Blog

Back to School – don’t pop the champagne cork just yet!

Posted May 23rd 2020

Woo hoo! It is time to go back to school. Time for your children to resume their normal school routines, easy right? ....or is it? While this may seem like a cause for celebration, there are a few things to consider before you go popping that cork. You and your child have been through a lot of ...
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CoVid19 – A physical, economic and mental health issue

Posted April 27th 2020

Life is constantly changing! Are you like me? Did you think you probably had a bit of a handle on what 2020 would bring....work, family, social life.... I know I did! And now this! A global pandemic! People dying....job losses....physical distancing....essential travel only....working from ...
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Mindfulness for Parents starts here!

Posted October 28th 2019

If I could go back and start my parenting journey all over again, this is the first thing I would change! If you are anything like me, you feel like your head is holding a thousand different things at once, and let's face it which parent isn't, you can start to feel overwhelmed because of all the ...
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I just want my child to be happy!

Posted October 28th 2019

Happiness, such a debatable subject! I think it is only natural that parents want their children to be happy. I know I do. As a psychologist I hear it a lot “I just want my child to be happy”. But what does this mean? What exactly is happiness and why do we go to any lengths to get ...
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Life is Like Running by As Katie Sees It

Posted October 28th 2019

Not trying to be the modern day Forrest Gump, I decided life is more like running than it is a box of chocolates this morning…. Life is like running. The harder you work, the more you get out of it. Life is like running. Just when you think you can’t do it anymore, a breeze arrives, you see ...
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Deb’s Story

“Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us. You have given me inspiration to enjoy my kids and myself more”

Deb is a stay-at-home mum. She has two children in primary school. She is part of the Parent and Friends Group and contributes to classroom activities where she can. Deb describes herself as a “perfectionist”. She keeps her house clean and tidy, “in-case anyone just pops in”. She is fit and healthy and ensures her children attend extra curricula activities such as soccer, dance, swimming and music. Deb always feels that she “isn’t quite as good as others”. She is shy and anxious around others and she wants to give her children the best in life that she can. After completing my program Deb stated her amazement that she felt calmer and somehow better at parenting.

Scott’s Story

“I didn’t come to the course for me, I came to see what I could do differently to my children to help them. I am so glad I hung in there and saw it through. I am so glad that the focus was on how I do things, which I now do very differently – thank you!”

Scott works for a multinational company and sees the world as highly competitive. He wants the best for his family. He puts in long hours and finds it difficult to switch off when he is at home. He is very demanding of his children regarding their academic standards and their sporting success. He rarely gets to take his children to their sport’s training and when he does he tends to sit in his car on his phone either working on emails or just zoning out on social media or games. He finds sitting and waiting for them a “waste of time”. When he started the program he was initially reluctant to focus on his own health and wellbeing as he believed it was irrelevant to his children’s wellbeing. He now interacts with other parents at training and feels a lot more relaxed when he talks to his children. He is able to leave work demands until after his children have gone to bed or he deals with it the next day at work, spending more quality time with his partner.

Laura’s Story

This is the story of Laura. Laura is 7years old and in her 3rd year at school. She has been identified as a struggling student. She finds it difficult to come to school each day, not wanting to leave her mother and join the class. She is quiet, withdrawn and needs a personalised learning program and team to help her access the classroom curriculum. She has anxiety and learning difficulties. Laura’s father completed my Oxygen for Parents Program held at Laura’s school. He joined other parents to work on their levels of connection with themselves and their families. He wanted to help his daughter succeed at school and in life. He learnt to meditate, to disconnect from work before he got home; how to mindfully interact with Laura and to develop mindful communication with his wife and family. During a Program Support Group meeting held to discuss Laura’s progress the teachers commented on changes in Laura that they couldn’t explain. They didn’t think they had done anything differently to cause these changes. Laura was connecting to her classmates. She had started to contribute in class and was tackling learning tasks she had previously avoided. It wasn’t until the Deputy Principal overheard Laura’s mother, Selma, talking to the reception staff it became clear what had changed. Selma wanted to pass on her thanks to me for running the program that her husband had attended. She made the statement “thank you for giving me back my husband and my children their father”. The Deputy knew that this was the key to Laura’s newfound confidence and resilience. In working on himself, his family had also gained the benefits and Laura was a different child – confident, happy, connected and learning.