Calm Connections Counselling

22/08/2025

I highly recommend this book by Dr Jenny Brown. It wisely takes you through each stage of life looking at your part in emotional maturity and its interconnectedness to relationships.

From Growing Yourself Up https://www.amazon.com.au/stores/author/B00DVVQ5DG

22/08/2025

I really love this approach from Denmark.

Did you know that while IQ is important, EQ (emotional intelligence) is what is going to help your children determine success in relationships, career and in life.

The good news is that you can develop EQ in your children!

Empathy is one of the key ingredient of EQ. Empathy is “feeling what someone else is feeling”. You can help your children foster empathy by helping label their emotions and by helping them manage these emotions.

When a child has empathy it leads naturally to gratitude and sympathy. Role modelling and expressions of gratitude or sympathy is the key to supporting your child develop these skills. “It was kind of you to check on your sister like that”. Or “ that must of really hurt”.

EQ is something you can cultivate through your whole life and will help foster positive relationships.

Denmark makes empathy a weekly class called Klassens tid, where students resolve conflicts and strengthen bonds—a practice credited with curbing bullying, boosting emotional intelligence, and helping explain Denmark’s top happiness rankings.

14/08/2025

Hello Adelaide mums, here is an opportunity just for you to refresh, replenish and recharge your batteries.

Soulhearth Retreats are focussing on mum's with this opportunity to attend the Mum's Haven Retreat on Saturday October 11th in the beauitiful heart of the Adelaide hills.

A chance just for you to press pause, I'll be there to guide you through a self-care workshop and self-care practices.

Check out this amazing opportunity below as seen in Adelady

Calling all mummas - this one's for you!

WIN a soul-nourishing day for you and a friend, with a Mum's Haven Retreat for 2 with Soulhearth Retreats, valued at $850! 🧘‍♀️

This is the chance to pause, breathe and be completely cared for at the beautiful Mum’s Haven Retreat — taking place during the day on Saturday, 11 October, 2025 at the serene Bugle Ranges Trees of Trenance in the heart of the Adelaide Hills.

This nurturing one-day retreat is all about pressing pause on the daily juggle and reconnecting with yourself. Think mindful self-care practices with Mary Raschella Calm Connections Counselling , mood-boosting nutrition tips with Malissa Fedele , a soul-soothing sound bath meditation, a shared lunch, healthy snacks, guided journalling, and more. Bliss. ✨

To enter, TAG a deserving mum you’d love to share this beautiful experience with, head on over to Soulhearth Retreats and show them some love to be in the running.

You’ll leave feeling rested, recharged and more you than ever.

04/08/2025

Parents this is a webinar for you if you are navigating challenging times with your young person. This webinar with Michelle Mitchell - Author, Speaker, Educator and Dr Leonie White will together talk about ways to support your young person while looking after yourself as a parent. Leonie will share some fresh insights from a family therapy perspective…💖

03/08/2025

What a beautiful vibe it was yesterday at the Resilient kids conference. I loved being part of it particularly as it brought together a community of people in Adelaide keen to strengthen resilience in kids and families.

Thank you to the speakers, Mitchell - Author, Speaker, Educator, Matt Runnalls, . They have so much wisdom, heart and resources to share with this beautiful community.

It was such a bonus that it was held at the Kings Community Centre, the home of Life well where I offer counselling and systemic family practice. It was wonderful to meet so many families and talk to them about systemic family work and Life Well practitioners.

The Resilient kids conference tours each year, keep an eye out for next years!

29/07/2025

Love this…thank you for sharing Care for the Family

28/07/2025

This is going to be a great conference! I am happy to share that Kings Community Centre, home (LifeWell) to my counselling and family therapy services will be the location for this event!

In Adelaide, this Saturday the 2nd of August, come along and hear some great speakers share insights to support parents and young people. Conference speakers include Michelle Mitchell - Author, Speaker, Educator, Karen Young - Hey Sigmund, Steve Biddulph's Raising Boys Matt Runnalls

I will be hosting a table at the LifeWell table in the breaks, it will be great to welcome you and say hello!

Looking forward to seeing you there!!

The Resilient Kids Conference is a one-day event for parents and professionals who live and work with young people. It’s a place where Australia’s...

23/07/2025

A wonderful opportunity to hear from Dr Leonie White, clinical psychologist and family therapist and Michelle Mitchell - Author, Speaker, Educator on supporting families, kids and teens through challenging times!

If you heard my Keynote panel discussion at the recent AAFT conference you’ll know that one of my goals for Family Therapy in Australia is to raise the profile of family therapy and bring it to the broader community and so I was incredibly grateful to Michelle for this opportunity.

I have been following Michelle Mitchell for a long time and absolutely loving her work so it was such a privilege when Michelle invited me to be a part of a webinar to talk about helping kids and teens through hard times and experiencing big emotions. This is a topic Michelle and I are both passionate about.

This webinar is perfect for any family who wants to wrap their arms around a growing child during moments they feel challenged.

Drawing on my systemic family therapy approach, I talk with Michelle about how to shift unhelpful relational patterns, co-regulate through big emotions (without losing ourselves in the process), and hold steady in the middle of the emotional storm.

We’ll cover:
🌿The unhelpful myth that we control or cause kids’ behaviour, and instead think about the many complex factors that contribute and how to become a resource to our kids
🌿Insights about relational loops, including how they form, how they keep us stuck, and how to shift them
🌿One common mistake that most parents make, and lots of helpful tips to get through heated moments
🌿What co-regulation looks like with tween and teens
🌿Valuing ourselves as both people and parents
🌿Finding your “I” position. What you are and aren’t prepared to do in tough moments.
🌿Including kids and teens in conversations about behaviour and solutions
🌿Avoiding the invitation to focus only on the problem, and seeing your child as a whole person

Date: 21st August 2025
Time: 8.00 – 9.00pm AEST
Cost: $30.00 AUD
A worksheet from Leonie will accompany this webinar.
Access: It is yours to watch and view as many times as you want for 6 months from the date of purchase.

Click this link to access the webinar
https://michellemitchell.org/supporting-kids-through-hard-times/?ref=LW2025

22/07/2025

Calling Parents in Adelaide!

If you are a parent of a child aged 0-8 years and you find yourself asking, ''Why is this so hard?'' or feeling like you're reacting in ways that don't match the kind of parent you want to you, then then the Circle of Security is here to support you. You are not alone!

The Circle of Security begins with the core belief: every parent is hard wired to provide competent care. Parenting isn't a performance. It's a relationship and you have the wisdom you need. This program helps you find your inner wisdom to parent the way you want to, to regulate your own emotions while your child is co-regulated.

You've got this! We would love to see you! Booking details below:
https://calmconnectionscounselling.com.au/au/cosp-workshop

19/07/2025

Over the past two years in private practice and since launching Calm Connections Counselling I have expanded my practice with individuals, young people and families by working within a systemic family practice framework. In the last 2 days I have taken the steps towards AAFT accreditation by commencing a 2 year program ''Advanced Certificate in Systemic Family Therapy and Practice'' with the Phoenix Family Therapy Academy. The program aligns with my values of integrative practice and I was very excited to commence this journey in Brisbane this week.

What I love about working in this way is the integration of neurobiology and interpersonal needs of an individual while working relationally in the context of the system that shapes them, both past and present. It was an inspiring few days with founder of the program and teaching staff . It was wonderful to meet the cohort of the program and engage in meaningful systemic conversations. I am looking forward to the journey ahead and continuing my commitment to integrating systemic family therapy into my practice.

27/06/2025

Love this article by Dr Leonie White about the power of relationship as you parent your child or teen. Parenting strategies and techniques are helpful however “it’s the relationship that enables any strategy or technique to have a chance of working”. Enjoy the read!

Parenting was designed to be "power assisted" to grow kids into the best version of themself. And that power comes through relationship.

04/06/2025

Calling all Adelaide parents.....

Calm Connections is partnering up with Life Well and Port Adelaide Enfield Council to bring parents in Adelaide the Circle of Security program. We have two funded programs to offer, one in August and one in October based at Broadview, Adelaide. The program runs for 7 weeks and is free to you offering an in house creche facility.

We are all hard wired for relationships and this program based on 50 years of research and evidence on attachment theory suggests that the quality of the parent-child relationship shapes behaviour; A secure relationship has long-lasting effects on such things as confidence, friendships, and close relationships, learning, stress management and general happiness.

The program also aims to look at the importance of co-regulation with your child and on taking a pause to catch your own ''shark music'' with a view to self-regulate and do something different in the relationship. Meeting with other parents gives you a chance to pause, talk about your responses and to take the pressure of by understanding “good enough” parenting. This can have a ripple effect to not only your relationship with your child but with the whole family.

For more information and to book in please use the QR code or visit us at:

https://calmconnectionscounselling.com.au/cosp-workshop