bold-psychology

Teenage Girl Support Group

naomiiredalecreative@gmail.com (Naomi Iredale) — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 03:48:03 GMT

At Bold Psychology, we run a social group for girls aged between 15 and 20 years old and would like to warmly welcome new members when we return in early 2023!

Our social group is run by our Councellor Helle Luckmann and Therapy Assistant Kirsten O'Halloran, we address a therapeutic topic each week such as:

anxiety
overthinking
self esteem
thinking patterns
mindfulness

and are open to suggestions by group members along the way.

In addition to this, we discuss challenges members are currently facing like social media, school stressors, relationships, employment, life transitions etc.

If you or your daughter would like to be part of this wonderful, supportive group, please get in touch by calling 0450 116 915 or email us at admin@boldpsychology.com.au

How can we help kids to self regulate their emotions?

naomiiredalecreative@gmail.com (Naomi Iredale) — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 03:29:58 GMT

If you’re a parent, chances are you’ve witnessed a tantrum or two in your day. We expect them in two-year-olds, but if your child reaches school age and meltdowns and outbursts are still frequent, it may be a sign that they have difficulty with emotional self-regulation.

What is self-regulation?

Self-regulation is the ability to manage your emotions and behaviour in accordance with the demands of the situation. It includes being able to resist highly emotional reactions to upsetting stimuli, to calm yourself down when you get upset, to adjust to a change in expectations, and to handle frustration without an outburst. It is a set of skills that enables children, as they mature, to direct their own behaviour towards a goal, despite the unpredictability of the world and our own feelings.

What does emotional dysregulation look like?

There are many different types of emotional dysregulation, and each person’s experience is unique. Typically, emotional dysregulation means an individual has excessively intense emotions in response to a trigger. Therefore, an individual may feel their emotions are out of control. They may also have difficulties recognising their emotions and feel confused, guilty, or stressed about their behaviour.

Some common symptoms include:

experiencing strong emotional reactions to events that would not normally affect other people
mood swings
feeling overwhelmed by emotions
having intense emotions that are difficult to control
inability to cope with stress
depression
anxiety
self-harm
excessive substance use
Children with ADHD or anxiety may also find it particularly challenging to manage their emotions, and need more help to develop emotional regulation skills.

How can we teach our children self-regulation skills?

As a parent, you can help your child navigate challenging experiences, maybe assisting them to go to school feeling calm, confident and ready to learn if this is what is bothering them. Here are some tips:

Naming your feelings - talking about your feelings and naming them is a way for children to begin using vocabulary to express their emotions. Encouraging children to say, for example, ‘I feel sad today’, gives you a starting point for exploring the cause of the problem. You can encourage this language by using it yourself, for example naming your own emotions ‘I feel very happy today because…’, ‘I feel a bit sad today because…’.
Play games -using games to explore feelings is a great way to teach children about emotions. Try games with picture cards – i.e. asking the child to name the correct feeling from facial expressions – is one example. Alternatively, you could get the whole family involved by taking pictures of them displaying different emotions.
Activities - when your child is feeling sad, angry or frustrated, have some activities planned to help them express themselves. For example, painting, playing in the sand, using playdough or encouraging them to dance to their favourite music.
Mindfulness - explore mindfulness techniques to quieten their busy minds. Teach them breathing techniques to use when they are angry or upset. You could also try joining a yoga for kids class in your area.
Learning together
Another option to consider is checking to see how you’re feeling as a parent. Children learn their behaviours primarily from looking to their parents as role models. Do you feel stressed and overwhelmed? It’s worth considering what messages your facial expression and body language are sending to your child.

As you consider some of the above techniques for your child, think about whether you could do them together, so you can both benefit.

If you are still concerned about your child’s stress levels after trying the above suggestions, remember that you’re not alone. An excellent place to start is talking with their teacher.

How is your Teen's Mental Health going?

naomiiredalecreative@gmail.com (Naomi Iredale) — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 03:17:04 GMT

The last few years have been tough on all of us. Teen mental health is no exception.

Young people have faced some unique challenges that adults haven’t. Exam uncertainty, grade decline. missing peers just at the time when peer relationships become all the more important, coping with remote schooling and being physically isolated from peers. Lots of teens haven’t had a “normal” school year since 2019. It’s been tough.

WHEN MENTAL HEALTH IS SLIPPING

We all have early warning signs that tell us our mental health is not quite right. Learning them can take some trial, error, and self-reflection. We could become routine-obsessed, or ditch routines altogether to the detriment of our health and self-care. Keeping up with good hygiene can be really difficult. We might skip food, or fall into patterns of emotional eating. Struggling to get up, struggling to go to sleep, frequent spikes of anxiety, and feeling irritable all the time are also signs that things aren’t okay. Sometimes we stop enjoying things that we used to like doing, too.

WHEN MENTAL HEALTH SLIPS: THINGS THAT HELP

Spotting our early warning signs can help us to do something about them.

If we have someone we trust, either a friend or an adult, then we could talk to them about how we feel. Sometimes, we just need to let it out. At other times, we need a bit more support or find it helpful to problem-solve together.
Time to relax is vital. This can be hard when we have lots of schoolwork or are juggling school with a job. But time off from both school and work can make a big difference to our mood.
Having a notebook of even a gratitude journal helps to remind us that we’re doing a lot better than we think. These don’t have to be ground-breaking discoveries or world-record-breaking achievements. It can include things like “I had a shower” or “I got out of bed”. Our little wins might be different from other peoples’ because we all find different things hard – and that’s okay. Celebrate them.
Remember – different things work for different people, and that’s okay. When we feel terrible, we need to prioritise ourselves and do what’s right for us – not what’s right for our friends or peers.

THINGS YOU CAN DO TO IMPROVE YOUR OWN MENTAL HEALTH

The good news is that, like most physical illnesses, mental health issues for teenagers and adolescents can be managed or treated. There’s plenty you can do for yourself and h ere are some tips to get you started:

Eat well.
Exercise regularly.
Get enough sleep.
Have a Social Media Detox - it could be 1 night, an entire day or even a week! Use those hours positively by reading that book that's been sitting next to your bed, go to the movies with your mum or dad, play a game with your siblings or simply go for a walk and get an early night. Tell your friends that it's your detox night, you might even start a trend!
Find out more about your particular issue — ask an adult that you trust to help or follow the links below.
If you’re using drugs and alcohol, slow down — these tend to make things worse, not better.
Learn some relaxation techniques to help you deal with stress.
Practice mindfulness or meditation.

WHEN IT’S HARD TO ASK FOR HELP

Sometimes, asking for help is really hard because we might worry about what people will think. People are more aware of mental health since lockdown, but it can still be tricky. If you need someone to talk to, or want to find out more online, here are some organisations that can help:

Kids Helpline (telephone and online counselling for ages 5-25) — call 1800 55 1800
headspace (mental health service for ages 12-25) and eheadspace (online and phone support)
ReachOut.com (youth mental health service) — online help
SANE Australia (people living with a mental illness) — call 1800 18 7263
Lifeline (support for anyone having a personal crisis) — call 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service (anyone thinking about suicide) — call 1300 659 467
You can also ask your doctor or a mental health professional for advice or more mental health resources for teenagers and adolescents.

"Just because no one else can heal or do your inner work for you - doesn't mean you can, should or need to do it alone."

- Lisa Olivera

Benefits of Pet Therapy

naomiiredalecreative@gmail.com (Naomi Iredale) — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 03:42:14 GMT

Benefits of Pet Therapy

Lexie the Toy Cavoodle is the cuddliest member of the team at Bold Psychology. Lexie holds a unique role as a therapy dog to help calm the space and teach many important skills that us humans may need assistance with. It’s well-known (and scientifically proven) that interaction with a gentle, friendly pet has significant benefits. Here are some of the more common:

For Physical Health

lowers blood pressure
improves cardiovascular health
releases endorphins (oxytocin) that have a calming effect
diminishes overall physical pain
the act of petting produces an automatic relaxation response, reducing the amount of medication some folks need

For Mental Health

lifts spirits and lessens depression
decreases feelings of isolation and alienation
encourages communication
provides comfort
increases socialization and sense of community
reduces boredom
decreases anxiety
helps children overcome speech and emotional disorders
creates motivation for the client to recover faster
reduces loneliness

For Literacy Support (PAWS for Reading)

helps children focus better
improves literacy skills
provides non-stressful, non-judgmental environment
increases self-confidence
reduces self-consciousness
encourages the love of reading in specific and learning in general

In Physical Therapy

increases joint movement
improves recovery time
maintains or increases motor skills
provides motivation to move more, stretch farther, exercise longer

October is Mental Health Month

naomiiredalecreative@gmail.com (Naomi Iredale) — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 01:15:57 GMT

Mental Health Month is a chance to promote activities and ideas that can have a positive impact on our daily lives and the lives of others. These events and messages are tied together with a specific theme, and this year’s is “Tune In”.

So what does it mean to "Tune In"?

Simply put, tuning in means being present... It means being aware of what is happening within you, and in the world around you. Being present by tuning in has been shown to help build self-awareness, help make effective choices, reduce the impact of worry, and build positive connections.

You can tune in to many things:

Tune in to yourself – What can you sense right now? What can you feel?

Tuning In to yourself can start with checking in with yourself and asking a simple question: “what can I sense right now?” See, touch, taste, smell, and listen to the world around you and experience the way it makes you feel. You can also ask the question “how do I feel right now?” Identifying what you feel can improve awareness of your surroundings, help focus your mind and understand what is going on inside you.

Tuning in to yourself can also mean identifying things that help or harm your own mental health. For example, exercise may help improve your mental health and engaging in conflict might negatively impact your mental health.

How can you Tune In to yourself?

Meditating
Learning about and practicing Deep Listening (Winhangadhurinya in the Wiradjuri language; Dadirri in the Ngan’gikurunggurr and Ngen’giwumirri languages)
Finding silence
Connecting to Country and Ancestors
Going for a walk
Being in nature
Journaling
Practicing self-care
Doing something creative – drawing,
painting, knitting
Creating a morning ritual

Tune in to others – What might people around you be feeling? How can we connect?

Tuning into others can build positive connections. Can you imagine what other people might be feeling and why? Does someone you love seem a bit down? Maybe you can head over and help them out with a chore or task, or just sit and have a casual chat. Alternatively, if you’re having difficulty connecting with others, it can help to let them know that. Sharing with others that things are a bit tough right now could help them understand how you’re feeling.

How can you tune in to others?

Asking others how they are feeling
Sharing a hobby
Teaching them about something you love
Helping with chores
Playing games
Staying in together
Chatting on the phone
Sharing a cuppa

Tune in to your communities – What is happening that you can be part of, or that you can help others be part of

You can tune in to communities by considering groups and networks you are part of and the activities that take place within them. How can you make communities and activities more welcoming, open or easier to access for those experiencing difficulty with their mental health and wellbeing? This might mean something specific, like hiring a bus to pick people up to go to community events, or more general, like thinking about community feelings after a natural disaster.

How can you tune in to communities?

Joining a local hobby group
Taking part in community rituals, ceremonies, and events
Reviewing accessibility options for groups you are part of
Reaching out to community members who might be isolated
Starting wellbeing activities at work
Attending free community events – libraries or councils often run them
Creating a range of different options for people looking to connect
Making sure your community/workplace/group takes part in Mental Health Month

Tune in to stigma – How do attitudes and understandings of mental health and wellbeing impact on people’s ability to live the lives they want?

You can tune in to stigma by considering the misconceptions, prejudice or barriers that you or others face regarding mental health and wellbeing. You can help increase understanding by making sure mental health and wellbeing are not taboo topics in your community, and letting others know if they are engaging in stigma-promoting behaviour.

How can you tune in to stigma?

Challenging negative ideas around mental health
Normalise talking about mental health and wellbeing
Avoiding terms which can stigmatise mental health
Engaging people with lived experience of mental ill-health as consultants
Speak out about stigma when you notice it

Often, we only talk about mental health as an individual responsibility, but lots of things outside our control contribute to mental health.

Things like discrimination, inequality, intergenerational trauma, access to services, and government policies can negatively impact people’s and communities’ mental health.

During Mental Health Month we all have a chance to Tune In to things we can do as individuals for our own, and others’ mental health, but without organisations and groups doing work on the bigger picture, outside factors will continue to impact individual’s mental health and wellbeing. Creating a world where people can create their own best possible mental health means creating a world where all systems, structures, policies, and services support this vision. We aren’t there yet, but we’ll keep working until we get there.

Information source: https://mentalhealthmonth.wayahead.org.au/

How Spring Cleaning can be good for your health and wellbeing.

Thu, 12 Aug 2021 01:26:38 GMT

There's no better feeling than the one that comes after decluttering and cleaning a home.

It's that time of the year again to start thinking about spring cleaning, which means some serious decluttering, reorganisation, scrubbing and polishing. Whether you love it or hate it, there's no denying that a good spring clean is a worthwhile exercise.

Need some inspiration?

Our all time favourite 'declutterer" Marie Kondo is returning to Netflix 31st August with "Sparking Joy". Based on her best selling books and previous success with Netflix's hit show, "Tidying Up With Marie Kondo," Marie is back to tell us how to organise our homes and ultimately our lives. Enchanted with organising since her childhood, Marie began her tidying consultant business as a 19-year-old university student in Tokyo. Today, she is a renowned tidying expert helping people around the world to transform their cluttered homes into spaces of serenity and inspiration.

The KonMari Method™ encourages tidying by category – not by location – beginning with clothes, then moving on to books, papers, komono (miscellaneous items), and, finally, sentimental items. Keep only those things that speak to the heart, and discard items that no longer spark joy. Thank them for their service – then let them go. People around the world have been drawn to this philosophy not only due to its effectiveness, but also because it places great importance on being mindful, introspective and forward-looking.

We've gathered information from Marie Kondo's website so you can organise and plan your Spring Clean the KonMarie Method™ Way. This is not just a "spring clean", according to her millions of fans, it's a way of life.

Why Tidy?

Tidying is a powerful tool, but it’s not the destination. The true goal of tidying is to clear away clutter so you can live the life you want. When you put your house in order using the KonMari Method™, you have no choice but to listen to your inner voice – because the question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life. When you reassess your belongings and organise your home, you set the stage for a huge transformation. This is the magic of tidying!

Tidying Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

A key element of Marie’s philosophy is to tidy up in one shot, rather than little by little. Intermittent decluttering – donating old clothes every once in a while or cleaning out storage bins before a move – may result in brief moments of tranquility but the clutter will always come back.

A true, once-in-a-lifetime tidying festival can take several weeks, though it certainly doesn’t have to. Set aside space and time to do it properly; know that things may feel topsy-turvy in the process, but you’ll come out clearer on the other side.

Before You Begin

The first step in the KonMari Method™ is to imagine your ideal lifestyle. If you’re serious about tidying in a way that will change your life forever, this is the most important step – it cannot be skipped. Clarify why you want to tidy and what sort of life you want to lead when you’re done: What will your day look like? Who will you surround yourself with? What are your emotional and mental states? These are the sorts of questions to ponder at the beginning of a tidying festival.

Tidy by Category and Follow the Right Order

Tidy by category – not by location. Going from room to room makes it hard to truly comprehend what you own – and will inevitably lead to a rebound. The order in which you tidy is the secret sauce of Marie’s method. By starting with the easiest category, you hone your decision-making skills and clarify what sparks joy.

This is the order:

Clothes
Books
Papers
Komono (Miscellaneous items)
Sentimental items

Gather all of your clothes, for example, from throughout the house – the hall closet, storage bins, underbed organisers, trunks, etc. – and make a huge pile. Once you have every item of clothing you own in one place, it’s time to dive into the nitty-gritty of tidying the KonMari way.

Focus on What to Keep

Marie’s tidying method is about choosing what to keep – not what to get rid of, and this is an important distinction from other techniques. Tidying is about looking forward, so devote your energy into choosing objects that spark joy for you. Here’s how:

Pick up each item one at a time.

Ask yourself if it sparks joy – you should feel a little thrill, as if the cells in your body are slowly rising.
If it does, keep it!
If it doesn’t, let it go with gratitude.

Using the order outlined above, follow these steps – and your intuition – until you’ve gone through all of your possessions, one category at a time.

Discard With Gratitude

Marie believes that tidying is a celebration, a special send-off for things that will be departing from the house. There’s an opportunity to learn from all the things in your life, including the ones that you discard. If you’re letting go of something you’ve used extensively, thank it for its service and for enhancing your life. If you’re letting go of a belonging you never used, it taught that you have no purpose for something like this in your life. Thinking deeply about each item you discard will affect how you live and acquire new things moving forward. They also might spark joy for someone else now – win win!

Give Everything a Home

Clutter is caused by a failure to put things back where they belong. The trick to never reverting to clutter after a tidying festival is to designate a place for each thing – a home for every single one of your items. But remember: Before even thinking about storage, it’s imperative that you finish discarding first!

Store similar items close together and keep storage solutions simple. If you’re not sure where to put something, remember this advice: When you’re choosing what to keep, ask your heart; when you’re choosing where to store something, ask your house!

People around the world have been drawn to Marie’s philosophy and the KonMari Method™ not only because they work, but also because of the importance placed on being mindful, introspective and forward-looking. Tidying is a powerful reset – your real life begins after putting your house in order.

Spring Cleaning makes you happy, reduces stress and helps you focus. It's a fact!

Taking the time to thoroughly clean and maintain a tidy home makes people happier, studies have shown . The act of cleaning provides a sense of satisfaction, which in turn can put you in a good mood. Cleaning and organising your personal spaces lets you enjoy a tidier and more organised environment and this can relieve stress. Levels of stress can also be reduced during the act itself as cleaning is considered to be therapeutic. Those who make a point of clearing out the clutter are able to free up the brain for more essential decision-making, according to a study carried out by the founder of America's Anxiety Disorder Centre. A thorough clean helps to clear your mind of things that need to be done around the house and makes it easier to focus on more important things... such as getting out exercising, meeting friends and family or even learning a new skill.

Psychology verses Counselling - deciding what care you need.

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 22:28:12 GMT

By Helle Luckmann

Melissa Farr opened Bold Psychology in 2015 with the aim of providing a warm, family friendly environment in which people of all ages could access quality psychological and counselling treatment. Fast forward to 2021 and her dream has exceeded all expectations with the recent opening of her bigger, brighter clinic located in the leafy suburb of Gymea Bay.

To undertake therapy is a powerful individual statement and hopefully a decision that rewards for a lifetime. We recommend the single most important aspect in finding your ideal therapist is that you feel safe enough to talk openly about your issues, someone who “gets” you, is interested in what you want to achieve, and has the skills and insight to guide you there. Bold Psychology offers both Psychology and Counselling sessions and aims to give you the treatment in an environment that makes you feel safe, supported and heard.

So, what is the difference between Psychology and Counselling I hear you say?

When researching on the internet, the terms may be used in such a way that it’s very hard to decide what you really need. Psychologists are trained to work on specific mental health disorders that are making life really difficult - chronic anxiety, panic disorders, severe depression, personality disorders, complex behavioural conditions or dual diagnosis (developmental disability and a mental health condition). To see Melissa Farr, our Clinical Psychologist you will generally have completed a Mental Health Plan with your GP or be under the care of a Psychiatrist.

Counselling on the other hand, is typically concerned with immediate and practical issues such as processing grief or anger, helping the client identify options when making important personal or professional decisions, or building better interpersonal or communication skills. A counsellor might work with a client to learn how to better manage conflicts in relationships or to clarify his or her values on a particular topic. Counselling is typically short-term. The focus in counselling is to the client’s concerns and difficulties as well as understanding how patterns of behaviour, thoughts and feelings can cause problems in daily life. No referral from your GP is necessary; therefore sessions are not recorded on your medical records.

We are very lucky at Bold Psychology to provide you with both levels of care. Melissa, our founder and clinical psychologist has a strong background in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Anxiety Disorders and Body Image issues. She sees clients of all ages and has a variety of therapeutic approaches which can be individualised to suit the client’s needs. We also have two counsellors, Helle Luckmann and Georgia Heraghty who can offer support with everyday challenges such as stress, depression, anxiety, grief, relationship issues and both have a lot of experience working with children and families.

Please call us on 0450 116 915 to learn more or make an appointment.

What do you know about Anxiety?

Thu, 11 Feb 2021 16:33:48 GMT

By Melissa Farr

The first step in getting to know what anxiety means is acknowledging that both stress and anxiety are a normal part of life. Anxiety may come and go depending on what our environment is like and when natural fluctuations in stressful periods occur. Anxiety has developed as a bit of a buzz word in recent years, and there are common misconceptions about what it means to be experiencing anxiety versus sustaining an anxiety disorder. We recommend that before self-diagnosing with anxiety, have a chat with your GP as well as a mental health professional in order to determine the severity of the symptoms that you are experiencing in order to inform the best next step to take.

If you do decide to have a chat with a counsellor or psychologist, it may be helpful to understand how we begin treatment for anxiety. One of the ways we initiate treatment for anxiety in counselling sessions is to have a look at the whole picture of what could be going on for you right now, rather than focusing completely on the symptom/s. We go through an array of topics to determine if there could be more of an environmental process happening that is sustaining the anxiety or more cognitive (thought processes) that could better explain the symptoms.

For many of us, as we become entrenched in our patterns of living, we may not realise how much different aspects of our routines and relationships could be impacting the way we feel. Sometimes all it takes is having someone completely disconnected from our lives to see our situation differently and offer an alternative opinion to guide us to make gradual changes.

As part of this exploration, some common topics for us to cover in an initial session could be:

Routines/lifestyle – are there parts of your daily living routine that could be triggering, sustaining or exacerbating your experiences of anxiety?
Relationships (with yourself as well as with others) – are there any relationships that you find difficult to manage, tiring, unfulfilling or stressful? Are you as kind to yourself as you are to others?

bold-psychology

Teenage Girl Support Group

At Bold Psychology, we run a social group for girls aged between 15 and 20 years old and would like to warmly welcome new members when we return in early 2023!

How can we help kids to self regulate their emotions?

If you’re a parent, chances are you’ve witnessed a tantrum or two in your day. We expect them in two-year-olds, but if your child reaches school age and meltdowns and outbursts are still frequent, it may be a sign that they have difficulty with emotional self-regulation.

What is self-regulation?

What does emotional dysregulation look like?

How can we teach our children self-regulation skills?

How is your Teen's Mental Health going?

The last few years have been tough on all of us. Teen mental health is no exception.

"Just because no one else can heal or do your inner work for you - doesn't mean you can, should or need to do it alone."

- Lisa Olivera

Benefits of Pet Therapy

Benefits of Pet Therapy

For Physical Health

For Mental Health

For Literacy Support (PAWS for Reading)

In Physical Therapy

October is Mental Health Month

Mental Health Month is a chance to promote activities and ideas that can have a positive impact on our daily lives and the lives of others. These events and messages are tied together with a specific theme, and this year’s is “Tune In”. So what does it mean to "Tune In"?

How Spring Cleaning can be good for your health and wellbeing.

There's no better feeling than the one that comes after decluttering and cleaning a home.

Psychology verses Counselling - deciding what care you need.

By Helle Luckmann

What do you know about Anxiety?

By Melissa Farr

Mental Health Month is a chance to promote activities and ideas that can have a positive impact on our daily lives and the lives of others. These events and messages are tied together with a specific theme, and this year’s is “Tune In”.

So what does it mean to "Tune In"?