ABOUT | My Site

Meet Natalie:

From a young age, Natalie says she has "felt other people’s feelings" in her own heart. She didn’t always find this easy and didn’t know where her deep empathy would lead her, but felt "a strong calling to give."

Heart-led, Natalie follows as many opportunities to give as she can find.

Natalie has fundraised for numerous and varied causes since she was in a child (Guide Dogs, QLD Cancer Fund, Forty Hour Famine, Daffodil Day, Bandanna Day, Relay for Life, Fred Hollows etc), sponsored a child and volunteered with a Children’s Hospital.

At 21, Natalie finished a Bachelor of Social Work Degree (Hons) and shortly after, she completed two counselling units in Social Work Masters and continued to access as much training as possible in a variety of areas.

A few years later Natalie travelled to Cambodia and connected with an orphanage. Upon her return, with what she describes as "an urgency in my heart to give and take action", she established and ran a Charity in Australia to raise funds to assist with purchase of land and to assist the children in the orphanage and returned to Cambodia twice to connect with the children and assist in the process.

Natalie also voluntarily set up a children's group (Kids Connect) to connect children in her local community with children living in the orphanage and organised and co facilitated a Peace Dolls Project whereby local community members (including elderly people, children, people with disabilities and men and women) gathered together to create handmade dolls that were then gifted to each of the children living in the orphanage in Cambodia. Natalie also organised and facilitated numerous fundraising events in order to raise funds to assist the children in Cambodia. Natalie describes this experience and connection with Cambodia and the children as "one of the most beautiful experiences in my life".

Also during these years, Natalie began to feel more strongly that part of her purpose was to connect further with her passion for working with children, so, after 4 years of training, practical supervised experience, in 2008, she attained a Post Graduate Certificate in Clinical Play Therapy with Play Therapy Australia. Natalie describes this time in her life like "coming home."

Since this time, Natalie has continued working as a Social Worker, Counsellor and Play Therapist, in Non-Profit community organisations, privately and within Primary Schools and has worked with thousands of adults, adolescents and children in all areas. Natalie is also a Registered Play Therapist with APTA (Australian Play Therapist's Association) and an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker with the AASW

Natalie has worked in a variety of roles and developed and facilitated numerous programs, groups and events; including:

* Child and Youth Mental Health Worker

* Play Therapist within other roles

*Adult, Adolescent and Child Counsellor for a Non Profit Organisation for over 10 years.

* Acting Manager of a Non Profit Community Support Centre

* Volunteer in the children's ward of the Mater Hospital

* Management Committee Member of Innisfail Kindy and Preschool and Innisfail Youth and Family Care

* Seasons for Growth (Children's Grief and Loss Program) Facilitator in schools and within an organisation

* Jannawi Kids Program Facilitator (for children who had witnessed Domestic Violence)

* Women's Group Development and facilitation

* Group for Survivor's of Sexual Abuse

* Golden Memories Support Group Development and facilitation (for loved ones whose partners had died)

* Disability Project Coordinator

* Trauma Counsellor providing counselling and therapy to children, adolescents and adult survivors of sexual abuse.

* Student Counsellor in Primary Schools for 4 years

* Development and facilitation numerous times of the Free To Be Me Kids Self Esteem Program

* Co facilitation of the Peace Dolls Project, connecting the local community with the children in Cambodia through the gifting of handmade dolls

* Organisation and facilitation of Disability Action Week in conjunction with people with disabilities

* Organisation and facilitation of Child Protection Week

*Organisation and facilitation of Youth Week in conjunction with young people

* Contracted private counselling and play therapy for children through Department of Child Safety (QLD), Innisfail Youth and Family Care and Community Support Centre

Natalie has also completed numerous trainings, workshops and conferences and is accredited in the following areas:

Bch. SW (Hons)

Member AASW (Australian Association Social Workers)

Registered Play Therapist (RPT) with the

(APTA) Australian Play Therapy Association

Post Grad. Cert. in Clinical Play Therapy (Play Therapy Australia)

Completion of 2 Counselling Subjects Master of Social Worker

Supervision Training with Margaret Morrall (AASW)

Cert. IV Workplace Trainer and Assessor

Scholarship with Rural and Remote Health Alliance

Trainings attended: (including but not limited to)

Working with Couples

Working with Families

Emotional Release Therapies Training Mark Pearson and Helen Wilson

Sexual Abuse

Multicultural Training

Domestic Violence

Seasons for Growth Training

Community Development

Sand tray and Symbol work

Working with Children who have experienced Trauma - Phoenix Australia (Sydney)

Youth Peer Skills and Mentoring Program - Kids Help Line

Dream Work (The Australian and New Zealand Society of Jungian Analysts ANSZJA)

Emotional Release Therapies trainings e.g. sand tray and symbol work, art therapies etc. (Mark Pearson and Helen Wilson)

Attachment Styles Training - Secure Base Solutions

Emotional Intelligence Training

Play Therapy Conference Darwin

Protect all Children Today

Kids Helpline Mentoring Program

Suicide Awareness and Intervention

Child Protection

SAMSN - Survivor's and Mates Support Network

Drug and Alcohol Addictions Counselling

The Wisdom of Trauma Movie and Additional Presentations

Introduction to Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy for Social Workers

Individuation in Clinical Practice: Jungian perspectives on inner processes of becoming (ANZSJA)

Conferences attended:

Education conference (Brisbane)

Suicide and Self Harm Conference (Cairns)

ANZSJA Sand Tray and Symbol Work Conference ({Sydney)

Play Therapy Conference (Darwin, Northern Territory)

Mental Health Academy Suicide Prevention Summit

Virtual Violet Oakland Foundation Conference - Gestalt Therapy with Children

Natalie has also engaged in Team Building, provided presentations in relation to Women, Stress Management and Self Care and has assisted in the Cyclone Recovery process in FNQ after both Cyclone Yasi and Cyclone Larry. She has assisted in Debriefing with staff of organisations after these Disaster events and has assisted people with identifying Post Traumatic Stress responses. She has also worked in Play Therapy with children affected by these natural disasters. and facilitated team building groups and presented at International Women's Day events and facilitated a Multi Cultural Forum for service providers.

Natalie has also provided Professional Supervision, supervised and supported students on student placement and assisted in the provision of three Play Therapy Training Workshops with Play Therapy Australia in the past.

Natalie is extremely passionate about working with people and looks forward to meeting with you should you require any support or therapeutic assistance for yourself, your family or child(ren) at this time.

FEES

** Fees can be discussed upon initial contact and individualised plans for support can be discussed and negotiated dependent upon the types of support and access to services required,