Beyond the Surface Therapy

04/02/2026

Hello everyone 👋

Incase anyone has reached out to me over the last week & you haven't heard back- I promise I'm not ignoring you.

My beautiful pdaer in a moment of equalising with me, felt breaking my work computer would do the trick, so it's in getting repaired.
(Yep I'm not excluded from it all)

Hopefully I'll have it back in time foe next week.

Thank you for your patience 🦋

02/02/2026

🦋🦋🦋

31/01/2026

TRIGGER WARNING 🚩

with the tragic & absolutely heartbreaking news of the deaths of a full family in our disability community over in Perth, I want to let all of you know that please you are not alone.

I know how hard it is to keep pushing through, I know most of us have at some staged wished for a way out. I know we financially can't afford the required supports we need & that the governments dont get it but I am only a phone call away.

If you have seen the news & completely distressed by it or are really not coping

The below is also available

Lifeline 13 11 14

Heads pace 1800 650 890

Beyond blue 1300 224 636

31/01/2026

Its not enough for our families or individuals living with PDA, to access therapies but don't walk alongside you on your journey while everyone is enjoying their day to day lives and your family is struggling to survive.

for a lot of us its the help behind the closed doors we need, the support once we have left a therapy session.

I remember early on our journey, i begged and begged professionals to "Please, come & be a fly on our wall- you don't understand how bad it is"

Or as an individual how much you feel & experience life with PDA.

I see you all, no matter where you currently are.
The exhaustion, the burnout, the violent outbursts, the damage to your homes, the unlivable bedrooms, the guilt of not being able to keep up with hygiene, the expectations from society & family to have your kids in mainstream schooling, the weight you carry as a "safe" person, as a child the heaviness you feel from everyone's energy around you, the disappointment you aren't succeeding in what is wanted from you.

My support is offered with first hand experience layered with professional expertise, its delivered alongside you authentically & around your whole family to support PDA everyday.

www.beyondthesurface.au

28/01/2026

You have done the therapies, the parenting programs, the constant advocating, consequences, rewards and tried to adapt your approach but its still not working.

You are still struggling to see the light living with PDA & neurodivergence.

What if i told you there was another way?

My Wrap around family support is just this and i have 2 places available for support.

27/01/2026

𝐀 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞🤍

I’m Sarah.
I’m AuDHD, a PDAer, and I’m raising four neurodivergent children — two with PDA.

I’m also a registered counsellor.
My lived experience shapes how I work, and PDA is an area I care deeply about — but my support is open to anyone needing counselling, space, or family support.

I work in a low-demand, neurodivergent-affirming way, focusing on nervous system safety, connection, and realistic support across a persons lifespan — from young children learning to manage big emotions, to teens and adults navigating life, relationships, and overwhelm.

This space & time with me is about safety, understanding, and support that meets you where you are.

You don’t have to fit a label to be here.

27/01/2026

Thank you whole body nutrition ❤️

With school going back I thought this post might be helpful for parents and carers to understand why a child may not be eating at school.

Below are some common reasons why this might happen..

💥Sensory overwhelm - Maybe there is something smelly in the air, their clothing feels itchy, it's loud, it's hot. Everyone has different sensory triggers. People with misophonia have a negative emotional reaction to different sounds e.g. chewing. This can result in anxiety, agitation and annoyance. Fight or flight mode becomes activated.

💥Safe foods are not accessible - Food might need to be at a certain temperature or have a certain texture which just can't be achieved at school.

💥Sympathetic nervous system dominance & stress - perhaps they are overwhelmed and in fight or flight mode so their body doesn't feel hungry, they have no appetite or they might even feel nauseous.

💥Interoception - perhaps they struggle with feeling hunger cues.

💥Eating with others does not always feel safe - it’s true, some kids find it difficult eating in front of other people and this could be for many different reasons.

💥Perhaps there is not enough time given to eat - especially if they are slow eaters. Also sometimes going outside to play is just more appealing.

💜🧡

Disclaimer: The information shared on this account is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment

26/01/2026

Such a terrific idea.

25/01/2026

My ❤️.

I received some lovely feedback that I wanted to share from a beautiful mum.

She came to me last year struggling with burnout, and the complexities pda brang to her family.

Offering my Wrap Around pda support benefits the whole family & has supported them in the areas they needed.

www.beyondthesurface.au

24/01/2026

So acurate 🫣😄

21/01/2026

✨𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐃𝐀 𝐌𝐮𝐦𝐬 ✨

Parenting a child with PDA can feel heavy, isolating, and endlessly misunderstood.
Not because you’re doing it wrong — but because this path is genuinely different.

Once a month, we offer a soft, supportive holding space just for PDA mums.
No fixing. No pressure. No expectations.

This is a space where:
🤍You don’t have to explain PDA
🤍Your exhaustion makes sense
🤍Your mixed emotions are welcome
🤍You can just be, exactly as you are

We sit together, support regulation, share gently (or not at all), and support one another through the realities of living alongside PDA — the grief, the growth, the adaptations, and the quiet wins that often go unseen.

This group is for mums who:
🤍 Are tired of holding it all alone
🤍 Want to feel understood without judgement
🤍 Need nervous-system-safe connection
🤍 Are parenting with care, even when it feels impossible

You don’t need to be strong here.
You don’t need to have answers.
You just need a place that can hold you too.

📅 Monthly group- 1st half of the year is up.
📍Telehealth via zoom
💬 Facilitated by a PDA-affirming counsellor

If this speaks to you, you’re not alone — and you’re warmly welcome. Our sessions are capped to allow for an intimate setting.

To book one or all please fill out an enquiry form on our website, if you prefer a daytime catch up let us know!
www.beyondthesurface.au

18/01/2026

For many of our children self regulation is not possible & we need co-regulation, for that to happen connection should always come before correction.

There can be many reasons a child becomes dysregulated.

Not everything is sensory.

A child might be struggling because they are:
• emotionally overwhelmed
• overtired or didn’t sleep well
• hungry, sick, or uncomfortable
• still building rapport and trust
• lacking structure or predictable routines

In my 10+ years in school-based OT, I’ve seen a huge increase in how quickly we jump to sensory. And while sensory strategies are powerful, they’re not always the whole answer.

Sometimes that pressure to find a quick sensory fix can even make therapists feel like they’re failing. When in reality, many regulation challenges don’t have a single simple solution. More often, it’s a combination of factors that requires a team approach, including teachers, families, and behavior specialists.

Some behaviors are not automatically sensory-based:

• crying when told “no”
• hitting, pushing, or biting when a toy is taken
• throwing materials when asked to clean up
• melting down after losing a game
• refusing to leave a preferred activity

These moments are often about emotional regulation, frustration tolerance, impulse control, and coping skills, not sensory input.

Self-regulation is absolutely critical for our students.
But sometimes it’s more than sensory and that’s okay.
It just means the support needs to be broader, deeper, and more collaborative.

💛