There’s a range of narratives I could tell about this year. 2019 has been the year of some immense career highlights, with presentations at national and international conferences. A sensational year of being a proud mother and partner, complete with a bunch of glossy instar-worthy photos to add punch to my points. I could tell …
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
My Husband is Not the Problem
The thing that I see the most is that perpetrating men are loud and virulent across social media platforms – and many, many (not all) kind, generous, beautiful men are silent. If you are with us, we need to know you are there.
How to talk to your kid about seeing a Psych
This would have to be one of the questions I’m asked most often by concerned parents. They have reached the point of deciding psychologist support is a useful step for their child, but Oh! How to broach that topic??? It’s Mental Health Week, and this is my guide for how to approach this with your …
Tasting Freedom – and why this is my last Blog Post ever.
There’s this moment when I’m flying down the hill, wind in my face, blue sky above me, and I notice this thought passing by – that this is it, THIS is tasting freedom. It’s exhilarating, and not just because I’ve got all that lovely exercise endorphin flowing through me. In fact, this freedom has nothing …
Stuff that Definitely Doesn’t Suck – a review of Ben Sedley’s “Stuff that Sucks”
I don’t know what your reading list is like – maybe it’s a little like mine. Last year, I was super excited to hear a colleague of mine had his book published. What a magnificent achievement. Then I looked at the pile of books beside my bed I was slowly making my way through, and …
It’s not the boundaries that matter
I’m at a business lunch talking with a stranger. He’s a father of two, and he looks at me intently and asks “How do we keep our children safe? How do we protect them from all there is out there?” In a memory, I’m nine years old and the fire is crackling in our lounge …
An Answer to the “War on [Pretty Much Everything]” – reviewing Anthony Biglan’s “The Nurture Effect”
There’s this mother sitting before me and she tries to stem the tears. It’s been weeks since her son has been to school. We’ve been tracking this for a while, her and I – and today her exhaustion is palpable. This mother who would move the heavens and the earth for her children; whose resources …
5 Steps to Increase Kids’ Veggie Eating (evidence from an exciting new study)
It must be just about every parent’s struggle – the constant attempts to increase the vegetable intake of our little bundles o’ joy, through their toddler years and beyond. Often it starts out fine – many the smug mother of an infant has boasted that her little one eats ALL his veggies… only to discover …
Kids starting school? How to Survive School Mum Anxiety
* This one’s for the ladies – School Dads are a different kettle of fish all together * “So I was watching this show, and there’s this psychologist – no psychiatrist -,” “Or clairvoyant, whatever,” I interject. We all laugh. It’s an in-joke reference, now several years old. I pause in this moment to look around …
Thriving through the School Holidays
It’s nearly here – that gorgeous six-week break at the end of the school year. It’s a time I look forward to SOOO MUCH!! I LOVE the extra time with my little people… oh, and that break from the school-day routine!! But have you ever had the experience where the IDEA of school holidays has been …