Project 18 the wellbeing nook

Project 18 the wellbeing nook Project 18 the wellbeing nook is located in the heart of Port Adelaide. It is a safe and welcoming space, shared by experienced qualified practitioners.

It is a counselling practice specialising in support for children, adolescents and young adults.

Back to Basics!It doesn’t matter how long it has been around, or how familiar it is to many of us, a question I am still...
24/08/2026

Back to Basics!

It doesn’t matter how long it has been around, or how familiar it is to many of us, a question I am still so often asked is “what actually is counselling”?

And to be honest, it’s a great question. Counselling, for many, is something they’ve heard about, but never experienced themselves. So that can create all sorts of assumptions. Not to mention that there are so many different types of counselling and counsellors.

So, here’s how I often describe it:

Counselling is NOT about being judged, analysed, or told what to do. It is NOT a place where someone decides whether your feelings are reasonable or whether your experiences are ‘serious’ enough to matter.

Counselling, at its heart, is a conversation within a safe and respectful relationship. It is a two-way dialogue, an exchange and interaction, sometimes communicated without words.

It is a space where clients can speak openly, sit quietly, share, cry, laugh, question things, or simply try to make sense of what has been happening in their life.

Sometimes the work is practical. Sometimes it is emotional. Sometimes it is about exploring and discovering, to help understand patterns, build coping strategies, or uncover who you are and what really matters to you.

People often think counselling is only for times of crisis. It is not. So often clients seek counselling long before things reach breaking point, which is good.

Sometimes they reach out because they feel stuck, something feels heavy, or confusing, wrong or just different to how they want to feel.

Counselling is not about ‘fixing’ a person. I see it as creating space where insight, healing, change and growth have an opportunity to take place. This looks different for each of us, as it should, we are all different, which is great, it’s what makes us human.

If you’d like to read some other explanations here are some links:
What is Counselling? - Australian Counselling Association
Counsellors and counselling - what is it and how it can help | healthdirect

📷 Expression withouth words - shared with permission.

A little update from Project 18.Since sharing the news about 18 Sparrows in May, I’ve had a lot of questions from people...
10/08/2026

A little update from Project 18.

Since sharing the news about 18 Sparrows in May, I’ve had a lot of questions from people connected with Project 18, so I thought it might time for a little update.

The most important thing to know is that Project 18 is not going anywhere!

Project 18 remains the heart of my counselling practice and the place where I continue to provide therapeutic support to children, adolescents and young adults. The values, relationships and approaches that have shaped Project 18 over the past (almost) seven years remain very much the same.

18 Sparrows has emerged from this work, building on the time spent supporting children and young people, the learning and the connections that have developed through Project 18.

It reflects a broader vision of support and is motivated by a growing need for advocacy and assistance in navigating systems. Something that extends beyond what I can offer in a sole-practitioner counselling practice.

I’ll continue to share important updates here and on all of Project 18’s pages. But you will find most of the progress updates, news, plans, and future opportunities to connect with 18 Sparrows on the 18 Sparrows pages.

So, if we are connected through Project 18 and you haven’t already started following 18 Sparrows, I’d love to, gently, but enthusiastically, encourage you to do so, simply to stay connected with the next chapter, and the one after that, then the one after that too!

Thank you for the ongoing support, the questions (even the tricky ones) and the encouragement. I appreciate it more than you know.

Jodie 🌺

📷 Sun's out! Time for a quick brain break!

Today is International Friendship Day!!So, I want to give an enormously special, heartfelt and true shout out to my “pee...
30/07/2026

Today is International Friendship Day!!

So, I want to give an enormously special, heartfelt and true shout out to my “peeps”. The friends I call family, the ones who have my back, pick me up, make me laugh, validate my plant obsession, pester me when it’s needed and the million and one other things in between.

Today wasn’t established to only recognise the personal, individual friendships that enrich our lives but to also promote the idea that “friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities” (un.org).

What’s not to love about that!!

Friendship means different things to different people, for some it’s about trust, sharing interests, showing care, having someone to have fun with. For others it’s about loyalty, support, being understood by someone and knowing they are there to reach out to when things feel tough.

Whatever friendship means to you, it’s a blessing, but just like everything else in life that is important it needs taking care of too. Friendships need our attention, respect and good communication, they are reciprocal in nature and need consideration and thoughtfulness to be established, nurtured and maintained.

So, let’s recognise, appreciate and celebrate International Friendship Day, together!



📷 One of the my faves 💕

Last month I stood in front of a room full of young people, educators, youth workers, and other supportive staff members...
28/07/2026

Last month I stood in front of a room full of young people, educators, youth workers, and other supportive staff members. It was at Compass Catholic Community for one of their Community Conversation sessions.

I shared this already and expressed gratitude for the invitation. But I’d like to share a little more about why I chose to connect sensory processing with the idea of self-regulation. And why I only spoke briefly before inviting everyone to explore the sensory stations that had been created.

We often talk about emotional regulation, but we don't always talk about why it can feel so different from one person to the next. Or about how our brains and nervous systems are constantly taking in information from the world around us. Every sound, light, texture, movement, conversation and environment is being noticed, filtered and processed.

No two people process information in exactly the same way. There is no right or wrong response. When we don't understand this, it's easy to judge ourselves or others. We might think we're ‘too sensitive’, ‘too emotional’, ‘too distracted’ or wonder why things seem harder for us than for others.

But there’s nothing ‘wrong’ with us. Our nervous system is simply responding to the information it’s receiving. For me, this is where self-regulation begins. Not with controlling our emotions or trying harder but with understanding ourselves.
When we start recognising what supports us, drains us, helps us focus, recover, or leaves us feeling overwhelmed, we can start responding to our needs with more compassion and intention. That’s why the sensory stations were the heart of this workshop. I didn't want people to simply hear information. I wanted them to experience it.

So, we moved around the room exploring different sounds, smells, textures and visuals. There was conversation, laughter and a willingness to have a go. It was fun and a bit messy but hopefully provided an opportunity to consider what might help us feel calmer, more focused, energised or comfortable.

A huge thank you again to Compass Catholic Community for creating the space for these conversations. It really was a privilege to be part of the morning.

Why does the space matter?We often talk about holding space for others, but we don't often talk about the importance of ...
21/07/2026

Why does the space matter?

We often talk about holding space for others, but we don't often talk about the importance of where that happens.

The room. The environment. The look, the vibe. The feeling someone gets as they walk in, before we've even said hello.

For me, this physical space has always been an important part of the therapeutic process. Not because I believe there's one "right" way to create a counselling environment. There isn't. Every practitioner, every client and every setting is different.

But for the children, young people and families I work with, I have chosen to create a space that reflects the way I work.

People will often hear me say ‘my space’ or ‘the space’, very rarely do I use words like, clinic or rooms, or centre, or office. Because I have intentionally created a space that doesn't feel clinical. It feels friendly, and comfortable, it’s colourful and little bit fun.

There’s no receptionist or formal waiting room, but you will find a comfy couch and bookcase full of goodies. I open the door myself and welcome each young person in, with a smile and a quick guided tour as we walk through.

There are books, games, sensory toys and lots of plants. There are nooks here and there and even a ‘harry potter’ style cupboard filled with art supplies. Every detail has been considered. Not because those things are the therapy. But because they help communicate something before the therapy begins.

Many of the young people I work with have spent time in offices, clinics, meeting rooms and unfamiliar spaces. Some carry difficult memories of places where they've had to retell painful stories, answer hard questions or felt like they were being assessed rather than heard. I can't change those experiences, but I can be intentional about the experience someone has when they walk through my door.

I want this space, my space, the Project 18 space, to quietly say: ‘You're welcome here’, ‘You can be yourself here’ and ‘You are safe here’. According to the feedback, it does. Not because it's fancy or perfect but because every part of it has been curated with care.

The power of music!Today I am missing someone. It’s that kind of missing that makes you tear up when you think about it....
09/07/2026

The power of music!

Today I am missing someone. It’s that kind of missing that makes you tear up when you think about it. So what have I done, to help myself in this moment, I have turned my music up!

I love music, as I am sure we all do. I am very much a ‘mood’ music person though. I listen to (almost) all genres (no heavy metal for me though thanks) but my choice is always dependent on what I am feeling at the time – happy, hyped, chilled, feisty, sad, nostalgic, inspired…..

So, this has got me thinking about just how powerful music really is!
Music has been with us throughout the ages. It is used in all sorts of ways, individually and collectively. We use it to celebrate, connect, motivate, protest and to feel all the feels.

There is so much research too about the benefits of music, emotional and physical. But I don’t need to go into all of that today. Today, I just want to share that I am listening to my music LOUD!

Happy Music for Our Soul Day (made up by me, just now, enjoy!)

📷 Thanks Thelma 💙

There’s a moment!Sometimes it is a big moment, sometimes it is something smaller, but still significant.But you can see ...
25/06/2026

There’s a moment!

Sometimes it is a big moment, sometimes it is something smaller, but still significant.

But you can see it!

You can see it in their eyes, or in a change in posture, sometimes you can see it in a smile, a different kind of smile to what you have seen before.

It’s the shift. Is that the official word for it, no, not really, but it is a good way to describe what inevitably happens at some stage in therapy.

It’s that moment when a client feels different, or they suddenly see something in a different way, or there’s a realisation that is really meaningful to them. It’s their moment, not the therapists, it’s a shift, a change, something they have perhaps been waiting for, or working towards, and maybe even believing it may never happen. But then it does.

These moments are different for everyone, for some it means they have achieved what they set out to and can conclude therapy, for some it is part of a bigger journey, and they are ready to continue to the next stage, for others it is reassurance that change can and will happen.

But you can see it in them, in that moment, and when you do, when it happens, it is beautiful!

It's been a HUGE couple of weeks!!There's been a lot to do and a lot going on. The weeks are usually full with client se...
12/06/2026

It's been a HUGE couple of weeks!!

There's been a lot to do and a lot going on. The weeks are usually full with client sessions, case notes and follow ups. But then you add a couple of case conferences, advocacy emails, some workshop development and an awards ceremony and you've tipped the scales to something more!!

Not to mention the fast approaching EOFY that we all need to be ready for, oh and of course there's the setting up of the charity too!!

So much like this little guy, I'm looking forward to the weekend!!

Happy Friyay 😃

Here come the Thank You’s!Firstly, a big thank you to the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) for creating this opp...
02/06/2026

Here come the Thank You’s!

Firstly, a big thank you to the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) for creating this opportunity for counsellors to be recognised, not just for the work we do in session, but for what many of us do outside of the time we spend with our clients.

I would also like to thank the three magnificent women who came together to nominate me for this award in the first place. Three women I have worked alongside in various contexts, Diana, Belinda and Samantha, your extraordinarily kind words mean so much.

Thank you to Sara Edwards, Board Director of the ACA who presented my award. Your enthusiasm for connecting over our shared youth work experience was truly lovely.

I have an extra special thank you to make to Pam Simmons too. The original SA Guardian for C&YP and the person who taught me everything there is to know to be a compassionate and considered advocate. I am forever grateful for your calm, grounded, teachings.

A heartfelt thank you goes to my partner, Terry, for your unconditional support and unwavering encouragement in all that I do. Without you it really wouldn’t be possible.

My fellow changemaker, my co-everything, Belinda, I cannot thank enough for sharing this passion for advocacy with me in a way that no one else really can.

And then there are My people, “My Friend”, My crew, those who are always there for me. You keep all other aspects of my life going, pick me up when I need it, take me out, clear my mind, and caffeinate me as required. Big thanks. Big love to you all!

I could go on, as most of you know I can, but I won’t… stay tuned though, I am sure there is more to come!

The Power of Silence.Silence has always had a place in talk therapy.At times, it can be even more powerful than words.Bu...
30/04/2026

The Power of Silence.

Silence has always had a place in talk therapy.
At times, it can be even more powerful than words.
But, it isn’t always comfortable.

As a counsellor, those quiet moments can sometimes feel like something ‘isn’t working’. But often, silence is the work. It can deepen connection, create space for thoughts and feelings to surface, or simply offer a moment of stillness, something many of us are missing.

At a time when everything feels fast and noisy, that stillness can hold more value than we realise.

Silence is also central to a client-centred approach, moving at someone’s pace, without pressure or urgency. It respects autonomy and supports the therapeutic process in a way that is gentle, but deeply impactful.

With children, silence can sometimes be misunderstood.
Parents may worry that ‘quiet’ means their child isn’t engaging, connecting, or being ‘helped’. And while that can be true at times, silence can also be exactly what a child needs, a calm, safe space where they feel supported, have choice, and are free to simply be.

Learning to sit comfortably in silence takes practice. It asks us to remain present, engaged and observant, even without words to guide us. Over time, and through trust, we begin to recognise when silence is not only okay, but truly beneficial.

Because sometimes, the most important things are not said out loud.

📷 Normanville Beach

Address

228 St Vincent Street Port
Adelaide, SA
5015

Telephone

+61432367193

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