The Kindred Practice

24/06/2025

Our beautiful craft group is back! We are thrilled to offer four mornings full of creativity and connection for neurodivergent girls aged 6 to 11 for this winter school holidays.

This 3-hour, therapist-run, drop-off group is a focused on creating, crafting, and neuro-divergent affirming support and connection.

Where: Renwick Community Centre

When: 9:00am-12:00pm
Wednesday July 9th, Thursday July 10th,
Wednesday July 16th, & Thursday July 17th

Cost: $275 for the three hours. NDIS funding accepted.

What to Pack: Please send your child along with a water bottle and a snack. Comfort items are of course welcome.

As requested by the girls last term, we will be exploring the culinary arts as well (unicorn cupcakes have been requested). Please inform us of any dietary needs and allergies upon booking.

Each day will have a different variety of activities on offer. Families are welcome to book one or multiple mornings.

To book online please use this link and click “Book a Class”: https://thekindredpractice.bookings.pracsuite.com/?s=5116

Email us at groups@thekindredpractice.com.au for more information or to book your spot.

08/04/2025

Our first group for neurodivergent girls in January was such a special experience for all involved that we’re running it again these school holidays!

A 3-hour drop-off camp focused on creating, crafting, and neuro-divergent affirming support and connection.

Where: Renwick Community Centre

When: Tuesday April 15th from 9:00am to 12:00pm or Thursday April 17th from 9:00am to 12:00pm.

Cost: $275 for the three hours (NDIS funding accepted).

We’re running this group twice. Families are welcome to book one or both days.
To book online, please use this link and click “Book a Class - New Client”
https://thekindredpractice.bookings.pracsuite.com/?s=5116

Please email us at groups@thekindredpractice.com.au for more information.

24/01/2025

Wonderful news for our local community. The end of a long and distressing period for so many residents. Such a privilege to see a community rally together over shared values. And such a relief to see fairness and commonsense prevail.

The NSW planning commission has rejected a Moss Vale plastics recycling facility after receiving nearly 3,000 submissions from opposers, including high-profile celebrities and a billionaire.

16/01/2025

We’re super excited about our first group for 2025. This one is for for neurodivergent girls aged 6 to 11.

A 3-hour drop-off camp focused on creating, crafting, and neuro-divergent affirming support and connection.

Where: Renwick Community Centre

When: Tues Jan 28th from 10:00am to 1:00pm or Wed Jan 29th from 10:00am to 1:00pm.

Cost: $275 for the three hours (NDIS funding accepted)

We’re running this group twice. Families are welcome to book one or both days.

Book online at: https://thekindredpractice.bookings.pracsuite.com/?s=5116

Please email us at groups@thekindredpractice.com.au for more information.

07/01/2025

Great news for families looking for support from a local paediatrician.

Highlands General Practice - Bowral Street and Moss Vale is a long established Southern Highlands general practice offering a comprehensive range of services.

21/12/2024

The Kindred Team will be taking a break to spend time with family and friends. Our last day for 2024 will be Friday the 20th of December and we’ll be back on Monday the 6th of January 2025. Some of our clinicians will be on leave until later in January so please reach out if you’re unsure when your next appointment is.

We won’t be checking emails and messages regularly during the break so we may not respond until after the 6th of January.

The Kindred Team wish you all a happy and safe holiday period. Thank you for trusting us to support your family this year - we look forward to seeing you in 2025.

We know that the holidays can be a difficult time for many people. Don't hesitate to reach out to any of the services below if you need help:

📞Lifeline 13 11 14⁠
⁠
📞Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800⁠
⁠
📞The Mental Health Line 1800 011 511

For any emergencies, please call 000.

—The Kindred Team 🧡

09/12/2024

This time of the year is one of our busiest for assessments. Before getting in touch with us, many parents and carers feel confused and overwhelmed - there are so many different options and pathways. We’re writing a series of posts explaining the assessment process, what makes a good assessment, and answering some of the most commonly asked questions. We’re starting here with autism assessments for children. We hope this makes the process a little clearer and helps you know how to get the assessment your child needs.

https://thekindredpractice.com.au/getting-an-autism-assessment-for-your-child/

If you would like to know more please get in touch with us at reception@thekindredpractice.com.au or call on 02 4629 7133.

Helping you join the dots to create an easier and more connected family life.

26/11/2024

We are deeply shocked and disappointed by the recent changes announced by the NDIS, which significantly reduce funding for art and music therapy. Art and music therapy offer so much more than creative outlets—they provide essential pathways for connection, healing, and self-expression, particularly for those who communicate best through alternative means. We know many individuals who struggled to access or participate in traditional psychology sessions but have been helped enormously through art or music therapy.

The decision to cut this funding with only a week’s notice shows a complete disregard for the choice, dignity, and well-being of those NDIS clients who have built trusting and healing relationships with their therapists. The timing, as we head full-speed towards one of the most stressful times of the year, is particularly difficult to understand.

At The Kindred Practice, we recognize the profound impact these therapies have on supporting communication, emotional regulation, and well-being for our community. We stand with art and music therapists in advocating for their recognition, fair funding, and accessibility. Our hearts are with all the families who will now see their children deprived of meaningful and safe connections with their trusted art or music therapists.

We encourage as many people as possible to sign the petitions below:

https://www.change.org/p/creative-and-experiential-therapies-belong-in-the-ndis

https://www.change.org/p/save-music-therapy-keep-it-funded-under-ndis

08/11/2024

We’ve opened bookings for our popular school holiday assessment clinic. We offer single-day assessments for families during the holidays with comprehensive reports ready for the start of the new school year.

🟠We will be offering learning assessments and neurodivergent-affirming assessments for autism and ADHD.
🟢Spots are available in December and January and always fill up quickly.
🟣We recommend booking before the end of the school term to make sure we include feedback from your child’s current teachers.
🔵Please get in touch if you would like to know more.

Get in touch at assessments@thekindredpractice.com.au

10/09/2024

We’re thrilled to now offer the first neurodivergent-affirming assessment service for adults in the Southern Highlands who would like to explore whether they are autistic or ADHD.

Our clinicians have extensive training in assessments and in understanding the many different ways autism and ADHD can present in adults.

We offer assessments that are evidence-based and informed by the lived experience of autistic and ADHD adults. We do not use outdated assessment tools (such as the ADOS-II) which are both unreliable and based on the idea that autism or ADHD are disorders that need to be ‘fixed’.

Our approach helps adults develop a deeper understanding of how their brains work and then use this knowledge to make meaningful change in their lives.
Appointments are carried out at our assessment clinic in Bowral over three hours.

Please reach out to us on 02 4629 7133 if you have any questions or would like to book an assessment.

Helping you join the dots to create an easier and more connected family life.

16/08/2024

Last week, the Psychology Board of Australia updated the list of Core Competencies for Australian psychologists. This document outlines the minimum knowledge, skills, abilities and values that a psychologist must possess to be registered to practice safely and effectively in Australia.

We were so excited to see that understanding neurodiversity is no longer a niche area but a core requirement for every psychologist in Australia. We’ll be writing more soon about what neurodivergent-affirming practice is (and how to make sure the psychologist you trust is not just using this as a buzzword). The new competencies will be active from the end of 2025.
What will we need to change at The Kindred Practice? Absolutely nothing. It’s already a core value and our team keep ahead of the latest research and training. This update is a huge milestone for every neurodivergent child and adult in Australia who can now trust that their unique experiences will be respected and understood, not treated as a disorder that needs to be ‘fixed’. 💛

08/08/2024

We’ve been a little quiet lately as our team has been working hard on some big changes and we’re excited to share what we’ve been up to (and what’s coming up). In the last 12 months alone we’ve supported 400 families who have attended over 2,500 appointments.

Here’s some of what we’ve been working on:

🟠 Our Team: We now have seven wonderful therapists with more than 90 years of combined clinical experience (and we can help families without such long wait times).

🔴 Assessments: We have a new assessment space and have increased our capacity to offer educational, ADHD, and autism assessments.

🟢 Inclusion Support: We offer a new service where we work on-site with schools and preschools to support their neurodivergent students.

🔵 Advocacy and Education: We are sharing our passion for genuine neurodivergent-affirming practice with schools and other professionals to help everyone understand the needs of neurodivergent kids and families.

And here’s some of what’s coming next:

🟡 Assessments: We now have families travelling from Canberra and Sydney to see us. Our expanded team means we’re able to offer faster assessments to even more families.

🟣 Adult Assessments: We’re proud to offer the first neurodivergent-affirming assessment service in the Southern Highlands for adults wanting to explore whether they’re autistic or ADHD.

🟠 Groups: We’re developing groups for families, including the incredible SPACE program for parents of anxious kids, a fully neurodivergent-affirming social learning group for kids, a group for young autistic girls, and more.

🟢 Information Sessions: A series of parent information sessions around important topics, including Supporting Your Autistic or ADHD Child, Understanding Learning Difficulties, Helping Your Anxious Child.

🔵 Supporting Schools: We want to continue working with as many local schools as possible to help them understand and support their neurodivergent students.

🟣 One-Off Parent Consults: A new service for parents who are not seeking regular sessions or who are waiting for a spot. We offer a one-off consult with our senior psychologists to discuss a specific issue and receive strategies or recommendations.