“Stop.” “No.” “Don’t do that.” These are some of the most familiar phrases used in classrooms, homes, and therapeutic spaces. They are quick, instinctive, and often spoken with urgency. Yet, in my experience as a psychologist working with children and young people—particularly those who are neurodivergent or have experienced trauma—these responses rarely bring the outcomeContinue reading “Beyond “No”: Supporting Behaviour Through Safety, Connection, and Understanding”
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Parents Matter Too
Psychological support for parents navigating neurodiversity Parents Matter Too — a weekly therapeutic reflection supporting parents of neurodiverse children. Week 6: Reclaiming Yourself — When Parenting Has Taken Over Your Identity When Your World Becomes Smaller There is a point many parents reach, though it is rarely spoken about openly. Life begins to narrow. NotContinue reading “Parents Matter Too”
Parenting the Child with Autism: The Fine Line Between Gentle and Permissive Parenting
A reflective exploration of the difference between gentle and permissive parenting when raising an autistic child, highlighting the importance of empathy, structure, and emotional regulation. Over the years, many parents of autistic children have sat across from me in my consulting room carrying a mixture of love, exhaustion, and uncertainty. Parenting is never simple, butContinue reading “Parenting the Child with Autism: The Fine Line Between Gentle and Permissive Parenting”
Parents Matter Too
Psychological support for parents navigating neurodiversity Parents Matter Too — a weekly therapeutic reflection supporting parents of neurodiverse children. Week 4: Parental Burnout — When Exhaustion Becomes Emotional Numbness Beyond “Just Tired” There is a particular kind of exhaustion many parents struggle to describe. It is not simply physical tiredness. It is not solved byContinue reading “Parents Matter Too”
When Work Turns Toxic: Psychological Reflections on Burnout, Bullying and Gaslighting
Over the past few years, I have seen a marked increase in clients coming to therapy not because they “can’t cope with work,” but because work itself has become harmful. They describe workplaces that are chronically stressful, hostile, and dismissive of their wellbeing. What begins as a demanding job slowly shifts into something more insidious:Continue reading “When Work Turns Toxic: Psychological Reflections on Burnout, Bullying and Gaslighting”
Why FlourishEd Approaches Matter for Adults Returning to Learning—Especially After Negative School Experiences
When adults choose to return to education, it’s rarely a simple academic decision. For many, it’s deeply emotional. It’s about revisiting a place that didn’t feel safe, stepping back into environments that once damaged confidence, or confronting old stories of “not being good enough.” And these stories run deep. Adult learners often carry decades ofContinue reading “Why FlourishEd Approaches Matter for Adults Returning to Learning—Especially After Negative School Experiences”
Trauma-Informed Awareness in the Workplace: Language, Policy, and the Culture of Care
Introduction Workplaces, like people, hold stories. Within every organisation are individuals who carry experiences of stress, loss, and sometimes trauma — experiences that may be invisible but deeply shape how they perceive safety, trust, and belonging. Trauma-informed awareness in the workplace invites us to look beneath behaviour and performance, to recognise that what appears asContinue reading “Trauma-Informed Awareness in the Workplace: Language, Policy, and the Culture of Care”
Dr M’s thoughts 