How can we make the world a little more gentle?

Especially in a time where there is so much conflict and fear? A time where conversations, opinions and experiences can feel like they are dividing us, rather than creating space to bring us together.

I have had many of these conversations in recent weeks. They’ve been brought to me by clients who have genuine questions and are quite understandably concerned about what is happening in the world.

My responses are always thoughtful and considered, individualised as they should be. I am mindful of the complexity of what people are seeing and hearing. But each response is grounded in compassion, underpinned by my genuine belief that if compassion sits at the heart of how we move through the world, we create more space for understanding, connection and care.

Compassion invites us to pause before reacting.
To stay curious about another person’s experience.
To recognise that most people are simply trying to navigate life the best they can with what they are carrying.

It doesn’t mean we always agree.
It doesn’t mean difficult things disappear.
But it does soften the way we meet each other.

And if compassion underpinned more of our everyday interactions, in our homes, at work, in schools and communities, perhaps the world might feel a little gentler.

Not perfect.
Not without struggle.
But gentler in ways that really do matter.

📷 Pics around The Port
#project18port #wellbeingnook #portadelaide #compassionmatters #bekind

Today is International Women`s Day❣️

This years theme is #balancetgescales❣️

It`s about promoting, advocating and creating a world that is fair, inclusive, accessible and just❣️

It`s also about recognising and celebrating the extraordinary women in the world, those who make a difference in many ways every day❣️

So today I just want to do a shout out to all the extraordinary, kind, strong, compassionate, gentle, loving and fun women I am lucky enough to have in my world❣️

These are the women who support me, guide me, inspire and hold me. Thank you ❣️

Take today as a reminder to acknowledge, thank and celebrate the woman you are, the women you know and the women who have fought for us all ❣️

#internationalwomensday #IWD2026 #balancethescales #womensupportingwomen❤️

Friday I had the privilege of attending a wonderful #IWD Luncheon. Thanks to @days_of_cassie 💓

The day was all about `Championing Women in Care`. 💓

It was a day to connect, share stories and be in a room filled with support and encouragement 💓

We heard from two extraordinary women, Taimi Allan, Mental Health Commissioner SA and Dr Gill Hicks AM MBE who know what it is to care for others and be cared for 💓

It was also a day for the real and the raw to be acknowledged, an ever increasingly important aspects to caring 💓

Our MC for the day @kateburrdotcom kept the conversations rolling and I got to sit side by side with a couple of favourites @ailsarobson_walkandtalk and Carolyn Grace 💓

We were celebrated with gorgeous gifts from @mirroredhearts1 @theintrinsicway @kinesiliving @care_assure and the food was lovely too @morphettville_racecourse 💓

#IWD2026 #balancethescales #championingwomenincare #celebratingwomen

Yesterday I had the privilege of attending a wonderful #IWD Luncheon. Thanks to @days_of_cassie 💓

The day was all about `Championing Women in Care`. 💓

It was a day to connect, share stories and be in a room filled with support and encouragement 💓

We heard from two extraordinary women, Taimi Allan, Mental Health Commissioner SA and Dr Gill Hicks AM MBE who know what it is to care for others and be cared for 💓

It was also a day for the real and the raw to be acknowledged, an ever increasingly important aspects to caring 💓

Our MC for the day @kateburrdotcom kept the conversations rolling and I got to sit side by side with a couple of favourites @ailsarobson_walkandtalk and Carolyn Grace 💓

We were celebrated with gorgeous gifts from @mirroredhearts1 @theintrinsicway @kinesiliving @care_assure and the food was lovely too @morphettville_racecourse 💓

#IWD2026 #balancethescales #championingwomenincare #celebratingwomen

Another Collaboration Celebration!

Did you know that there are young people quietly carrying responsibilities far beyond their years. They may be caring for a family member who is chronically ill, has a disability or is living with a mental health issue. Their caring role may include personal care, assistance with day-to-day tasks, household duties, such as chores and emotional support.

These are children and young people, aged between 5 and 25, and they are South Australia’s Young Carers. They provide care often without choice or recognition or a break. Their days are shaped by compassion, resilience, and love, but also by sacrifice, isolation, maturity, and the weight of responsibility.

Young Carers SA exists to ensure these remarkable young people are not invisible. Their commitment is clear and powerful: to see, hear and support young carers with resources and programs to help them build futures that are their own.

As part of a long-term collaboration with Young Carers SA, Jodie Evans, Integrative Practitioner works alongside young carers as a brokered counsellor, supporting them to navigate the emotional and practical realities of caring.

For Jodie, the work is about far more than the caring role itself, “It’s not just the remarkable responsibility they take on,” Jodie shares, “it’s what it takes to carry that alongside everyday life, often missing out on things their peers typically enjoy, like after-school activities, sports, playdates, or weekends that are simply their own.”

The impact of being a young carer extends beyond time and tasks. It can affect emotional wellbeing, identity, relationships, education, and a young person’s sense of freedom and choice. Through funding provided by Carers SA, counselling becomes one of many essential supports available to help young carers process this complex experience.

If you would like to learn more about the role and support provided for Young Carers head to: https://www.carerssa.com.au/services/young-carers-services/ and https://youngcarerssa.com.au/

A Collaboration Celebration!

When young people step into the world of work or training, they’re often carrying far more than a résumé. For many, the transition into adulthood comes with uncertainty, pressure, and mental health challenges that aren’t always visible, and aren’t always easy to name.

That’s why Sean Quinn, Mental Health Social Worker, is excited to be part of a new collaboration with the Lighthouse Youth Projects Inc Track2Work, a DEWR Work Foundations program.

Together, they are supporting young people aged 16 to 25 to pave their way to meaningful employment, while also gently addressing the emotional and psychological challenges that can sit alongside these major life transitions.

This partnership creates space for discreet, strengths-based mental health screening and early support to be woven into a real-world employment pathway. There are no labels, no barriers, just practical support, offered at the right time, in the right place. By meeting young people where they are, the program helps build confidence, resilience, and a stronger foundation for long-term wellbeing.

For Sean, this collaboration reflects what’s possible when community organisations work together with a shared purpose. “I’m really pleased to be involved,” he says. “This next phase of the program has enormous potential, and I’m excited to see the impact it will have on young people’s lives.”

If you would like to learn more about the Track2Work program, head to https://www.lighthouseyp.org/mentoring#pkubFJ

Celebrating a partnership between @cranntherapy @lighthouseyouthprojects @mteasa @mcbiaus @DEWR

It’s reflection time 🌟

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve shared some thoughts about the way we use certain words, words that are familiar, popular, well-intended, and used quite a lot: resilience and strong 💛

Not because I don’t believe they matter, but because when they’re used out of context, or in ways that unintentionally place pressure on people when what’s actually needed is support, they can lose their intended meaning.

But this belongs to those posts, not this one.
This one is about another powerful word.
A word that, in many ways, underpins everything I believe about strengths-based counselling.
Hope 💛

Not the blind, naïve, wish-it-away kind of hope.
But the kind of hope that allows us to set goals and keep moving toward them.
The kind that shapes our thoughts, beliefs, and expectations.
The kind that supports mental wellbeing, even when life is heavy.

I see hope every day 🌟
I see it in my clients, tangled amongst the hard, the scary, the sad, and the deeply unfair.
I see it in their want for something better, their search for change, their determination to find a way forward.
I see hope in very young children whose expectations are still high.
I see it in those who cry at what is wrong in the world, because tears often come from caring, and caring comes from hope for something better.
I even see it in anger, because people wouldn’t feel angry if they didn’t believe something should be different.

So why am I reflecting on hope today, in particular?
Because I believe in it 🌟
I promote it.
I choose it.
I feel it.
And I will always draw upon it.

So, let’s set goals.
Let’s expect more.
Let’s aspire for better.
Together, in the name of hope 💛

📷Some Bananagrams fun 😀

There are so many misconceptions about what it means to be ‘STRONG’.

We are surrounded by social constructs that define strength and weakness in often unhelpful ways, as if strength is something loud, rigid, or unbreakable.

In reality, there are many factors that shape our capacity to cope, adapt, and to keep going, and nearly as many that can hinder us.

But this week, I have witnessed strength in some of it`s truest forms....

I have seen individuals choose to be strong, not through perfection or stoicism, but through courage.

Strength has taken many shapes; it has shown up beautifully, chaotically, and messily:

⭐️ Letting tears flow
⭐️ Saying no to someone you love
⭐️ Asking for help
⭐️ Acknowledging growth
⭐️ Finding the good in a tough day
⭐️ Holding space for anger
⭐️ Sharing the pain of grief
⭐️ Giving unconditional support
⭐️ Trying something new
⭐️ Digging deep to explore barriers
⭐️ Saying goodbye
⭐️ Accepting that some things are hard
⭐️ Taking steps to implement new strategies
⭐️ Celebrating achievements

These are the kinds of strengths that don`t demand toughness, instead they ask for honesty, vulnerability, and self-compassion.

It`s been a challenging and emotion-filled week but one that`s also been inspiring, insightful, hopeful and nurturing.

Happy Saturday 🌼

Resilience… what do we do when it becomes just a word?

Resilience might be one of the most overused and misunderstood words of recent times. It’s use began in academic research, moved into self-help books, and eventually found its way into schools, workplaces, and everyday conversations, becoming a much relied-upon ‘buzzword’.

I feel the word has shifted from describing strengths and abilities to feeling more like an unrealistic expectation that people should simply learn to ‘tolerate’ stress. Rather than addressing the difficulties that create distress, it can feel like we are asking individuals to “get over it,” endure it, or to ignore what they are feeling, sometimes this can be wrapped up as “staying positive.”

I hear the word frequently, particularly in relation to children. They are often told they need to be ‘more’ resilient,. When exploring this I start with asking what their understanding of the word is, more often than not they can’t explain or describe it, not really. And that’s a problem.

How can we ask someone to be more of something if they don’t understand what it is? And if we’re honest, can we always clearly define it ourselves, or explain how it’s built?

As a strengths-based counsellor, I encourage children and young people to identify their strengths: their qualities, their values, the things that make them who they are, not just what they’re good at. Together, we explore which strengths they already have and which ones they might like to develop further.

Our strengths are our internal resources. They’re what we draw on during difficult times. They help us adapt, cope, and ultimately move forward. Strengths such as bravery, curiosity, and flexibility support us to feel our feelings, problem-solve, and to keep on going. These are the qualities that can help us “bounce back”.

So when exploring a client’s strengths, we’re doing more than naming positive characteristics. We’re building a stronger sense of self, growing confidence, and, in a much more meaningful way, developing ‘resilience’.

There are great resources that help facilitate conversations about strengths, a favourites is the Choosing Strengths cards from @innovativeresources.

It’s National Hug Day!

Some days aren’t about doing more, they’re about feeling more, or perhaps a little less.
They are about promoting feelings of connection, safety and being cared for.

National Hug Day is a simple reminder of something we often overlook: the power of human touch. A hug doesn’t require the right words, a solution, or a plan. It’s a quiet way of saying “you matter and I care about you”.

Apparently, the origins of Hug Day aren’t entirely clear, but its meaning is and it’s now celebrated in many parts of the world.

Across cultures and generations, hugs have always been a universal language of care. And science now confirms what many of us have felt instinctively all along, HUGS are GOOD for US!

Research shows that hugs can lower stress by reducing cortisol, support emotional regulation, increase feelings of safety and trust, and boost wellbeing through the release of oxytocin, how great is that! Hugs can calm our nervous system, lift our mood, and help us feel less alone.

On a day like today, you might see “free hug” signs, school activities, family moments, or social media posts celebrating connection. But the real impact happens in the quiet, everyday moments, when someone reaches out, when comfort is offered without words, when presence is enough, when a good strong, long hug can be exactly what someone needs.

So today, and every day, may we remember the power of simple human connection.

And may we offer a hug, to others, or even to ourselves, when it’s safe, welcomed, and needed of course.
(Always remember to check first because some people don’t like hugs or may not feel comfortable with the offering so just find something else that lets them feel connected and cared for).

📷 How wonderful, a great big hug from Mickey Mouse – photo shared with permission.

The Top Scientific Insights on Hugging from 2025 | Psychology Today