5 Productive Ways for Parents to Help with School Work

Recent studies show that Australian parents spend less time helping their kids with homework than the global average.

But is this necessarily a bad thing?

The average Australian parents are dedicating 4.4 hours a week to homework help…

Which is a figure that shouldn’t be scoffed at.

But it does pale in comparison to the commitment hours of other countries…

With the average hours hovering around the 6.7 a week mark.

Federal Minister for Education Simon Birmingham has appealed to parents to do more to address Australian students performance in maths, literacy and science assessments.

But is helping with homework really the key?

Read more…

New Year Resolutions for Parents — Part 2: Supporting Educational Needs and Fostering Success

In Part 1 of this post, we offered parents 8 simple, practical and effective tips for supporting your child’s mental health this year (and into the future).

In Part 2, we’ll be sharing 8 equally simple tactics to help your child not only survive this school year…

But also to thrive in the educational setting, and use the things they learn to achieve success in all their future endeavours.

You’ll find some of our recommendations double up over both posts…

But that’s because many of these actions have a multitude of benefits.

And because — as research increasingly shows — mental health and academic performance are inextricably linked.

Read more…

5 Ways to Set ‘High Expectations’ Without ‘High Pressure’

Australian students are excelling when their teachers hold them to high expectations.

But in equal numbers, kids around the country are suffering from poorer mental health…

And it’s being largely attributed to mounting pressures at school.

But what’s the difference between high expectations and high pressure?

Read more…

How and Why Kids Need to Learn Resilience

Put simply, resilience is the ability to respond positively to adversity.

But how is this ability developed?

Are some people simply born with it or can we teach it to children? (And if so, how?)

We’ll address all of these questions in a moment.

But first let’s quickly recap what’s been discovered about resilience so far…

The first person to extensively research resilience was the developmental psychologist, Norman Garmezy.

In his research Garmezy noticed particular children who succeeded in the face of adversity.

These children experienced severe disadvantage or even neglect yet somehow still managed to flourish at school and in later life.

You see, prior to this research, psychologists tended to only look at the negative impact of stressful or traumatic experiences.

And while it is clearly important to help children deal with stressful events after they occur…

If resilience is able to “insulate” children against the negative effects of stress before they experience such challenges?

Helping children become more resilient at an early age may very well be the best long term strategy.

So why do kids need to learn resilience? 

Read more…

School Readiness: What is the right age for your child?

In Victoria, kids must turn five before the 30th of April in their first year of school.

But even with these guidelines, many parents still struggle with whether they should hold their child back a year…

Or if they should start early.

In fact, a recent study showed that parents are suffering from excessive stress and anxiety over the decision!

It’s a concerning but not completely surprising finding…

The first year of a child’s schooling can set the path for their educational experience…

For better or worse.

So in this post, we’ll be addressing some of the implications of school starting age…

And how you can help pick the best path for your child.

Read more…

9 Ways Our Psychologists Help Children Reach Their Full Potential

Did you know that, according to research conducted in 2015, around half of all mental health issues start by age 14?

That’s why early intervention is so important.

And it’s why our main focus is on helping kids develop the practical skills they need to tackle their daily challenges…

And most importantly, these skills are not “quick-fixes”.

Rather, they are “life skills” that remain relevant and beneficial through adolescence and adulthood.

Here are 9 ways our psychologists can help:

Read more…

NEPSY: Assessments for improving your child’s learning potential — Part 3

In part 1 and 2 of our blogs on our learning assessments, we taught you about the WIAT-III and WISC-V  assessments.

We have invested in the most update-to-date versions of these assessments so that they can best identify your child’s learning potential and their educational needs.

And now we’d like you to learn about another invaluable assessment tool that we recently acquired — the NEPSY.

It’s a unique and effective test, offered by only a few psychology clinics in Melbourne, and designed to assess the neuropsychological development of children aged 3 to 16.

But before we get into the nitty gritty of the assessment, you’re probably wondering…

What is neuropsychological development?

Read more…

WIAT-III: Assessments for improving your child’s learning potential — Part 2

Learning assessments help to ease the frustrations or concerns parents may have about their child’s academic performance.

And importantly, learning assessments can help your child to achieve their full potential during their school years.

By assessing the major areas that impact learning, our psychologists get a comprehensive insight into your child’s ability, potential, and any barriers stopping them from achieving it.

From there, the best approaches and solutions can be put in place to help a child thrive school.

In our first post of this series, we delved into one of the key tools for assessing learning potential — the WISC-V assessment.

In this post, we’ll give you a run down of one of our other core assessment tools — the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test — and how it can help your child.

Read more…

WISC-V: Assessments for improving your child’s learning potential — Part 1

We are always looking for new technologies to help our patients be their best selves.

And this is particularly important when it comes to educational intervention.

A learning assessment helps to identify a child’s learning potential, and address any barriers stopping them from achieving it.

The WISC — the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children — is a tool for assessing a child’s academic progress and potential.

We have been using the WISC for years, and recently invested in the updated version, the WISC-V.

It’s been reevaluated, redesigned and retooled to provide a more comprehensive picture of a child’s learning ability.

But what is it, exactly, and how will it help your child? 

Read more…

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Why have 2,866* parents chosen us?

(*As of 24th July, 2019.)

  • Private and confidential: We are a private service so you will receive 100% independent and confidential advice.
  • Child and adolescent experts: We only work with school age children, teenagers and parents.
  • Education and school experts: We will help you navigate the school system to get the best possible results for your child.
  • Qualified and experienced: We only employ psychologists with a master degree or higher and experience working in schools.
  • Fast appointments: We don't keep a waiting list and see most new clients within 7 days.
  • Convenient location: We are in Middle Park with easy access from many parts of Melbourne and unrestricted street parking.
  • Trusted methods: We use approaches that are strongly supported by research evidence or clinical experience.
  • Lovely beachside office: You will love our quiet, modern and attractive office, with its beach and ocean-themed rooms.