A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
When bringing up the subject of drug use in Australia, people’s minds often go to ‘the usual suspects’: alcohol, cannabis and ecstasy. These three drugs usually get the most attention, and because of heightened media exposure (currently), methamphetamine (including ice) often gets a mention too. However, Australian’s use of all these drugs is either steady, [...]
Flikr Images Anxiety can be a masterful imposter. In children, it can sway away from the more typical avoidant, clingy behaviour and show itself as tantrums, meltdowns and aggression. As if anxiety wasn’t hard enough to deal with! When children are under the influence of an anxious brain, their behaviour has nothing to do [...]
Flikr Images The power of self-talk Every day we interpret what is happening around us, to us and within us. Our inner voice plays a huge part in how we understand our experiences and this inner voice is often described as ‘self-talk’. Our self-talk is often guided by our assumptions and beliefs and [...]
Pixabay Images When you and I were young it was unlikely we ever had to support a friend who was self-harming, simply because self-harm was not as widespread. I consider this is a huge ask for any 14 year old. It can create an incredible amount of stress for young people who genuinely [...]
Pixabay Images Frilled Neck Fashion is an Australian dancewear company, but you would be forgiven for thinking that the pictures on their Instagram account belonged on the centrefold of an old school men's mag. The models pose seductively in skimpy outfits. The captions use words like 'this beauty' and 'this angel'. The comments [...]
“What’s the safe age to start drinking?” This is a very common question that students, teachers and parents ask when talking about the risks of drinking. Whilst the legal age for drinking in Australia is 18 years, there are many different opinions about when and how it is safest for a person to try alcohol [...]
Flikr Images Children with attention problems in early childhood were 40 percent less likely to graduate from high school, says a new study from Duke University that examines how early childhood characteristics affect academic performance. The results highlight the need to develop effective early interventions to help those with attention problems stay on [...]
Pixabay Images Pokémon GO is only days old, but already it’s a monster success. It’s all over the news and social feeds, crashed servers here in Australia and compelled millions of big and little kids world-wide to hit the streets to chase colourful creatures that don’t really exist. Yeah great, you say, but [...]
Pixabay Images The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is reiterating its long-standing appeal for parents to keep children away from violent movies and video games. “Although there is broad scientific consensus that virtual violence increases aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, there has been little public action to help mitigate children’s exposure to it,” [...]
Flikr Images There is a persistent stereotype that people with autism are individuals who lack empathy and cannot understand emotion. It’s true that many people with autism don’t show emotion in ways that people without the condition would recognise1. But the notion that people with autism generally lack empathy and cannot recognize feelings [...]
