Dr Lavinia Vaz Clinical Psychologist

17/11/2024

Sometimes we forget that we need to commit to choosing to feel okay, even 'yummy'!
Life is a collection of moments or experiences.
The hard moments that make us feel 'yukky' inside tend to be easy to remember. They often start to 'mark' and sometimes define us.
Try to choose to also celebrate the moments that aren't as bad or even are kind of nice...it can make life easier than solely relying on great events and tbh it's not too hard:)
For instance, put on a great song that makes you smile, take off your shoes and dance. If you can't dance as it hurts physically then try chair or bed dancing. If you can't dance as you think you can't, try to remember noone's watching you:)

Create happiness.

Official Music Video for "Happy" by Pharrell WilliamsListen to Pharrell: https://PharrellWilliams.lnk.to/listenYDSubscribe to the official Pharrell YouTube c...

13/11/2024

Jaroz and I enjoyed meeting Bill Ring at Mudjar Aboriginal Corporation today:)

12/09/2024

R u ok? Start by asking yourself...

R U OK?Day is a reminder to start a conversation ANY day it's needed.

Find tips for how to ask, and what you can say if someone tells you that they’re not OK at https://bit.ly/3RYBSwb

01/09/2024

Happy Father's Day to all fathers:)
Take care and have fun!!
Lavinia

01/01/2024

Sexual health is much more than physical.

It encompasses:
✅ Respect
✅ Pleasure
✅ Safety
✅ Freedom from coercion, discrimination and violence

01/01/2024

Brace yourselves because we're about to launch into a brand-new year, folks!🌟🚀Let's talk resolutions. No, not the 'right lighting for selfies' kind, but the 'knocking out combat stress' kind. 🥊 We can ditch that stress like last year's ugly Christmas sweater!😉 How? Follow these handy tips.

27/12/2023

Stop scrolling and take a moment to consider your mental health 🤔

Being mentally fit helps you:
🔵realize your own abilities
🔵cope with the normal stresses of life
🔵work productively and fruitfully
🔵contribute to your community

23/12/2023

Today I went to my first non-Catholic Chistmas service. I know I don't usually bring "me" into my professional posts.

A person there said they were amazed I was so vocal about the Tor Youth Shed, like surely there are other you centres-hope Fm guy, if you know of any please let me know.

Sorry hope fm, in my experience in 5 years in this town the TYS is the ultimate expression of God's love for children through God loving mentors.That's my personal opinion.

My professional option is, well have you checked out the wealth of expertise that board has access to? Non-judgemental, multidisplinary, multicultural and no flag waving requirements! What's not to love??

Sorry, I will continue to show my professional support and offer my time to TYS until they do something ikky. So far, I'm learning from them.
Back to me the person, I cant do veggie. I just can't.

I can recall the name of you and that you interviewed a mentor.

If you would like to meet and discuss how I combine what I see as my obligations, I am happy to chat with full pproval of anything you post.

Othwise, as a media rep, please never put anyone on the spot again during a Church celebration. It is disrespectful at the very least

Sorry Meridith
His comments were the low point of today's christmas

03/12/2023

What can i say?....she's in love...jaroz is a therapy dog, she protects.

Anyway last Sat of the Tor Youth Shed . It's been lovely so far ... with mixed heart I say bye to a lovely lady moving forward:) Pquita Worsfold !!!

Guys, make great decisions in the break
Merry Christmas

Love, jaroz and I

02/11/2023

👩🏽‍👦👶👩‍🍼👩🏾‍🍼🤰

"Breaking News"

ECS are establishing a Mums’ Group at the ECS Community Hub which will start regularly in 2024.

This will be a place for all Mums to feel safe, valued and empowered. Somewhere where Mum's can make connections with other people and reduce the social isolation that many mothers feel. And of course, somewhere to have fun!

On Thursday, 9th November, Mothers are invited to the ECS Mums’ High Tea from 9.30am – 11.30am at the Community Hub on Rowse Street. This is to get ideas from all you lovely Mums on what you want from a Mums Group. There will be a creche so bring the kids along.

We look forward to seeing you there.

02/11/2023

https://www.facebook.com/100082299005056/posts/315762864510345/?mibextid=2JQ9oc

Happy to drop in if ECS thinks some mums may like a clinical psych to be there for a free meet n greet chat. I understand seeing health professionals can be stressful, meet n greets can help reduce that anxiety.

If there are mums wanting one on one clinical help, please feel free to call me on 0490 826 185.

Yes, it can be pricey. However, I'd rather negotiate with potential clients what they can afford than deny them clinical help from an experienced clinician. I don't count beans:)

Bit of background...my PhD focused on helping mums cope with child rearing

👩🏽‍👦👶👩‍🍼👩🏾‍🍼🤰

"Breaking News"

ECS are establishing a Mums’ Group at the ECS Community Hub which will start regularly in 2024.

This will be a place for all Mums to feel safe, valued and empowered. Somewhere where Mum's can make connections with other people and reduce the social isolation that many mothers feel. And of course, somewhere to have fun!

On Thursday, 9th November, Mothers are invited to the ECS Mums’ High Tea from 9.30am – 11.30am at the Community Hub on Rowse Street. This is to get ideas from all you lovely Mums on what you want from a Mums Group. There will be a creche so bring the kids along.

We look forward to seeing you there.

31/10/2023

The HPV vaccine is highly effective. It can prevent 9 in 10 cases of the most high-risk strains of HPV – the number 1 cause of cervical cancer. Share this information widely!

29/10/2023

I've decided I'm old!

Last week our Opera singers turned into rappers so I got distracted.... these young people have talent.

This Sunday we celebrated Pquita's graduation!!!
With dominos pizzas!!! Thank you!!!

So I put our Opera singers to a challenge. We are thinking, the talented and i....mmm...its ok...they are talented and i am I! Of proposing to pur board a fund-raising lip syncing comp....

Oh I forgot to say, I'm grants officer for tys now:) yeah me. So please grant deciders be kind as I'm new to it:)

However back to my challenge which these opera rappers rose to...we wonder if the community had any interest in a old fashioned countdown-synced or not! If so just let me know.....it's not a this year event.... I'm a tortoise now:)

Zen, even away, your team rose to the challenge asap!!! Very amazing team you run:)

28/10/2023

Hi, tonight's pizza night at the Tor Youth Shed compliments of Domino's Pizza Esperance !!
Hope to see you there:)

16/09/2023

Tonight was the last sat of the term at the Tor Youth Shed .

I will certainly miss cooking with these lovely girls, I'm scared to spell their names in case wrong but they'll understand-we have Perkita frying an egg! Whilst Sharlie's at the BBQ!

Thank you to the Siam Thai Cuisine for our lovely noodles and Bistro Louis for our eggs and pink lake IGA for our weekly salads!!

Tonight I had a great surprise, one of the kids apologised for scaring me the night before...I was confused and he laughed and I recognised his laugh!! It was one full of joy...you know like when you hear some people laugh, you feel joy inside? Like that. It's important i think to actively look for joy in life and in people, even strangers.

We had laughed the night before as strangers and I dk, it felt nice he remembered me:) he was riding by and said hi as I was putting out my bin and i jumped out of my skin as they came from nowhere then we laughed:) celebrating the small joys in your day makes most days more fun.

To all the people out and about after hours PLEASE WEAR REFLECTIVE GEAR. The street lights here are not enough, esp on the smaller streets. ECS has heaps at cheaps prices-i know its not a great fashion statement, but then neither are hospital gowns.

See you in 3 weeks time:)

Take care, Lavinia and Jaroz

14/09/2023

On 'R u ok?' day we are reminded to ask a friend, colleague, family member, etc how they are...
When doing so, please remember if the answer is no, to listen and direct the person to seek professional help from their gp and/or psychologists or emergency dept as required.

Please also remember to ask yourself, am I OK?
Start with that question, and if you feel a bit wobbly or unsure, please seek professional help via your gp and/or psychologists.

If you are unsure of how to see a registered psychologist, some ways include:

Contacting me via phone on 049 0826 185 or email me on lavinia@vazpsychology.com.au

or

contacting the Australian Psychological Society [APS] who also have a free find a psychologist guide on their website. You can also contact the APS to ask for psychologists with recognised speciality areas

Or

asking your local GP to refer you to a registered psychologist via a Mental Health Care Plan so that you can get a Medicare rebate.

Or

Searching for recognised health practitioners on the free Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency [AHPRA] website. All recognised health and allied health practitioners need to be registered with AHPRA.

When you approach a referral agent such as a GP, you as the patient, have the right to choose your psychologist, esp now given telehealth!

Hence my encouraging you to investigate the qualifications, year of registration which gives you an idea of how long the health practitioner has been practising, and if it's a speciality area you are seeking psychological services about, to seek out a specialist via the APS:)

Also, please inform the admin staff of your GP, Peadiatrician, Psychiatrists, etc as to why you are booking an appt as mental health care plans are often booked differently than general appts.

Thanks.
Take care, Lavinia

11/09/2023

I guess I got some bedtime reading! Only joking...'sleep hygiene' is very important.

Just launched!
Su***de Prevention Australia has released its ‘2023 State of the Nation in Su***de Prevention’ report.

The report is a key tool for monitoring our sector, the state of the community, and our national policy platform. Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey and provided their valuable insights.

DOWNLOAD – https://ow.ly/JURA50PIzIx

11/09/2023

11/09/2023

10/09/2023

Another great night at the Tor Youth Shed where be had an open choice bbq including fried eggs donated by Bistro Louis - very yummy, thank you!!

We also were treated by two of the TYS team Curtis and Luke, who have amazing voices and sang from Les Miserable.

Then we sat around chatting about heaps of things! It was a late but lovely night:)

Next week is our last Sat before school holidays I'm told. Hope you can join us:)

Thanks.
Take care and have fun!! Lavinia

06/09/2023

It can be hard knowing where to start when supporting someone.

We've come up with these tips to help make it a little easier.

Remember, the most important thing is to be genuine when asking R U OK? and sticking around for the answer, no matter what it is.

You can download this poster by signing up for the resources at https://bit.ly/3y6vzQc

06/09/2023

Supporting individuals with personality disorders requires a patient and compassionate approach. It's important to create an environment where they feel safe, understood, and valued, helping to gradually overcome these barriers and take steps towards seeking the help they need.
Remember that we are here to walk with you through this path 🫂

02/09/2023

We had all the suggestions for our hotdog night at the Tor Youth Shed !! Not many came so we got to experiment:) I'm not a sports fan and was not aware it was footy wind ups, etc! Oops:)

Thank you to for fresh hotdog buns and Pink Lake IGA for their regular gift of salads:)

We concluded we like cheese, onions and sauce mostly!!

01/09/2023

I'd like to say a big thank you to all the children I met today and yesterday as I filled in for George as a lollipop lady for -the students were all very polite, cheerful and delightful! And helpful too!
To the Principal, teachers and Helen the Bus Warden, thank you as well! And also the bus drivers:) It was lovely to see how smoothly you all worked:)
And to the mums and dads, thank you for raising beautiful kids. They were delightful:)
Also thanks to Greg for his guidance:)
I can honestly say, it was a pretty nice way to start my day!!
Take care, Lavinia

01/09/2023

Walk with me...raising awareness:)

Walk to support young Western Australians.

12/08/2023

Another wonderful night at the Tor Youth Shed !!

I am so impressed with the seemingly casual flow of the place...from signing in and greeting those playing cards (i later learnt a new game to me called spot it! I love it!) Then greeting those playing pool, those playing a computer game, then those playing table tennis and a pause to enjoy the moment one of the kids greeted me by name, after just one meeting, he remembered me!! Lil' ol' me! I still love the buzz of connecting with kids, and the joy of watching them learn and just by be themself!
And then the wafting smell of BBQ with a side of desserts first as i watched more people play basketball and another group play I'm not really sure what the other ball game was, but they looked like they were having fun and knew what they were playing!

And somewhere through the evening I got to chat with more of the adults involved who seemed to blend in with the kids playing and laughing...

And yeah, i can honestly say I'm looking forward to next Saturday night:) Hope to see you there too!!

28/07/2023

08/05/2023

Our ground-breaking Rural Psychiatry Training WA (RPTWA) program was recently featured in Farm Weekly.

The first of its kind in Australia or New Zealand, the program allows our trainee psychiatrists to live, train and practice in country WA from internship through to fellowship.

Read more - bit.ly/428a3Xy

23/04/2023

𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 that someone is at r𝘪𝘴𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵. 💛

23/04/2023

23/04/2023

Do you experience such instances?

While each microaggression may not seem particularly harmful, they add up and can erode the psychological and physical health of people in minority groups.

15/04/2023

The Cockroach Theory

The cockroach theory for self-development

At a restaurant, a cockroach suddenly flew from somewhere and sat on a lady.

She started screaming out of fear.

With a panic-stricken face and trembling voice, she started jumping, with both her hands desperately trying to get rid of the cockroach.

Her reaction was contagious, as everyone in her group also got panicky.

The lady finally managed to push the cockroach away but ...it landed on another lady in the group.

Now, it was the turn of the other lady in the group to continue the drama.

The waiter rushed forward to their rescue.

In the relay of throwing, the cockroach next fell upon the waiter.

The waiter stood firm, composed himself and observed the behaviour of the cockroach on his shirt.

When he was confident enough, he grabbed it with his fingers and threw it out of the restaurant.

Sipping my coffee and watching the amusement, the antenna of my mind picked up a few thoughts and started wondering, was the cockroach responsible for their histrionic behaviour?

If so, then why was the waiter not disturbed?

He handled it near to perfection, without any chaos.

It is not the cockroach, but the inability of those people to handle the disturbance caused by the cockroach, that disturbed the ladies.

I realized that it is not the shouting of my father or my boss or my wife that disturbs me, but it's my inability to handle the disturbances caused by their shouting that disturbs me.

It's not the traffic jams on the road that disturbs me, but my inability to handle the disturbance caused by the traffic jam that disturbs me.

More than the problem, it's my reaction to the problem that creates chaos in my life.

Lessons learnt from the story I've edited it as I dont like the lessons he learnt

I understood I cope better when I do not react in life.

I thus try to respond.

The women reacted, whereas the waiter responded.

Reactions are typically instinctive whereas responses are generally well thought of.

A beautiful way to understand

LIFE.

Thus...

The HAPPY person is not because Everything is RIGHT in his Life.

He is HAPPY because his Attitude towards Everything in his Life is Right!

Please feel free to Respond:)
Lavinia

Dr Lavinia Vaz
Clinical Psychologist Registrar
0490 826 185
Lavinia@vazpsychology.com.au

13/01/2023

You can help brighten someone's day by lending a helping hand.

A check in, an 'are you OK?' and a listening ear can make all the difference when someone is struggling.

For tips, visit https://bit.ly/2ZcG05n

Illustration courtesy of Jangandfox

04/01/2023

10/09/2022

Today, on World Su***de Prevention Day, we gather united in our commitment to bring hope and help to people in a dark place.
We remember those lost to su***de and acknowledge the pain for those left behind.
We are thankful for the support, love and empathy of those around us.
We recognise the role we all have to play in supporting people in crisis and preventing su***de.
We commit to addressing the issues of stigma and ignorance that are barriers to people accessing the help they deserve.
We invite people in distress to reach out for support.
We encourage those concerned about someone, to engage, listen and connect them with care.
We understand that through collective and collaborative effort, more people will be kept safe and well.
We walk united in our conviction that we can all take positive steps to prevent su***de.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE

04/09/2022

💜

04/09/2022

Happy Father's Day to all those dads, granddads and great granddads!!
Have a great weekend, Lavinia

04/09/2022

If ready and need so help,
Please call me, Dr Lavinia Vaz Clinical Psychologist Registrar, on 049 0826 185 or emailed me on lavinia@vazpsychology.com.au.
Take care, lavinia