Kelly Walker- Counselling & Play Therapy

13/12/2025

27/11/2025

Dr. Kate's dictionary definition of Play Therapy!

Because sometimes the most powerful advocacy is simply stating the facts: what it is, who delivers it, and what the evidence shows

Effect sizes: 0.47-0.80. That's not opinion...that's data

24/11/2025

We’re all sold this picture-perfect holiday fantasy: matching pajamas, cheerful baking, peaceful family meals, everyone smiling like a Hallmark card. But for so many of us — especially those parenting neurodivergent kids — the reality is… very different.

Think: meltdowns, sensory overload, too much noise, too many transitions, too many demands, and you trying to keep it all together with a smile. If the holidays feel chaotic or exhausting for you, please hear this: nothing is wrong with you or your child. The expectations are unrealistic.

Before we start trying to “fix” anything, it helps to pause and tell the truth about how the holidays have actually felt: burnout by mid-December, overstimulation, pressure to “make it magical,” kids falling apart from nonstop demands, and family members who don’t get your child’s needs.

There is real power in naming your lived experience. You can’t make the season gentler if you don’t start from honesty and compassion.

Step 1: Find Your Deep Why

Ask yourself: What do I actually want this season to feel like?
Maybe it’s connection. Maybe it’s rest. Maybe it’s just “less conflict, please.”

Your Deep Why becomes your anchor when everything feels loud or emotional. If something doesn’t support that Deep Why… it doesn’t need to stay.

Step 2: Name the Demands

The holidays are FULL of demands we don’t even notice until we’re drowning in them — sensory demands, social demands, emotional demands, routine changes, performance expectations.

Once you name them, you can stop blaming yourself and start adjusting the environment.

Step 3: Ask Why This Demand Matters

Not every demand is bad — but every demand costs something.

Ask yourself:
• Why do I feel pressure to do this?
• Whose expectation is this?
• Does this support our Deep Why?
• Does this help my child stay regulated?

If the only reason something exists is guilt or tradition or “we’ve always done it this way”… you’re allowed to set it down.

Step 4: Listen to Your Child

Our kids’ nervous systems are constantly telling us what they can and can’t handle, their sensory cues, their pacing, their overwhelm signals.

When we build holidays around the child we actually have, instead of the child others expect, we see less conflict, fewer meltdowns, and more peace.

Your child’s needs aren’t inconveniences. They’re information.

Step 5: Drop Demands Proactively

Instead of waiting for everything to fall apart, try dropping demands ahead of time. It really does make the whole season smoother.

Maybe that looks like:
• skipping an event
• shortening an outing
• choosing super simple meals
• saying “no” without overexplaining
• letting a tradition rest this year

Less pressure = fewer meltdowns + more peace.

Step 6: Meet Your Own Needs

Your needs matter just as much as your child’s.
Your energy, sensory tolerance, sleep, capacity, and emotional bandwidth all shape the holiday ecosystem at home.

When you care for yourself — even in tiny ways — you bring more regulation, more connection, and more stability to your family.

What if this season didn’t break you??

A meaningful holiday doesn’t come from doing more — it comes from doing what actually matters.

When you follow your Deep Why, drop unnecessary demands, listen to your child, and honor your own needs, you create a season that’s sustainable and kind.

You’re allowed to rewrite the script.
Low-demand holidays are holidays with room to breathe.

17/11/2025

PD this evening. Supporting Kids with Anxiety- A Functional Approach for Clinicians ***Best practice***

08/10/2025

We offer Autistic-led online group mentoring programs for 7 – 22-year-old Autistic people. Our program builds confidence and social connection in a safe, positive environment which allows individuals to move at a pace that feels right for them. Each session offers flexibility, so they can engage in a way that meets their needs on the day.
Autistic young people can be unapologetically themselves. They can explore their interests with peers, and build confidence, communication, and social connections along the way whilst benefiting from I CAN Mentors as role models. With over 350 participants each cycle, we are proving our program is effective.

16/09/2025

11/08/2025

30/07/2025

New study: Research from King’s College London has given us clear evidence of what our community has been saying for years. On average, autistic, ADHD and AuDHD students experience around twice the emotional burden of their peers at school.

The study shows that school environments expose our young people to more frequent and more intense upsetting experiences, and those experiences take a toll.

This helps explain what many of our families see every day: our ladybugs masking their distress at school, only to crash at home. It also offers insight into why “school can’t” is so often a response to harm, rather than defiance. And it strengthens the link between school culture and mental health.

Researchers worked closely with neurodivergent students to identify which school experiences cause the most emotional distress. These included:

• Peers talking behind their backs
• Unexpected waits in queues
• Teachers telling them off
• Being ignored or misunderstood
• Last-minute changes of plan
• Sensory overload in classrooms
• Losing or forgetting things (and being punished for it)
• Boring lessons and lack of engagement
• Constant pressure to “try harder”
• Being blamed for things they didn’t do

The study found clear differences between groups.

💛 Autistic students were most affected by sensory overload, being rushed, social confusion and peers talking behind their backs.
💛 ADHD students were most distressed by boredom, not feeling heard by teachers, unfair blame and pressure to “try harder.”

You can check out the study here:

https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/336095677/Lukito_et_al_2024-Emotional_Burden-author_accepted_version.pdf

Study name: Emotional burden in school as a source of mental health problems associated with ADHD and/or autism (Lukito et al., 2025), found that autistic, ADHD and AuDHD students carry twice the emotional burden of their peers…”

Lukito, S., Chandler, S., Kakoulidou, M., Griffiths, K., Wyatt, A., Funnell, E., Pavlopoulou, G., Baker, S., Stahl, D., & Sonuga‑Barke, E. (2025). Emotional burden in school as a source of mental health problems associated with ADHD and/or autism: Development and validation of a new co‑produced self‑report measure. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.70003 cr

28/07/2025

Such a great initiative!

Ambulance Victoria releases a toolkit to teach paramedics how to make adjustments at work to help staff and patients who are neurodiverse.

20/07/2025

Enjoy a little self care quest with a magical koala 🐨 wizard 🪄

A magical koala wizard has a very important quest for you: Take care of yourself! This is a playful, creative self-care exercise for when you need something fun and cozy.
Read the full post here: https://www.selfloverainbow.com/a-self-care-quest-for-you/

01/07/2025

01/07/2025