GMP Therapy

12/03/2026

40 Reasons Why — Reason #29
*shared with informed consent*

This week, as a therapist, I cried in session with my client. This wasn’t a little tear, it was a powerful moment where I sat with them as they let the emotion flow.

They said something that captured a moment of real change in their journey:

“It’s been really amazing to see all of these different bodies. It has actually really helped me to appreciate my body even more. These raw images. This raw beauty. And I say to myself, my body is normal because my body’s mine and it’s unique. For the first time in so long I was able to look at my body with so much love. And it felt so good. It felt so good to look at myself and just appreciate my body for what it is.”

This is a client who has been doing the hard work for a long time. The kind of work that happens quietly, week after week. And then one day something shifts.

To hear them speak about their body with love — after so long at war with it — was a powerful moment.

This is one of the reasons I’m raising funds for EDV.

Because recovery from eating disorders is possible.
Because moments like this matter.
Because sometimes the smallest shifts in how someone sees their body can represent years of courage and healing.

40 reasons why. This is reason #29.

❤️

Donate by following the link in the comments or the link on my page 👇🏼

11/03/2026

I’m going to be honest.

I’m sick of the yo-yo.

The anxiety.
The stress.
The uncertainty.
The broken sleep.

Some days I feel like I’ve got it all together. Other days… I don’t. And you know what? That’s normal.

Even people who talk about resilience still have to practice it.

Resilience isn’t about never feeling the pressure, it’s about having some tools before the crisis hits.

Because here’s the thing: too often we wait until burnout hits, anxiety spikes, or everything feels like it’s falling apart before we do anything. That’s like trying to build a dam in the middle of a drought. Way too late.

So I lean on a few simple things that help me steady myself before life gets heavy:

💤 Sleep: Treat it like the foundation it is.
🏃 Move your body: Even just a walk or a ride to shake the tension out.
🗣 Talk to someone: Not small talk. Be honest. Tell them how you really feel.
✋ Focus on what you can control: The next step, the next action, the next conversation.
🌄 Remember the bigger picture: You’ve been through storms before. You’ll get through this one too.

The yo-yo may never fully disappear. But the more tools you build before it drops, the steadier you become when life hits hard.

If the yo-yo’s swinging for you too, you’re not alone. And starting the conversation? That might just be the first tool in your toolbox.

11/03/2026

We are pleased to share that Gemma has recently completed Comprehensive R-TEP and G-TEP training with the EMDR Academy.

These protocols sit within Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and are specifically designed to support people who have experienced recent traumatic events.

R-TEP (Recent Traumatic Episode Protocol) is a structured EMDR approach used with individuals in the days, weeks, or months following a traumatic incident. It helps people safely process the memory of what occurred, reduce distress linked to the event or events, and support the nervous system in integrating the experience.

G-TEP (Group Traumatic Episode Protocol) adapts this approach so that support can also be delivered in group settings, allowing communities affected by a shared traumatic event to access early psychological support in a structured and stabilising format.

With our local community recently impacted by bushfires, these protocols are particularly relevant. Events like these can leave people feeling shaken long after the flames are out — with intrusive memories, heightened vigilance, sleep disturbance, or a persistent sense of threat.

R-TEP and G-TEP are designed to help interrupt the consolidation of traumatic stress, offering an evidence-informed way to stabilise distress and support recovery following acute events.

At GMP Therapy, ongoing professional development is an important part of ensuring the support offered to individuals and communities is grounded in trauma-informed, evidence-based care.

If you or someone you know has been affected by the recent bushfire and would like to explore support, please feel welcome to reach out. Send a message here, contact through our website or reach out to therapygmp@gmail.com

11/03/2026

Reason 30 or our
fundraising campaign is to help provide accessible mental health resources across Victoria.

Every Australian deserves access to quality mental health support — regardless of postcode, income, background, or circumstance.

Yet across our state, many people still face significant barriers when seeking help. Long waitlists, cost, geographic isolation, and limited local services can mean that support arrives too late, or not at all.

For individuals and families already navigating vulnerability, these barriers can feel insurmountable

Accessible care is not a luxury. It is a fundamental part of a compassionate and equitable health system.

When people can reach the right support early — information, guidance, community programs, helplines, education — outcomes improve.

Families feel less alone. Communities become more informed. And individuals are given the opportunity to heal with dignity.

At GMP Therapy, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to access care that supports their wellbeing. Mental health challenges do not discriminate, and neither should access to support.

That’s why we are raising funds for Eating Disorders Victoria — an organisation committed to ensuring people across Victoria can access trusted resources, community education, and support services when they need them.
Because every person is worthy of care.

Donate. Share. Start conversations.
Please donate here:
https://eating-disorders-foundation-of-victoria-inc.grassrootz.com/edv-bayoffires-2026/gemma-parkinson

Link in the bio

04/03/2026

This was something my mother said to me as a young child.

I don’t blame her. I truly don’t.
I see now how much was handed to her first — the comparison, the scrutiny, the quiet policing of women’s bodies. The way worth was tied to size. The way shame was dressed up as guidance. She passed down what was passed down to her.
It was never about cruelty.
It was about survival in a world that taught women their bodies were public property.

This is reason 31. Because my story is one of millions across the globe.

There is something you can do to help this narrative. You can donate to services that are working hard to intervene early. You can donate by following the link in my bio or in the comments.

To my younger self.
Sweet girl,
I remember the moment those words landed. The way you immediately believed them. You believed them for SO many years. The way you decided your body was something that needed to be adjusted before it could be accepted.

You started shrinking that day — not physically, but emotionally.
You began watching yourself from the outside.
You compared.
You covered up.
You questioned whether you were allowed to be seen.

I wish you could see what I see now.
This body you were taught to criticise?
It is extraordinary.
It will change — soften, scar, curve, strengthen.
And instead of hating it for those changes, you will love it more because of them.

One day you will stand in front of the mirror — in a body that does not look like the ones you were told to compare yourself to — and you will feel:
Gratitude.
You will wear the dress.
You will wear the bathers.
You will stop asking if you’re “allowed.”
You will take up space without apology.
You will giggle with your children that your big squishy bum is the best bum in the world.
You will lie beside someone who loves you, in a body that feels like home — and there will be no shame in it.
You will have moments, and you will move through those with ease.

I need you to know this:
Your body was never the problem.
It was never wrong. 
It was never disqualified from joy.
You were always enough.
And you grow into a woman who knows that.
With so much love,
Me 🤍

02/03/2026

The US and Israel have struck Iran. This is a globally significant moment.

For many people - including millions of Iranians who have lived under a brutal, oppressive regime for over 40 years - there will be complicated feelings. Hope mixed with fear. Relief tangled with uncertainty.

One thing is clear though: our kids are picking up on all of it.

They're seeing frightening images, hearing anxious adult conversations, and asking questions we don't always know how to answer.

Here's what I know about helping children navigate scary news:

1. Follow their lead, don't get ahead of them.
Don't volunteer more information than they're asking for. Let their questions guide the conversation. A child asking "Is there going to be a war?" needs something different to one asking "Will we be okay?"

2. It's okay to say "I don't know."
You don't need to have all the answers - and making things up to fill the silence does more harm than good. "I'm not sure what's going to happen. Nobody really knows yet. But I'll always be honest with you" is a great answer. None of us is an expert on global affairs. Acknowledge it.

3. Validate before you inform.
Before you explain anything, acknowledge how your child feels. "That does sound really scary. It makes sense that you're worried." Children need to feel heard before they can absorb information.

4. Keep it age-appropriate and honest.
Younger kids need simple, calm reassurance. Older kids can handle more - and they deserve honesty rather than spin. Avoid the urge to over-explain or lecture though. A simple, "Here's what I know... how does that sound to you?" will often be enough.

5. Separate their world from the wider world.
"The world can feel unsafe right now. But our home, our street, our family - we are safe." Kids need to believe that their world is predictable and secure, even when the wider world isn't.

6. Limit exposure to news and social media - for everyone.
The 24-hour news cycle feeds anxiety in adults just as much as children. Brief, intentional check-ins are enough. You don't need to have the news running in the background, and neither do they.

7. Name what's good.
Even in dark moments, there are helpers, peacemakers, and people doing good. Point to them.

8. Stay regulated yourself.
Your children are watching you more than they're watching the news. If you're calm, they're more likely to be calm. Model the steadiness you want them to feel.

9. Keep the door open.
Let your children know they can always come to you, and that no question is too hard or too silly.

Things are a little crazy just now. There are wars going on. But we only know about them because the media tells us. (Note. There are a LOT of wars they're not talking about and those ones don't scare us - because we don't know about them.) The reality is that things are a little crazy all the time.

Our job is not to make our kids feel like the world is perfect. It's not... it's generally stunningly complicated. Our job, instead, is to help our children feel safe, even in an uncertain world. 💙

02/03/2026

28/02/2026

Seven weeks in.

And I am privileged to be where the real conversations are happening.

Not the public ones.

The quiet ones.
The honest ones.
“I’m having a s**t day.”
“It would’ve been easier to just lose everything.”
“I’ve never been more grateful.”
“This is completely f×>ked.”

I’m hearing all of it.

Sometimes from the same person in the same conversation.

Tears.
Gratitude.
Anger.
Guilt.
Frustration.
Isolation.
Exhaustion that sleep doesn’t fix.

If this is you.
You are not weak.

Research from Kate Brady and Phoenix Australia tells us that this stage of recovery brings cumulative stress. Not because something new has happened. But because the load hasn’t stopped.
And when the body finally slows, emotions catch up.

All of them.

You can be grateful and angry.
Hopeful and exhausted.
Strong and overwhelmed.

Both can be true.

The most dangerous thing right now isn’t the emotion.
It’s thinking you shouldn’t be feeling it.

There is no “should” in recovery.

So if today is a good day, that’s valid.
If today is a s**t day, that’s valid too.

Keep talking.
Keep checking in.
Keep normalising the messiness of it all.

That’s where we are.

26/02/2026

If you grew up feeling like your needs were too much, apologizing for having them probably became automatic.

"I'm sorry I got so emotional." "I'm sorry I need so much reassurance." "I'm sorry for being a burden." Most people don't even realize they're doing it. It just feels like the polite thing to say.

But apologizing for your needs teaches the people around you that those needs are a problem. Gratitude does something completely different. It acknowledges what someone gave you instead of shaming yourself for needing it.

"Thank you for holding space for me" lands in a completely different place than "sorry I got so emotional." Same moment. Totally different message.

26/02/2026

Ready to level up your job skills? 💼✨

Our Work & Study Team is heading to La Trobe University this March for Work & Study Month, delivering two hands-on workshops to help you build confidence and feel job ready.

✏ Resume & Interview Prep
📅 Fri 6 March | 🕚 11am–1pm | 📍 Room 109
Build a strong resume, learn what employers look for and get practical interview tips.

🎤 Mock Interview Sessions
📅 Fri 13 March | 🕚 11am–1pm | 📍 Room 120
Practice real interview questions with a panel and get supportive feedback to boost your confidence.

🥪 Lunch provided
💻 Bring your device + resume if you can
👥 For young people aged 12–25

Spots are limited, register via the link below to secure your place 💚https://forms.office.com/r/3pYc6XtHmp

23/02/2026

Six years old.

That’s the age children can begin internalising body dissatisfaction — forming beliefs about themselves from the messages they absorb: playground conversations, social media, advertising, and adult commentary. At a developmental stage where identity and self-worth are still taking shape, appearance can quickly become linked to value.

As a clinician, as a woman, and as a mother — this breaks my heart.

I see it in our schools. During performances, as the primary years progress, something shifts. The older the children get, the quieter most become. Less theatrical. Less expansive. They take up less space. They become more socially conscious, more self-aware, more cautious.

This is how eating disorders can take root early.

Body image disturbance in childhood is not “a phase.” Research consistently shows that early body dissatisfaction is a significant risk factor for later disordered eating, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. The earlier these beliefs form, the harder they are to unlearn.

At GMP Therapy, we see firsthand how early intervention can change a young person’s trajectory. We also see the cost when support isn’t accessible soon enough.

That’s why we’re raising funds for Eating Disorders Victoria — an organisation providing prevention programs, support services, carer education, and advocacy for individuals and families affected by eating disorders.

Prevention matters.
Education matters.
Accessible support matters.

This is a community effort.

If children as young as six are questioning their bodies, we have work to do.

Help us fund programs that challenge harmful narratives, build resilience, and support families before concerns escalate into clinical disorders.

Donate. Share. Start conversations.

Because no six-year-old should believe their body is wrong.

Please donate here: https://eating-disorders-foundation-of-victoria-inc.grassrootz.com/edv-bayoffires-2026/gemma-parkinson

18/02/2026

Today’s speaks to the many myths that still surround eating disorders — myths that can keep people silent and families feeling misunderstood.

🚩They are not a choice.
🚩Not about vanity.
🚩Not attention seeking.
🚩And never as simple as being told to “just eat.”

They are complex, consuming, and often invisible struggles that affect every part of a person’s life — and the lives of the people who love them.

This is why support, education, and connection matter so deeply.

As part of this, Gemma is hiking to raise funds to support EDV and the vital work they do for individuals and families navigating recovery. Every donation helps provide guidance, safe spaces, education, and real human support when it’s needed most.

Here’s the impact your support can have:
• $75 funds a peer mentoring activity, such as a shared meal preparation
• $150 supports an EDV Ambassador to share their story in a hospital inpatient program
• $250 helps a telehealth nurse support someone in recovery
• $500 trains a volunteer for an entire year at the EDV Hub
• $1,200 covers a complete early help-seeking journey for someone in need

If you’re able to give, you’re helping turn isolation into connection and fear into understanding.

Donate here:
https://eating-disorders-foundation-of-victoria-inc.grassrootz.com/edv-bayoffires-2026/gemma-parkinson

Link in comments 👇🏼

YouAreNotAlone