Cardinia Equine and Animal Assisted Counselling and Play Therapy

16/11/2025

Every protective response tells a story.
Fight. Flight. Freeze. Flop. Fawn.
On the surface, they look like behaviours.
Underneath, they’re the child’s nervous system saying, “This is what I need to feel safe right now.”

This post steps inside each response and gives voice to what a young person might be feeling but can’t always say out loud. It’s a powerful way for adults to understand the why behind the behaviour — and to meet the need instead of managing the symptom.

If you found this helpful, you’ll love our Protective Response Visual Pack, now available in the Resource Store.
Find it via the link in the comments below ⬇️ or through the Linktree Shop in Bio.

16/11/2025

16/11/2025

When a young person’s protective response is activated, their body moves faster than their thinking brain. Co-regulation isn’t about 'calming them down' — it’s about offering the steady nervous system they can borrow while theirs finds its way back to safety.

Co-Regulation in Action, breaks down what this actually looks like in real moments: the posture, the pacing, the tone, and the choices that help a child feel safe enough to reconnect.

If you’d like a deeper dive into this approach, you can explore the full resource, the Protection Response, available now (link in comments below ⬇️ or via Linktree Shop in Bio).

There are two more posts going up today to complete the The Protective Response Series — Safe Before Sorry and Recovery After the Response — so make sure to check those out if you want the complete picture.

15/11/2025

Our What Is… Series continues, and today we’re looking at Hyperlexia — an extraordinary but often misunderstood reading profile that many families have been asking about.

Due to the huge popularity, comments, and conversations around this series, we will now be producing one-page Bite Size Information Sheets for parents and caregivers to accompany each visual. These will offer clear, accessible, brain-based explanations you can save, share, and use at home or in settings.

Links to the Dropbox folder will be forwarded via DM.
To receive yours, please comment HYPERLEXIA below.

Over the coming days, we’ll also be resharing the previous posts from this series so that you have the opportunity to access the new Bite Size sheets for each topic.

Thank you for the incredible engagement so far — your comments, shares, and saves are shaping the resources we create next.

14/11/2025

14/11/2025

𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁

Regina, a single mum of three children under 10, asked ATL for help, when no-one else could. Life had become unbearable, until she reached out for support.

ATL funded equine-assisted therapy sessions that gave her the support she needed.

You can help us to assist more like Regina by making a donation. Thank you.

To donate: https://donate.animaltherapies.org.au/go

08/11/2025

08/11/2025

For those who missed a Seen The Film screening, this is for you! On Thursday, November 13th at 7.30pm AEDT (Sydney time) Seen is hosting an online film screening, followed by a live Q&A with Maggie and Sam Jockel.

Tickets available via seenthefilm.com

*Note this is a live screening, replays are not available.