The Neurotherapy Clinic Victoria

17/03/2026

Scouting for adults....

A while ago I wrote a blog about the benefits of scouting from a parents perspective, where I discuss the unexpected benefits to myself that came with joining my son in Scouts as a leader. I'll link the blog in the comments.

Something that probably doesn’t get talked about enough is that scouting only runs because people step up and get involved. Groups need more leaders and volunteers to keep things going, our group in the Sherbrooke / Yarra Ranges district included.

You don’t need to have been a Scout before. I hadn’t done much at all as a child, and definitely didn’t have the skills I thought I’d need to be a leader. Most of that I’ve learned along the way, alongside the Scouts and from them as well.

From both a parent and mental health professional perspective, opportunities like this matter. Getting kids off devices, outdoors, and connected doesn’t just happen, it’s modelled and created by the people who show up.

Reach out to your local Scout Group and speak with a leader about what is involved, and how your skill set could support a group.

16/03/2026

Neurotherapy can sometimes produce rapid changes. For some people, shifts in brain function occur quite quickly.

At other times, progress happens more gradually. Like stepping stones across a landscape, each step allows the brain time to integrate the change and learn how to use the new patterns that are becoming available.

This can be particularly relevant for children. Their brains are still developing and they may not yet have a wide range of learned responses or strategies encoded. Part of the process is not just creating new brain patterns, but learning how and when to use them in everyday situations.

Adults often have a broader set of learned patterns and life experiences. When new brain states become available, they sometimes have more existing pathways to connect these changes to, which can allow progress to occur more quickly.

Sometimes the brain changes quickly. Other times it moves step by step. Both are part of how the brain learns and adapts.

05/03/2026

Brainwaves are the electrical rhythms created by brain cells communicating with each other. These rhythms naturally change throughout the day depending on what we are doing.

Different activities tend to bring different rhythms to the forefront. Faster activity is often present when we are thinking, focusing, or working on a task, while slower rhythms are more common when we are relaxed, daydreaming, or asleep. Importantly, the brain does not switch one rhythm on while turning others off. All brainwave rhythms are present at the same time, just in different balances.

Brainwaves are also not good or bad. Each rhythm plays an important role in how the brain functions. For example, beta activity supports focus and active thinking when we are completing a task. However, if beta remains elevated all the time, particularly during rest, it can be associated with feeling tense, restless, or anxious.

Healthy brain functioning relies on the brain being able to shift between these rhythms as needed. Fortunately the brain is neuroplastic and can be trained through everyday experiences, neurofeedback, and neuromodulation.

05/03/2026

Tickets to the 19th ANSA conference are now available. Perfect opportunity for all neurofeedback, neuromodulation, and neurotherapy practitioners to network whilst hearing from some great minds in the industry. And if you have an interest in the field why not join us - you may find someone who started where you are now and can support you.

https://appliedneuroscience.org.au/2026_ANSA_Conference

05/03/2026

EEG can be used to study the electrical activity of the brain and how this relates to functioning.

When this data is quantified into QEEG, a trained and experienced practitioner can interpret patterns in brain activity that may be contributing to the difficulties a person is experiencing. For example, attentional difficulties in ADHD could have different underlying causes, or anxiety could be related to cortical overarousal or instability in how the brain regulates arousal.

For well over 20 years, neurotherapy practitioners (neurofeedback and neuromodulation) have used QEEG and ERP assessments to help clients understand what may be happening in the brain and why they feel the way they do. Understanding these patterns helps practitioners identify interventions that may support the client.

As with anything relating to your health, it is important to verify that your practitioner has the relevant qualifications to conduct the assessment and intervention. For QEEG this would include certification through the International QEEG Certification Board (IQCB): https://qeegcertificationboard.org/

03/03/2026

02/03/2026

Homework has become a surprisingly divisive topic, particularly for younger primary students.

What often gets lost in the discussion is that small amounts of homework are rarely about the worksheet itself. Five or ten minutes a day is less about spelling or maths, and more about the habits forming around it.

It is the routine of sitting down.
Planning when to do it.
Organising what is needed.
Sustaining attention long enough to finish.
Following through.
And shaping their attitude toward learning and responsibility.

Over time, this gently reinforces that learning is not confined to the classroom. It can continue in small, manageable ways at home. Those short periods also help build the capacity required later, when longer stretches of independent study become part of high school, TAFE, or university life.

Another piece we sometimes overlook is the influence of parent attitudes. Children are highly attuned to how we speak about things. If homework is framed as a burden, even when it is activities that can be fun, they feel it. If it is framed as a short, manageable responsibility, they are more likely to approach it calmly. The tone we set often shapes the tone they carry.

Like most things in parenting and education, balance matters. Homework should be a routine built in alongside play, family time, and rest.

24/02/2026

Your brain tells an interesting story...if we take the time to listen.

The EEG in this image belongs to a child previously diagnosed with ADHD.

It shows patterns consistent with epileptiform activity though with no observable impacts. This activity that went undetected for 4+ years was the underlying cause of the child's difficulties. This case required referral to a neurologist for proper diagnosis.

What we see on the outside does not always reflect what is happening on the inside. What is happening on the inside determines what treatments will work.

22/02/2026

My new release books arrived this weekend, one for my own collection and another for my client library.

I was fortunate enough to have been able to read parts of the manuscript, so I already know this book dives into the stories that aren't captured by research scales. I look forward to reading the rest of the book. Especially as there are some familiar practitioner names appearing throughout.

Available on kindle for a few dollars - if you want some insight into the stories of people who have used neurofeedback, I'd highly recommend this book.

https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Rewired-Stories-Overcoming-Neurofeedback-ebook/dp/B0D7SXBN67/

16/02/2026

What gets practised gets stronger.

When a child is watching TV, their brain locks onto what’s right in front of them maintaining constant activation of the visual and auditory regions.

The screen is clear. It moves quickly. It tells them exactly where to look and what matters. Their brain becomes very good at processing that immediate, central stream of information.

What doesn’t get much practice is scanning the edges, deciding what matters, and shifting attention when needed.

It’s also about noticing what’s happening off to the side. Hearing your name called from across the yard. Judging how fast that bike is coming toward you. Deciding whether to keep climbing or jump down. Figuring out who is “it” in hide and seek. Working out the rules of a game with friends and adjusting when someone changes them.

Those experiences build awareness, prioritisation, balance, coordination, emotional regulation, and social judgement. They stretch the brain in multiple directions at once. That same scanning skill later becomes the ability to check mirrors while driving, notice a child about to step onto the road, or respond quickly to something unexpected in your environment.

Getting outside, moving, exploring, negotiating, and solving problems in real time develops a much broader range of abilities, and growing brains benefit from that variety.

What are we giving our children more opportunities to practise this week?

14/02/2026

Another expert speaking about the harm being done by devices.

Follow recommendations:
Family I.T. guy (see shared post)
Officer Gomez (Shares tips about app safety and workarounds kids are using)
Scrolling 2 Death (Covering the current trial against social media companies)
CTRL+SHIFT (Australian collaboration of advocates for online safety)