Eating Disorders, and mental illnesses come in all shapes, sizes, colours, ages, race and social economic levels. Throughout my lived eating disorder experience I have had to deal with weight stigma and being told things like “you don’t look that sick or underweight”, “your …Read more
Feelings of shame can be heightened as children and young adults start to compare themselves to others. As children grow, they become more aware of what is considered normal—if their experiences and feelings don’t fit into this version of ‘normal’, this may result in …Read more
Maybe not in the wilds of nature, but in the wild world of our feelings many unexpected things can go together. Look inside on any typical day and you may notice a swirling mix of emotions and body signals. The limitations of language mean …Read more
This month, we talk to Kit Kline, Nature Based therapist and founder of Nature Based Therapy, counsellor and educator, about some practical ways we can support clients to connect with the natural environment. Kit has almost 20 years’ experience working as a counsellor and …Read more
When people are accessing services, they are often disempowered in at least one area of their life. They may be experiencing poverty, exclusion as a result of mental health issues, addiction or family violence. Or they may be experiencing oppression or exclusion as a …Read more
Why are LGBTQI+ resources are needed? Because everyone deserves respect. We share spaces with people whose ideas, beliefs and stories differ from our own. Our interests, languages, bodies and styles are many and varied, and this rich diversity is reflected in our experiences of …Read more
Young people’s lives are in a constant state of flux. They are dealing with growth spurts, the unnerving appearance of body hair in odd places, the making and breaking of relationships, changing schools, hormones, brain restructuring (yep, there are a lot of upgrades happening …Read more
So often in the work we do, we are looking for innovative and creative ways to include the voices of the people we work alongside. This can be particularly challenging if we are working with children. Dr. Lisa Stafford and her team at the …Read more
In this article we talk to student counsellor, Jack Bornyan, about how he used The Nature of Strengths cards in his work with a secondary student. Jack is currently completing a Bachelor of Counselling and is on placement at a secondary college in Frankston, …Read more
Green Sea Turtle Using her hind flippers, the female buries up to two hundred eggs in the sand. After about two months, the hatchlings emerge and scamper across the sand, taking their chances on reaching the ocean as gulls and crabs prey on them. …Read more
Diversity enriches our community by … Everyone’s body is different, therefore … A gender stereotype I have experienced is … These are just three of the forty cards from Rainbow Talk, a resource for opening up respectful conversations and storytelling about diversity—particularly in …Read more
Lillian Daley, a Grade 6 teacher in Darwin—the capital city of Australia’s Northern Territory—writes about the power of vulnerability and trust in the classroom. I first came across Innovative Resources when I was a pre-service teacher completing a placement at a school for disengaged …Read more
Thinking of ourselves as a car can be a very useful thing to do. Clean and green with zero emissions, of course. Or maybe not. Depends on the fuel you are putting in your tank, the junk in the trunk, the road you take …Read more
My name is Monique Beglinger and I am a psychologist based in Sydney, Australia. I currently work in two primary schools and one high school across Western Sydney. Prior to this I worked in child protection, out-of-home care, intensive family support, disability support and …Read more
We really appreciate stories from people who use our resources. This year at Resi Rocks, a professional development day for residential workers in Victoria, hosted by the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, I had the pleasure of hearing about POSTcards from …Read more
Sometimes little fish need to speak up about treating people respectfully, especially in sporting and after work environments. Here is an example of a recent experience shared with me—similar to the ‘drinks after work scenario’ we have seen on television, where a man’s colleagues …Read more
Stones, whether in their natural state or through human interaction, remind us of how our world ‘is’. A stone rock face, gradually exposed over millennia through contact with wind or water, can slowly reveal the secrets held within, telling us of what came before …Read more
The original purpose of developing POSTCARDS From Me to You was to provide residential care workers, carers, youth workers and young people with a simple, fun and meaningful way of communicating with each other. With a postcard they can send a message that can …Read more
In our work, regardless of the industry, we often find ourselves being pulled one way and another … both at the same time. How do we look after ourselves so that we don’t ‘snap’ in half? Maybe it’s about balance. Whilst looking through the …Read more
‘While our so-called “panic hormones” are part of our self-defence mechanism and are therefore to be celebrated, a few skills to “unpanic ourselves” and decompress are also crucial to have in our bag of tricks.’ When you think of a meerkat, what image comes …Read more
