Sage Counselling Services

05/06/2026

Grateful to spend the day with Pagoda Resort & Spa and the WA Occupational Therapy Association, exploring the meaningful work of thinking, feeling, behaviour, interaction and engagement. A beautiful group, rich discussion, and a real privilege to facilitate.

28/05/2026

We’re expanding our project! Wonderful meeting today with Aegis Montgomery house Mount Claremont to prepare our next Mental Health in Residential Care collaboration. Exciting times!

26/05/2026

We discuss interoception and its role often in our office. Thank you Kelly and your team for helping lead great work and research!

“My body will signal hunger but within seconds switch to nausea, disgust, or anxiety.”

“If something comes in my mouth with a non-preferred texture, I feel nauseous and can’t eat any more.”

These are real experiences shared in our previous survey on ARFID.

93% of respondents said interoception plays a role in their ARFID experience.

But for many people, this doesn’t only mean muted body signals, which is how interoception is often discussed.

Many respondents described the opposite.

77% reported intense interoceptive experiences such as nausea, disgust, fear, or rapid “too-full” sensations that can quickly override hunger and stop eating mid-bite.

Why this matters:
Understanding a person’s interoceptive experience (rather than pushing them to ignore it) is key.

Interoceptive signals aren’t always quiet or hard to detect.

Sometimes they are intense, overwhelming, and central to the ARFID experience.
When we respect both muted and intense body cues, we help build body trust, and make eating more possible

Learn more in our ARFID Part 2 Course https://www.kelly-mahler.com/product/on-demand-course-arfid-feeding-challenges/

Image Description: Orange tile with blue title, “Is interoception a factor in ARFID?” Underneath 1 quote reads, “My body will signal hunger but within seconds switch to nausea, disgust or anxiety”, another reads, “If something comes in my mouth that is non-preferred texture, I feel nauseous and can’t eat any more.”. 2 boxes read, “93% of respondents said that interoception is a factor in their ARFID experience.” and “77% described intense interoceptive experiences like nausea, disgust, fear, or rapid “too-full” sensations that often override appetite and can stop eating mid-bite.”

19/04/2026

In a time where thoughtful, attuned practice feels more needed than ever, there is something quietly powerful in understanding not just what we do, but how and why we do it.

The way we think, the way we respond, the patterns that shape engagement, resistance, and change. These are not surface considerations, but the subtle architecture beneath our experience, often unseen, yet profoundly influential.

This upcoming Cognitive Behavioural Therapy training, offered in collaboration with WA Occupational Therapy Association, invites a turning toward that inner landscape with greater clarity. A gentle exploration of the interplay between thought, emotion, and behaviour, and the ways these patterns shape both our struggles and our capacity for healing.

Held as a practical and dynamic day, this work moves beyond theory into lived understanding. A space to explore how we come to know ourselves and others, to work with thoughts, feelings, and behaviours with greater awareness, and to cultivate a steadiness that can be carried into moments of complexity and care.

There is something quietly transformative in learning to meet these patterns with clarity. In pausing long enough to understand what is unfolding, and in doing so, allowing a different way of responding to emerge.

I would love to see you there, and tickets are now available here:
https://tinyurl.com/2ksec8w7

Friday 5th June
8:30 to 17:00
Pagoda Resort, Como

A space to deepen into the work itself, and into the way we come to meet it.

12/03/2026

I was humbled to attend the LiFE event for Su***de Prevention Australia and to see the work of Sage recognised as one of nine Communities in Action nominees, selected from 216 submissions across Western Australia. Being included alongside such thoughtful and impactful initiatives was a meaningful acknowledgement of the work being done to strengthen mental health awareness and support within the community. My sincere congratulations to Mind-Ed in the Augusta and Margaret River region, a very deserving recipient whose program is making an important difference.

I’m deeply grateful to Su***de Prevention Australia, Edith Cowan University (ECU), and Aegis for creating spaces where collaboration, education, and practical action around mental health can continue to grow. Recognition like this is never about one person. It reflects the collective commitment of practitioners, educators, carers, and communities who believe that strengthening mental health knowledge and support across our society deserves continued attention, investment, and thoughtful leadership.

01/02/2026

As we move into the beginning of the school year, with university and TAFE starting soon and work schedules often shifting alongside these changes, I want to encourage you not to be swept up in busyness, but instead to choose two minutes.

When you notice a pause or a challenging transition for your child, rather than rushing through it, try two minutes of connection. When a co-worker appears overwhelmed by competing demands, choose two minutes of connection. Check in, acknowledge how they’re feeling, and slow yourself enough to truly be present with them.

Those two minutes may save you five to ten minutes of overload or a stress response later on (or even more). Once a sense of togetherness is established, you can then attempt or gently guide the move into the next activity.

We are stronger together, and our bodies feel calmer in shared pause and stillness. Tonight, tomorrow, and the next day — take two minutes.

31/12/2025

As we step toward the end of the year, I wanted to pause and say thank you.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Sage, shared our work, trusted us, and walked alongside us through a year that has challenged many in different ways. While this year has held its share of difficulty, it has also held moments of real progress, resilience, and growth that deserve to be acknowledged.

What continues to matter most to us is helping people not only function, but function with greater understanding, confidence, and wisdom. Healing and growth are rarely linear, and we believe consistency, care, and thoughtful support make all the difference.

As we move into the new year, we remain committed to equipping individuals, families, and our wider community with the tools and steadiness they need, especially in a time when things may feel increasingly noisy and uncertain.

We are grateful to be doing this work, and even more grateful to be doing it alongside you. Here’s to the year ahead.

11/12/2025

In front of the beautiful Aegis Shorehaven Memorial tree, we celebrate Jasmine’s last day! As our first aged care collaboration with Masters of Counselling students, we are delighted with the statistically significant improvements this initiative has made and we look forward to continuing this in 2026!
We are also humbled to note receiving a LiFE Award nomination for this today, with invitation to awards presented in March. Thank you to everyone who has come onboard with this passion project and I look forward to where we can take this!

03/12/2025

It was a pleasure to provide upcoming Kindy Parents with education this morning on the role of sensory processing and occupational functioning. Thank you for the great turn out and the opportunities created for the community Carramar Primary School

23/10/2025

News we’ve encouraged and been waiting for! 👏🏻

New ADHD reforms to support WA families

The Cook Labor Government is changing the way ADHD care is delivered in WA.

GPs will soon be able to assess and treat ADHD – easing pressure on specialists and giving families quicker access to the care they need.

We’re also investing $1.2 million in ADHD WA to expand family support services like counselling, peer support, and coaching.

For further information check this article out. There will be a lot of information available in the lead up to this - https://www.racgp.org.au/gp-news/media-releases/2025-media-releases/june-2025/wa-government-releases-details-for-gp-adhd-diagnos?fbclid=IwY2xjawNlHZhleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFDdWtwR1Yxc0F6emxWVHdoAR6UoBLY8G-riWomk3ztc_kdpY6r3XSWuK6ZISk6MPycc03JaAfPeOnbGF9nGQ_aem_TF3yG8T58GVUbkyAqPKhFQ