| Hello,
The COVID-19 pandemic affects individual circumstances differently, and we know that social isolation and dealing with uncertainty is not easy. I want to reassure you that we are committed to ensuring our services remain available and reliable to support you through this period of change.
We have continued to support our clients through both telephone and telehealth during these unprecedented times. We will continue to offer our services via telehealth and phone counselling till the restrictions ease and beyond. Once the restrictions ease, we will ensure our sites are compliant with all guidelines for minimising the transmission of respiratory diseases for those who would like to access face to face services.
Relationship Matters is here to support you and your family’s wellbeing in these trying times. Give us a call and schedule an appointment with one of our counsellors who will support you and your family and help you to come out stronger on the other side.
We are here to support you.
Yours sincerely,
Janet Jukes
CEO
Relationship Matters |
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 | Useful Resources and Tips The coronavirus is undoubtedly changing the way we live. It is impacting each of our lives and our relationships. We have put together some resources that will help you strengthen your relationships and support you during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click on the links below to read the resources as well as download a printable version.
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 | Tuning in to Teens™ Relationship Matters welcomes dads, mums and carers of adolescents 12 years and over to explore being a parent/supporter of a teenager.
Learning to help teenagers manage difficult feelings such as fear, sadness and anger, as well as how to stay calm when dealing with your teens challenging behaviours.
Come and join the program and enhance your ability to build positive parent to adolescent emotional connections. Overall, assisting your teens to prevent/reduce challenging behaviour.
Tuning in to Teens™ shows you how to help your teen develop emotional intelligence.
Tuning into Teens ™ is a 6 week online (2 hours per session) program, starting Thursday, 11 June till 16 July 2020. Call 1300 543 396 to register. |
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 | Parenting After Separation Recently separated? Are kids involved? Separation is a difficult time for children as well as parents. Because it can be difficult to focus on your children’s long term wellbeing when you are upset. Parenting after Separation is an online group for separated parents and carers who want to learn more about how they can best support their child through the process of family separation. The group will help you to learn more about managing your ongoing relationship with a former partner and to reduce conflict, whilst supporting your children during this transition. Our Parenting After Separation group programs run regularly online. To find a program date suitable, please visit https://relationshipmatters.com.au/programs/parenting-after-separation/ or contact 1300 543 396. |
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 | Group Counselling in the Workplace We’re aware that many of our clients have been interested to explore ways with us to support their staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. To that end, we’d like to share our experience over the last 6 weeks that our delivery of group counselling and group wellbeing support sessions have been very effective ways for workplaces to support their employees. Some of the distinct benefits of group sessions are: - Provides tools and support to staff members who are not inclined to make an individual appointment but who nonetheless benefit from psychological support at this time
- Can offer positive psychology approaches to learn and grow during times of change
- In the group environment, feelings are shared and ‘normalised’.
- Provides a sense of team togetherness during a time of disruption
- Demonstrates to staff their organisation’s support for their wellbeing during this time
- Allows the employer to brief the counsellor on any issues of concern for that particular workplace group. For example, workloads, uncertainty, vicarious trauma, workplace division, engagement issues.
If this is something of interest to your workplace, please feel free to contact Priscilla Floyd, Manager Workplace services on 0435 897 015 or via email pfloyd@relationshipmatters.com.au to discuss. |
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 | Intercountry Adoption Family Support Service event – The Ugly Model documentary What is the impact of transracial adoption? What is it like for people of colour growing up in a predominantly white society? How do adoptees experience micro aggressions and racism in their day-to-day lives and how does it affect them long term?
These are the questions we sought to address at a special event hosted by the Intercountry Adoption Family Support Services in Melbourne in December 2019. The event started with a screening of an edited version of ‘The Ugly Model’ and then ICAFSS Coordinator, Gianna Mazzone, moderated a panel discussion and Q&A.
'The Ugly Model' is a documentary about a Korean American adoptee and fitness model Kevin Tae-jin Kreider who seems to have it all; he has a popular Instagram and vlog and has modelled around the world. However, underneath lies a loneliness and insecurity as a Korean adoptee growing up as an Asian male in a white family in America.
The documentary generated an engaging discussion with panel members Shaun Hardwick, Dr Ryan S. Gustafsson and Dr Jessica Walton who are all transnational adoptees and Meike Zielinski who has worked therapeutically with adoptees and their families in the ICAFS service for over four years. In addition to their personal experience, Ryan and Jessica, who both work in adoption related research, drew on current findings from research regarding racism and identity to help illustrate the level of exposure young people and adults experience.
We invite you to watch a recording of the panel discussion by visiting this link: https://vimeo.com/397350005/d903d123af |
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Marney joins our Family Dispute Resolution Team We are very pleased to introduce our new Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner,
Marney Bowden who has commenced employment at Relationship Matters at our Frankston office.
Marney is a registered Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner and a qualified lawyer with over 10 years’ experience at Victoria Legal Aid in the Family Dispute Resolution Service.
Family Dispute Resolution assists parents and couples to make arrangements around parenting and financial issues after a separation has occurred in the family. Our processes aim to assist parties to reduce conflict, improve communication and resolve disputes without having to go through costly court and legal processes.
Marney’s passion is to assist parents to make positive changes to become better co-parents after separation so that kids can have better outcomes. |
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 | | Families and individuals can face tough times during this COVID-19 Pandemic. Here are some tips for your family to cope during tough times. We offer telephone and online counselling if you need some extra support to come out stronger on the other side. Visit www.relationshipmatters.com.au for more details or call 1300 543 396 |
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