Sunny Psychology

13/08/2025

🐾💛One Paw Forward for Mental Health! 💛🐾

This October, Naia (therapy dog-in training) and I are joining the Black Dog Institute One Foot Forward in October for Mental Health campaign to raise money and awareness for mental health support across Australia.

We’ll be walking 150 km together. I’ll be breaking a sweat, and Naia will be spreading smiles (and wiggling her fluffy bum 😉) along the way. Every step we take helps fund vital research, education, and services for Australians doing it tough.

If you’d like to cheer us on, join the team, or donate, you can check out our page below.

Let’s put one foot (and one paw!) forward for a mentally healthier Australia 🐶👟🇦🇺

Together, we can help create better mental health for all.

04/07/2025

This is for survivors. For parents. And for those who still minimise.

In light of recent news about sexual abuse in childcare centres, I need to say this clearly: THIS IS NOT RARE; HE JUST GOT CAUGHT.

As a psychologist with over 15 years of experience in child sexual abuse and trauma recovery, I see and hear the consequences every single day in my practice, from toddlers who can’t sleep, to adults who still flinch at being touched.

In Australia alone, one report of sexual misconduct in a daycare is made EVERY SINGLE DAY. And that’s only what gets noticed. That’s only what gets reported.
Babies and toddlers have no language for abuse. They are the easiest targets.

These reports rarely make headlines. Daycare centres rebrand. Parents often aren’t even told. This has been happening, quietly and consistently, for decades.

And then we hear things like: "Children are so resilient." No. Not like this.

The overusage of the word 'resilience' allows for a cover up of the consistent systemic failings of adults, caregivers, and institutions (from child care centres, to church camps and hopsitals). Yes, resilience is real, but it’s not a get-out-of-jail-free card for our collective failure. It’s not a shield. It’s not healing.
Often, it’s a mask for hypervigilance, dissociation, or learned compliance.

Let’s stop using the word "resilience" as a bandaid on a gunshot wound.

Children don’t need to be more resilient. They need to be safe 🤍.

For mental health resources, please check out the highlights at the top of this page.

22/02/2025

Please meet and welcome therapy-dog-in-training: Miss Naia🌸!

Naia is a black-tri Australian Shepherd puppy who is still in training. She has some big boots to fill after her big brother stole so many hearts for so many years, but this girl is as confident as it comes and I'm so excited for her to meet clients (hopefully) later this year 🤗.

True to her breed, Naia has lots of energy, she's a cuddler with those she knows and quite intelligent. She has her own Instagram account to share her word journey with you. Have a look over on her account to see how she's up to 50+ words so far 💬!

Stay tuned for updates on her training :).