Check out the full article:  Deborah Jepsen talks to Practical Parenting_Feb 2012

Check out the magazine website here.

Dr Christina Tuke Flanders

We are very privileged to have Dr Christina Tuke Flanders join the team in April, 2012.

Christina has a doctorate in Child, Educational and Community Psychology. She is also a qualified teacher and has worked in schools and the National Health Service in the UK.

Christina is friendly and engaging and is quickly becoming a highly valued member of the team at SPS. Her attention to detail and depth of analysis is remarkable.

Main areas of focus:

• Assessment and diagnosis of learning difficulties such as dyslexia
• Assessment and diagnosis of ASD (in conjunction with a multi-disciplinary team)
• Counselling for parents of children with ASD
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for children with ASD who suffer from anxiety
• Video Feedback Counselling for parents and children to help improve their interactions
• Counselling interventions for emotional and behavioural difficulties

Professional Biggest Achievement:
Training at the prestigious Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in the UK

Publications and Research:
Christina’s research is published at the following places as Open Access publications (using a Creative Commons Attribution license).

• The Importance of Labelling: Parents Experiences of the Autism Spectrum Diagnostic Process 
• How Pupils Communicate Online: Implications for Pupils, Parents and Schools

Christina was invited to present her doctoral research on ‘The Importance of Labelling: Parents’ Experiences of the Autistic Spectrum Diagnostic Process” at two national conferences: The Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP) conference in November 2010 and the Division of Educational and Child Psychologists (DECP) conference in January 2011.

Christina has also been approached by various publishers for writing books on various topics, but prefers the practical applications of her skills over the theoretical.

Qualifications:

• Doctorate in Child, Educational and Community Psychology (D.Ch.Ed.PSYCH) – Tavistock Clinic, London
• Master of Education (MA Ed)- Chichester University
• Post Graduate Certificate in Education – English and Drama
• Bachelor of Psychology – Canterbury Christ Church University

Other Training:

• Post Graduate  Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Children and Young People University College London (UCL) and Anna Freud Centre
• Video Interaction Guidance
• Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing British Psychological Society
• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy  (3 day course)
• Applied Psychological Therapies (APT)
• Safeguarding Child Protection Level 1
• Circle Time Training (4 day course)

Clare Ivens

Clare has joined School Psychology Services on a part-time basis while she continues her full-time role as a School Psychologist.

Clare is seeing one or two clients per week and will occasionally run specialised programs on a Saturday.

Clare explains why she loves working with children:

I love working with children and teenagers because I appreciate that life can sometimes feel like you are on a rollercoaster blindfolded! Counselling can provide a young person with support, coping skills and insight to help them manage the ups and downs, gain a sense of control and foster an optimistic outlook on life. It is a privilege to connect with young people and help them to overcome personal hardships and to achieve important goals and lasting change. Working closely with children and teens is very rewarding and I am so often touched by the strength young people show in overcoming adversity.

Main areas of focus:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Peer difficulties (e.g, difficulties making friends, bullying)
• Social skills
• Transition and adjustment difficulties
• Parents separation and divorce
• Adjustment to a new school/city/country
• Grief and loss
• Confidence and self esteem
• Performance enhancement

Therapeutic Approach: 
Clare uses Cognitive Behaviour Therapy with her clients. Clare is a creative therapist who tailors her approach to match the client and counselling goals.

Professional Biggest Achievement:
Developing and publishing Unleash Your Potential: Thinking Skills for Peak Performance. This program is sold to schools throughout Australia and is helping many young people learn the psychological tools important to performances and confidence. Amazing outcomes can be achieved when you add mental training to skill and practice.

Publications:

Bei, B., Waloszek, J., Byrne, M., Woods, M., Ivens, C., Nicholas, C., Murray, G., Allen, N., & Trinder, J. (2011). Development & feasibility trial of a mindfulness-based multi-component in-school group sleep intervention for poor sleep & anxiety symptoms in adolescent girls. Paper presented at the Sleep DownUnder 2011 Conference, Sydney, October 2011.

Brandon, C. & Ivens, C (2009). Thinking Skills for Peak Performance: Unleash Your Potential. Coach’s Manual. Macmillan: Melbourne.

Brandon, C. & Ivens, C (2009). Thinking Skills for Peak Performance: Unleash Your Potential. Student Workbook. Macmillan: Melbourne.

Frydenberg, E., Muller, D., & Ivens, C. (2007). The experience of loss: Coping and the Seasons for Growth Program. Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 23(1), 45-68.

Trinder, J., Ivens, C., Kleiman, J., Kleverlaan, D., & White, D.P. (2006). The cardiorespiratory activation response at an arousal from sleep is independent of the level of CO2. Journal of Sleep Respiratory, 15, 1-9.

Ivens, C., Goode, L. & Frydenberg, E. (2007). Enhancing adolescent wellbeing: Coping skills training for girls. Australian Psychological Society Conference Proceedings, 2007

Qualifications: 

•  Master of Educational Psychology – The University of Melbourne

Thesis: An evaluation of the Best of Coping Program for female adolescents of parental separation or divorce

Recipient of the Master of Educational Psychology Award

• Honours in Psychology

Thesis: Cardiorespiratory activity at arousal from NREM sleep

• Bachelor of Arts, double major (Psychology & Criminology)

Kristina Armstrong

Kristina joined the team in September, 2011. She is energetic and caring and loves working with children and adolescents. When asked why she likes working with kids, her response was,

“My main focus is to assist and support children in the development of their ‘self’ – their self-esteem, self-confidence, self-concept and resilience. The rest follows!”

Krissie works four days a week at School Psychology Services and enjoys a mid-week break when she works on the Mornington Peninsula and visits her family.

Main areas of focus:

• Assisting children/adolescents in the development of the ‘self’ – e.g. self-concept, self-esteem and emotional resilience
• Behaviour Management Strategies for Parents
• Anger Management for children
• Anxiety for children and adolescents
• Depression for children and adolescents
• Giftedness assessments
• Auditory Processing issues
• Working Memory issues
• Neuropsychology – how the brain plays a role in behaviour and emotional regulation in children and adolescents
• Grief, Separation and Divorce

Therapeutic approach:
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy combined with Systems Theory and Attachment Theory.

Biggest Professional Achievement:
Working as a psychologist in private practice

Personal Biggest Achievement:
Training for a marathon – to be run this year!

Qualifications:

• Master of Educational & Developmental Psychology – Monash University
• Bachelor of Science (Psychology) with Honours – Monash University
• Bachelor of Psychology and Management/Marketing – Monash University
• Foundation Course in Child Development – The Centre for Child and Family Development
• Advanced Studies in Child and Family Development – The Centre for Child and Family Development
• ABIA Therapist Training Program – Autism Behavioural Intervention Association

Professional memberships:

• Full Member of the Australian Psychological Society (MAPS)
• Psychology Board of Australia registration
• Associate Member of the Association of Child and Family Development

Deb & Charlie in Hospital

Charlie arrived on the 12th October 2011. My little bundle of joy has been keeping me busy!

One day old!

He is an active baby who loves to feed (sometime a little too frequently!). He is full of smiles! His sleep patterns are slowly being regulated and after a week at sleep school (Baby prison?). His day and night sleeping patterns have improved dramatically, so it was definitely worth it. I am still waiting for him to sleep through the night!

Charlie at sleep school... Just Chillin'

As a result, I have taken some time off to do some behind the scenes work. Being a Mum has really made me reflect on my priorities in life. He has challenged me beyond what I thought was possible. He has slowed me down a little. It is now a juggling act to balance work and family life and we are slowly getting into a regular routine. You can never really explain quite what it is like to someone before they have kids. I now have a greater appreciation for all the feelings experienced by a mum – it can only make me a better psychologist!

Charlie and Deb

The waves of life!

Dreams ride the waves of life. When they get to shore they break, unless caught by a surfer, only then are they brought into reality. We are all surfers on the waves of life, we choose which waves we ride and which waves pass us by.

I recently put up some new prints in our office reception, one of which is a photo of a huge, nearly perfect, barrel wave breaking. It got me thinking about how a surfing analogy can provide some insight into how we choose to live our lives…

We are the instigators of our dreams. We create the reality we desire, by acting upon our inspirations. The dreams that we have relate directly to our goals. We may not always get what we want, but often the problem lies not in obtaining what we want, but in firstly deciding what opportunities to follow.

The waves represent opportunities we can choose to follow. We can’t ride every wave, even though we might like too. On the other hand, we can paddle around being extremely selective, in the hope of finding that one elusive awesome ride (which may never come). Or we can get out there, take some reasonable risks and explore all that life offers us.

Taking risks enables us to experience new things. We may make a few mistakes, fall off our boards and even get ”wiped out”, but without taking any risks at all we cannot learn and grow. The wipe outs or mistakes allow us to reflect. They help us to identify changes we need to make so we can advance. But if we paddle around aimlessly without taking any risks, we will never fully experience all of the dimensions of living.

We may sometimes try to ride waves that we aren’t yet ready to tackle. The wave just behind or in front may have been a better choice. But this is really a matter of growth and wisdom; knowing which opportunities suit our personality and goals. We may pick the wrong wave or realise that something isn’t quite right with the ride but we learn and grow in the process of choosing.

The waves keep coming. Which ones will you choose to ride?

Deal with the negative in productive ways!

While negative emotions have the potential to be destructive, it is also important to understand them and learn to control them, so they don’t control you.

Negative emotions include sadness, anger, jealousy, hate and severe anxiety. These emotions can impede your ability to cope with everyday situations. However, negative emotions are a natural part of life and they provide a reference point for positive emotions.

Negative emotions are often natural and appropriate but it is how you express your emotions that really determines whether they are constructive or destructive.

For example, it is natural to feel resentful when you have been left waiting by a friend who arrives extremely late without reasonable justification, or to feel sad when a loved one dies. However, if you express your anger by yelling at someone or even ignoring them, this will probably lead to destructive outcomes.

Be aware of the possible negative emotions that you might experience and learn ways to identify and deal with them.

Children need to learn the difference between positive and negative emotions not only for survival reasons, but also to develop emotional intelligence and resilience. Most emotional intelligence programs for children include information on how to recognise and understand different types of emotions, as well as problem solving and coping with negative emotions in a constructive way.

Emotions have a biological component. Emotions are experienced as physical sensations in the body and the brain responds to these sensations by stimulating further neural and hormonal responses and also with higher level thought which adds additional layers of meaning to the emotions. This complex process can ultimately either have a positive or negative effect on your wellbeing.

There are many ways to deal with negative emotions. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Replace negative thinking patterns with more constructive and productive thoughts.
2. Exercise! Get regular exercise and try to exercise even when you don’t feel like doing anything.
3. Eat healthy food. Aim for a balanced diet with healthy foods and only occasional small treats.
4. Don’t blow things out of proportion and focus only on the negative aspects of a situation.
5. Try to understand your negative emotions and the things that trigger these emotions.
6. Learn to relax. Consider taking a yoga or meditation class or listening to relaxing music.
7. Leave the past in the past. There is no use worrying about what you can’t change. Quote: “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” – L.P. Hartley
8. Seek professional counselling help if required. Don’t be afraid to try a different counsellor if you do not feel comfortable with someone.
9. Learn about grief and try to understand the grieving process.
10. Sleep well. Try to develop a regular sleep schedule and keep to the routine, even on weekends.
11. Set realistic and achievable goals and work towards them.
12. Celebrate the small things in life. Take time to smell the roses, talk with a child or stroke your pet.
13. Think about the good things you have achieved in your life.
14. Look on the bright side of the situation.
15. Understand that life is not always easy, however it is often in our darker periods that we search for answers and find meaning.

Where did the holidays go? All those days of late nights and sleeping in…or all day (and night) computer game marathons!

And all the children go back to school....

Here are a few quick tips to help get back into the swing of things.

For Parents:

1. Start the year in the same way you would like it to end. If you want clear boundaries and guidelines, set the ground rules early and stick to them!
2. Limit computer games and TV – you are the parents so you set the rules. Remove the power cord if you need to!
3. Take an interest in your child’s day. Ask what they enjoyed. Ask about homework. Ask about what homework was set, rather than a question that produces a simple yes or no answer.
4. DON’T BUY ANY JUNK FOOD! If it is not in the house it is less easy to access. Provide nutritious snacks, meals and drinks with plenty of options that are not processed.
5. Encourage a balance of activities.
6. Set bed time limits. Lights out at …
7. Teach organisational skills. Help your child write lists and get organised. Have a planner for the family in a place where everyone can see it and encourage all your children to write on it and look at it daily.
8. Ask your child if they need help.
9. Encourage positive friendships and relationships.
10. Spend quality time with your children and plan fun activities for the whole family.

For students:

1. Be as organised as possible. This means a clean room, books labelled and in folders and a school dairy that you use – record important due dates, events and homework and look at it each night.
2. Establish good work habits. As soon as you get home grab a quick snack and then get stuck into your homework. Use TV, computer games and Facebook as a reward, once you get the work out of the way.
3. Ask for help! If you don’t know something, make an effort to research and learn it. Make a list of questions and ask your teacher or a friend the next day at school. This is really important – especially in maths.
4. Eat well. Yes, healthy food is good for you! Opt for whole fruit and water rather than juice, soft drink, sugary or salty snacks.  The less processed food you eat, the better your brain will function and the better you will feel. Eat a banana or an apple instead of a muesli bar or chocolate bar.
5. Stay connected. Yes, Facebook is fine in moderation. It is important to socialise with your friends and feel part of a group. We all need friends to help us through.
6. Get enough exercise! Most students have compulsory Physical Education classes at school but sometimes you might need a bit more. Take the dog for a walk or go to the gym with a friend.
7. Get enough sleep! Teenagers need 8 to 10 hours per night. And you also need to catch up on any sleep that you missed. Therefore if you stay up all night on Saturday you will need to catch up on that sleep during the following week.
8. Plan for some FUN time! What do you really enjoy doing? Life is a balancing act; you need to make time to have fun.
9. Plan time to relax and just chill out. Listening to music, or going for a walk is a great way to relax and unwind.
10. Write down some goals.

I hope 2011 has started well for you.

You may have wondered why I haven’t written a blog post for a long time…

Well, I have been busy finding, renovating and moving into a brand new office!

We are now at:

Suite 1 / 11 Beach Street
Port Melbourne

The new office is located in a lovely position on the beach and the rooms have a fun beach/ocean theme, as you can see in the attached photos. It is also just around the corner from the Bay Street shopping strip.

As a quick reminder, my main services include:

• Practical solution-focused counselling for students and parents
• Educational and VCE Coaching with tailored study skills and strategies
  and
• Cognitive and educational assessment with detailed recommendations for school and home

Although the school year has only just begun my calendar is already filling quickly, so please get in touch ASAP if you would like to book any appointments during term one.

Best wishes,
Deb

Front of Office

Front Reception

Meeting room- Atlantis

Dolphin Cove - Deb's Office

View from the hall