Valerie Ling

Valerie Ling Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Valerie Ling, Psychologist, Sydney.

One of the interesting things I discovered in the recent Common Table Gathering conference on Church health, is that con...
06/02/2026

One of the interesting things I discovered in the recent Common Table Gathering conference on Church health, is that context really matters. Different culture and history, different locations and different stratification of people have different flourishing profiles. In previous global happiness studies, where flatter measures of emotionality were used, Nordic countries fared well. However this is not so when the multi dimension flourishing aspect was looked at. Here’s what we know

https://effectiveserving.com.au/context-presses-in-on-flourishing/

Sharing some of my insights and learning from the Common Table Gathering in Houston this last month. The conference bro...
04/02/2026

Sharing some of my insights and learning from the Common Table Gathering in Houston this last month. The conference brought together leading researchers and practitioners who are progressing whole church and community wellbeing. First up - a blog on the one universal factor that has been linked to human flourishing - regardless of nation or context - Religion.

https://effectiveserving.com.au/going-to-church-…with-common-good/

30/01/2026

Tomorrow I will bring the voices and stories of the 100 Australian ministry kids from our 2024 survey to the global gathering in Houston. This was an intentional decision. In all the conferences I attend, rarely do the other members of the ministry household get a look into. Yet, they are very much in it. If your children completed this survey for us, please let them know that we are bringing their stories to the world. And again, please thank them from the bottom of our hearts for educating us on what they experience and what they need from us.

Getting ready for conference - decided to go with a postcard size connector - for those of us who need large print! Quit...
15/01/2026

Getting ready for conference - decided to go with a postcard size connector - for those of us who need large print! Quite happy with how it turned out.

23/12/2025

The Centre For Effective Living has opened up a position for a part-time psychologist to join our team. Email valerie@effectiveliving.com.au please.

This role is best suited to an experienced clinician who prefers depth over volume and is comfortable working in a private billing environment.

Key points:
Fully registered Psychologist or Clinical Psychologist
3–5+ years post-registration experience
Adult client population
Strong preference for clinicians experienced in long-term, complex individual work. NOT suitable for clinicians primarily experienced in short-term EAP, WorkCover, or group-based work

Part-time structure:
2 days clinical work (approx. 12 clients)
1 day non-clinical work (business development + own admin)
Weekday and/or Saturday availability

If this aligns with how you like to practice—or someone in your network fits this profile—feel free to reach out or share.

— Valerie Ling

02/12/2025

Of the 94 pastors who answered our Tune In Emotional Health check for ministry workers, they indicated they had experienced:

- Conflicts and quarrels: 26.7%
- Gossip and slander: 15.6%
- Unpleasant teasing: 3.3%
- Threats of violence: 4.4%
- Physical bullying: 1.1%
- None of the above apply to me: 12.2%

02/12/2025

From May to October this year we had the first version of our ministry worker's emotional wellbeing check. I am now analysing the data that has come from that (roughly 260 respondents). We may have attracted workers who were experiencing distress and wanted to do a check in, and so this may be skewed. I would say the vast majority of these responses are Australian. I had 5 categories of workers. Interestingly, this time we had some bible college, ministry apprentice, and student ministry workers answer as well. While these figures are unlikely to be representative of the total ministry population group, they do mirror my 2023 clergy wellbeing study (which placed about 30-40% of respondents had seriously thought of leaving the ministry). I'll be doing the other statistical analyses - but I thought I would share this with you.

Students and apprentice ministry workers:

7 of 49 had considered resigning (14.3%). Reasons among those with reasons recorded (n = 8):

Impact On Family: 5 (62.5%)

Something else: 3 (37.5%)

Immense Stress Of Job: 3 (37.5%)

I Feel Lonely And Isolated: 3 (37.5%)

Leadership Challenges With Staff/Team: 3 (37.5%)

Church Conflict: 1 (12.5%)​

Pastors and Ministers : 40 of 94 had considered resigning (42.6%). Reasons among those with reasons recorded (n = 43):

Impact On Family: 23 (53.5%)

Immense Stress Of Job: 23 (53.5%)

I Feel Lonely And Isolated: 16 (37.2%)

Something else: 14 (32.6%)

Leadership Challenges With Staff/Team: 13 (30.2%)

Church Conflict: 11 (25.6%)

I think there’s only one other Aussie presenting (and maybe even in attendance!). One day there will be more!
27/11/2025

I think there’s only one other Aussie presenting (and maybe even in attendance!). One day there will be more!

The nativity scene is something I look forward to spotting every year. Where King and Baby combine - servanthood and vu...
26/11/2025

The nativity scene is something I look forward to spotting every year. Where King and Baby combine - servanthood and vulnerability that changes the world. I found some interesting research that led me to write about what does Christian flourishing look like, and how can it guide us as we plan and prepare our Christmas services.

https://effectiveserving.com.au/christmaschurch/

I’ve updated this now with a flourishing grid that gives a more dynamic view of ministry wellbeing. This now looks at bo...
26/11/2025

I’ve updated this now with a flourishing grid that gives a more dynamic view of ministry wellbeing. This now looks at both whole of life wellbeing as well as symptoms of depression, anxiety and burnout. There is now an option to have your results and report sent to someone else (accountablity friend, partner, coach, supervisor, health/medical professional)

I am pretty pleased to be journeying with 8 senior ministry leaders in 2026. We will meet monthly for our individual pa...
26/11/2025

I am pretty pleased to be journeying with 8 senior ministry leaders in 2026. We will meet monthly for our individual pastoral supervision sessions - but we will also be part of a Culture Club together. Each quarter taking in something from the wider culture and listening and leaning in to what is out there in the world. A book, 2 movies, a video series, and a couple of songs and poems.

Address

Sydney, NSW

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Valerie Ling posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Valerie Ling:

Shortcuts

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram

Category