It’s not unusual for couples to experience holiday relationship stress. Yes, there are a million little details to negotiate and compromise on around the Christmas and New Year period, aren’t there? Who do we see, when and for how long? Who gets a gift, who gets a re-gift gift? What do we give the kids? […]

Assertiveness gets talked about a lot. In social media, on reality TV, in the classroom, and in life generally. But what is assertiveness? And what isn’t it? What Is Assertiveness? Let’s start with a definition. The Cambridge Dictionary defines assertiveness as: The quality of being confident and not frightened to say what you want or […]

If you are a people pleaser, you’re likely prone to putting others’ needs ahead of your own. This can be exhausting. Others may think you are agreeable, helpful and kind. And you are! But are you taking care of YOU too? 7 Signs Of Being A People Pleaser You pretend to agree with everyone. You […]

Mental health hacks are your best friend over the silly season.  The holidays can be a joyful time when we get to reunite with family and friends, especially if you’ve been separated for some time due to the pandemic. And because emotions are dialled up to eleven, holidays can also take a toll on mental […]

Compromise in Relationships: Give A Little, Gain A Little Compromise in relationships is like any negotiation. Dr John Gottman calls this “Yielding to Win”. To achieve our desired outcome, we approach a negotiation knowing what we are, and are not, willing to compromise on. It’s the same in all relationships. The Lovely Illusion of Limerance […]

Food and Mood: Nutritional Psychology Do you know how intimately your food and mood are connected? On the therapy chair, we focus primarily on your state of mind when assessing your mental health. We might look at your values, desires, relationships, sources of stress and other components of your cognitive ecosystem. To look at food […]

How Necessary is Conflict Resolution? Conflict resolution for couples is often thought to be a critical skill in making a marriage work. Partners frequently tie themselves in knots trying to figure out the key to finally ending long-standing issues between them. And after 2020 and 2021 with many partners in lockdown and working from home […]

Challenges in Mental Health During Covid Lockdowns Are you over it? Lockdown, I mean. And the threat of Covid generally? I know I am. Covid has been this spectre that I recall sensing in early 2020. My awareness of it began increasing as the virus hit our shores. Then there was quite a bit of […]

Under Investigation with Liz Hayes: Catch Me on the Team of Experts It’s not every day you get invited to appear on TV with Liz Hayes! I was thrilled to be invited as a guest on the panel of Under Investigation, an upcoming TV series hosted by Liz Hayes, to be screened on Channel 9 […]

2020 Wasn’t All Bad! You could be forgiven for believing that there were zero heartwarming moments of 2020. It’s been a rough year. Here in Australia, we started 2020 with one of the most devastating bushfire seasons in living memory. Whether you suffered significant personal loss, knew someone affected, or watched in horror as the […]