Blossom Child Psychology

15/11/2025

If you ever find yourself at your wits’ end and struggling to cope with your child’s behaviour at home, here is my advice. Cry. Let your child see you cry. Let them witness the effect their behaviour has on you. Why do we, as a culture, hide our emotions from our children?

Disclaimer: This approach is not about shaming or blaming your child. It is about guiding them to understand the consequences of their actions in a safe and supportive environment.

Inuit parents have long understood the power of showing children the emotional impact of their actions, though always in a calm and controlled way. Seeing the consequences of their behaviour firsthand helps children develop empathy, moral reasoning, and social awareness.

Emotions like guilt and carefully guided shame can also support moral development. Guilt encourages reflection and motivates repair, while Aristotle believed that experiencing shame appropriately in childhood cultivates virtue and helps children understand right from wrong.

It is crucial to focus on the behaviour, not the child. Saying “you are bad” risks anxiety or people-pleasing tendencies. Instead, try “When you did this, it hurt me. How can we fix it?” This teaches accountability while protecting your child’s sense of self.

Neurodiverse children often respond especially well to this method. Calm modelling of cause and effect combined with emotional honesty helps them develop empathy, self-awareness, and social insight without the overwhelm that traditional parenting can create.

Parenting is not about perfection. It is about connection, guidance, and helping children grow into compassionate, socially aware humans.

At the top of the world, the Inuit culture has developed a sophisticated way to sculpt kids' behavior without yelling or scolding. Could discipline actually be playful?

12/10/2025

💛 Waitlist Update

Thank you so much for your ongoing support. My current waitlist has reached capacity and I’m not able to take on new clients at this time.
I’ll post an update here when the waitlist reopens.
If you need support sooner, you can ask your GP for alternative referrals or visit the APS “Find a Psychologist” directory: https://psychology.org.au/find-a-psychologist
Warmly,
Sarah

31/08/2025

🌱 Growth Happens Outside the Comfort Zone 🌱

Lately, I’ve seen a lot of kids struggling with transitions, change, and stepping out of their comfort zones. It can feel uncomfortable, even scary, but these are exactly the moments where the most growth happens.

✨ Give them gentle guidance
✨ Encourage small steps forward
✨ Model calm tolerance of distress
✨ Make mistakes; they’re part of learning
✨ Move forward anyway

Every challenge is an opportunity to build resilience, confidence, and courage, for them… and for us. 💙

27/02/2025

I’m often asked about the difference between a psychiatrist, psychologist, and clinical psychologist. For a clearer understanding, check out the table below that explains each role and what they specialize in.

20/02/2025

Research suggests that early life stress can impact how a child's brain handles social connections, making them less motivated to interact with others. This can lead to long-term challenges in forming relationships. For parents, it's important to understand how childhood stress can affect social development, and early support can help children build healthier social skills and cope with trauma.

Early Life Stress Rewires Brain Circuits Linked to Social Motivation

Early life stress alters brain circuits responsible for social motivation, leading to long-term behavioral changes.

Researchers found that mice exposed to stress during early development showed reduced dopamine signaling between the ventral tegmental area and the basolateral amygdala.

This disruption made the mice less likely to seek social interaction, preferring isolation or inanimate objects instead.

Using neural activation techniques, scientists were able to restore social behaviors in stressed mice by stimulating dopamine neurons.

Conversely, turning off these neurons in socially engaged mice induced avoidance behaviors, demonstrating the direct role of this pathway.

These findings highlight how early experiences shape brain function and could inform treatments for social difficulties linked to childhood trauma.

https://neurosciencenews.com/early-stress-social-motivation-28428/

04/12/2024

22/10/2024

🌸 Exciting News from Blossom Child Psychology! 🌸

I am thrilled to share that I have sponsored beautiful Mparakuon, from Kenya, through World Vision’s 1000 Girls Initiative! 💖 This amazing program empowers girls by providing access to education, healthcare, clean water, nutrition, and protection from early marriage, exploitation, and abuse. It’s all about ensuring that young girls, like Mparakuon, have the chance to grow up safe, healthy, and with the opportunities they deserve.

Every child deserves a future full of possibilities, and this initiative is making that a reality for girls in vulnerable communities worldwide.

🌍 If you’re able to, please consider sponsoring a child. Together, we can help create a world where every child has the opportunity to blossom. ✨

04/07/2024

When therapy duties are exhausting but you still manage to look adorable 😴🐾

24/06/2024

Medicare fees and rebates for 2024-2025 announced.
The new Medicare rebate for 50+ minute consultation with a clinical psychologist is $141.85, effective 1 July 2024. Speak to your GP today to see if you’re eligible for this Medicare rebate on your psychology sessions or visit our website for more information.