Sharon Attard De Giovanni - Psychotherapist

30/12/2025

I’ve always found that the days and hours leading up to New Year’s Eve naturally invite a bit of reflection. A quiet pause before the noise of what comes next.

There’s often a big focus on the idea of new beginnings,, and for some people, that feels exactly right. But it can also be a really important time to look back and acknowledge the growth you made this year — even if it doesn’t feel particularly big or impressive. Growth can be subtle: getting through something difficult, understanding yourself a little better, or showing up when it would have been easier not to.

We’re all ongoing works in progress. As we look ahead to 2026, it’s worth taking a moment to honour where we’ve already reached, as well as thinking about where we’d like to go next. Even our darkest moments hold the capacity for growth.

And if you feel you might want some support with your own self-growth in the year ahead, you’re very welcome to get in touch.

19/12/2025

Christmas is often described as magical — full of joy, connection, and sparkle. But for many people, this season can also bring grief, loneliness, overwhelm, financial pressure, strained relationships, or deep uncertainty.

When you’re struggling, the expectation to feel festive or joyful can feel suffocating — even painful. And there is nothing wrong with you if this time of year feels hard.

You are allowed to experience the festive season in whatever way you need.

You are allowed to opt out, slow down, simplify, or do things differently.

You are allowed to rest, to grieve, to feel flat, uncertain, or not quite sure how you feel at all.

Giving yourself permission — and grace — can be an act of care. Tending to what you need most matters, even if it doesn’t fit everyone else’s agenda.

If Christmas is gentle for you, may you enjoy it.

If it’s difficult, may you be kind to yourself.

And if it’s something in between, that’s okay too ♥️

You’re not alone.

16/12/2025

Yesterday, in our psychosocial support group, we spoke honestly about Christmas as lived by parents of children with disabilities.

For many families, Christmas can magnify everything: the pressure to be “happy,” the comparisons, the sensory overwhelm, the logistics, the unspoken losses and also the fierce love, resilience, and creativity that hold our families together every day.

Yesterday was about making space to say:
“This is hard.”
“This is not how I imagined it.”
“This is still meaningful.”
“This is enough.”

If Christmas feels complicated this year, you are not failing. You are responding, with love, to a reality that requires extraordinary strength.

Thank you to everyone who shared, listened, and held the space with such care. 💛
You are not alone, especially at this time of year. 🤍

04/12/2025

29/11/2025

Thank you to the participants for your warmth, honesty, and vulnerability. There is such power in community, and I cannot help but feel humbled to be part of it.

Please get in touch with the National Parents Society of Persons with Disability if you would like to learn more about this, or any other of the wonderful initiatives they are creating.

🧡 Psychosocial Support Group

During yesterday's session, one word kept returning again and again: Community.

As parents of persons with disability, we often carry so much — love, advocacy, fatigue, fear, determination, and hope. And in yesterday’s session, something beautiful emerged:

✨ Community is what holds us.
✨ Community is what reminds us that we are not alone.
✨ Community is what gives us strength when the journey feels heavy.

We listened to each other's stories and we supported each other.

At NPSPD, this is what we strive to build:
A safe space where parents can show up exactly as they are.
A space where every emotion is welcome.
A space where understanding flows naturally because everyone “gets it.”

Thank you to everyone who participated. Your presence, honesty, and courage make this community what it is. 🧡

If you have never joined one of our groups before, you are always welcome. You belong here. Our next session is on the 12th December.

18/11/2025

Yesterday was World Prematurity Day, a date that carries a tender weight for many of us.

For some parents, the journey into disability, difference, or diagnosis begins long before they ever imagined it might—in the quiet, humming world of NPICU.

If this is part of your story, I want you to know: you are not alone.

Those early days can be disorienting, frightening, and impossibly heavy… and yet they also reveal a strength you never expected to need. A strength you still carry.

Our babies often show us resilience first. We learn it alongside them.

As both a therapist and a parent who has walked this road, I hold deep respect for every parent who has sat beside an incubator, counted monitors, learned a new language of care, and kept going. This experience shapes us—but it does not define us. And it does not limit the futures our children can grow into.

May you find support, gentleness, and your own way forward. Your story, your strength, and your love matter.

Photo: My husband and son back in our NPICU days.

11/11/2025

Deeply moved by the honesty and courage that was shared in this group.

Spaces like this remind us we’re not alone — and that our stories matter.

Please get in touch with NPSPD if you feel as though this could be a supportive space for you.

We shared openly.
And we realised… we really needed this. 💚

Thank you to the beautiful women who showed up on Friday with courage and honesty.
Your stories matter. Your feelings matter. You matter.

Psychosocial Support Group for parents of persons with disability.
You do not have to carry everything alone. 🤝
Next Session Friday 28th November!

08/11/2025

What a privilege it is to be able to hold space for these amazing parents ❤️

Next session is on 7/11!

19/10/2025

You deserve a life that feels like peace. 🌿
A life full of small joys, deep love, and moments that make you feel alive.
Not a perfect life — but one that feels real, soft, and entirely yours.

You don’t have to earn your rest. You don’t have to prove your worth.
You already deserve the beauty that comes with simply being. 🤍

18/10/2025

Last week, I had the privilege of starting the first support group session with members of the National Parents Society for Persons with a Disability. As a parent of children with a disability myself, this work is deeply personal.

Creating a space where other parents and caregivers can feel understood, validated, and not so alone means everything. I'm honored to walk alongside others on this journey, and grateful to be able to offer support in a way that’s grounded in both professional experience and lived reality.

In community, we find light.

Last night we held the first in a series of psychosocial group sessions for parents of persons with disabilities.

It was an honest space to share experiences, listen, and support one another through the many layers of care, resilience, and hope that come with parenting.

These sessions are facilitated by Sharon Attard, a professional but also a parent of kids with disabilities. They are designed to nurture wellbeing, connection, and community among parents and caregivers. 💚

Five more sessions will be taking place in the coming weeks, continuing this journey of healing, strength, and shared understanding.

10/10/2025

Today is World Mental Health Day, and this year's theme of Mental Health in Emergencies reminds us how vital it is to nurture our mental wellbeing, especially in times of crisis.

In a world that often moves too fast and judges too quickly, kindness and compassion are radical acts. Mental health struggles are part of the human experience, and no one should feel alone or ashamed for seeking support. Safe spaces—places where people can be heard without judgment—are essential for healing and growth.

Yesterday’s tragic loss of a young life reminds us how deeply emergencies touch us all, and how crucial it is to respond with understanding, empathy, and care, not blame or indifference. Every tragedy, every challenge, every moment of pain calls for more connection, not less.

Let’s honor World Mental Health Day by committing to more compassion—for ourselves, for each other, and for our communities. In times of crisis, a little kindness can go a long way.

25/09/2025

Lately, parenting can feel like navigating in the dark.
There’s so much happening in the world—so much uncertainty, so much to hold—and at the same time, you’re trying to create something steady for your child: a sense of safety, love, and belonging.

That’s not a small thing.
That’s quiet, courageous work.

If you’re feeling worn out, please know it makes sense. These times are demanding. And yet, so many parents keep showing up—with tenderness, with questions, with hope, even on the hardest days.

You don’t have to do it perfectly.
You don’t have to have all the answers.
You don’t have to carry it all alone.

Sometimes just being there—truly present, even in your own imperfection—is what your child needs most.

So if today you need to rest, take a breath, ask for help, or simply remind yourself that you’re doing the best you can… that is more than enough.

Be gentle with yourself.
Your wellbeing matters too.