Smiles All Round Psychology

15/09/2025

This is a great opportunity being offered in Naracoorte this week!

14/09/2025

HOT TIP: This free guide to sleepovers is excellent!

What age did you start going on sleepovers?

Do the kids in your life go on sleepovers?

I was going on sleepovers from the age of about six (TOO YOUNG!!) and I have to say i was exposed to some incredibly dodgy situations as a child.

So are sleepovers SAFE?

Good question.

We know that around 90% of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by someone known and trusted by the family.

We also know that there's been a rise in child-on-child sexual assault. What does that mean? It means that kids are sexually assaulting other kids. On sleepovers that could me older siblings or cousins who happen to be in the house.

I still rememer a story i was told a few years ago of an older brother of the host child who crept into the bedroom of his younger sister's friend and put his hands down her pants.

Anyway. I'm not trying to scare you -- I'm just trying to get us all thinking about child safety on sleepovers.

Since it's NATIONAL CHILD PROTECTION WEEK, I thought it was useful to share some tips I learnt several years ago from a social worker I met called Caroline Ellen - Safer Stronger Kids.

She changed the way I host sleepovers and how I prepared my own kids for sleepovers and I wanted to share it with all of you.

Here are a few quick tips I learnt from Caroline but she produced a FREE EBOOK and VIDEO series which you can also download. No cost.

TIPS FOR SLEEPOVERS

1. Before you say yes to another parent -- does your child even want to go? News flash! Loads of kids don't like sleepovers! And that's okay. We shouldn't agree to sending our child if they're not keen. A late-over might be more appropriate where you collect your child at 8pm or 9pm instead of them sleeping over.

2. Ask Who Is Going To Be In The House
This is so important! Are there older siblings and are they having friends over? Are cousins or Uncles and Aunties at the house? Beore you send your child on a sleepover, it's good to know WHO IS GOING TO BE HOME! It's something I started doing we hosted sleepovers -- I tell the other parents who will be in the house.

3. PROTECTIVE BEHAVIOURS
If your child feels uncomfortable for whatever reason .. what's the plan? Can they advocate for themselves? Can they ask to call you? Or go to the kitchen and use their phone or call from a smartwatch? Unless your child feels comfortable speaking up and finding a way to contact you ... should they go be going on a sleepover? I always sent my kids with a dumb phone or a smartwatch so they could call me if they felt uncomfortable.

4. CODE PHRASE
We have a code phrase "I forgot to feed the dogs" and if they text me that message from a party or sleepover - that's code for me to call them or the host parents with an excuse that they need to be picked up immediately due to a family emergency.

5. BODY SAFETY
Does your child know the correct names for body parts? Do they know about private parts? Do they know about unsafe secrets? Do they know the early warning signs of unsafe behaviour? It's critical our kids understand body safety before they leave our care and head off on sleepovers.

This is just a basic list but to learn more, you can download Caroline Ellen - Safer Stronger Kids's free Safe Sleepovers Guide.

https://safer-stronger-kids.newzenler.com/courses/six-steps-to-safer-sleepovers

14/09/2025

Here's a throw back photo from 2021 when my then 12 year old daughter had friends over for a sleepover. Inspired by Brené Brown - I set up my own "Hang Up To Hang Out" basket for their phones.

I know how quickly smartphones derail parties and sleepovers. It takes just ONE KID on a phone (messaging people who aren't there / looking up inappropriate stuff / taking photos and sharing them) to take what should be a fabulous in-person gathering wildly off course.

So I told the parents this was my plan - that phones would be placed in this basket and that the girls could access their phones AT ANY TIME in the kitchen. They were all fine with it.

Social media and devices are like white ants - they eat away into the moments that actually provide us with the most joy. When we're in-person with people -- at a friend's sleepover, at grandma's birthday dinner, during family movie night - we want to be fully present and in the moment. Phones steal our attention away and disconnect us from the people around us.

And since it's NATIONAL CHILD PROTECTION WEEK, I'm going to share a stat I recently saw on 's page ... 🚩🚩🚩🚩 Two thirds of child sexual offending takes place online. 🚩🚩🚩🚩

We have a duty of care to our kids and other people's kids to not leave them alone playing in the sewer that is the internet. And just because our kids are smarter than us at setting up tech -- it doesn't mean they have the maturity and judgement to see around corners.

So if you've got a tween or a young teen having friends over this weekend -- this is something to consider doing. I KNOW it feels awkward. It's vulnerable to say to other parents "I'm creating a phone basket for the kids phones" but from my experience - most parents are happy about it. So long as they know their child can call them at anytime - it's not an issue. And the kids? The kids will be secretly relieved after the first 5 minutes. What's been your experience with smartphones at tween and teen parties?

11/09/2025

Beautifully written as always Karen Young - Hey Sigmund 😊

We don’t need to protect kids from the discomfort of anxiety.

We’ll want to, but as long as they’re safe (including in their bodies with sensory and physiological needs met), we don’t need to - any more than we need to protect them from the discomfort of seatbelts, bike helmets, boundaries, brushing their teeth.

Courage isn’t an absence of anxiety. It’s the anxiety that makes something brave. Courage is about handling the discomfort of anxiety.

When we hold them back from anxiety, we hold them back - from growth, from discovery, and from building their bravery muscles.

The distress and discomfort that come with anxiety won’t hurt them. What hurts them is the same thing that hurts all of us - feeling alone in distress. So this is what we will protect them from - not the anxiety, but feeling alone in it.

To do this, speak to the anxiety AND the courage.

This will also help them feel safer with their anxiety. It puts a story of brave to it rather than a story of deficiency (‘I feel like this because there’s something wrong with me,’) or a story of disaster (‘I feel like this because something bad is about to happen.’).

Normalise, see them, and let them feel you with them. This might sound something like:

‘This feels big doesn’t it. Of course you feel anxious. You’re doing something big/ brave/ important, and that’s how brave feels. It feels scary, stressful, big. It feels like anxiety. It feels like you feel right now. I know you can handle this. We’ll handle it together.’

It doesn’t matter how well they handle it and it doesn’t matter how big the brave thing is. The edges are where the edges are, and anxiety means they are expanding those edges.

We don’t get strong by lifting toothpicks. We get strong by lifting as much as we can, and then a little bit more for a little bit longer. And we do this again and again, until that feels okay. Then we go a little bit further. Brave builds the same way - one brave step after another.

It doesn’t matter how long it takes and it doesn’t matter how big the steps are. If they’ve handled the discomfort of anxiety for a teeny while today, then they’ve been brave today. And tomorrow we’ll go again again.♥️

10/09/2025

At Smiles All Round, every day is R U OK? Day and Su***de Prevention Day.

We strive to build meaningful connections and supports—whether with clients, parents, caregivers, educators, community members, our own family and friends, or each other as colleagues.

Let’s keep creating those connections with our people. That might mean:

☕️Sharing a cuppa

🍽Sitting down for a meal together

🚶‍♀️Going for a walk together

🥘Dropping off food to someone in need

🤗Checking in to see if someone is okay

🤯Or even acknowledging when you don’t feel okay

Strong social support helps to create a buffer for better mental health. Checking in with someone can make a real difference and long-term, meaningful interactions can make all the difference.

At different points in life, we may all need:
👂A caring, listening ear
👩‍⚕️Professional support and strategies from a GP or mental health practitioner
🎙To learn something from a good podcast
😴A good nights sleep
🍽Or simply a meal shared with trusted, genuine friends.

If someone is on your mind or if you’ve noticed someone doesn’t quite seem themselves, check in. A few simple questions could start a life-changing conversation.

R U OK? has four simple steps to start the conversation:

1. Ask: "Are you OK?"
2. Listen: With an open mind and no judgment
3. Encourage action: "Have you spoken to someone about this?"
4. Check in: Follow up and show you care

You don’t need to be an expert, just a good friend and a good listener.

Together, let’s keep showing up, checking in, and connecting because a simple conversation can change a life.

03/09/2025

This 🙌

03/09/2025

Pop on down to the Naracoorte Town Square on Wednesday 10th September and visit some of the Smiles team too 😊

31/08/2025

✨WOMEN'S HEALTH WEEK KICKS OFF TOMORROW! ✨

A full program of local events has been organised for Australia’s largest national health campaign dedicated to the health and wellbeing of all women and girls next month.

The Naracoorte Library will host four days of guest speakers and activities during the first week of September as part of Jean Hailes Women’s Health Week.

The theme for the 2025 Jean Hailes Women’s Health Week is ‘Say yes to you’ - to speak up, check in, and prioritise health and wellbeing.

The local program of events and activities will all be free to reach more women and girls with life-changing information.

It will kick off on Monday 1st September at 10am with Megan Hurrell from the CFS speaking on ‘Empowering Women’. The session will cover how to stay informed (including where to get information before and during an emergency event and how to interpret it), building your network (a practical look at your assistance networks), and available funding and grant opportunities and how to apply.

On Monday afternoon, Abbi Power from Power Mentality mental health consultancy will lead a session at 12.30pm.

On Tuesday 2nd September, Mandy Curnow Coaching will run a session at 10am-noon, and at 2-3.30pm, you can pop in to the Library for a chat over afternoon tea with the Naracoorte & Districts Su***de Prevention Network and Skylight Mental Health.

On Wednesday 3rd September, a Women’s Health Nurse will be available at 10am to talk about the Women’s Health Service and services that aim to help and support women living in the Limestone Coast, and at 3pm a Breast Health Educator with the Know Your Lemons Foundation will lead a session to help community members learn about breast self-exams, breast cancer symptoms and more.

For the last day of local events on Thursday 4th September, local artist Lesley Cook will hold a wet felting workshop at 10am-noon. Registrations will be capped for this workshop, so please contact the Library on 8760 1170 to secure your spot.

In the afternoon, health care professionals from the Naracoorte Physiotherapy Clinic will cover a range of topics from 12.30-2pm that directly impact women in our community, including osteoporosis management, the management of pain during pregnancy, endometriosis management, and incontinence and pelvic floor exercises and management.

For updates and registrations, keep an eye on the event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1811923949386553

27/08/2025

We teach this in every day life at Smiles and in our workshops and it can be a game changer for caregivers, educators and children alike.

Understanding the neuroscience behind emotions helps us make sense of what's really going on and how we can support the children in our care. Often, the first step is learning and applying this understanding for ourselves, as the trusted adults in a child’s life.

Secure your own lid first. Connect with your child. Help them secure theirs.
Notice. Connect. Redirect.

Remember our children learn through observation. They need our support to develop these skills, so that with time, they can learn to self-regulate on their own.

Source: Disability SA

🧠 “Flipping Your Lid”: Why Kids Lose Control & How to Help

Have you ever noticed a child suddenly go from calm to overwhelmed… yelling, crying, or shutting down?

During the Australian Childhood Foundation Trauma conference, our team listened to Dr. Daniel Siegel’s concept of “flipping your lid”, which gives us an easy way to understand what’s happening in the brain during those big emotional moments.
 
The Brain Hand Model
Imagine your hand is the brain:
Thumb tucked in (Limbic System / Amygdala) → This is our feelings and survival brain,  it manages emotions like fear, anger, and stress.
Fingers curled over (Prefrontal Cortex) → This is our thinking brain, it helps us plan, stay calm, solve problems, and make good choices.
Fingers flipped up → When emotions overwhelm us, the “thinking brain” goes offline. We’ve ‘flipped our lid!’
 
What This Means for Children
When kids “flip their lid”:
They’re not being naughty or difficult.
Their brain is overwhelmed, and their ability to think clearly or control impulses is temporarily shut down.
Logic and reasoning won’t work in this moment, connection and regulation will.
 
Helping Children Get Back on Track
Instead of expecting instant control, we can guide kids to “put the lid back on” by:
🧘 Breathing slowly together
🎨 Offering a calming activity (drawing, sensory play, quiet space)
💛 Using gentle, validating words (“I can see you’re upset. I’m here to help.”)
🏃 Movement breaks to release energy
Once calm returns, their “thinking brain” comes back online, and that’s the time to talk, problem-solve, and teach new skills.
 
“Flipping your lid” isn’t ‘bad behaviour’, and when we understand what’s happening during these moments, we can respond with compassion and help children build lifelong skills in emotional regulation.🌻

26/08/2025

Come and join us for the event by the R U OK. convoy in the Town Square.

25/08/2025

Thanks for sharing Maggie Dent 🙏😊

To begin with I need to acknowledge that the term parental swagger comes from my wise and dear friend, author and psychologist Dr Vanessa Lapointe. Put simply, swagger means having ...

25/08/2025

🔍 Be Curious, Be Reflective – Free Workshop

Before we look outwards, we need to look inwards.

Join us for this insightful session focused on self-reflection and how understanding ourselves helps us to better navigate relationships and the world around us.

✨ What we’ll cover:

- The power of self-reflection
- Key questions to ask ourselves (including our strengths!)
- How to handle situations that really grind our gears
- A step-by-step approach to unpacking our thoughts, feelings, actions & assumptions
- Turning self-awareness into meaningful action
- Ways to challenge our unhelpful internal dialogue
- Steps to positive communication

Gez and Lana-Joy are excited to be presenting this interactive workshop.

🗓️ It’s not too late to register!
🎟️ Sign up via StickyTickets:
https://www.stickytickets.com.au/oogvo/workshop_4__be_curious_be_reflective.aspx