Connect 2 Thrive

Connect 2 Thrive I also provide counselling to teens

I am a Social Worker, with advanced clinical training in Child Centred Play Therapy, Filial Therapy (child parent play therapy), AutPlay, Interpersonal Neurobiology & Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR).

I have spent the past week in Scotland with my parents, travelling through places connected to our family history and an...
18/05/2026

I have spent the past week in Scotland with my parents, travelling through places connected to our family history and ancestry. It has already been a deeply reflective and meaningful journey.

One of the most significant parts of this journey has been supporting my parents to lay part of my sister’s ashes to rest at Castle Tioram — a place connected to our ancestors and somewhere she was meant to experience with them. To stand together on that land, surrounded by so much history, felt grounding, humbling, and quietly profound.

It has made me reflect on the stories we carry through generations — stories of resilience, loss, belonging, love, survival, and connection to land. So much of who we are is shaped by those who came before us, often in ways words cannot fully explain.

What this experience has reminded me is that grief and peace can exist alongside one another. That sadness can sit beside gratitude. That there is richness in honouring both where we come from and the people we carry with us.

Scotland has reminded me that connection to ancestry is not only about the past — it is also about understanding ourselves, our place in the world, and the quiet ways love continues across generations. 🤍

Scotland has been feeling like one big deep breath.Standing here, looking at the still water, the old trees, and the sto...
18/05/2026

Scotland has been feeling like one big deep breath.

Standing here, looking at the still water, the old trees, and the stone bridge worn down by time, I couldn’t help thinking about the different seasons we move through in life too. Some seasons feel messy and overwhelming. Some feel lonely. Some ask us to slow down, reflect, and rebuild parts of ourselves quietly.

I think we spend so much of life trying to hold everything together that we forget how important it is to simply pause. To rest. To notice what’s happening inside us instead of constantly pushing past it.

This place reminded me that peace doesn’t come from everything being perfect. It comes from feeling grounded enough to sit with yourself honestly. To let things soften. To trust that growth is still happening, even in the quieter seasons.

As someone who sits with children, families, and adults through some really hard parts of life, I’m constantly reminded that healing often starts in the moments where we finally feel safe enough to slow down. 🌿

✈️ A little leave update from me ✈️I’ll be taking some time away and will be on leave, returning to appointments from 8t...
10/05/2026

✈️ A little leave update from me ✈️

I’ll be taking some time away and will be on leave, returning to appointments from 8th June.

Please note that I will be completely uncontactable from 11th May – 26th May while I spend some special time exploring Scotland with my parents. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

While I’m away, Megan — my trusty and wonderfully efficient admin support — will be responding to email enquiries and assisting with appointment bookings and changes.

If you already have an appointment booked for after my return, that’s fantastic and no further action is needed.

If you would like to make an appointment, please reach out via email at:
📧 hello@connect2thrive.com.au

Megan will be happy to assist you with bookings and enquiries during this time.

I’ll be back online from 27th May, with minimal appointment availability between 1st June – 5th June, before returning to regular sessions from 8th June.

Thank you all for your ongoing support, understanding, and patience 💛

Sarah

I’m pleased to share that I am now an approved TAC provider.I am a person-centred clinician supporting people at all sta...
13/04/2026

I’m pleased to share that I am now an approved TAC provider.

I am a person-centred clinician supporting people at all stages of life, working alongside you in a safe, respectful, and collaborative space.

I support people with trauma-informed psychological interventions, meeting each person where they are in their journey.

📩 Referrals are welcome

07/04/2026

Welcome to my first attempt videos and reels! Stay tuned for more to come-

We cannot provide effective mental health care if we don’t understand the realities women and AFAB individuals are livin...
05/04/2026

We cannot provide effective mental health care if we don’t understand the realities women and AFAB individuals are living within.

Women’s mental health is not separate by accident — it is shaped by history, trauma, and systems that have too often caused harm.

From forced sterilisation and institutionalisation, to coercive practices and loss of autonomy — the mental health system itself has been, and can still be, a site of trauma. These experiences don’t disappear when someone walks into a therapy room. They live in the body, in trust, in hesitation.

And trauma is not rare.

Up to "97% of women and AFAB individuals with serious mental illness have experienced trauma" — including sexual violence, family violence, emotional abuse, childhood abuse, and systemic oppression such as poverty, racism, and ableism.

So when someone presents with distress, dysregulation, or relational intensity, we need to be thinking about what has happened to her/ or them — not just what is “wrong”.

Because too often, without this lens, we end up pathologising survival.

We see this in the high rates of Borderline Personality Disorder diagnoses in women — where complex trauma, attachment injury, and adaptive coping responses are misunderstood, labelled, and at times dismissed.

And even within care, harm can continue.

Many women and AFAB individuals experience re-traumatisation in treatment settings — through coercion, lack of privacy, not being believed, or witnessing distressing practices. For some, the system that is meant to support them has also been a place they have had to survive.

For me, this shifts how I sit with people. It’s not just about slowing things down or listening more carefully — it’s about actively holding the persons story, their context, and the systems that have shaped their experience, rather than reducing it to symptoms or diagnoses.

Because- healing is not just about symptom reduction — it’s about safety, voice, dignity, and reclaiming power.

This is what gender-responsive, trauma-informed, recovery-oriented care asks of us.

And it starts with understanding.

This week has been a full one.Highs, lows, the unknowns… and everything in between.One thing that showed up again and ag...
03/04/2026

This week has been a full one.
Highs, lows, the unknowns… and everything in between.

One thing that showed up again and again in the therapy room is how powerful our past experiences can be. The stories we carry don’t just stay in the past — they quietly shape how we interpret what’s happening right in front of us.

Sometimes, without even realising it, we respond to the present through the lens of the past. Our feelings intensify, our reactions come quickly, and we find ourselves acting on narratives that no longer belong to this moment.

And yet, so often the piece that gets missed is regulation.
When we don’t pause, when we don’t give ourselves space to settle, we can unintentionally misunderstand what’s actually happening.

What might shift if we slowed it down?
If we took a breath, grounded ourselves, and checked in before responding?

Not everything we feel in the present belongs to the present.

There is so much power in noticing, pausing, and choosing a different response. I want to extend my appreciation to the courage that was shown in this space and I hope there are gentle moments to reflect, breath and be within the self this long weekend 🤗

There is something quietly powerful about stillness.This morning’s walk offered me more than fresh air — it offered spac...
02/04/2026

There is something quietly powerful about stillness.

This morning’s walk offered me more than fresh air — it offered space. Space to slow down, to notice, and to reflect.

As I stood by the water, watching the gentle reflections across the surface, I was reminded how our nervous systems work in much the same way. Our neurons are constantly mirroring what is in front of us — absorbing, reflecting, responding.

The state we carry matters.

When we are dysregulated, it can ripple outward. But when we ground ourselves, soften, and come back to a place of calm, we create the conditions for others to feel that too. This is the quiet power of co-regulation — of showing up in a way that supports another nervous system simply through our presence.

But that begins within.

Sometimes, the most important step is creating distance — pausing long enough to gently turn inward and ask:
What am I feeling?
What thoughts are here?
What sensations am I noticing in my body?

Without blame.
Without shame.
Just noticing.

And from that place of awareness, we are given a choice.

A choice in how we show up.
A choice in what we reflect.
A choice in the energy we bring into our relationships.

Stillness is not doing nothing — it is where insight begins.

✨

NDIS Report Writing for Child Therapists – Live WebinarFollowing the success of the webinars facilitated last year, I’m ...
15/03/2026

NDIS Report Writing for Child Therapists – Live Webinar
Following the success of the webinars facilitated last year, I’m excited to be offering this again.
Writing NDIS outcome reports for children can be challenging — especially when trying to balance clinical practice with NDIS expectations.
This small-group webinar for social workers and child therapists focuses on how to confidently write clear, evidence-based NDIS outcome reports that demonstrate child progress within a capacity-building framework.
We will cover:
• Structuring effective outcome reports
• Using language that aligns with NDIS evidence expectations
• Linking goals → therapeutic strategies → outcomes
👥 Small interactive group (max 8 participants)
💻 Live online webinar
Investment $65 + GST
Upcoming sessions (Victorian time):
Wed 18 Mar | 12:00–1:30pm
Thu 19 Mar | 6:00–7:30pm
Tue 24 Mar | 12:00–1:30pm
Thu 2 Apr | 6:00–8:30pm
Register via the Connect 2 Thrive Client Portal:
https://clientportal.zandahealth.com/clien.../connect2thrive
Questions:
hello@connect2thrive.com.au
— feeling excited.

International Women’s Day 💜Today is a day to recognise and celebrate the achievements, strength and contributions of wom...
08/03/2026

International Women’s Day 💜

Today is a day to recognise and celebrate the achievements, strength and contributions of women in our communities and across the world. It is also a reminder of the importance of continuing to work towards equality, safety and opportunity for women and girls everywhere.

This year I felt incredibly surprised and honoured to be nominated for Celebrating Women of the Moira Shire as part of the International Women’s Day celebrations. The theme for this year is “Give to Gain.”

Reading the nomination provided me the opportunity to pause and reflect on the deeper meaning behind the work I do each day. At its heart, my work is about giving — giving time, compassion, knowledge and care to support children, families and individuals who are navigating trauma, emotional challenges and developmental needs.

Through play therapy, EMDR, counselling and parenting support, I have the privilege of creating safe spaces where people can feel seen, heard and supported as they heal, grow and build resilience.

I feel deeply grateful to the person who nominated me. Your words meant more than you probably realise and reminded me why this work matters so much.

Today I also want to acknowledge the many women in our community who quietly give so much of themselves every day — in families, services, schools, workplaces and community spaces. Your care, strength and dedication make a real difference.

Happy International Women’s Day.

Now Accepting Referrals – In Person & Online ✨At Connect 2 Thrive, I am currently welcoming new referrals for children, ...
04/03/2026

Now Accepting Referrals – In Person & Online ✨

At Connect 2 Thrive, I am currently welcoming new referrals for children, adolescents and adults seeking compassionate, evidence-based mental health support.

As an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, I provide:

🌿 EMDR Therapy (adults, adolescents & children 3+)
🌿 Child-Centred Play Therapy
🌿 Parent Support & Attachment-Focused Work
🌿 Neuro-affirming Therapy for Neurodivergent Children & Adults
🌿 Trauma-Informed, Person-Centred Mental Health Care
🌿 NDIS Early Years & Ongoing Supports
🌿 Functional Developmental Assessments

I work from a neuro-affirming, strengths-based, and trauma-informed framework — supporting individuals and families to build regulation, connection, resilience, and self-understanding.

📍 In-person appointments available in Yarrawonga
💻 Online therapy available Australia-wide

Referrals welcome via:
✔️ Mental Health Care Plans
✔️ NDIS (Self & Plan Managed)
✔️ Agency referrals
✔️ Private/self-referral

If you are a GP, paediatrician, school, allied health professional, support coordinator — or someone seeking support for yourself or your child — I invite you to connect.

📧 Referrals can be sent to: hello@connect2thrive.com.au

Let’s work together to support healing & growth to thrive in life.

TraumaInformedCare Yarrawonga telehealth parentsupport childtherapy AcrossTheLifespan

Address

23 Belmore Street
Yarrawonga, VIC
3730

Opening Hours

Tuesday 1pm - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 1pm - 6pm
Friday 9am - 3pm
Saturday 8am - 2pm

Telephone

+61448812780

Website

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