The Bouverie Centre, La Trobe University

The Bouverie Centre, La Trobe University An integrated Practice-Research Centre offering Family Therapy and PD training.

At The Bouverie Centre, we believe healthy relationships lie at the heart of social and emotional health. We offer clinical therapy services to families, workforce and capability development training and support to professionals and postgraduate academic programs to students. We integrate these to create meaningful research findings through collaborative work, and translate them in ways that make a real and positive difference to the wellbeing of families, communities and organisations.

Who Shapes a Child’s World? 📰 RESEARCH PUBLICATION“Scientific Progress in Mapping the Relational Ecology of Early Child ...
29/04/2026

Who Shapes a Child’s World?

📰 RESEARCH PUBLICATION
“Scientific Progress in Mapping the Relational Ecology of Early Child Development: A Systematic Scoping Review"
(O’Dean, Spry…McIntosh, Painter et al, 2025)

This systematic scoping review maps how scientific research has studied the relational ecology shaping early child–caregiver relationships from conception to age three.

🔑 Key Findings from the Review:
1️⃣ Across 11,226 screened studies, the authors found no studies using social network analysis (SNA) to examine the relational ecology of early child caregiver relationship development—revealing a major methodological gap.
2️⃣ The review identified 122 studies examining individual predictors of early relational health, with the overwhelming majority focused on the family microsystem, particularly the mother–child relationship.
3️⃣ Very few studies explored other parts of the microsystem (e.g., fathers, siblings, extended family), and even fewer examined broader relational levels such as the mesosystem, exosystem, or macrosystem.
4️⃣ Findings show that much of the broader relational ecology that influences early relational health remains neglected in observational research.
5️⃣ The authors call for future work to adopt innovative methods, including SNA, to better capture the complex interconnections across relational systems in early development.

This publication helps guide the next generation of research needed to fully understand—and support—the relational foundations of early childhood development.

🔗 Access the publication here https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-025-00522-w



One Session, Big Impact: How WIT Brings Help to Families Fast 📖 BOOK CHAPTERWalk-in Together: Online Therapy for Familie...
23/04/2026

One Session, Big Impact: How WIT Brings Help to Families Fast

📖 BOOK CHAPTER

Walk-in Together: Online Therapy for Families, When and Where They Want It
(Moore, Knuckey…& Young, 2026)

This chapter documents the development, delivery model, and early outcomes of Walk In Together (WIT)—an innovative online, single session family therapy service created in response to the urgent need for accessible mental health care during and following Australia’s 2019–2020 bushfires and the COVID 19 pandemic.

🔑 Key Insights from the Chapter:
1️⃣ The WIT model emerged in response to increased demand for accessible, affordable, rapid mental health services following national crises, including bushfires and COVID 19.
2️⃣ WIT delivers online, walk in single session family therapy, integrating principles from single session thinking, walk in models, and telehealth, to offer families timely therapeutic support.
3️⃣ The chapter presents pilot data and client feedback, showing that families valued the model’s accessibility, responsiveness, and ability to provide meaningful support at the point of need.
4️⃣ The authors outline operational and clinical considerations, supported by real case illustrations, offering practical guidance for implementation in diverse service settings.
5️⃣ The chapter concludes with a discussion of potential wider applications, positioning WIT as a scalable model for improving timely family mental health care.

This contribution provides valuable insight for clinicians, service designers, and policymakers exploring flexible, high impact models of family therapy delivery.



Beyond the Crisis: Mapping What Helps Families Stay Safe During Separation📰 RESEARCH PUBLICATION “Enhancing Safety for S...
20/04/2026

Beyond the Crisis: Mapping What Helps Families Stay Safe During Separation

📰 RESEARCH PUBLICATION

“Enhancing Safety for Separating Families Affected by Domestic and Family Violence: A Scoping Review of Modifiable Factors”
(Krella, Painter..McIntosh, 2025)

This scoping review examines modifiable factors that can enhance safety for families navigating separation while affected by domestic and family violence (DFV).

🔑 Key Findings from the Publication:
1️⃣ The review found inconsistent definitions and measurements of “safety”, with very few studies treating safety as a primary outcome for separating families affected by DFV.
2️⃣ Physical distance from the perpetrator, often supported by court orders, was identified as a critical socioecological factor for increasing safety.
3️⃣ Strategic and protective use of technology—including accessing support networks, safely storing evidence, and detecting surveillance—played a key role in enhancing safety.
4️⃣ Relational support from allies, extended family, and consistent environments for children was associated with improved safety outcomes.
5️⃣ Survivor centred services and responsive practitioners (e.g., providing validation, advocacy, long term support, and safe housing pathways) also contributed significantly to safety.
6️⃣ The review shows that caregivers actively navigate safety, often while facing systemic and service level barriers.

This publication offers valuable guidance for practitioners, policymakers, and courts seeking to strengthen safety responses for separating families experiencing DFV. (Funding: ARC Linkage LP210100181).

Access the publication here https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380251325195

📢 NEW RESEARCH PUBLICATIONWe’re pleased to share our latest paper:📰 Family Inclusive and Relational Approaches to Trauma...
16/04/2026

📢 NEW RESEARCH PUBLICATION

We’re pleased to share our latest paper:
📰 Family Inclusive and Relational Approaches to Trauma Recovery: Literature Review and Narrative Synthesis.
📰 Published by Trauma, Violence, & Abuse.

This review synthesises international literature on how family inclusive and relational approaches contribute to trauma recovery across the lifespan.

🔑 Key Findings
1️⃣ Family-inclusive approaches are effective in trauma recovery, with consistent improvements in PTSD symptoms, trauma-related behaviours and general mental health observed across children, youth and adults, regardless of setting, provider background or treatment duration.

2️⃣ Integrating established trauma-focused interventions — particularly CBT — with systemic and family-inclusive principles appears especially effective for children and youth, supporting a shared rather than individual conceptualisation of trauma recovery.

3️⃣ Despite promising findings, the evidence base remains narrow, with trauma recovery research dominated by veteran samples, limited longitudinal follow-up, and insufficient attention to relational and systemic outcomes — leaving significant gaps for broader adult populations and diverse cultural contexts.

📄 Access the publication now: https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380261429511

Family Therapy Foundations | 23, 24, 30 & 31 July4 -day workshop | Online via ZoomSystemic Practice Consultant: Liz Malo...
14/04/2026

Family Therapy Foundations | 23, 24, 30 & 31 July
4 -day workshop | Online via Zoom
Systemic Practice Consultant: Liz Malone & Allie Bailey

Learn about family therapy methods and their potential to strengthen relationships, heal trauma and promote mental health.

On completion of this workshop, you will be able to:
✔ Developed a foundational understanding of core concepts and practice skills in Family Therapy
✔ Explored the origins and evolution of systemic thinking and key Family Therapy approaches
✔ Applied contemporary Family Therapy principles across diverse practice settings and client presentations
👉 Register now https://bit.ly/BC-PD2026-FTF

Two Therapists or a Team? What Really Matters in Walk In Family Therapy RESEARCH PUBLICATION📰 Contrasting Team and Co-Th...
13/04/2026

Two Therapists or a Team? What Really Matters in Walk In Family Therapy

RESEARCH PUBLICATION

📰 Contrasting Team and Co-Therapy Approaches to a Walk-In Family Therapy Program
(McIntosh, Rottem, Cloud et al, 2025)
Journal: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy

This qualitative study evaluates two delivery formats—team therapy and co therapy—within the Walk In Together (WIT) single session family therapy model.

🔑 Key Findings from the Study:
1️⃣ Families reported highly similar experiences across both formats, with consistent perceptions of session impact and essential change elements.
2️⃣ Therapists expressed a preference for the team format when working with more complex presentations or in training contexts, but fully supported the two therapist co therapy format in resource limited settings.
3️⃣ Essential therapeutic change was equally achieved in both approaches, showing that the number of therapists is less important than core relational factors.
4️⃣ The perceived benefit of WIT sessions for families lay in the timeliness of response, transparent engagement, and a well contained therapeutic process, rather than team size.
5️⃣ Findings support broader implementation of co therapy models, especially where resourcing constraints make team based delivery unsuitable.

This publication provides important evidence to guide service design for rapid access, family inclusive therapy models.

Access the publication at https://doi.org/10.1002/anzf.70014Digital



Group Reflective Practice | 24 & 25 June2-day workshop | In-personSystemic Practice Consultants: Angie Nyland & Karen St...
09/04/2026

Group Reflective Practice | 24 & 25 June
2-day workshop | In-person
Systemic Practice Consultants: Angie Nyland & Karen Story

Learn practice skills and increase your confidence in facilitating and managing group reflective practice to promote reflection for people working in the helping professions.

By attending this workshop, you will be able to:
✔ Have a structured yet flexible way to deliver group reflective practice
✔ Establish, review, and close a group reflective practice arrangement
✔ Understand the role and purpose of reflection
✔ Develop skills for providing both support and challenge in group reflective practice
👉 Register now https://bit.ly/BC-PD2026-GRP

Wine, Work & Womanhood: How Mothers Navigate Alcohol and Expectations 📰 RESEARCH PUBLICATIONHegemonic femininity, mother...
08/04/2026

Wine, Work & Womanhood: How Mothers Navigate Alcohol and Expectations

📰 RESEARCH PUBLICATION

Hegemonic femininity, motherhood, and alcohol in Australia
(Patsouras, Caluzzi…& Kuntsche, S., 2025)
Journal: Social Science & Medicine

This qualitative study explores how Australian working mothers navigate alcohol use within the pressures of hegemonic femininity, intensive motherhood, and neoliberal expectations.

🔑 Key Findings from the Study:
1️⃣ Women described carrying the mental load of family life while in paid employment, often framing this as personal responsibility, even when aware of persistent gender inequalities.
2️⃣ Alcohol emerged as a symbol of freedom, defiance, and identity reclamation, yet was tightly negotiated to remain consistent with ideals of “good motherhood”—for example, through controlled wine consumption and avoiding intoxication.
3️⃣ Mothers used alcohol as a way to “remake” motherhood, finding small moments of autonomy within otherwise constrained agency.
4️⃣ Alcohol use functioned paradoxically as both compliance and resistance to hegemonic femininity—supporting traditional expectations while offering emotional relief.
5️⃣ The study highlights how commercial messaging encourages women to see drinking as an expression of agency, while overlooking the structural and gendered pressures shaping their lives—suggesting a need for policies that address unequal caregiving roles.

This publication offers an important sociocultural lens on women’s health behaviours and the social forces shaping alcohol use in contemporary motherhood.

Access the publication here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41264998/



Working Relationally with Borderline Personality Disorder | 17 June1 -day workshop | Online via ZoomSystemic Practice Co...
06/04/2026

Working Relationally with Borderline Personality Disorder | 17 June
1 -day workshop | Online via Zoom
Systemic Practice Consultant: Peter McKenzie

Learn about the value of working relationally, mindfully and collaboratively to support clients living with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)/complex needs.

On completion of this workshop, you will be able to:
✔ Reflect on and share your challenges, experiences, understandings, and learnings from working with this complex-needs client group
✔ Increase your understanding of the role of the relational system in responding to BPD and related complex needs
✔ Understand the value of working mindfully and relationally with better outcomes for clients, supporters/carers, family relationships and the service system
✔ Be able to apply key relationally mindful practices
👉 Register now https://bit.ly/BC-VCCMHW-WRWBPD

🐣 Easter Break Notice 🐣Please note that our office will be closed from 3 April 2026, for the Easter break until Wednesd...
02/04/2026

🐣 Easter Break Notice 🐣

Please note that our office will be closed from 3 April 2026, for the Easter break until Wednesday, 8 April 2026 at 9:00 am.

We wish you and your loved ones a happy and safe Easter, and hope the break brings rest, renewal, and time well spent.

RESEARCH PROJECT SPOTLIGHTEngineering a Family e-Hub: Improving Service Accessibility for Families Experiencing Distress...
02/04/2026

RESEARCH PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Engineering a Family e-Hub: Improving Service Accessibility for Families Experiencing Distress

📰 Design of Digital Mental Health Platforms for Family Member Cocompletion: Scoping Review

This scoping review synthesises evidence on how digital mental health platforms are designed—and where they fall short—in supporting co completion by family members.

🔑 Key Findings from the Publication:
1️⃣ Out of 9,527 reviewed papers, only 85 studies met inclusion criteria, identifying 24 unique platforms designed for co use by related users (couples, parent–child pairs, caregiver–recipient dyads, and families).
2️⃣ Most platforms delivered structured mental health programs with minimal or no tailoring, highlighting a lack of personalisation for diverse family needs.
3️⃣ Critical design gaps were identified: no studies reported specific platform features that enable genuine co participation or protect individual privacy and safety during shared platform use.
4️⃣ No studies examined how platform design characteristics might moderate intervention effectiveness, and none provided formative evaluation of the platforms themselves.
5️⃣ User engagement findings varied (satisfaction, completion rates, feasibility), but evidence remains sparse—emphasising a significant research gap in designing digital tools that effectively engage multiple related users.

This publication underscores a major opportunity for cross disciplinary innovation in digital mental health—particularly for families who could benefit from collaborative online support. And that's exactly what we're doing here at Bouverie: developing a world-first relational resource hub for families experiencing distress.

Learn more about the project and read the publication here https://bit.ly/Bouverie-Family-e-Hub

Address

8 Gardiner Street
Brunswick, VIC
3056

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+61384814800

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