Reflections Psychology Services

17/12/2025

Today's Reflection because I love winnie the pooh

16/12/2025

Today's Reflection.

Our thoughts and understanding of the devastating impact are with everyone who has been impacted by the tradegy in Bondi.
If you or a loved one is struggling here are some tips that may help during this traumatic time.

Spend time with your loved one
Allow them to talk about it if they want to, but dont force it.
Take them for a walk or a cold dip in the water.
If there is emotional dysregulation, try using a cold pack, ice in hands or under armpits.
Seek professional help. I understand there are several help lines open to anyone who has been impacted.

14/12/2025

Today's Reflection

10/12/2025

Today’s Reflection: Being a Psychologist in a Rural Town

There’s something unique about practising psychology in a rural community.
Your clients aren’t just names in a diary, they’re people you might pass in the bakery, see at the servo, or wave to on a quiet country road. You learn to hold confidentiality with extra care, to greet people with warmth without revealing a thing, and to balance deep clinical work with the gentle rhythms of small-town life.

In rural towns, stories run deep. Trauma is often carried quietly. Services can be limited. And sometimes you become not just “the psychologist” but the person who truly listens when no one else has the space to.

But there is also a beauty to it.

The slowness.
The community spirit.
The way people show courage in small, steady ways.
The way healing happens in rooms where the birds outside are louder than the traffic.

Working in rural Australia reminds me every day of why I chose this profession:
to sit with people, wherever they are, in whatever life has handed them, and to help them find their way back to themselves.

For all the challenges, there is an immense privilege in being part of a community that feels both humble and deeply human.

And some days, like today, you walk out of session, step into the fresh country air looking out at the water, and feel grateful to do this work in a place that holds so much heart.

10/12/2025

Today in session, something powerful happened.

For a long time, my client has carried feelings so heavy and so old that they didn’t have words anymore, only tension in the body, silence, and shutdown. Every time they tried to speak, their throat tightened. The emotion felt too dangerous to let out.
This is incredibly common for trauma survivors. The nervous system learns that staying quiet is safer.

But today… something shifted.

A small sentence.
A shaky breath.
A truth that had been held in for decades finally found its way out.

It wasn’t polished. It wasn’t perfect.
But it was real, and that’s what healing sounds like.

Expressing emotions isn’t about having the “right words.”
It’s about allowing your inner world to come forward in its own time, at its own pace.

And when it happens, when a person finally says what their younger parts never could, it’s not just a breakthrough.
It’s a reclaiming of self.

If you’ve been struggling to express how you feel, please know:
Your voice is still there.
Your truth is still there.
And it will emerge when your system finally feels safe enough to let it.

Small steps.
Soft openings.
Life-changing moments.

01/12/2025

Christmas Isn’t Merry for Everyone, And That’s Okay

The Christmas season brings lights, music, and pressure.
Pressure to be joyful.
Pressure to be social.
Pressure to feel “festive,” even when your nervous system is tired.

For many people, this time of year also brings:
old family wounds resurfacing
grief that feels sharper against the backdrop of celebration
sensory overload
financial or emotional pressure
loneliness in a room full of people
exhaustion from trying to “hold it all together”

If this resonates with you, please hear this: Your feelings are valid.
You are not “ruining Christmas.”
You are a human being doing your best in a season that can be incredibly activating.

This year, give yourself permission to:
take breaks
set boundaries
leave early
say NO
find quiet pockets of peace
honour what you need, not what others expect

Christmas isn’t about perfection.
It’s about surviving the season in a way that feels truthful and gentle for you.

And if your mental health feels heavy right now, you are not alone. Reach out.
Support is here.

27/11/2025

Today's Reflection. How often do we listen to ourselves with compassion. The message today and always is listening to yourself and your loved ones who have your back. A watercolour painting i finished to reflect on myself.

25/11/2025

Today’s Reflection: Regulating Through Playlists, A Trauma-Informed Tool

In trauma therapy, whether we’re doing EMDR, parts work, or gently reshaping the nervous system, one thing becomes clear:

Your body responds to rhythm long before it responds to words.

That’s why playlists can be such powerful regulation tools.
Music gives the nervous system a pattern to follow, especially when internal chaos feels loud.

For EMDR preparation:
Soft, predictable tracks with steady bilateral elements help signal safety before processing.

For younger parts:
Songs that feel warm, nostalgic, or childlike can soothe the parts of you who still carry unmet needs.

For protector parts:
Strong, empowering rhythms help them feel respected, seen, and less on guard.

For shutdown states:
Slow, gentle melodies invite the body back into connection at its own pace.

For hyperarousal:
Low, grounding tones help the system settle without forcing it to “calm down.”

Your playlists become companions.
They meet you where you are, overwhelmed, numb, anxious, hopeful, exhausted,
and help guide you back to the present moment.

Healing isn’t always about doing more.
Sometimes it’s simply about choosing a song
that helps your body remember what safety feels like.

What song helps your nervous system exhale?

21/11/2025

20/11/2025

Today’s Reflection
There is no “normal.”
Just people doing their best with the stories, scars, and strengths they carry.
Normal is a myth we were taught to chase
a standard that never truly existed.

For others, it’s independence, quiet healing, or starting again.

A normal life is simply a life that supports your nervous system, honours your story, and allows you to be yourself without fear.

Your life, your pace, your healing, your choices…
They are valid because they are yours.
Let go of the idea of normal.
Choose authenticity instead.

19/11/2025

Today's Reflection is watching things grow. Here are some pictures of my growing garden in Tasmania.