Outside the Square Psychology

30/10/2025

Happy Halloween everyone!

Our fairy garden has been taken over by pumpkins and graveyards this month……..

08/07/2025

For NAIDOC week we have some new picture books, a treasure hunt with native animal figurines and aboriginal find-a-words to do while you are in the waiting room.

09/05/2025

We celebrated Autism Awareness month in April by offering a month-long colouring-in opportunity. Here are some of the ‘neurodivergent and proud’ artworks.

All participants will receive a prize personalised to their area of passion.

30/01/2025

We are pleased to now provide an accessible family bathroom for visitors to our Traralgon office.

20/12/2024

Merry Christmas to all our Outside the Square visitors and their families. Traralgon and Burwood offices both close from 21st December to January 6th 2025.
Pictured: Traralgon staff

21/11/2024

Thanks to psychologist Stephanie Bredin from our Traralgon office for arranging her annual ‘Share the Dignity’ collection, garnering donations from our staff.
Steph donated 4 bags.
If others are interested in donating to the charity, take your bag of toiletry donations to any Bunnings Warehouse store between Nov 15th and December 1st.

19/06/2024

It’s school formal time…

… an out-of-routine event that some of our neurodiverse folk might love to attend, yet sensory or social considerations may make it seem unviable.

Here is the plan developed with one young person this week in the clinic, whose concerns were about the feel of fancy clothing, the noise levels, and how to make conversation during formal.

1/ Choosing comfortable clothing to wear:

- Look online at a local store for styles that look nice. Young person knows they can tolerate the feeling of linen clothing, so can search for those specifically on the website. Try to select two outfits from the photos on the site. Screen shot these. This store has a good ‘change of mind’ policy.

- Make the store trip the shortest possible; have the saved photos to show the salesperson once there. Locate and touch the clothes to see if the texture feels nice. If so, parent will purchase these to bring home and try on there.

- Try on both outfits at home and if they feel nice on the body, considering keeping. Take photos of self in each outfit. Have trusted people look at the two photos and help with decision of which one to wear (if uncertain just based on the feel of the clothes).

2/ Coping with noise:

-Plan to arrive early so noise slowly builds at the venue instead of walking into busy, loud room. - -Take AirPods so can listen to white noise app when necessary.
- Being within first arrivals, position self near exit (not the same as the entry) to easily walk out to fresh air if needed.

3/ Knowing what to say:

- Know that as there is music playing, people may not be conversing much.
- Nevertheless, have pre-prepared topics ready. We identified in session the peers with shared school subjects (psychology) and similar sporting interests (Australian Rules) and what they might talk about. These are the young persons passions and will be easy to talk about.
- Use observational learning; when peers go on phones this could also be used as a welcome escape, when needing a ‘rest’ from conversation.

The right level of social input:

The young person chose not to get ready with a peer that invited them to the peers’ home, rather just meet at the front of the formal to walk in together.

The young person also chose not to attend the after party (although invited), and

Recovery time:
With parental permission decided to have the next morning off school to recover from the social input.

15/02/2024

Update: electricity restored Saturday afternoon.

Due to the storms on Valentines Eve, we are unfortunately still working without electricity at our Traralgon office. We have been without our phone system and internet for the past two days. Sorry if you’ve been trying to call or email, and haven’t been feeling the love because of our lack of response.

We can be contacted via this page, and after hooking up a generator today, we can read emails with the help of mobile hotspot.

We are providing appointments as usual with improvised (camping) lighting. We appreciate clients coming in to the office in person.

09/11/2023

https://www.instagram.com/p/CzXnZLYxtSo/

04/08/2023

An explanation for children:

Friendly person:

Smiles at you, greets you with a hello, a wave or by using your name, talks to you (surface conversation, small talk), spends some time in your company.

Friend:

All of the above, and also

- Talks with you about shared interests, shares personal information. May confide secrets in you.

- Seeks your company for a greater amount of time than an acquaintance (friendly person), which often includes catching up outside of organised activities like school

09/04/2023

17/02/2023

For those visitors who appreciate advance notice of change, our Traralgon office has been repainted and looks different than your last visit.