Empowered to Flourish Clinical Psychology

22/07/2025

Hey there 👋 Are you, or someone you know in need of psychological care? I have current availability for Telehealth appointments.

🍃 Phone. 041 045 0488 (text is best)
🍃 Email: khara@empoweredtoflourish.com.au
🍃 www.empoweredtoflourish.com.au

I have a passion for supporting those in the helping professionals including health care practitioners, educators, child and family practitioners, youth workers, carers, as well as clinical psychology supervisees. Having worked in child protection for well over a decade, private practice, mental health, and further years of experience working with and within school settings, I have a genuine understanding of the complex realities of working with individuals across a range of needs.

I value and use trauma-informed and neuro-diversity affirming practices which centre on proactive mental health care, compassion resilience, and positive psychology including strengths, values, mindfulness, self-compassion, hopefulness, and creative therapeutic approaches.

We also have a range of other practitioners with availability for new referrals. Enquire at:
lavenderhousetoowoomba@gmail.com
www.lavenderhousetoowoomba.com.au

.toowoomba

18/07/2025

Sometimes clarity doesn’t come from big questions - it comes from zooming into and imagining the small details of a values-led life.

Have you ever paused to imagine what your life looks like on a good day? Not a dream or fantasy escape - but an ordinary day in your life that's made extraordinarily "good" by how it feels, where you are, who you’re with, and what you’re doing.

The "Perfect Day" exercise, created by Martha Beck, invites you to map out, in vivid detail, what that day would look like. It involves visualising your ideal day, from the moment you wake to going to bed.

This exercise can lead to self-awareness, including awareness of your needs, your wants and desires, and your values (what matters most to you).

You can also use this exercise to signal cues of safety to your nervous system, offering an experience of regulation and challenging your brains negativity bias. By paying attention to the sensory details of your imagined good day you can also tap into your intuition and be more attuned to seeing and taking action toward those elements manifesting in your real life.

Here's how to do it:
🍃 Find a quiet, comfortable space where you can relax and minimise distractions.
🍃 Begin by imagining waking up feeling refreshed, regulated and rested. Or you could ask: If I could wake up tomorrow living my ideal day, what would happen from the moment I open my eyes until I go to bed?
🍃 Focus on bringing your ideal day to life through your senses: imagining and paying attention to the sensory details - images, sounds, temperature, smells, and what you can feel with and in your body.
🍃 Allow the scenes of the day to emerge naturally, as if you are observing them rather than consciously creating them. Visualise where you are, what you are doing, who you are with, even what you eat and how you move through your day. Tune into the emotions you feel. Try see it in as much detail as possible.
🍃 Reflect on how your current life aligns with your vision. By writing it down you may notice more clearly the gap between where you are now and where you want to be.
🍃 Are there any small shifts you can make to bring more of that ideal into your daily life?

02/07/2025

Growth is rarely dramatic and observable in the moment. Instead it's often a quiet, subtle process, easily overlooked in the busy-busy of the day to day. It’s only when we pause, look back, and reflect on where we once were that we often realise and notice how far we've come.

Reflect back and recognise a growth area in yourself and your life, for example:
🍃 Notice any struggles that once felt overwhelming, that now now seem more manageable.
🍃 Notice any changes in your thoughts, reactions, and resilience when stressors arise and are present in your life.
🍃 Notice any progress toward goals and toward your values (what matters most), even if there are times where you may experience going "2 steps forward, 1 step back". Growth is growth. And we need to aim for progress not perfection.
🍃 Notice any growth and healing in your way of relating to yourself, perhaps more moments where you've been able to interrupt a spiral of negativity and self-criticism and redirect with self-compassion, validation and acceptance instead.
🍃 Notice any boundaries you've been able to put in place to protect your peace, and how these boundaries have enabled growth in other areas of your life.
🍃 Where else can you notice growth? By the way, these growth areas don't need to be huge in themselves to be acknowledged, recognised and appreciated.

And remember that growth often whispers rather than shouts, revealing itself only when you give yourself the grace to look back and see it.

.to.flourish

18/06/2025

🍃 Something is better than nothing.

If you're feeling stuck, or struggling to get started on some positive actions toward your health and wellbeing, or perhaps you're facing what seems like a big, insurmountable task or one you just can't find the motivation for... Here's a tip: Smart smaller, because something is better than nothing.

Here are some ideas using this mindset:
🍃 Write one sentence in your journal each day. Look, you’re journaling. Heck, it doesn't even have to be a sentence - just put pen to paper and do a doodle or scribble. Something is better than nothing.
🍃 Do 3-5 push ups or star jumps in the morning before you get dressed for the day, or do lunges as you head to the kettle and squats as you wait for the water to boil. Look, you’re exercising. Heck, just start with one or two regulating movements of your body, with simple stretches or standing from sitting for too long to get some energy flowing. Something is better than nothing.
🍃 Listen to a guided meditation for 2 minutes. Look, you’re practicing mindfulness. Heck, start with 30 seconds or simply take 3 intentional breaths or do a round or two of EFT tapping, as often as you can remember. Something is better than nothing.

Even the tiniest, smallest action beats standing still in stuckness and doing nothing.

Small steps can also spark momentum and create motivation toward bigger, more meaningful and successful actions. Because it's action which creates motivation, not the other way around. You don't have to wait for motivation to come in order to take action. But of course it can be a whole lot easier, and usually is more realistic when we start small and take the attitude that something is better than nothing.

What are some ways you can do something, rather than nothing?

.to.flourish

23/03/2025

🍃 Ahh, my brain!!

My 10yo daughter was telling my about her strategy for when she gets caught up in negative thinking, or at times when her mind is going crazy with thoughts over and over (she was describing rumination)... she simply says outloud to herself, in a kind and gentle way... "ahh my brain".

And I swear I didn't teach this to her!! Can you tell she is the daughter of a psychologist though?!

What she is using (without even realising) is a cognitive defusion strategy, blended with self-compassion as she kindly talks to herself, recognising her brain - like everyone else's - gets caught up in automatic, negative thinking spirals; and rather than 'fusing' with these unhelpful thoughts and spiralling them further, this simple statement helps her to stop the spiralling and shift her attention more flexibly.

Cognitive defusion techniques are about:
🍃 looking at thoughts rather than from them
🍃 noticing thoughts rather than getting caught up or buying into the thoughts
🍃 letting thoughts come and go rather than holding onto thoughts or believing them as accurate and true

Try these ways of defusing from your thoughts:
🍃 Catch and then check your thinking - are the thoughts you're noticing helpful? Labelling thoughts as helpful or unhelpful in itself can be helpful.
🍃 Recognise your brain as a thought-generating machine; it's simply doing its thing.
🍃 Be on your brains side by gently and kindly calling it out for overdoing it with the thought-generating.
🍃 Remember your brain and body are connected! You can help your brain out by directing attention to your body, offering regulation through, for example, movement, soothing or nourishment. Body regulation can then help to regulate your brain's processes.

What are some ways you can defuse from your brains thought generating processes?

.to.flourish

15/02/2025

🍃 Slow down. Sloooooooowwww it dowwwwn.

Even in the way you read this post.

Yes, I know there's probably so much to do and too little time to do it. And it might seem backwards, but we can actually go further by going slower.

By taking some moments to slow down you can more easily shift out of a stressed out survival state which either places you at risk of burning out, leads you to making errors that takes longer to address in the end, or makes it harder for you to be productive and focused.

Slowing down signals to your nervous system that you are safe, there is no danger and allows you to tune into the fact that there is more to life than a never ending to do list or a situation that may at the time seem insurmountable. Slowing down can reconnect you to what is happening right here and now, and can be the difference you need to respond rather than react.

Try these ways of slowing down:
🍃 Slow your breathing. Inhale through your nose, then pause before slowly exhaling. Extending your out breath slows down and puts the break on the stress response.
🍃 Slow your movements. Walk more slowly. Exaggerate your other movements with whatever you are doing, such as putting your shoes on, brushing your teeth, sending a text message, choosing from a dinner menu, eating a meal.
🍃 In conversations with others, slow your thinking down by active listening. Tune in to what others are saying, see them and hear them.
🍃 Create opportunities to slow things down in your routine. Would it help to set your alarm 5 minutes earlier to enjoy your morning cuppa in a slow and intentional way, rather than rushing it down as you multitask getting ready and out the door? And schedule regular regulation breaks through your day.

What are some ways you can slow down in your day, week, month, and life?

.to.flourish

06/02/2025

Are you, or someone you know in need of psychological care? We have a number of practitioners at Lavender House in Toowoomba, including psychologists, social workers and family therapists. AND they are currently accepting new referrals for appointments.

Check out our growing list of practitioners at www.lavenderhousetoowoomba.com.au

Our practitioners bring to .toowoomba a range of experience in supporting people across the lifespan, including children, adolescents and adults with a variety of support needs such as anxiety, depression, trauma and other stressor-related disorders, addictions, grief and loss, parenting, relationship difficulties, sleep issues, adjustment difficulties, and more. They are also part of our team of psychologists who are equipped to provide a comprehensive psychological testing service.

You can contact our team of practitioners via Lavender House:
🍃 Email: referrals@lavenderhousetoowoomba.com.au
🍃 Phone. 041 045 0488 or 0422 619 254
🍃 www.lavenderhousetoowoomba.com.au

Are you a practitioner looking for a new practice space, or looking to venture out into the world of private practice... we have only a few days remaining! Contact us .toowoomba to enquire! You can do so by completing the Expression of Interest on our website or via the link in our bio - www.linktr.ee/lavenderhouse.toowoomba

.toowoomba .to.flourish

01/02/2025

🍃 Rest. This is your reminder to rest. Rest is essential for a balanced and fulfilling life. Life which for many of us is hectic and fast paced.

Of course, when we’re in that “go go go” mode (or survival mode), rest can seem like a luxury and far from reach. But we must prioritise it. And remind ourselves here that rest is productive. Rest is a necessity. It rejuvenates our bodies, regulates our minds, and refreshes our spirits. Rest allows us to reconnect with ourselves and the world around us. And it helps us to recharge, renew and return (or redirect); to persevere and pursue the things that matter to us.

Whether it's through a good night's sleep, a quiet moment of reflection, implementing a consistent predictable routine (which reduces the cognitive load), a gentle walk in nature, relaxing within your relationships such as spending easy time with a loved one, engaging in and enjoying creative activities, offering yourself a self-compassion break or gentle soothing touch, taking some slow deep breaths, or a incorporating mindful pauses throughout your day... there are countless ways to incorporate rest into your life.

What are some ways you can incorporate rest into your day, week, month, and life?

.to.flourish

26/01/2025

🍃

Today, our thoughts are with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Peoples of Australia. We acknowledge that January 26 can be a painful reminder of the intergenerational trauma First Nations People continue to experience as a result of colonisation.

All psychologists can play a significant role in helping navigate this trauma. It is important for non-Indigenous psychologists to prioritise listening and seek education on how to provide culturally safe, trauma-informed processes to our Indigenous clients.

Read our article to learn more: https://psychology.org.au/insights/supporting-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-p

25/01/2025

👋 Hi!! Quick reintroduction... I'm Khara, clinical psychologist, supervisor, one of our practice owners .toowoomba and the psych behind .to.flourish 🍃

I have a passion for supporting those in the helping professionals including health care practitioners, educators, child and family practitioners, youth workers, carers, as well as clinical psychology supervisees. Having worked in child protection for well over a decade, private practice, mental health, and further years of experience working with and within school settings, I have a genuine understanding of the complex realities of working with individuals across a range of needs.

I also enjoy working in my private practice with children, adolescents, parents, adults, and families, using a range of therapeutic modalities including Compassion Focused Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, EMDR Therapy, and more!

I value and use trauma-informed and neuro-diversity affirming practices which centre on proactive mental health care, compassion resilience, and positive psychology including strengths, values, mindfulness, self-compassion, hopefulness, and creative therapeutic approaches.

Designing and delivering therapeutic group programs and professional development trainings is one of my fave things to do 🍃 including on these topics above, and facilitated across community, therapy and education settings.

Outside of being a psychologist I'm also a human being! An imperfect, real and often awkward one I'm a mum too, my fave and most important role of all.

How to refer? You can contact me via
Phone. 041 045 0488 Fax: 46417346
Email. khara@empoweredtoflourish.com.au
Web. www.empoweredtoflourish.com.au

We also have a range of other practitioners with availability for new referrals. Enquire at:
lavenderhousetoowoomba@gmail.com
www.lavenderhousetoowoomba.com.au

🍃🍃🍃

.toowoomba .to.flourish