Sunshine and Buttercup Therapy Services

R U OK? Day💛

R U OK? Day is an annual event in Australia that aims to encourage us to check on the mental health of our friends, family and colleagues, using the simple but powerful question, “Are you okay?”.

R U OK? Day is dedicated to raising awareness for mental health and well-being, reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness and fostering open, honest and meaningful conversations about the importance of mental health and wellbeing.

Helplines:
Lifeline 131 11 14
Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636
MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78
Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800
SANE Australia 180 187 263
Blue Knot Foundation Helpline 1300 657 380
13YARN 13 92 76
Thirrili 1800 805 801

Book of the Week: Family Tree by Josh Pyke and Ronojoy Ghosh🌳

Family Tree is a beautifully written and illustrated picture book that takes the reader through the miraculous journey of life, family, love and the passage of time.

Family Tree is narrated by a seed from a gum tree planted by a family when their child is born. As the story progresses, the seed grows and its roots grow deeper as the child grows, marking milestones, seasons and life changes. The tree is symbolic of the family's roots, connections and branches, depicting how each generation builds upon the last.

Pyke’s book superbly reflects on the legacies passed down through generations and how different families nurture and support one another. This book is perfect for younger readers to learn about familial connections.

World Su***de Prevention Day

Trigger warning: This post contains discussions about su***de, including references to su***de in Australia and raising awareness for su***de prevention. Please proceed with caution if these topics may be distressing to you.

World Su***de Prevention Day is an annual observance that aims to raise awareness for su***de and its prevention, reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and su***de, empower individuals to seek help and support those experiencing suicidal thoughts as well as those experiencing grief as a result of su***de.

The International Association for Su***de Prevention’s 2024-2026 theme is ‘Changing the Narrative on Su***de’. This theme calls for individuals, communities, organisations and governments to have open and honest conversations about su***de, suicidal behaviour and su***de prevention. By having these conversations, we can reduce the stigma surrounding su***de and better support those affected by it.
In Australia, su***de is one of the leading causes of premature death for people aged 15-44. By having frank discussions, raising awareness for this issue and building positive support for those affected by su***de, we can take steps to reduce the prevalence of su***de in Australia.

Helplines💛
For immediate emergencies: 000
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Su***de Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
MensLine Australia: 1300 78 99 78
Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800
SANE Australia: 1800 187 263
Blue Knot Foundation: 1300 657 380
13YARN: 13 92 76
Thirrili: 1800 805 801
Open Arms: 1800 011 046

***depreventionday

Bravehearts Day

Trigger warning: This post discusses child abuse including references to sexual abuse. Please proceed with caution if these topics may be distressing to you.

Bravehearts Day is an annual event organised by the Bravehearts Foundation in Australia. Bravehearts Day aims to raise awareness for and the prevention of child sexual abuse. It also aims to provide education about child abuse and empower victims, families and communities to speak out and take action.

As mandatory reporters, we understand the crucial role of ongoing education, awareness for and responses to child sexual abuse. Today reminds us that we all play a part in preventing child sexual abuse.

Helplines
💛Bravehearts foundation: 1800 272 831
💛Child Protection Helpline (NSW): 132 111
💛Domestic Violence Line: 1800 656 463
💛Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
💛Lifeline: 13 11 14
💛NSW Sexual Violence Line: 1800 424 017
💛NSW Victims Access Line: 1800 633 063
💛Rainbow Sexual, Domestic and Family Violence Helpline: 1800 497 212

Book of the Week: Breaking Free of Child Anxiety and OCD📚

Breaking Free of Child Anxiety and OCD is a valuable resource for parents, caregivers, and mental health professionals. Lebowitz introduces a powerful parent-based treatment program for child and adolescent anxiety.

The book takes the reader through what anxiety is and what it looks like in children, how anxiety can affect family dynamics, and how parents and caregivers can respond to their child’s thoughts, feelings and behaviours, while avoiding common traps and pitfalls such as being too overprotective or too demanding.

Lebowitz’s approach is one of compassion, relatability and positivity. This book is easily understandable and avoids overly clinical language. This makes it a perfect book for parents and caregivers who want to help their children.

Body Image and Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2024, 2-8 September

Trigger warning: this post discusses issues about body image and eating disorders. Please proceed with care.

Body Image and Eating Disorders Awareness Week (BIEDAW) is an annual observance that aims to raise awareness for and advocate for those with body image difficulties and eating disorders.

This year’s theme, ‘Kindly Do, Kindly Don’t’, reminds us that how we speak about food, body image, physical appearance and eating disorders has an impact that could be positive or negative. In a positive light, we can help reduce the stigma that surrounds body image issues and eating disorders by educating others and encouraging people to seek help.

This week is all about breaking down misconceptions about body image and eating disorders and celebrating how amazing our bodies are.

Helplines
Butterfly National Helplines: 1800 334 673
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636
Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
SANE Australia: 1800 187 263
Thirrili: 1800 805 801

Women’s Health Week

Women’s Health Week is an annual event, held by the Jean Hailes foundation, that aims to raise awareness of women's health issues and reduce the stigma and burden many women experience when dealing with different health issues.

This year’s theme, ‘Your voice. Your choice’, aims to empower women and remind them that their voice is important when it comes to their health and that they should feel comfortable raising concerns they have with medical or mental health professionals.

Women’s Health Issues in Australia
• 56% of females live with one or more chronic illnesses
• 45% of females have experienced a mental health problem at some point during their lifetime
• 11% of females live with endometriosis
• 1 in 2 females will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85

National Child Protection Week (1-7 September)

Trigger warning: this post discusses child abuse. Please proceed with caution if this topic may be distressing.

National Child Protection Week is an annual event that aims to raise awareness for child protection and the need for people to collaborate to ensure that children are safe within their communities.

National Child Protection Week reminds us that child protection is a shared responsibility. This includes families and friends, mandatory reporters, communities, organisations and governments.

This week focuses on education about recognising signs of child abuse, where to report child abuse, resources for families, and how we can create safe environments for children. This week also serves as a time to look at factors that may impact a child’s level of vulnerability, such as domestic violence or poverty.

The National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect organise National Child Protection Week. They promote the message, ‘Every child in every community needs a fair go’. This year’s theme ‘Every Conversation Matters’ reminds us that conversations with children can be incredibly powerful in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.

National Child Protection Week (1-7 September)

Trigger warning: this post discusses child abuse. Please proceed with caution if this topic may be distressing.

National Child Protection Week is an annual event that aims to raise awareness for child protection and the need for people to collaborate to ensure that children are safe within their communities.

National Child Protection Week reminds us that child protection is a shared responsibility. This includes families and friends, mandatory reporters, communities, organisations and governments.

This week focuses on education about recognising signs of child abuse, where to report child abuse, resources for families, and how we can create safe environments for children. This week also serves as a time to look at factors that may impact a child’s level of vulnerability, such as domestic violence or poverty.

The National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect organise National Child Protection Week. They promote the message, ‘Every child in every community needs a fair go’. This year’s theme ‘Every Conversation Matters’ reminds us that conversations with children can be incredibly powerful in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.

Wear It Purple Day💜

Wear It Purple Day is an annual event celebrated on the last Friday of August. Wear it Purple Day celebrates young LGBTQIA+ Australians and raises awareness for issues they may experience. Wear It Purple Day was founded by Katherine Hudson and Scott Williams in 2010, in response to discrimination and su***des among young LGBTQIA+ people.

This year’s theme, ‘Your Passion, Your Pride’, conveys that young LGBTQIA+ people’s achievements are being recognised and aims to empower them to freely express themselves, chase their dreams and they should be able to achieve and share their goals visibly.

Today, we are encouraged to wear something purple as a symbol of support.

What are your aspirations within the industry?

We asked Keely what her aspirations are within this industry. Here's what she said:
“My aspirations within the industry are to ensure that we consistently meet the needs of our participants, providing services that are personally tailored to them. I aim to create an environment where participants and caregivers feel confident in giving feedback about our services. Additionally, I am committed to fostering a safe space for our staff and participants, working to dismantle the stigma associated with HR and make it a positive and approachable aspect of our organisation.”

Book of the week: Ten things I wish you knew about your child’s mental health by Dr Bill Garvey

Ten Things I Wish You Knew About Your Child’s Mental Health by Dr Billy Garvey is an absolutely fantastic book that helps parents and carers understand the foundations of mental health and support their children to maintain good mental health, or children who may struggle with anxiety, depression, low-self-esteem and behavioural issues.

This book follows the belief that there is “no such thing as a bad child” and that children can be helped throughout any stage of development.

Each chapter takes the reader through key issues that children may experience and developmental processes such as anxiety, depression, attachment, social skill development and respect. Each topic is accompanied by strategies that can be implemented by parents to help support their children.

Garvey’s book offers a perfect blend of scientific research, expert knowledge, compassion and relatability, making it understandable for both professionals in the mental health sector and those who may not have a lot of knowledge about mental health in children.

About Our Values

☀️OUR GOAL: Sunshine and Buttercup Therapy Services was created out of the pure passion for helping children, adolescents, and young adults to achieve their goals, live their best lives and connect to their communities on their terms.
We want to create a space where individuality is celebrated and harnessed. This will be achieved by focusing on individualised person-centred collaboration, enhancing participants' strengths, and allowing them to recognise and fulfil their potential.
We also want the families and support networks to see and understand these strengths.

Sunshine and Buttercup Therapy Services was founded on three core values:
☀️Collaboration: Working together with the participants, families, and support networks to create growth and development so the participant can live their ideal life. Allowing them control and choice in what they want to achieve.
☀️Empowerment: Our participants are the heart of the business. We want our participants, their families, and their support networks to feel empowered by their individual voice. So, they can choose the goals and direction that they need in their life.
☀️Connection: We want to build a community for our participants, their families, and their support networks. So, they will feel connected to the world and the people around them. As they are an important part of society and have a right to a safe space to express their individuality.

What makes Sunshine and Buttercup Therapy Services unique?☀️

1. We work holistically with participants, families/guardians, and allied health providers to ensure our participants are supported in all areas. We actively communicate with allied health providers to collaborate and investigate strategies to improve our participant’s quality of life.

2. We don’t just write Behaviour Support Plans, we are committed to seeing participants regularly for behaviour therapy, creating meaningful resources for participants and updating reports as required.
3. We provide completely individualised therapeutic plans and reports, tailored to the needs of the participants. These plans work towards the participant’s therapeutic and NDIS goals.

4. We advocate heavily for our participants and their families through our reports, communications with allied health providers and during therapy sessions.

5. We continuously invest in professional development for our practitioners to build their skillset and deepen their knowledge in their areas of interest.

6. We are a mobile therapy service! This means we travel to our participants and their families. We conduct therapy sessions in the home, school, and community environments, depending on where supports are needed most.

Quote of the Week: "Take a deep breath. Everything will be okay in the end. And if it's not okay, it's not the end."

Book of the Week: Working with Relational Trauma in Schools by Kim S. Golding, Sian Phillips and Louise Michelle Bomber

This is one for educators and allied health providers working with school-aged participants. Working With Relational Trauma In Schools is a fantastic book that can act as a guide for those working with children who have experienced relational trauma, such as neglect or abuse.

The authors introduce the concept of the Dyadic Developmental Practice model of intervention. This model is based on the notion that children require healthy relationships to thrive. For children who have experienced trauma, they may avoid these relationships due to their experiences.

This book delves into topics such as how trust and relationships are impacted by relational trauma, how to build connections with children who have experienced trauma, understanding attachment in children and building children’s relational networks.

This book is definitely one to add to your collection.

Let’s talk about Fear
Fear is a tricky emotion that we all feel at some point in our lives. For children, feeling fear can be very overwhelming and confusing. Some children perceive fear as a bad emotion to feel, but sometimes fear can be a warning sign that helps us react to something that may be dangerous.

Acknowledge and reassure
When talking to children about fear or their specific fears, it is important to acknowledge that fear is an emotion that everyone can feel and that is it okay to feel fear sometimes. Encourage them to vocalise their fears to a trusted adult to help build their safety network.

Co-Regulation
Sitting down with children and doing calming activities with them such as closing your eyes and counting to 10, practising yoga or taking 5 deep breaths, can help children develop their self-soothing toolbox and coping strategies.

Zones of Regulation
There are four zones of regulation - blue, green, yellow and red. Fear belongs in the yellow zone, with emotions like nervousness or confusion. If the emotion is overwhelmingly strong and becomes feeling terrified, it belongs in the red zone. Talking to children about how they can get from the yellow or red zone to the green zone will help them develop self-soothing strategies or remember things that make them feel safe.

Role Play
We love using our new Inside Out plushies from Mila’s Toys in role-play activities with children. During role-play activities, you can ask the child to act out what fear looks like or get them to use toys to show a scenario as to why the toy feels fearful, and what they need to feel happy again.

Books
Books such as ‘My Body Sends a Signal’ by Natalia Maguire, are great for talking to children about what happens in their body when they feel fear. This is a great way to connect emotions and physiological responses. Other books including ‘My Early Warning Signs’ and ‘My Safety Network’ by Jayneen Sanders, are also fantastic for talking about fear, who they can go to and what their body is telling them.

Brain Injury Awareness Week, 19-25 August 2024🧠

Brain Injury Awareness Week is an annual event that aims to raise awareness for those affected by brain injuries and the impact brain injuries have.

Synapse, Australia’s Brain Injury Organisation’s 2024 theme is “What’s your connection?”. This theme is all about the connections within our brains that help us in our everyday lives. When these connections are injured, it can dramatically change a person’s life. It is therefore very important to acknowledge the impact brain injuries can have.

We asked Jayla what her what her aspirations within the Behaviour Support industry are.

Here's what she said: “I would like to become a proficient behaviour support practitioner by the end of the year. I would like to work with families in group therapeutic intervention and eventually become a specialist practitioner for children who have experienced trauma.”

Book of the week: My Calm Me Down Book by Trace Moroney

“Creating a stink”, “Throwing a wobbly” and “Having a hissy fit”, are all ways of describing what Moroney calls a “feelings storm”. My Calm Me Down Book is a beautifully written and illustrated book that aims to teach children about identifying difficult emotions and ways they can cope with these feelings.

My Calm Me Down Book is easily understandable for young children and is a fantastic educational resource for home and school. It also provides carers with great information about childhood emotional development and behaviour.