Katie Small Counselling

30/04/2026

I attended a workshop presented by Phillip Klever yesterday put on by where he shared some of his 26 year long research project with families, looking at child functioning within and between family variation. A stand out reflection for me was the reminder of how important extended family contact is in reducing family intensity. When we have contact with more family members, anxiety is more likely to get spread around & not concentrated on one or the few in the nuclear family. When a nuclear family is isolated from other family contacts they can at times function like a ‘cocoon’ with a high concentration of anxiety & symptoms that pop up. There are also many resource benefits to extended family contact outside of this helpful emotional/relational balance, such as practical help. Have we moved too far away from the concept of ‘it takes a village’ or have we just chosen different villages with less tension in them?

02/03/2026

04/02/2026

Ever go to a therapist and wonder ‘why are they so interested in my family?’ Family research can allow us to better understand how we are affected by past generations. “It shifts us from blaming or diagnosing individuals to a broader view in which symptoms & strengths are seen to emerge in response to challenges and resources’ (V Harrison p7 2018). With this exploration comes a decrease in anxiety and an increase in one’s capacity to think.

14/08/2025

Jenny says in chapter 6 of her book Growing Yourself Up “Most people come to couples counselling come saying they are here to work on their relationship, the irony is that the couples who make progress are the ones who stop focusing on the marriage itself and start directing their attention to their own behaviours. This is the paradox of growth within a marriage, that a responsible focus on yourself and not the relationship can bring the utmost degree of mutual satisfaction.”

01/07/2025

I am pleased to finally be an accredited parent coach for the !

As an experienced facilitator of several parent programs (inc. COS & TIK), this program is a deep breath of fresh air & a genuine pleasure to offer parents in my counselling practice. It will not tell you how to parent… what it will do is far greater! It will assist you to reclaim your own clarity as a parent & rebuild the hope that may have gotten lost somewhere amidst all the worry. The bonus outcome is that as you work on this in yourself, your child will likely calm down too 🙌🏼

If you want to learn more & consider completing this 6 session program send me an email, we can find a time to chat: info@katiesmall.com.au

25/06/2025

Did you know I offer sessions online via video or phone? I’ve recently made the decision to close my in person practice and focus on providing affordable & accessible online counselling to people in any location. I also offer sessions after hours for those juggling work and/or kids. Visit my website for more information - link in bio.

www.katiesmall.com.au

05/06/2025

I’ve been thinking a lot about trauma recently & how it’s possible that, in therapy, survivors of trauma are at times not given the opportunity to explore their own capacity.

Some questions I’m reflecting on:
1. How does our practice at times reinforce their helplessness, their vulnerability?
2. How can we approach them with a belief in their own capacity to manage themselves, even when they say “I can’t”?
3. What questions can we ask that assist their own thinking and understanding of their trauma responses?

-efficacy

09/05/2025

Strap yourself in, it's a long one! New blog post looking at when the symptoms of anxiety become too intense, some ways to keep them in check.

“Anxiety can be defined as the response of an organism to a threat, real or imagined. It is a process that, in some form, is present in all ...

28/02/2025

14/02/2025

New blog - https://katiesmallcounselling.blogspot.com/2025/02/starting-school-lesson-in-growing-pains.html

“I think most parents can agree that it’s not easy [change] and the greatest challenge for a parent is to stop obsessively watching our kids to see if they’re coping for a second and turn our attention to ourselves. How am I managing myself in all this? Could my discomfort be contributing to how my child is coping/not coping?”

24/10/2024

Do you aim for symptom relief or solid change? Symptom relief is focused on immediate relief of discomfort/anxiety whereas solid change emerges from a focus on one’s personal responsibilities and accountabilities, decisions based on facts & personal principles.