Encompass Psychology & Education

23/09/2023

Psychological safety in schools is such an important topic, but the conversation about it is really only just beginning.

The incredible Beth O'Regan and I are so grateful to have had the opportunity to join a conversation with a wonderful group of like-minded colleagues at the School Psychologists' Association of WA annual conference yesterday.

Our presentation, “Working Well: Psychological safety in schools” gave us the chance to unpack the sometimes tricky issue of psychological safety for school staff. Rather than shying away from this ‘wicked problem’, we discussed how we might start to design positive change in the complex adaptive systems that we work within.

In the end, communication is one of the most crucial mechanisms needed to amplify the changes that are required to make our schools more psychologically safe workplaces.

Here, Beth and I are celebrating after 90 solid minutes of communicating…preceeded by almost a year of planning, research and working together to arrive at this moment!! Thank you Beth O'Regan for being an amazing co-presenter, information clarifier and long time friend.

Thank you also to the SPAWA committee for the beautiful gift and the absolutely incredible planning you all did to pull off a high quality, impactful conference.

Now onto the Gala Dinner tonight 🥳

14/09/2023

R U OK? Well, that’s a bit of a tricky question at the minute.

Around 6 weeks ago, a terrible accident happened at clinic - a driver lost control of their vehicle in the car park and went through the window of my therapy room…while I was in session with a client.

That moment was pretty shocking, but thankfully my client, myself and the vehicles occupants weren’t harmed.

That night, the windows of my beautiful room were boarded up…and the room hasn’t seen a ray of natural light since. As a self-proclaimed pot plant of a human being, this has probably been the hardest part of the experience for me. My clients have commented on how cosy the room feels, like a dark little cave.

But for me, it highlighted some struggles I was having in making All Of The Things feel balanced - my therapy caseload, running a business, consulting & training, and nurturing my little family.

This time of not okay-ness has catalysed the most difficult choice of my career so far - to close my psychology practice. Our commercial lease ends on October 6 and we have decided not to renew.

My wonderful clients and their families are aware and are being looked after and transitioned to new “homes” with other fabulous practitioners. It is truly a heartbreak for me as I love working with all of my clients, but the sum of managing everything collectively is too much for this season of my life.

I’m moving into a non-clinical space and will be focusing on consulting for now. The business will scale back but our resources and training will continue to be available on the website.

While we are saying farewell to our beautiful clinic, we hope the dream of Encompass to create spaces and structures of welcome and belonging will live on…preparing quietly in the background for our next chapter.

R we ok? Yes, we will be. X

29/07/2023

I had the best time this morning with the team from talking all about restorative conflict resolution and relationship repair using PAIRS Peacemaking.

One of the psychologists said after the session “The tools feel so natural to use, but it’s not necessarily a skill we all have innately.”

I completely agree!! PAIRS is designed to explain complex ideas about empathy, communication and relationships in a structured and easy to understand way.

Thanks for inviting me along, friends!

28/07/2023

If you’re a teacher, school psychologist, Pastoral Leader or chaplain and you value:

✅ nurturing respectful relationships
✅ teaching conscious communication skills
✅ navigating conflict using a restorative approach…

…we’d love you to join us on Wednesday 02 August for our webinar “Restorative Conflict Resolution in Schools.”

PAIRS Peacemaking is a framework for relationship repair and includes a suite of structured conversation tools to support emotion processing, building empathy and repairing ruptures or misattunement.

I’m so excited to have a special guest, Alex Hayman, joining us to talk about his journey of implementing ARC Conversations (a PAIRS tool) in his school. Alex is a secondary teacher, Pastoral Leader, soccer dad and all round great human. I’m so grateful that he is coming on board to share with us all about his experience in building relationship skills and capacity in his school.

Date: Wed 02 August
Time: 6.00pm - 7.00pm AWST
(8.00pm for Eastern states).

For more information about the webinar or to purchase tickets, please see: https://lnkd.in/gt4Jsw6S

25/07/2023

This is everything we talk about. So well explained 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

Read this expert's case for a strong parent-children attachment bond. What kids need most are deep relationships and to be freed from their hunger for connection. Category : Parenting, Child, Toddler

23/07/2023

So true 🙌🏼

Imagine your child calls a family meeting. They sit down at the table, and say, "Look, mom and dad, I've been reflecting on my emotional needs lately 🤔 and I would like for us to connect more, and we can do this by the following..."

It's possible, but kids usually struggle to directly communicate their emotional wants to their parents.

However, kids are clever! They give us signals and find other ways to convey their want and need for connection.

As parents, we can act as translators, recognizing that some behaviors, statements, and questions are indicators that our child wants to be seen, heard, loved, and connected ❤️

19/07/2023

This is a blog post that has been bubbling inside me for a long time now. As a psychologist, my areas of interest at the moment are in connection and belonging, conflict resolution and relational safety. I touch on some of this here.

But this article has nothing much to do with my work as a psychologist, and everything to do with being a parent, a team member, a human.

I am taking the world of toxic culture that can be present in kids sport to task, and I want your thoughts!

What do you think a “Building Up Culture” looks like in sport? What are its characteristics? How do you know when it’s present? Where have you seen it operating?

We need to embed a building up culture in sport, at all levels of the game.

17/07/2023

Do you deal with conflict in your role as a school staff member? Does your school have a restorative approach to navigating relationship rupture? Are you looking for helpful tools to support your work in conflict resolution?

Join us for a 60 minute webinar for an introduction to using the PAIRS Peacemaking framework and tools in your school or college. PAIRS is a highly structured conversation method and toolkit to resolve conflict and repair relationships. It works with individuals, pairs and groups and can be applied with people of all ages.

If you're a school psychologist, teacher, pastoral leader, chaplain or part of the school leadership team, this webinar is for you!

Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gywdqRrn

Use coupon code "EARLYBIRD20" at the checkout until July 26th for 20% off the (already low) ticketed price!

For more information about PAIRS Peacemaking, see our webpage: https://lnkd.in/gG2Vxy5B

03/07/2023

We’re on holidays!

Annnnd it’s shorts weather y’all 🌞

Off to recharge the batteries with some waves, whale watching and a whole lotta doing nothing. 🤙

27/06/2023

🙌🏼

PARENTING YOUR ADHDer

1. THE most important part of parenting an ADHDer is your relationship. Nothing else will help if you lose connection.
2. ADHD is neurological. Don't try to train an ADHDer to function like an NT*. Find ADHD-friendly ways to live well and let go of NT expectations as best you can.
3. Shame and low self esteem are perhaps the most disabling parts of being an ADHDer.

*NT = neurotypical

26/06/2023

I💯

We pour resources into learning support and behaviour ‘management’, and this is important but it isn’t the full picture. Before we can support learning and long term behaviour that works positively for kids and teens, we have to support a felt sense of safety.

When the brain doesn’t feel safe - and this can happen from real or perceived threats, sensory preferences, stress overload - learning will be impossible. The brain will also be more likely to organise the body towards fight or flight. This is when we’ll see dysregulation, big feelings, and big behaviour. This isn’t breakage or a deficiency and it isn’t wilful misintent. It’s physiology. It’s a strong, healthy, magnificent brain trying to organise the body for safety through movement. By supporting their physiology (by establishing felt safety) we will support learning and behaviour.

As their important adults, the greatest way we (parents, teachers - anyone) can open children up to learning, connection, and more positive behaviour is by first helping a felt sense of safety. This will happen most powerfully through relationship.

The stronger the connection, the more capacity we will have to bring that nervous system back home to calm. Then the brain can rest, and will be free to do the big things - learn, connect, show compassion and empathy, choose more deliberately - all things we love most about our favourite big and little humans.♥️