Maria Carr Counselling & Wellbeing

19/11/2025

Very grateful to have been part of this event. To present and share my experience and wisdom of widowhood.

18/11/2025

Today marks what would have been Dan's 55th birthday. Nineteen years have passed since I last celebrated this day with him, yet it remains a moment I choose to honour with love and intention.

One of the ways I've kept Dan's memory alive is through a simple but meaningful tradition: enjoying his favourite meal. and sharing stories about him. It's become our way of saying, "You're still part of our family. You're still loved. You're still remembered."

In 'Wisdom From the Widowed', we explore how to navigate these significant dates. Your partner's birthday can feel impossibly heavy, especially in those early years. You might wonder: Should I acknowledge it? How do I get through the day?

There's no single right way. What matters is finding what feels meaningful to you.

Some gentle suggestions from my own journey and the thousands of widowed people I've worked with:

Create a ritual that honours them
- Eat and enjoy their favourite meal
- Visit a place that was special to them
- Light a candle and play their favourite music

If you have children, these moments become opportunities to keep their other parent's memory alive.

Some years the day feels lighter. Other years, the grief catches you off guard with its intensity. Both are normal. Nineteen years on, I still have moments where I'm overwhelmed by what Dan is missing – watching Daniel grow into the remarkable young man he's become, all the milestones, all the ordinary moments.

Tell trusted friends or family what you need. Perhaps you want company, or maybe you need solitude. Both are valid.

What I've discovered is that honouring Dan's birthday isn't about staying stuck in grief – it's about maintaining a continuing bond with him whilst building a meaningful life. These rituals have evolved over the years, becoming less painful and more celebratory of the life he lived and the love we shared.

To anyone navigating their partner's birthday: be gentle with yourself. There's no perfect way to get through it. Trust yourself to know what you need. And remember, you're not alone in this.

If you're struggling with significant dates and milestones, 'Wisdom From the Widowed' offers compassionate, practical guidance for each stage of your grief journey. Available now on Amazon.

23/10/2025

What an incredible surprise it was to receive recognition in Parliament this week! Aisling and I were absolutely surprised when Mark Speakman, MP for Cronulla, presented us with certificates acknowledging our work on Wisdom From the Widowed.

Mark shared these kind words in his Community Recognition Statement:
"One of the best parts of my job as the MP for Cronulla is recognising locals in Parliament for their achievements, good work or dedicated service through short 'Community Recognition Statements'. I acknowledged Aisling Pont of Greenhills Beach and Maria Carr of Miranda on their new book 'Wisdom From the Widowed'. Both Aisling and Maria lost their husbands, each aged 35, in 2006. Aisling discovered a lack of support for young widows; she sought to rectify this by placing an advertisement in The Leader, aiming to start a support network for others in her position. Through this she met Maria and together they created the first online support group for young widows in Australia. This partnership grew into 'Wisdom From the Widowed', a book which Aisling and Maria describe as 'the resource we so desperately needed when we both lost our husbands'. Over almost two decades the qualified counsellors met with 'hundreds of widows and widowers' to assist them in writing a book filled with 'practical advice, therapeutic suggestions, and honest testimonials'. Great work Aisling and Maria in bringing together and supporting a community of those who often feel isolated!"

To have our journey acknowledged in this way feels surreal. When we first met back in 2007, two young widows simply trying to make sense of an unimaginable loss, we never could have imagined where our friendship and shared mission would lead us.

We're deeply grateful to Mark for recognising not just our work, but the hundreds of courageous widows and widowers who have trusted us with their stories, their pain, and their healing journeys. This recognition belongs to our entire community – every person who has sat in our support groups, shared their experiences, and shown that it is possible to rebuild a meaningful life after devastating loss.

Thank you, Mark, for shining a light on young widowhood and for your kind words of support. And thank you to everyone who continues to walk this path with us.

15/10/2025

I'm thrilled to be speaking at the Brisbane Widowed Support Event on 7th November. Having walked this journey myself since 2006, when I lost my husband Dan whilst 12 weeks pregnant, I understand intimately the challenges that arise after losing a life partner. It's both an honour and a privilege to share the wisdom I've gathered over eighteen years—through my own experience, my work with hundreds of widowed people, and my practice as a holistic grief counsellor. I hope our presentation brings comfort, understanding, and most importantly, hope that healing and rebuilding a meaningful life after loss is truly possible.
To find out more or purchase your ticket visit www.firstlight.org.au/widowed-support-events/

We are thrilled to welcome authors and grief counsellors Maria Carr and Aisling Pont to be the keynote speakers at our Brisbane Widowed Support Event on 7th November. Their insightful presentation will gently guide our participants through the universal question that all widowed people face when they lose the person who walked beside them through a defining stage of their life: “Who am I now?”.

Together, Maria and Aisling will explore what ‘rebuilding’ really means and share practical tools for every stage of the widowed journey, along with hope for the path ahead.

Both Maria and Aisling were widowed in 2006 - Maria, while 12 weeks pregnant, and Aisling with a young child. After connecting in the early days of their bereavement, Maria and Aisling found comfort in one another and in the community they went on to build.

Since this time, both women have completed a Bachelor degree in Counselling, with continued specialisation in grief and bereavement. They are the co-author of Wisdom From the Widowed and now support many other widowed people as holistic grief counsellors, guiding their clients towards healing and the creation of meaningful new lives for themselves.

Eighteen years on from their own respective losses, Maria and Aisling continue to inspire widowed people across Australia with their honesty, warmth and wisdom.

To find out more or purchase your ticket visit www.firstlight.org.au/widowed-support-events/

09/10/2025

Have you ever noticed how grief sits heavy in your chest? How anxiety tightens your stomach? How past trauma shows up as tension in your shoulders?

Your body isn't just reacting to your emotions—it's storing them.

Talk Therapy Can Only Take You So Far - for years, I believed that if I could just understand my grief, process my emotions, and gain awareness of my patterns, I would heal. And while counselling gave me invaluable insights, something was still missing.
I could talk about my pain, but I could still feel it living in my body.
The tightness in my chest. The knot in my stomach. The exhaustion that no amount of rest could shift.
That's when I discovered what I now know to be true: trauma doesn't just live in your mind—it lives in your nervous system, your muscles, your tissues, and your cellular memory.

Somatic therapy recognises that your body holds the story of your experiences. Every unprocessed emotion, every moment of fear, every grief you've carried—they're not just memories. They're stored as physical sensations, tension patterns, and nervous system responses.

When you experience trauma or overwhelming emotions, your body goes into survival mode—fight, flight, or freeze. Sometimes, even after the threat has passed, your nervous system remains stuck in that protective state, keeping you in a constant loop of anxiety, hypervigilance, or emotional numbness.

Somatic therapy works directly with your body to release what's been held there, helping your nervous system remember that it's safe to let go.

Over 17 years of walking alongside people through their healing journeys, I've learned that true transformation happens when we address healing on every level—mind, body, and spirit.

In our sessions together, somatic therapy looks like:

*Nervous System Regulation
We work directly with your vagus nerve—the major nerve that controls your stress response. When your nervous system is dysregulated, healing can't happen. By resetting your vagus nerve, we help your body move out of survival mode and into a state where deep healing becomes possible.

*Physical Release of Stored Emotions
Through gentle energy work and body awareness, we release trauma, grief, and fear that's been stored in your:
Nervous system
Limbic system (your emotional brain)
Gut (where we often hold anxiety and fear)
Muscles and tissues (where tension and protection patterns live)

*Releasing What Words Cannot Reach
Some pain is pre-verbal. Some wounds happened before you had language to describe them. Somatic therapy accesses these deep places—the unmet needs of your inner child, the grief your body has been carrying, the protective patterns formed in moments of overwhelm.

*Integration Through the Body
Between sessions, I give you practical somatic tools you can use:
Breathing exercises to calm your nervous system
Body-based meditation to reconnect with yourself
Inner child work that honours body sensations and what they're telling you

Why This Matters for Your Healing
When I work with clients, I often hear: "I understand why I feel this way, but I still can't shift it."
That's because awareness alone isn't enough.
Your body needs to feel safe enough to release what it's been holding. Your nervous system needs to be regulated. The trauma stored in your tissues needs a way out.

This is where the combination of counselling, somatic therapy, and energy work creates profound transformation. We work together to:
Understand your patterns (counselling)
Release what your body has been holding (somatic therapy)
Clear energetic blockages and reset your system (energy healing)

The result? Clients leave feeling physically lighter, emotionally clearer, and finally free from patterns that talk therapy alone couldn't shift.

What Healing Feels Like
When we release trauma from your body, you don't just understand your healing—you feel it.
The tightness in your chest softens.
The knot in your stomach dissolves.
The exhaustion lifts.
You feel grounded, balanced, and safe in your own body again.

This is the healing that goes beyond words. This is transformation that lasts.

Your Body Is Ready to Release

If you've been doing the mental work but still feel stuck, your body might be holding the key to your next breakthrough.

Grief, trauma, anxiety, and old wounds don't just need to be understood—they need to be released from where they've been stored.
Your nervous system is ready to reset.
Your body is ready to let go.
Your healing is waiting.

If you're ready to experience healing on every level—mind, body, and spirit—I'm here to guide you.

Reach out today to discover how somatic therapy, counselling, and energy work can create the transformation you've been seeking.

Sessions available in person or online.

Maria Carr Counselling & Wellbeing - www.maraiacarr.com.au

Where healing happens in your body, not just your mind

03/10/2025

This weekend is your invitation to pause.

Not to catch up on everything you've been putting off. Not to fill every moment with productivity. But to truly rest.

Give yourself permission to move slowly. To sleep in without guilt. To say no to things that drain you and yes to what nourishes your soul.

Maybe that looks like:
-A morning with no alarm, just waking when your body is ready
-Time in nature, feeling the earth beneath your feet
-A book you've been meaning to read, savored with a cup of something warm
-Simply doing nothing at all, and calling it exactly what it is: essential

You don't need to earn your rest. You don't need to be productive first. You are worthy of care simply because you exist.

Let this long weekend be a reminder that you matter, your wellbeing matters, and sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is choose gentle kindness for yourself.

Whatever rest looks like for you, may you find it this weekend.

29/09/2025

I'm back from an absolutely beautiful holiday in Japan.

Japan felt like coming home, the energy was incredible. Wandering through temples, absorbing the rituals and customs, eating the most incredible food, making beautiful memories with my son and just being.

Not healing, not giving, not doing but just being present with myself and my son.

Spending time walking and meditating at the temples and gardens I was reminded of the Japanese concept of 'ma' (間)—the sacred space between things. The pauses. The stillness. The empty spaces that allow us to breathe and just exist without needing a purpose.

Last week I eased back into sessions, and I've felt a real shift. There's clearer intuition and so much more energy to hold space for my clients.

I'm so grateful to be back, feeling refreshed, renewed, and ready to guide you through your healing journey.

With love, Maria

www.mariacarr.com.au

06/09/2025

01/09/2025

Just as nature sheds its winter layers, it's time to release what no longer serves you.

Spring cleaning isn't just for your home - discover if your inner child is calling for attention and healing this season.

Your inner child holds the key to your deepest healing. When childhood wounds remain unhealed, they show up as protective patterns in our adult lives - patterns that once kept us safe but now keep us stuck.

DM for a free 15 minute discovery call or for more information or bookings visit www.mariacarr.com.au

28/08/2025

'Who would I be if I wasn't this version of myself?'

The question hung in the air during our session last week. In that profound silence that followed, I watched my client recognize what she had been running from all along.

For years, she'd wrapped herself so tightly in the identity of being damaged, of being the one who'd been hurt, that she couldn't imagine existing any other way. Her pain had become her personality. Her wounds, her worth. Her trauma, her truth.

I understand this completely. After losing Dan, I unconsciously wrapped myself in the identity of 'the struggling widow and single mum'—and while that reality was necessary to survive those early days, somewhere along the way I started believing that's all I could ever be. I unconsciously held onto the story of the widow who had to do everything alone, the single mum who couldn't ask for help, who wasn't worthy of receiving support, love, or abundance. It felt safer to stay in that familiar pain than to risk being seen as anything more. But what I didn't realise was that by clinging to this identity, I was blocking myself from receiving all the healing, opportunities, and love that were trying to reach me. I had to learn that honoring my journey didn't mean staying trapped in that story forever.

What I've discovered through my own journey of healing and 18 years of walking alongside others in their darkest moments:

You are not your trauma. You are not your grief. You are not your past mistakes. You are not the pain that happened to you.

These experiences shaped you, yes. But they are not your identity - they are chapters in your story, not the entire book.

I know how frightening it can feel to consider letting go of the version of yourself you've known for so long. There's safety in the familiar, even when it's painful. There's certainty in staying small, even when your soul is aching to expand.

But releasing old versions of yourself isn't about forgetting your journey or dismissing your pain. It's about honouring how far you've travelled whilst making space for the person you're becoming. It's recognising that you can hold your grief or trauma AND your joy. Your wounds AND your wisdom. Your past AND your potential.

When we cling to old identities - even painful ones - we're essentially telling the universe: 'This is all I'm capable of being.' But what if you're meant for so much more?

I offer holistic sessions both in person and online, combining counselling and energy healing to support your transformation. Message me for a complimentary 15-minute chat to explore if my approach feels right for you.

www.mariacarr.com.au

27/08/2025

If you've been struggling with:
* Deflecting compliments or opportunities
* Feeling guilty when good things happen
* Pushing away love or abundance
* Believing you have to earn your worth
* Feeling 'too much' or 'not enough'
..then it's time we worked together.

I'm offering a limited number of Receiving Breakthrough Sessions this month - 60 minutes of deep, transformational work where we'll:
- Uncover the root cause of your receiving blocks (often hidden in childhood or generational patterns)
- Release the stored emotions and trauma keeping you stuck
- Clear energetic blockages in your body and field
- Heal the inner child wounds affecting your adult relationships
- Rewire your nervous system for safety in receiving

Using my unique combination of counselling and energy work, we'll address both your conscious and subconscious patterns, creating the deep transformation you've been seeking.

Through my experience as a holistic therapist, I understand this: you weren't meant to struggle. You were meant to receive all the love, abundance, and joy your heart desires.

But first, we need to heal what's blocking the way - and you have full permission to let these old wounds go.

All sessions are available both in-person and online

I work with clients around the world through online sessions and consistently achieve the same profound results as in-person work. Energy knows no boundaries, and transformation happens just as powerfully through our virtual connection.

Whether you're dealing with grief, trauma, seeking to heal your inner child, wanting to break free from limiting beliefs, or ready to step into your authentic power - I'm here to guide you through your unique healing journey.

I offer a FREE 15-minute discovery call where we can explore your needs and see if my approach feels right for you.

For more information about my services and approach, visit: www.mariacarr.com.au

Ready to take the first step? DM to book your free discovery or for bookings use the Calendly link on my website.

Your healing matters. Your transformation is possible. And I'm honored to walk this journey with you.

26/08/2025

The protection layers that once served are now holding you back from receiving.

In my years supporting people through their deepest healing, I've witnessed this pattern countless times. The person who can't accept a compliment. The talented entrepreneur who undercharges for their services. The loving soul who keeps everyone at arm's length.

What I know from combining counselling with energy healing is this: your receiving blocks live in your nervous system. They're not just thoughts you can think your way out of.

When someone wants to help you, you insist you're fine. When you accomplish something amazing, you downplay it. When life gets really good, you find something to worry about.

This is your nervous system doing its job - the job it learnt when you were young and the world felt unsafe.

But through my unique combination of counselling and energy work, I've seen people completely release the layers of protection and transform their relationship with receiving. We work with:

- The subconscious beliefs running your life
- The emotional blockages stored in your body
- The generational patterns you've inherited
- The inner child wounds that shaped your protection
- The energetic cords keeping you tied to old stories

When we heal at this depth - addressing both the conscious and subconscious, the mind and the body - everything changes.

Whether you're dealing with grief, trauma, seeking to heal your inner child, wanting to break free from limiting beliefs, or ready to step into your authentic power - I'm here to guide you through your unique healing journey.

For more information about my services and approach, visit: www.mariacarr.com.au

Ready to take the first step? DM to book your free 15 minute discovery

All sessions are available both in-person and online
I work with clients around the world through online sessions and consistently achieve the same profound results as in-person work. Energy knows no boundaries, and transformation happens just as powerfully through our virtual connection.