Being an extrovert and a social kind of girl, I am not like Carl Jung, who apparently said that talking is often a torment for him. And he was even a clinician, into ‘the talking cure’ just like I am. It is indeed true however, that after a day with clients, I am more than
More women are coming forward for the first time to report family violence, according to new Victorian research that shows Covid -19 lockdowns have worsened the potential for abuse in many homes. The report found that 60% of family violence victim support practitioners said the Covid-19 pandemic had increased the frequency of violence against women.
It is Sunday morning in lockdown in Melbourne. I am feeling very self- righteous doing my home exercises on my yoga mat in the lounge. The Channel 7 morning show is on with presenters Larry Emdur and Angela Cox. Larry has always seemed to be a handsome, charming, pleasant kind of man whenever I have
It has been a while since I have written anything on my blog. Something was wrong with my WordPress app, but all fixed now 🙂 How life has changed since I last wrote on here ! Globally we are in the midst of a Pandemic and our lives have changed drastically. I feel so fortunate
I have just spoken out publicly about being sexually abused by James K Baxter, a famous poet and literary figure in New Zealand. It was published in a weekend journal, circulated by three major newspapers in three major cities in New Zealand a fortnight ago. I have been very pleased with wonderful responses from men
Growing older is difficult. At least that was the message communicated to me by my mother. She had a miserable time of it and that memory still remains within me. I am trying not to resist the ageing process and to honour the wise, spirited and attractive woman that I know I am. A little
Sometimes I feel embarrassed at not being sufficiently happy. The other day a friend sent me an article written by someone who described how he had attained happiness. He had some good ideas like keeping a gratitude journal every day. He spoke about how this had improved his mood. However, I also felt told off
The birth of this blog came about through a painful relationship break up with a man I believe is a narcissist. I have had some requests from readers of my blog to say more about being in a relationship with a narcissist. Now that my grief is less acute from this shattering experience, I thought
I meet so many people who say to me “I never expected my life to turn out this way”. Whether it be, they thought they would be married by 30, have everything sorted by 40, dealing with broken relationships, broken hearts, suffering from wayward children, illness or an accident and so the list goes on.
I am just an ordinary woman who longs for connection, love and warmth with another. I have been trying to not feel ashamed of this fact, in the face of meeting many single women my age who say they don’t need an intimate love relationship anymore. Sure, I can hold my hand, be a good
Professionally I have 33 years experience as a Clinician, Lecturer, Group Facilitator, Educator and Supervisor in Education, Social Services and Mental Health. I currently live in Melbourne, Australia and work in Mental Health. I have a particular interest in supporting and empowering women and men to be all they can be, by assisting the discovery of tools that help them find strength to transform difficulties into opportunities, enriching their lives both personally and professionally. I am a New Zealand Registered Psychotherapist with PBANZ, member of the New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists and have a Masters of Health Science (Psychotherapy) First Class Honours. My research thesis was about the long term consequences of intimate partner violence for women. I am influenced and informed by both my professional experiences and my own personal journey, which has involved many challenges and celebrations along the way.