Melissa Knaggs Psychology

12/11/2025

💙 A resource worth sharing

Experiencing separation or bereavement can deeply affect our sense of self, connection, and meaning. It often requires us to rebuild how we understand ourselves, others, and the world around us.

There’s no single “right” way to grieve. Each person’s process is unique and can change over time. When a loss is unexpected or traumatic, it can make recovery even harder, especially if support feels limited.

As we approach the end of the year, many people notice emotions feel heavier. The Christmas period can increase feelings of loneliness, financial strain, or family stress, and may intensify grief. Reaching out for professional support during these times can be both protective and healing.

Lifeline WA offers free counselling for young people aged 6–25 years and their parents, delivered by qualified mental health professionals. Sessions are available in person (Subiaco), by phone, or via Telehealth.

If you or someone you know is navigating separation, loss, or bereavement, this service provides a safe and confidential space to talk and process what you’re going through.

Learn more or refer directly here:
🔗 wa.lifeline.org.au/services/counselling-and-support

28/10/2025

🧠 Calling all local health, community, and wellbeing professionals!

If you work in or around Hedland and want to strengthen referral pathways, collaborate across services, or simply learn more about the support options available locally — this meeting is for you.

As a bonus we will be joined by Zoe from Lifeline, who’ll be presenting on Lifeline’s free counselling services and mental-health education programs — helping us all better understand how clients and organisations can access this valuable support.

Port Hedland Mental Health Professionals’ Network (MHPN) Meeting
Topic: Pathways to Support: Navigating Together
📅 Wednesday 29 October 2025
🕕 6:00–8:00 PM AWST
📍 South Hedland Lotteries House – 2 Leake Street
🍽 Light refreshments provided

Whether you’re a mental health professional, SEWB, GP, social worker, nurse, or community organisation — you’re warmly invited to come along, share what your service offers, and connect with others doing great work in our region.

➡️ RSVP via the MHPN website https://mhpn.org.au/members/ #/Network/9463

26/10/2025

26/10/2025

Stepping into my final week…

This week marks my final chalkboard reflection here in Hedland (although I’ll still be available via Telehealth) and I wanted it to be one that captures the heart of the work I’ve done, and what this community has given back to me in return.

Every feeling has a function:
Anger protects.
Sadness releases.
Fear alerts.
Joy connects.

Thank you Hedland - for shaping me as a Psychologist, and for teaching me that healing begins in relationship.

In therapy and in life our emotions are not problems to be fixed; they’re messages to be understood. Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) reminds us that when we make space for emotions rather than pushing them away, we access the wisdom underneath. Anger can signal a boundary crossed. Sadness helps us let go. Fear alerts us to potential threat. And joy reminds us of connection and safety.

Over my years here, I’ve come to see Hedland as a place that provides growth - if you’re willing. It has a way of revealing who you are and what truly matters most.

When I first arrived, I quickly recognised that I was stepping into a community where many people had never worked with a Mental Health Professional before. Cultural, gender, and generational stigma often shaped how people viewed mental health, and this challenged me in the best way - to rethink how I practiced.

What I learnt was that healing happens in relationship.I needed to foster the relationship first - to understand the landscape, to show my humanness, to be genuine and authentic (even when I had no idea what I was talking about when it came to fishing!), and to keep showing up. Over time, consistency built trust, trust built safety, and safety became the catalyst for growth. Watching people develop through this process has been nothing short of powerful.

When we are met with empathy instead of evaluation, and understanding instead of judgment, our nervous system relaxes, defences soften, and healing begins to unfold. Relationship is not just the setting for therapy - it is the therapy.

As I prepare to say goodbye to my Hedland chapter in physical presence, I’m profoundly grateful to every person who has shared a story, a conversation, a session, or a piece of their life with me. You’ve reminded me that healing isn’t found in techniques or tools alone - it’s found in safe, attuned, and genuine relationships. And that truth will continue to guide my work wherever I go.

Thank you Hedland 🤍

Mel (Human, Psychologist, Mum)

19/10/2025

🌿 This Week’s Chalkboard: G R O W – Get Rid Of Old Ways
Change can feel hard and for good reason. Our brains are wired for efficiency, so we repeat what’s familiar even when it no longer serves us. From a psychological perspective, habit loops form through cue → routine → reward cycles.

To GROW, we don’t just break habits — we replace them.
✨ Identify the cue (what triggers the behaviour)
✨ Reflect on the reward (what need it’s meeting)
✨ Experiment with a new, values-aligned response

Small, consistent shifts in awareness and action gradually rewire our brain’s neural pathways — this is neuroplasticity in action. So if you’ve been feeling stuck, remember that growth often begins with the gentle decision to “get rid of old habits” that once helped you survive, but no longer help you thrive.

A big thank-you to sewing extraordinaire Juliette Gerhardt for sending through this week’s reflective suggestion.

🪴 Practice Update
Good news — I’ll be back in The Bungalow this coming week, as the air-conditioning has now been fixed. A huge thank-you to Oresome Air, your responsiveness, efficiency, and professionalism have been greatly appreciated!

💬 A Note from Me
This will be the third last chalkboard reflection I’ll be sharing before I wrap up my time in Hedland. If you have a favourite quote, reflection, or psychological theme you’d love to see featured in these final weeks, please send it through — I’d love to include some community-inspired messages to finish strong.

16/10/2025

MK Psychology community

The aircon at my usual office has decided it doesn’t want to do another summer 😩

So PHCCI Tradie Hub has come to the rescue and provided me a quiet space to continue seeing you in person. All appointments will temporarily be based at the Tradie Hub in Wedgefield 🛠️

Send a message to learn more

14/10/2025

🧠 Calling all local health and mental health professionals & organisations! If you’d like to promote your services, connect with others in the field, or simply understand who to refer to and how...

📅 Join us for the next Port Hedland Mental Health Primary Network (MHPN) meeting:

Pathways to Support: Navigating Together
🗓 Wednesday 29 October 2025
🕕 6–8 PM AWST
📍 South Hedland Lotteries House – 2 Leake Street, South Hedland WA 6722
🍽 Light refreshments provided

This event is ideal for professionals across psychology, social work, mental health nursing, general practice, counselling, and community services who want to:
👥 Meet local service providers and grow your professional network
🔄 Understand who’s who in the local support system — and who does what
📞 Learn how to navigate referral pathways and connect clients to the right supports
🤝 Strengthen cross-sector collaboration and improve continuity of care
🌱 Stay up-to-date on what services are available across the Hedland region

📲 Scan the QR code to RSVP or visit mhpn.org.au to create a free account and register.

Whether you're new to town, expanding your network, or simply want to contribute to a more connected system of care — we'd love for you to attend.

11/10/2025

Reflection for the coming week...

Pain is inevitable.
Struggle is optional.
Make space for discomfort, and keep moving in the direction of your values.

We all experience pain, it’s part of being human. But it’s the resistance to that pain, the tug-of-war with our thoughts and feelings, that often turns pain into suffering.

ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) teaches us that while we can’t always control what shows up in our lives, we can choose how we respond.

🌱 What might it look like to gently make room for discomfort, rather than fight it, and still take a small step toward what matters most?

Your values can be your compass, even on hard days.

06/10/2025

A reflective piece for your Monday...

The mind seeks confirmation, not truth. We’re wired to notice what fits our beliefs and quietly ignore what doesn’t — this is called confirmation bias.

Real growth often starts when we get curious about being wrong.

🪞What story have you been re-proving to yourself lately?

04/10/2025

🧠 Reflecting on an Important Conversation

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of speaking at Port Hedland Lodge No.174 WAC about Men’s Mental Health. It was an honour to be welcomed by such a genuine, down-to-earth, engaged, and caring group of men who are committed to looking out for one another and breaking down the stigma that so often surrounds men’s mental health.

In mining towns like ours, where there’s a higher proportion of men, and many work in isolation or away from their usual support systems, opportunities like this are incredibly important. Creating space for open and honest conversations can make a real difference. Awareness, connection, and community truly do change lives.

A heartfelt thank-you to Freemasons WA and Port Hedland Lodge No.174 WAC for the invitation, your warm hospitality, and the ongoing support you show local small businesses like mine. Your commitment to community wellbeing is deeply appreciated.

28/09/2025

🌿 Important Update – Practice Changes and a PSA 🌿
As many of you know, earlier this year my family was abruptly faced with significant childcare challenges. These issues placed immense pressure on us and, despite exhausting every possible avenue, I continued to run up against systemic barriers beyond my control — challenges many of you have also experienced firsthand.

One of the lessons I’ve learned over time is that there are "no prizes for doing life on hard". With that in mind, we have had to make the very difficult decision to relocate to New South Wales. This means my face-to-face presence in Hedland will conclude at the beginning of December 2025.

I know how difficult it is to access psychological support locally, which makes this decision even harder. However, this is not the end — things will simply look a little different. From late January 2026, I will recommence services via Telehealth, so continuity of care remains available if this suits your needs.

I also want to share something that goes beyond my own practice, because it matters to all families in our region... When my children were experiencing significant issues they, and others, should never have to face, I lodged a formal complaint raising several concerns with the Education and Care Regulatory Unit (ECRU). For anyone who isn’t familiar, ECRU is the independent WA Government body that oversees childcare services, ensuring providers meet safety and quality standards under the National Quality Framework.

ECRU investigated and has since taken action. Their findings will be published on the Enforcement Actions Register in about 4–6 weeks. This public register is designed so families can make more informed decisions about where to place their children, and so services are held accountable when standards aren’t met. It is available for all parents, carers, and providers to access, helping to ensure transparency and accountability in childcare services across WA. In sharing this, my hope is that it allows families to make more confident and informed choices about the childcare services they use.

You can view the register here:
🔗 ECRU Enforcement Actions Register -https://www.wa.gov.au/government/document-collections/education-and-care-regulatory-unit-enforcement-actions

While the outcome doesn’t undo the personal toll this has taken on my family, my hope is that it leads to positive change and stronger safeguards for families in our region moving forward.

To the Hedland community, thank you for once again embracing me and my little practice with such warmth 💛 It has been an absolute privilege to walk alongside so many of you — through conversations, laughter, and the tougher moments too.

Although I’ll be physically further away, this isn’t goodbye. I will continue to support the Hedland community by:
• Offering Telehealth sessions from January 2026, and
• Sharing regular information pieces and resources to keep important mental health conversations alive in our region.

Please know I remain deeply committed to this community. If you have any questions, I’ll be here to help.

With gratitude and care,
Mel (Psychologist, mum and human)