and Parenting Education Conference (CAPEA Inc). The theme of the conference is Taking Childbirth and Parenting Education to New Heights. I’ve been lucky enough to present at CAPEA conferences a few times now.

🚙 Fly back and drive to the Gold Coast to present at the Queensland Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Symposium (goldcoast.health) on Monday. The theme is Healing Together: Perinatal & Infant Wellness for Every Family. This will be the first time presenting at this one, but you may have spotted me with a trade stall there last year.

I’m excited to immerse myself in learning all things perinatal and infant mental health. And as always, I’m also very excited to see and spend time with wonderful colleagues and friends. It’s been so lovely to be able to travel again and connect in person with those who have offered me so much support especially this year, it truly warms my soul. Let me know if you will be there. You know how to find me- look for the bright pink hair.

💻If you want to know more about my training, registrations are now open with 🗓️ 2026 dates up:

https://carlaandersoncliniciantraining.com/perinatal-training

27/10/2025

Registrations close tomorrow

If you have been curious about adding nature based therapy into your work, this is your last chance to join us.

Nurtured by Nature is a hands on professional development workshop for clinicians who want to explore how working with flowers and plants can support emotional regulation, engagement, and connection with clients.

Facilitated by Kristy Howard and Carla Anderson you will learn how to integrate therapeutic horticulture and floristry into your clinical practice in ways that feel safe, creative, and incredibly meaningful. These approaches help clients express and regulate when words feel too hard, and they also bring a calming presence to you as the clinician.

This small group workshop at House of Hope Gardens is designed to be both restorative and practical. You will leave with new confidence and tools you can use right away.

🌿 Monday 3 November
🌿 Sunshine Coast
🌿 $445 including GST
🌿 Registrations close tomorrow

Reserve your place now and discover how nature can become part of your therapeutic toolkit.
🎟️ Book here: www.trybooking.com/DFOHZ

26/10/2025

💕 Grandparents Day Reflection 💕

In Queensland, we celebrate Grandparents Day each year on the last Sunday in October. Today we recognise the care, wisdom, and generosity that grandparents bring to families and communities. It is a time to say thank you for the love, guidance, and traditions they continue to share with younger generations.

For my husband and I, becoming grandparents to our two grandsons has been one of the greatest gifts of life. Watching them grow, and seeing my daughter step into parenthood, has opened a new layer of love that feels both familiar and deeply grounding.

We feel so blessed to be involved grandparents. It was important to me to be the kind of grandparent who genuinely wants to see their grandchildren, so that my daughters would never feel like it was a problem to ask. I have structured my weeks so that one day each week, and pretty much fortnightly weekends for the past three years, have been our Ma and Pa days. We absolutely love it.

These moments, whether big or small, remind us that love is built through presence and consistency. In my work within the perinatal space, I often see how grandparents play a quiet yet powerful role in a family’s transition. Their presence can bring comfort, continuity, and calm when everything feels new and uncertain.

However, I also know that this may not always be the experience for families too. This day can also bring mixed emotions for those missing grandparents, longing for connection, or navigating complex family stories and interactions. However it feels for you today, know that it is okay and to look after you. 💛

Take a moment to reflect or share:
🔹 A memory that still makes you smile
🔹 A piece of wisdom you carry from them
🔹 Or the ways you are creating your own legacy of care

Whether by birth, choice, or heart, grandparents remind us that love and nurturing run deep across generations. 💕💐

23/10/2025

I’m so looking forward to being part of the Respectful Maternity Care Conference in March. There is a fabulous lineup of speakers. And I’m so grateful for the opportunity to share both of my passions- training for medical perinatal clinicians and floristry self-care 💐
Checkout the program at Maternity Consumer Network

20/10/2025

Because therapy doesn’t always have to happen on a couch 🛋️

What if you could use a unique and different kind of evidence based therapeutic approach with your clients?

One that engages the senses, nurtures connection, and brings calm to both client and clinician.

Working with plants and flowers invites a different kind of therapy 🌱🌼. It slows the pace, engages the senses, and creates safety through gentle activity.

For clinicians, learning to use nature in this way can open new pathways for connection, particularly with clients who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure how to express what they feel. The process of tending, arranging, or creating with natural materials allows meaning to emerge organically. It helps clients regulate, reflect, and find words at their own rhythm while the clinician supports this unfolding with presence and curiosity.

Nurtured by Nature is a professional development workshop designed to give clinicians confidence and skills to bring nature based approaches into their client work. You will learn how to use gardening and floral arranging therapeutically to support reflection, grounding, and connection. Developed by Kristy Howard and Carla Anderson . Only two weeks to go so register now!

🌿 For allied health professionals including but not limited to: psychologists, counsellors, occupational therapists, social workers, and allied health professionals.
🗓️Monday 3 November | Sunshine Coast
💲 $445 (includes GST)
💻Book your place: www.trybooking.com/DFOHZ

19/10/2025

Only 2 weeks to go, are you joining us?

Join us for an immersive workshop focused on integrating plant-based activities into therapeutic practices for Allied Health professionals.

🌿 NURTURED BY NATURE 🌸
Working therapeutically with plants & flowers.

Hosted by psychologist & Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner’s Kristy Howard In My Mothers Kitchen and Carla Anderson Carla Anderson Clinical Psychologist & Trainer, this hands-on workshop delves into the world of therapeutic horticulture from an allied health perspective.

We are so excited to run this again.

Who should attend? Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Social Workers, Counsellors, Speech Pathologists, Mental Health Nurses, GP’s, and more.

🌱 Workshop Objectives:
1. Explore the foundational principles of therapeutic horticulture.
2. Discover the history and benefits of nature-based therapy for mental and physical wellness.
3. Acquire practical skills for incorporating plant-based activities & floristry into client sessions.
4. Experience the rejuvenating effects of therapeutic gardening and floristry.
5. Generate ideas for integrating these practices into professional work and personal self-care routines.

📅 WHEN: Mon 3rd Nov, 9am - 2pm
💰 COST: $445 (Inc GST)
📍 WHERE: House of Hope Gardens, Woombye, Qld

Secure your spot now at; www.trybooking.com/DFOHZ

and embark on a journey of growth and connection with like-minded professionals in the serene setting of House of Hope Gardens.

18/10/2025

The Flannel Flower and the Art of Beginning Again

I have previously shared about the Flannel Flower- how much I love it and my journey trying to germinate it, along with the meaning it holds for me. Today, while preparing an email for my mailing list, I found myself reflecting on it again.

Soft and strong at the same time, the Flannel Flower is the national symbol of mental health awareness in Australia. It thrives in harsh coastal conditions, yet its seeds only germinate after exposure to fire and smoke. Growth needs challenge, patience, and persistence.

When I tried to grow them myself, I was unsuccessful many times. I lit fires in terracotta pots (do not try this at home, it does not work), searched everywhere for the right conditions, and eventually realised I needed to adapt. Once I stopped forcing it and began again differently, using tubestock instead of seed, they finally began to thrive and this week I got to celebrate my first bloom from my tubestock planted months ago.

That experience became a quiet metaphor for my professional life. After decades in perinatal and family mental health, and years of leading a busy group practice, I learned that endurance does not come from pushing harder. It comes from finding gentler ways to begin again, gentler ways to do things. To not keep pushing harder.

I closed my practice, shifted to telehealth, and began weaving creativity and self-care into my work. Adapting and changing has not, and still is not easy, but it has been renewing and hopeful for the next blooms.

The Flannel Flower reminds me of a line from Be Your Own Wildflower Affirmation Cards by Holly Ringland.
“What is lost is found.” Even in demanding seasons, we can rediscover calmness, curiosity, and compassion.

🌼 Reflection prompt: The flannel flower only blooms after fire.
What has helped you grow through difficult seasons in your professional life? What strength or insight has emerged from challenge?

www.carlaandersoncliniciantraining.com

17/10/2025

It’s hard to believe we are up to Session 7 out of 10 of our Perinatal Loss Training. Charise Deveney and I had the privilege of facilitating Session 7 as part of our training series: “Grief, Trauma, and Attachment - An Integrated Approach to Perinatal Loss" developed by Bronwyn Leigh, Charise Deveney and I, as part of the Perinatal Training Centre’s training on perinatal loss.

This session focused on the complexities of supporting families who welcome a new baby following a previous loss.

Thankyou to our participants for rich conversations and engaging in integrating the complex theory and skills. These conversations are essential to strengthening trauma-informed, attachment-aware care across perinatal and bereavement services.

Address

Sunshine Coast, QLD
4556

Opening Hours

Tuesday	9am - 4pm
Thursday	9am - 4pm
Friday	9am - 4pm

Website

https://www.perinatalchildfamilyhub.com/psychological-training-and-supervision

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