Pebble & Tide Counselling

Pebble & Tide Counselling Online counselling across Australia for children, teens & adults. Experienced in ADHD, Autism & trauma support. ACA registered counsellor.

Mental Health Council of Tasmania member.

Signs your child may be masking at schoolA child can look “fine” at school… and still be struggling.Many kids work incre...
27/01/2026

Signs your child may be masking at school

A child can look “fine” at school… and still be struggling.

Many kids work incredibly hard to mask. They follow rules, act polite, try not to cry, try not to stand out. But masking comes at a cost.

Signs your child may be masking at school:
- emotional outbursts at home
- headaches or tummy aches (especially weekdays)
- exhaustion after school
- irritability over small things
- shutdowns or going quiet
- “I don’t want to go” in the mornings
- big emotional reactions over minor school issues

Masking doesn’t mean your child is being dramatic. It means they’re using all their energy just to cope.

💙 You don’t need to push harder. You need to reduce demand first, then support skills.
✅ Try this today: 10 minutes of quiet transition time after school = Snack + water + no questions yet.

If this sounds familiar, save this post.

After-school meltdowns are not “naughty behaviour”.They are often a sign your child has been holding it together all day...
25/01/2026

After-school meltdowns are not “naughty behaviour”.

They are often a sign your child has been holding it together all day… and once they’re in their safe place (home), the pressure finally releases.

School can take a lot out of kids:
- following rules
- sitting still
- concentrating
- coping socially
- masking anxiety
- dealing with sensory overload

So when they walk through the door and fall apart, it’s not manipulation. It’s decompression.

💡 What helps:
✅ keep afternoons low-demand
✅ offer food + water
✅ allow quiet time
✅ reduce questions at first
✅ connection before correction

If this is your child, you’re not alone. This is common, and it’s workable with the right support.

Save this post for the hard afternoons. 💙

🎸🤘 Joy Is Self-Care TooThis weekend I saw Foo Fighters live and honestly… it was incredible! Loud music. Thousands of pe...
25/01/2026

🎸🤘 Joy Is Self-Care Too

This weekend I saw Foo Fighters live and honestly… it was incredible!

Loud music. Thousands of people singing together. That feeling in your chest when the bass is deep. Or the hairs standing up on your skin when a song hits just right.

For me, this is regulation. Connection. Presence. Giving my busy, never-quiet mind a reset through sound, movement, and shared energy.

And honestly, one of the best parts was that I didn’t even have to leave my state. No flights. No airports. No juggling long-distance travel. Just the music, the moment, and the memories. Just what I needed!

So thank you Foo Fighters for being part of my self-care this weekend.

Gentle reminder: If something fills your cup, grounds your body, or brings you back to yourself…it counts!







🪨🌊 Welcome to Pebble & Tide CounsellingOnline counselling and learning support delivered via secure telehealth Australia...
22/01/2026

🪨🌊 Welcome to Pebble & Tide Counselling

Online counselling and learning support delivered via secure telehealth Australia-wide.

Gentle, trauma-informed and neuro-affirming care for children, teens and adults.

💬 Services & Pricing

Initial Consultation (60 mins) – $110
A calm starting point to understand your needs and recommend the right support.

Ongoing Counselling (45 mins) – $95
Support for anxiety, emotional wellbeing, trauma recovery, school stress, relationships and life transitions.
Includes support for:
• ADHD & Executive Function Support (attention, organisation, motivation, emotional regulation, school challenges)
• Autism-Affirming Counselling (sensory-safe support with anxiety, self-advocacy, transitions and social confidence)

Tutoring & Learning Support (45 mins) – $50
Calm, confidence-building tutoring for children and teens who need extra support with learning, literacy or school confidence.

📅 How to Book
Book online: pebbleandtide.com.au
Email: hello@pebbleandtide.com.au

Call/Text: 0492 944 798

💙 Why Choose Pebble & Tide?

- ACA & AADPA registered
- Member of the Mental Health Council of Tasmania
- Trauma-informed and neuro-affirming
- Flexible online sessions from your own space

I draw on evidence-based approaches such as ACT, CBT, and trauma-informed strategies, adapting support to suit each client’s needs.

📌 Save this post for quick reference and share with anyone who may need it.

Let's talk about Self Care!Self-care is intentional support for your wellbeing. It can be physical, emotional, sensory, ...
22/01/2026

Let's talk about Self Care!

Self-care is intentional support for your wellbeing. It can be physical, emotional, sensory, social, mental, spiritual, or practical.

Sometimes self-care is:
- resting
- eating properly
- asking for help
- setting boundaries
- moving your body
- laughing
- leaving the house
- taking a break from people
- doing something that makes your brain feel alive again

Let’s clear a few things up:

❌ “Self-care is selfish.”
✅ Self-care is maintenance. You’re allowed to meet your needs.

❌ “Self-care should feel relaxing.”
✅ Not always. Sometimes it looks like movement, stimulation, adventure, or letting energy out.

❌ “If you still feel stressed, it didn’t work.”
✅ Self-care isn’t a magic off switch. It’s a regulation tool.

❌ “Self-care = skincare.”
✅ Sometimes. But it can also be cancelling plans, having a nap, or turning your phone off.

Self-care can be loud, weird, and brilliant! Mine definitely isn’t conventional.

Sometimes my self-care looks like:
🪨 rock hounding (because treasure hunting is therapy)
🌿 being out in nature with my family
🐾 taking my cat for a walk on the beach
🎸 going to concerts (Foo Fighters this weekend and I am SO excited!)
🎬 movies that switch my brain off for a bit
🎮 video games (hello dopamine + escapism + focus)

Sometimes it looks like sitting and doing nothing…
…but I’ll be honest: my mind is never quiet, so “doing nothing” rarely lasts long.

And that’s okay.

Because self-care isn’t about forcing stillness. Sometimes it’s about choosing the kind of stimulation that helps your system feel safe.

Why self-care matters:
- reduces burnout
- protects mental health
- builds emotional resilience
- supports nervous system regulation
- improves concentration and decision-making
- makes it easier to show up for work, family, and life

It’s not indulgence.
It’s fuel.

If your self-care doesn’t look “aesthetic” or “calm”…
that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.

If it helps you breathe easier, feel more connected, and come back to yourself…
it counts.

✨ Self-care isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s personal. It’s practical. It’s allowed to be YOU.








Not all anxiety looks like worry.When school is about to start again, a lot of kids don’t say “I’m anxious”…they show it...
18/01/2026

Not all anxiety looks like worry.

When school is about to start again, a lot of kids don’t say “I’m anxious”…
they show it in quieter (and sometimes confusing) ways.

Some less common signs of anxiety in kids and teens can include:
- Perfectionism: Meltdowns over mistakes, refusing to try unless they “know” they’ll succeed.
- Anger or irritability: Snapping, arguing, short fuse… especially in the afternoons.
- Avoidance disguised as laziness: “I forgot.” “I don’t care.” “I’ll do it later.” (But it’s overwhelm underneath.)
- Constant reassurance seeking: “Are you sure?” “What if…?” “Will you promise…?”
- Physical symptoms: Tummy aches, headaches, nausea, feeling sick in the mornings.
- Sleep changes: Struggling to fall asleep, nightmares, waking during the night.
- Control behaviours: Rigid routines, needing things a certain way, big reactions to change.

Your child might show some of these behaviours from time to time, but anxiety can increase how often they happen, or how big the reactions feel.

As school returns after summer break, remember anxiety isn’t always loud.
Sometimes it looks like shutdown, anger, avoidance, or physical complaints.
If your child is struggling right now, support is available. You don’t have to push through it alone.

💬 Message Pebble & Tide if you’d like to explore counselling support for kids and teens.

Pebble & Tide | Counselling for Kids, Teens & Families

🎒 Back to school nerves? You’re not alone.For many children, returning to school (or starting a new one) can bring big f...
14/01/2026

🎒 Back to school nerves? You’re not alone.

For many children, returning to school (or starting a new one) can bring big feelings: worry, tummy aches, tears, clinginess, or “I don’t want to go”.

The good news? There are gentle, practical ways to support your child’s nervous system and help them feel calmer and more confident.

✨ I’ve shared 10 supportive strategies in my latest blog post to help make school transitions easier.

📌 Read here: https://www.pebbleandtide.com.au/post/back-to-school-nerves-how-to-help-your-child-feel-calm-confident-and-ready

When a child melts down, refuses, lashes out, shuts down, or “pushes buttons” it’s easy to assume they’re trying to be d...
11/01/2026

When a child melts down, refuses, lashes out, shuts down, or “pushes buttons” it’s easy to assume they’re trying to be difficult.

But most of the time… they’re not.

Children communicate through behaviour when they don’t yet have the words, skills, or emotional safety to explain what’s happening inside.

Behaviour is often a sign of:
- big feelings they can’t regulate yet
- stress or overwhelm
- tiredness or poor sleep
- fear of failure or fear of getting in trouble
- confusion, change, or too much input
- feeling unheard, unsafe, or disconnected

What helps most?

Instead of asking “What’s wrong with you?”, try:
✅ “What happened today?”
✅ “What’s feeling hard right now?”
✅ “Do you need comfort, space, or help?”

Because the goal isn’t perfect behaviour. The goal is emotional safety, connection, and skills that last.

If you’re a parent feeling stuck, you’re not failing. Sometimes kids just need support to learn what their feelings are trying to say.

Pebble & Tide Counselling support for children and families.

As school approaches, many children feel unsettled.Changes in routine, expectations, noise, separation, and social press...
06/01/2026

As school approaches, many children feel unsettled.
Changes in routine, expectations, noise, separation, and social pressure can feel overwhelming.
Emotional distress around school is not something to fix.
It is a signal that a child needs safety, predictability, and support.
These three gentle strategies can help support children through school transitions.
You do not need to do all of them. One is enough.
Pebble & Tide supports children through school transitions and emotional overwhelm using gentle, child-centred approaches.


🎄 Christmas, however it meets you 🎄For some, this season brings warmth, laughter, connection and comfort.For others, it ...
24/12/2025

🎄 Christmas, however it meets you 🎄

For some, this season brings warmth, laughter, connection and comfort.
For others, it can feel heavy, lonely, overwhelming, or bittersweet.
And for many, it is a mix of all of the above.

If Christmas is hard for you, you are not broken.
You are human.

Grief, family strain, financial pressure, sensory overload, exhaustion, trauma memories, or simply the expectation to feel “festive” can make this time of year especially tough, particularly for neurodivergent folks.

🪨 A few gentle ways to care for yourself today or over the coming days
• Give yourself permission to step away from overwhelming spaces
• Lower expectations, including your own
• Choose one small grounding anchor like a warm drink, fresh air, or a familiar show
• Set clear boundaries around time, noise, food, and conversations
• Stay connected in ways that feel safe, even if that is just one person or one message
• Remember that rest is allowed, even when the world feels loud

You do not have to perform joy. You do not have to explain your limits. You are allowed to survive this season in your own way.

From Pebble & Tide, sending kindness to every nervous system navigating this time.
May you find moments of calm, softness, and self compassion, however Christmas looks for you 💙🙏🪨🌊

🎄✨

Today my heart feels heavy.The news from Bondi is devastating. As someone who grew up in Sydney, it is hard to comprehen...
14/12/2025

Today my heart feels heavy.

The news from Bondi is devastating. As someone who grew up in Sydney, it is hard to comprehend that a place so familiar, so woven into everyday life, has become associated with such loss and fear.

My deepest sympathy is with those who have lost loved ones, those who were injured, those who witnessed it, and the wider community now carrying shock, grief, and disbelief.

Events like this ripple far beyond one place. They affect how safe we feel, how we move through the world, and how we hold one another in the days that follow.

If you are feeling unsettled, tearful, numb, or overwhelmed, you are not overreacting. These are deeply human responses to something profoundly distressing.

Please be gentle with yourself and with others. Check in, slow down where you can, and seek support if you need it.

Holding space for everyone affected.

If today’s news has brought up distress, support is available. You do not have to carry this alone.

Lifeline
13 11 14

Beyond Blue
1300 22 4636

Su***de Call Back Service
1300 659 467

MensLine Australia
1300 78 99 78

Kids Helpline
1800 55 1800

13YARN
13 92 76

🖤
Pebble & Tide

Address

PO Box 369
Somerset, TAS
7322

Opening Hours

9am - 7pm

Telephone

+61492944798

Website

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