Australian Childhood Trauma Group

24/12/2025

Psychology says:

Children learn to regulate by borrowing the calm of the adults around them.
When we manage our own emotions, stay steady, and respond with presence rather than urgency, we give children something powerful: a nervous system to anchor to.

Co-regulation isn’t about perfection — it’s about showing up consistently enough that a child feels held, supported, and safe.
Over time, that borrowed calm becomes internalised… and turns into self-regulation.

💬 How has co-regulation shaped your experience with the children you support?

23/12/2025

🎄 Holiday Closure Notice

Our offices are now closed for the holidays and will reopen on 5 January 2026.
Thank you for your support throughout the year — we look forward to reconnecting in 2026.

If you need urgent support over the break, please reach out to one of the following 24/7 crisis services:

📞 Lifeline – 13 11 14
🌐 lifeline.org.au

📞 Kids Helpline (5–25 yrs) – 1800 55 1800
🌐 kidshelpline.com.au

📞 Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636
🌐 beyondblue.org.au

📞 Su***de Call Back Service – 1300 659 467
🌐 suicidecallbackservice.org.au

📞 Parentline (state-based)
🌐 parentline.org.au

📞 Emergency Services – 000
If you or someone else is in immediate danger.

Please take care of yourself and those around you over the festive season. 💚

23/12/2025

🌟 Elevate Your Leadership. Transform Your Team. Shape the Future of Mental Health.

Exceptional leadership doesn’t happen by accident — it’s cultivated through reflection, grounded support, and the guidance of people who truly understand the complexity of mental health work.
⁠
Our Leadership Coaching & Supervision Program is designed for professionals who want to:
✨ lead with clarity and confidence
✨ strengthen decision-making
✨ support staff in trauma-informed, relational ways
✨ navigate pressure without losing direction
✨ build healthy, safe, high-performing teams
⁠
What makes ACTG’s leadership support different?
You’re not just learning generic leadership theory — you’re learning from two established, respected clinical leaders, CEO Gregory Nicolau and Clinical Director Rudy Gonzalez, who bring decades of experience across mental health, trauma, systems leadership, organisational culture, and complex care.
⁠
They’ve trained professionals across Australia, helped organisations recover from crisis, strengthened teams, and built leaders who know how to create safety and positive change — even in the toughest environments.
⁠
This isn’t tick-the-box leadership.
This is leadership that sticks, that shifts culture, and that transforms how teams work.
⁠
💬 If you're ready to become the kind of leader who inspires growth, stability, and excellence — let’s talk.

📩 Contact us to book Leadership Coaching or Leadership Supervision for yourself or your organisation: https://theactgroup.com.au/contact-us/

21/12/2025

🌟 Bring Gregory’s Game-Changing Trauma-Informed Training to Your Organisation! 🌟

Our recent Trauma-Informed Practice session with an Early Learning Centre was an absolute hit — and the feedback speaks for itself:
“Very insightful.”
“Such valuable knowledge.”
“Awesome and interactive.”
“We would love to continue this learning each year.”
⁠
Gregory Nicolau brings a rare blend of warmth, humour, and deep clinical expertise that leaves teams feeling inspired, confident, and equipped with practical strategies they can use immediately.
⁠
If your organisation wants to:
✨ understand behaviour through a trauma lens
✨ strengthen emotional safety and connection
✨ build confident, reflective, supportive teams
✨ create environments where children and young people thrive
⁠
…this is the training that will shift your practice.
⁠
💬 Want to bring Gregory to your centre, school, or organisation? Reach out — we’d love to support your team.
https://theactgroup.com.au/contact-us/

19/12/2025

💛 Have a Mental Health Care Plan? Let’s Get You the Support You Deserve 💛

If you’ve already taken the step to get a MHCP, you don’t need to wait any longer — our clinicians are ready to support you.

At ACTG, therapy is grounded, trauma-informed, and genuinely impactful.
We work with children, young people and adults who are navigating:
⚡ anxiety or low mood
⚡ stress, burnout, emotional overload
⚡ big feelings + regulation challenges
⚡ school, work or family pressures
⚡ the ongoing impacts of trauma and adversity

Our psychologists and social workers bring clarity, steadiness, and practical strategies to help you feel supported, understood, and back in control.
This is therapy that actually helps you move forward — not just talk in circles.

If you’ve got a MHCP and you’re ready for meaningful support…
this is your sign.
This is your moment.
And we’re here.

💬 Reach out to book MHCP-funded therapy with our team: https://theactgroup.com.au/contact-us/

17/12/2025

🌿 Build a Trauma-Informed Team in 2026

When teams understand trauma, everything changes — the way they respond to behaviour, the way they build relationships, and the way they support safety and connection.
⁠
Our Trauma-Informed Practice Training gives professionals the skills they need to:
✨ recognise signs of stress and dysregulation
✨ respond in calm, supportive, and relational ways
✨ reduce escalation and strengthen safety
✨ understand behaviour through a developmental lens
✨ build consistent, predictable environments
⁠
Perfect for:
✔ schools
✔ residential care teams
✔ NDIS providers
✔ early learning centres
✔ community organisations
✔ leadership groups wanting to embed trauma-informed culture
⁠
If your team works with children, young people, or families — this training will transform the way you support them.
⁠
💬 Want to book training or explore tailored options for your organisation?
Get in touch with us today: https://theactgroup.com.au/contact-us/

17/12/2025

Behaviour is one of the clearest ways a child can communicate their internal world. Big feelings, overwhelm, sensory overload, unmet needs, and past experiences often show up through actions long before words.

When we look beneath the behaviour — rather than at the behaviour alone — we can understand what the child is asking for: safety, connection, support, regulation, or relief.
It’s in that moment of curiosity that real insight begins.

💬 How does this idea shape the way you understand behaviour?

16/12/2025

🧭 Understanding a Child’s Story Through an Educational Needs Assessment (ENA)

Every child carries a unique story — shaped by their experiences, relationships, challenges, and strengths.
An Educational Needs Assessment (ENA) brings that story into focus.
⁠
ENA reports provide a holistic, trauma-informed understanding of a child’s:
🌿 social and emotional needs
🌿 learning profile and strengths
🌿 developmental history
🌿 psychological, educational, and physical wellbeing
⁠
By mapping out the child’s journey, an ENA helps carers, schools, case managers, and support networks understand why a child might be struggling and what they need to feel safe, supported, and able to learn.
⁠
💬 If you think a young person in your care could benefit from an ENA, our team can help guide the next steps.
⁠
🔗 Make a Referral
https://ow.ly/fKTe50XHhl4

15/12/2025

🎉 We Just Hit 20 Skill Bite Videos! 🚀

Our Skill Bite library has officially reached 20 trauma-informed video resources — practical, bite-sized supports for anyone working with children, young people, and the systems around them.
⁠
What started as a small idea to make training more accessible has grown into a full collection of videos that:
✨ break down complex concepts
✨ offer real-world strategies
✨ strengthen reflective practice
✨ support carers, educators, and professionals across Australia
⁠
And guess what?
🎥 Did you know you can request custom Skill Bite training for your organisation or team?
If there’s a topic you want us to cover, we can create something tailored and specific to your needs.
Contact us via Plainly: https://plainly.com.au/

⁠
We’re excited, proud — and just getting started.
⁠
💬 Which topics would you love to see next?
Explore all 20 Skill Bite videos here ⬇️
▶️ https://theactgroup.com.au/news/news-category-resources/videos/?preview_id=942&preview_nonce=6d9e98ee4a&_thumbnail_id=-1&preview=true

15/12/2025

📱 Big Changes Are Coming to Social Media Access — Here’s How to Support Young People

As social media rules shift across Australia, children and teens will need strong, calm, connected adults around them.
⁠
These changes can bring up uncertainty, frustration, or worry — but they also create opportunities for healthier digital habits and stronger offline connection.
⁠
Our latest article explores:
✨ how to talk with young people about new restrictions
✨ what emotional reactions to expect
✨ how carers, parents and professionals can create safety during digital change
⁠
💬 How are you navigating these changes?
Read more below 👇
🔗

Supporting Children, Young People, and Their Carers as Social Media Access Changes Recent shifts in Australian law mean that many children and young people will have reduced access to social media platforms, or in some cases lose access entirely. Although well-intentioned—aimed at reducing exposur...

14/12/2025

Psychology says:
Children learn best when their nervous system feels safe. A regulated adult, a predictable environment, and a sense of connection all act as signals to the brain that it can pause survival mode and step into growth.
⁠
Safety isn’t just the absence of threat — it’s the presence of connection, attunement, and emotional availability. When a child feels truly safe, the parts of the brain responsible for problem-solving, memory, language, and self-control become more active and accessible.
⁠
In other words, safety is not a bonus. It’s the engine of development.
⁠
💭 What comes to mind when you reflect on this?

12/12/2025

Cognitive Assessments 🧠✨

Understanding how a children and young people think, learn, and process the world can open the door to the right support.

Our Cognitive Assessments help identify strengths, challenges, and what a young person needs to thrive.

Perfect for learning concerns, giftedness, NDIS evidence, developmental questions, or school planning.

💬 Curious whether this is the right assessment? This is often the best place to start.

🔗 Make a Referral
https://ow.ly/sgIn50XHgm1