SALT Psychology and Wellbeing- Kylie Donnolley

23/10/2025

When your teen’s friendships get messy, it’s natural to want to step in and make it better. You see them hurt, confused, or left out and every instinct tells you to protect them.

But when we rush to fix, we accidentally take away a valuable chance for them to learn how to navigate relationships, to stand up for themselves, set boundaries, and practise empathy.

Instead, try gently guiding them to:
💬 Notice how they feel around different people. Calm, energised, valued, accepted or anxious, drained, left out, overlooked. That self-awareness becomes their compass.
🤝 Choose friends who are kind and relationships that feel safe and mutual, not perfect, but steady.
🪞 Learn that conflict can be repaired. True friendships can recover when kids learn to reflect, apologise, listen, problem-solve, and forgive.
🌿 Encourage a broad circle. Help them connect with different groups, at school, in sport, creative clubs, or family circles. When friendship issues arise, a wider network keeps things in perspective and reduces the “end-of-the-world” feeling.

These are lifelong skills that build confidence, emotional intelligence, and resilience — tools your child will carry long after school.

And if social struggles are starting to impact their confidence or mental health, it’s okay to reach out for extra support. Sometimes a little outside guidance can make all the difference.

💙 Learn more about how we can help your child build healthy, confident friendships by booking some time with me

22/10/2025

Term 4: The season of exams, late nights, and big emotions. 🎓

Many pre/teen girls can put enormous pressure on themselves this time of year, wanting to get it just right, comparing themselves to others, or feeling paralysed by perfectionism and overwhelm .
As parents, it’s hard to watch without stepping in to fix it all. But your calm support matters more than perfect results ever could.

Here are a few ways to help your teen through the next few weeks:

✨ Break it down. Help her tackle one subject, one task, one sentence at a time. Progress over perfection.
💬 Remind her effort matters more than results. Her worth isn’t tied to grades — she needs to hear that.
💙 Protect her rest. Sleep, nutrition, and downtime help the brain store information (and regulate emotions).
🌿 Stay steady. When she’s overwhelmed, your calm becomes her anchor. Take a deep breath before you respond and don’t get pulled in to the emotion.

It’s not about lowering the bar, it’s about showing her she doesn’t have to carry it all alone.

💬 Learn more about how I can support your daughter through the exam stress by booking in a session with me via my website.

19/10/2025

I work with so many girls who are plagued with perfectionism. The pressure to perform, to achieve and to be enough can feel enormous.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. The final school term is short and tends to fly by quickly, but it can be an emotional time for students and families alike with all of the extra events adding to the pressure.

Here are a few general tips to help support your teen through the next few weeks. Keep in mind that every student is different… and if you’d like a more tailored plan for your daughter, I’d love to provide support.

💙 Book a session via my website.

17/10/2025

Behind the eye rolls and slammed doors is a need for connection. Sometimes they push hardest when they need you most. If you’re unsure how to bridge the gap, support is available.

💙 Book a session for you or your teen for support. To learn more visit saltpsychology.com.au.

16/10/2025

If every “How was your day?” ends in “fine,” you’re not alone. Tweens and teens often shut down when questions feel too broad or they sense pressure to respond a certain way.

Here’s how to encourage real conversations:
✨ Ask open questions that invite stories, not statements.
✨ Choose the right moments, car rides, cooking, bedtime chats.
✨ Don’t jump to fix; validate first.
✨ Keep showing up. Consistency builds trust more than perfection.

The goal isn’t a perfect conversation; it’s connection over time.

15/10/2025

You can’t pour from an empty cup and you also can’t parent from one. We all have those moment where patience runs thin, voices get louder, and guilt follows close behind.

Here’s your quick Calm Parent Reset Tools for when it all feels too much:

✨ Pause and breathe. It gives your body time to shift from reaction to response.
🚶 Step away for five minutes. Even a short break to regulate can change the way you respond.
💬 Say “Let’s start again.” It invites connection instead of control and gives opportunity for a ‘do-over’.
💙 Model calm. Your child/teen learns emotional regulation through your example.

You don’t have to hold it all together alone.
🌿 Contact me for support options via my website.

08/10/2025

🌸Experience a glimpse into a day in the life of an ikigai retreat participant.

✨For more information about our exclusive Ikigai Retreat in Japan for women visit my website - link in bio 🔗 or DM me.

Step away from the pressure, demands and daily responsibilities to rediscover balance, calm confidence, purpose, passion and joy! 💕

30/09/2025

✨ What lights you up inside? ✨

Ikigai is all about living with purpose, passion & joy. 🌸 I’ve made a fun reflective Ikigai Quiz (aimed at the busy ladies) to help you pause, reflect & begin to reconnect with what really matters. 💫

👉 Take the quiz here: https://ikigai-quiz.saltpsychology.com.au/

Because sometimes the smallest spark can change everything. 💕

** please note this quiz is for general reflection purposes only- enjoy! ☺️

Take our 2-minute Ikigai quiz to discover which part of your life's purpose needs attention. Get instant, personalized results.

29/09/2025

🌸Join me for a once in a lifetime experience on our bespoke Ikigai Retreat in Japan, May 2026. 🧘‍♀️✈️🍱🇯🇵

💕We blend wellbeing and luxury for a truly restorative and transformational experience.

🌿Only 10 participants for a deeply personalised experience.

🍵Crafted especially for high- achieving women ready to reclaim their spark! Uncover your unique ikigai to live your life aligned with purpose, meaning, intention and joy!

✨Registrations are open and our Early Bird Special is available until November 30th.

🥰I would love you to join us on this journey!

🔗 link in bio for details or DM me.

23/09/2025

Ikigai (生き甲斐) = reason for being.
It’s the sweet spot where passion, purpose, profession & vocation meet.

At our Ikigai Retreat, you’ll:
🌸 Discover your unique Ikigai blueprint
🌸 Learn evidence-based tools for stress & balance
🌸 Immerse in Japanese traditions – tea ceremony, kintsugi, calligraphy
🌸 Reconnect with who you really are and what matters most to you.

This isn’t theory. It’s lived. Embodied. Transformational.

✨ Early bird pricing now available.

Secure your place: DM me or link in bio 🔗

01/09/2025

A few more pics from our 'Blue Mind Retreat' this weekend where we stopped to reflect and reset, using the spectacular surrounds of Yamba. It was magical! 🐬🧘‍♀️

14/07/2025

We’ve got some news! 🌿

✨ We’re moving! From July 29th, our new home will be at Suite 64/2 Arbour Avenue, Robina QLD 4226 — a calm, welcoming space designed with care.

💙 We’re also welcoming new clients — supporting girls and women through anxiety, perfectionism, stress, self-worth, life transitions and more.

🛋️ Plus, we have a beautiful room available for hire at our new location — ideal for psychologists and allied health professionals looking for a peaceful, professional space.

📅 Book an appointment with Kylie Donnolley, or get in touch to enquire about the room- contact details on our website or DM. www.saltpsychology.com.au
🔗 in bio