Michele Bland - Your Healing Space Brindabella Park

09/05/2026

Autistic Barbie’s Saturday Adventures-
Deep Pressure & Crystal Regulation 💎

After surviving Sensory Overload in the fan last week,
Barbie requested a slower adventure.

Today’s regulation menu:
Howlite crown: To soothe her nervous system ✅
Noise cancelling headphones: Standby mode ✅
Shoes: Off. Demands: Low ✅
Deep pressure: Grounding crystals on the lap ✅
Clear quartz: For something cool and predictable ✅

This is what co-regulation looks like in my therapy room. No “just calm down.” Just choice, sensory tools, and dolls who model that regulation is not a luxury — it’s access.

Here’s the best part: My clients get to determine Autistic Barbie’s next adventure. At your next appointment, you can choose her mission. Fidget basket quest? Weighted blanket fort? Stim retreat in the calm corner? You decide.

We do have a lot of fun setting it up together - but the choice is always yours. Because therapy should have play, autonomy, and main-character energy for your nervous system.

See you at Brindabella Park 💜

07/05/2026

Meet Autistic Barbie 💜

One of my brilliant clients suggested she have her own
“Elf on the Shelf” style adventures in the therapy room.
Challenge accepted.

Adventure #1: Surviving Sensory Overload

Sometimes your nervous system just hits maximum.
Autistic Barbie gets it. Noise-cancelling headphones? ✔️
Personal climate control? ✔️✔️
Sometimes self-regulation is making the fan your spa.

Next time you’re in my room, you get to pick her next adventure. Sensory win? Deep pressure mission?
Executive function quest? You decide.

Because therapy should have play, choice,
and dolls who understand hot flashes.

07/05/2026

Possibly the best use of AI ever!!🤣🤣

Shel: American accent, Australian address. Defected from the US for better coffee and fewer reasons to practice lockdown drills.

Educator + Counsellor at Brindabella Park. Lives in Bywong with a partner, 47 suspiciously thriving houseplants, and kangaroos that use the driveway as a gym.

ND brain, professionally certified. Collects postgrad trauma degrees and uses them to retire “trauma-informed” therapy that’s just trauma tourism. Hot take: people shouldn’t perform their worst day for your paperwork.

Day job: Writing NDIS reports that actually make sense, translating neuroscience into Bluey metaphors, and reminding nervous systems that “It’s over” is the goal — cheers Van der Kolk. Yes, I read the NDIS Price Guide updates for fun. No, you can’t borrow my hyperfocus.

Off the clock: Repotting plants at ungodly hours, walking the property, finding Canberra’s best dirty chai, and explaining to Americans that no, I don’t miss healthcare deductibles.

Will regulate your kid before 9am, decode your funding by 10, and have the monstera watered by 10:01.

Warning: May cause calmness, plant envy, funded supports, and the sudden urge to defect from broken systems yourself. 💅🌿🧠

Dual citizen. Dual menace. Pick a struggle.

06/05/2026

Shel Talks About Buzzwords:

Trauma-Informed

Sounds good, right?

Everyone says they’re “trauma-informed” lately.
But saying it ≠ doing it.

Here’s what trauma actually does:
It rewires your neural pathways.

Your brain responds in ways that are inconvenient for us and others… but make perfect sense. It’s protecting you.

Dissociation? Things not feeling real? Repressing memories? Your brain isn’t broken. It’s brilliant. It’s keeping you alive.

Sometimes your mind replays negative memories - not to torture you, but to remind you. To keep you safe.

I’ve spent my career here. Multiple postgrad degrees in trauma. Because it’s complex, and it’s not for every clinician. I love helping people regain safety, security, and actually move forward.

Here’s the kicker: When you talk about trauma, your brain relives it.

So “tell me everything that happened” on repeat? That’s not trauma-informed. That’s re-traumatising.

In the last month I’ve heard too many stories of “trauma-informed professionals” doing exactly that. Desensitisation + endless talk therapy have zero evidence for trauma. Zero.

Trauma needs a different approach.

The question isn’t “What happened to you then?”
It’s “What help do you need now?”

Tracy and I heard Dr. Bessel van der Kolk speak - the doctor who first identified PTSD. He said the whole goal of trauma work is for a person to say, feel, and believe:

“It’s over.”

That’s it. Not “processed.” Not “understood.” Over.

We do therapy differently here. Because your nervous system deserves better than buzzwords.

If you’ve felt worse after “trauma therapy,” you’re not the problem. The method was.

💛

05/05/2026

This week already Cameron and I have seen 6 kids who think a little differently. We love these brains - we have these brains.

We don’t believe a diagnosis is what’s disabling. What disables kids is rigid environments and no strategies. So we build capacity and we remove barriers. With families. In systems. One step at a time.

Yesterday, I was colouring with a 4-year-old using sidewalk chalk {shared with permission}. The chalk snapped in half. Her face dropped - instant worry.

Big feelings over little things are so real for our ND kids. And they deserve co-regulation, not “it’s just chalk.”

So I said, “Wow. That’s amazing. It’s a happy accident. Now you have TWO pieces of chalk.”

Her whole face changed. Worry → excitement.

For the rest of the session, every time chalk broke: “It’s a happy accident! It’s a happy accident!” She took it home and taught her parents.

We’re not just doing therapy. We’re modelling resiliency. We’re practicing flexibility in real time. We’re showing kids that mistakes aren’t dangerous - sometimes they’re double the fun.

This is why we do what we do. 💛

P.S. If your child melts down over “little things,” they’re not being dramatic. Their nervous system is asking for help. We can build that flexibility together - without squashing who they are.

02/05/2026

Stuck on something? Here's a resource that might help...

01/05/2026

What does therapy look like with us? 😂

When people ask me and Cameron this, we always giggle a bit. Because honestly… it looks different for everyone.

We’re big on person-centred therapy - which is a fancy way of saying we deliver services in whatever way makes the most sense for you.

In person? We LOVE seeing people face-to-face right now on the beautiful Brindabella Park campus. That means soccer fields, table tennis, restaurants, walking paths… so if you want to do a walk-and-talk, grab a cuppa after, or even debrief over a quick ping pong match, we can make it happen.

For kids? That might be walk-and-talks at the park, or play-based sessions built around their special interests. Cameron is famous for teaching literally any concept using a video game and a well-timed reference 🎮📎

Prefer telehealth? Some love video, some phone, and yep - some even prefer text-only. If that’s what helps you show up and feel safe, we’re here for it.

BUT - gentle, loving caution incoming 🚨
If we’re diving into the heavy stuff… trauma, grief, big life chapters… therapy works best when you can give it intentional time + space.

Texting us from the school pickup line while juggling snacks? We adore your multitasking, but it’s probably not the best use of your money OR your healing.

Think of it like this: If you were coming to our office at Brindabella Park, you’d set aside that hour. Same deal for telehealth. Find a quiet spot, make a cuppa, and let us have your full, fabulous attention for that time.

We’re flexible, yes. But we’re also here to make sure you get real value from your sessions.

How do you like to do therapy? Drop a 🙋 if you’re team walk-and-talk, 💻 if you’re team telehealth, 🏓 if you’re keen for in-person + table tennis, or 🎮 if Cameron has explained something to you while gaming?

30/04/2026

FAQ: "How do I know if therapy is actually working?"

1. Trauma-informed therapy should NOT traumatise you.
You should leave your sessions feeling heard and understood. If you consistently feel like your therapist doesn’t get you, that might be a skills or personality mismatch. Not every therapist is right for every person.

2. BUT… therapy is meant to be uncomfortable sometimes.
Learning new skills and moving out of your comfort zone will feel vulnerable. Hard doesn’t always mean wrong.

3. You won’t always see your own progress.
I often suggest clients ask me: “What evidence do YOU see of my progress?” Ask trusted friends or family too. Progress isn’t always a feeling- sometimes others notice it first.

Bottom line: You deserve a therapist who’s a good fit. And it’s okay to outgrow a therapist or need a different approach.

You know yourself best.
And you’re allowed to ask questions 💜

What therapy question should I answer next?
I’m taking requests for my FAQ series!

27/04/2026

LinkedIn Update 🤣🤣

Woke up sick on Friday…

The kind of sick where I didn’t want to expose my vulnerable clients - but also the kind of sick where my ADHD needed a bed-bound project.

Translation: I spent Friday + Saturday in bed, and voilà
- my LinkedIn profile is finally done 🙌

33+ years of trauma-informed chaos, condensed. Think- it’s trauma-informed, professional but quirky, and quite me.

Now I need your help:

If you’ve worked with me, know me, or wanna vouch for my ability to stay sane-ish in the craziest of circumstances😂… I’d love a recommendation on LinkedIn.

No rush, no pressure.
Just wanted to ask the people I love 🙏

I help people do therapy differently. As an AUDHD therapist and Developmental… · Experience: Your Healing Space Brindabella Park · Education: University of Wollongong · Location: Australia · 67 connections on LinkedIn. View Michele Bland’s profile on LinkedIn, a professional community of 1 b...

26/04/2026

For all of you who asked how my Easter holidays were…😅

I enjoyed the time at home, but there were a few moments when I questioned my sanity as I had three huge papers due for this uni term.

Turns out full-time work + full-time Masters + family is exactly as chaotic as it sounds. Would I recommend it? Ask me again in 2027.

But here's why I'm doing it anyway:

In 2025, I started a Master of Autism and Neurodivergent Studies at University of Wollongong. It's one of Australia's only accredited pathways to becoming a Developmental Educator, and we, as students, are conducting the much-needed research.

As an autistic person working in trauma-informed care, I picked this course because it values lived experience alongside the clinical stuff. We're not just reading 10-year-old textbooks about autism. We're taking ethical, collaborative research that came out last month and figuring out how to use it with real families, schools, and NDIS participants right now.

What that looks like for me:

- Late nights learning advanced assessment
frameworks for autism, ADHD, PANS/PANDAS

- Learning why old “behaviour management"
approaches never worked and considering how
we can do better.

- Deep-diving even more into NDIS, Positive Behaviour
Support & Restrictive Practices through a Human
Rights lens

- Asking "but how does this help the kid refusing
school on Monday?"

- Saying “I would also refuse school on Monday too I was
that child.”

The intersection of trauma + neurodivergence is where I live and work. Too many kids get labelled "naughty" when they're actually terrified or overwhelmed. This Masters is me getting better tools to change that. If you thought I was a loud advocate before, get ready for me armed with more research.🤣

So yeah, the papers are brutal. But being at the forefront of putting new autistic research into practice? I couldn't love it more. 💕

If you're a parent drowning in reports, or a coordinator trying to find clinicians who get it, I see you. The research is moving fast. So are we.

Drop me a comment if you're also doing life on hard mode right now. Hopefully it’s all going to be worth it in the end.😀