The Still Space

07/08/2026

Meet Hayes ✨️

I've had the privilege of seeing Hayes every week for nearly 3 years now, supporting him through meditation with emotion regulation and social connection.

You may not know this, but I'm an accredited integrative mindfulness teacher. It's actually a deep passion of mine, connecting people back to their bodies and it's honestly how my business started. It informs so much of the work I do now as a trauma, grief and anxiety counsellor and psychotherapist.

Hayes loves Cat in the Hat. Every single week, without fail, he brings his Cat in the Hat toy along to our sessions. Cat has become part of our practice too, a steady, familiar presence, a bit like meditation itself.

Last night, Hayes brought me his latest artwork, titled "Happy Cat." I felt so honoured. It's a beautiful expression of what matters most to him, and it now has pride of place in my practice space.

As his Mum shared with me, "this is his first framed picture and he did it for you. His behaviour therapist has been working with him for a year to do drawing, holding a pen. That is how much you mean in his life. He did his first picture for you."

This is why I love what I do. My business really isn't about work, it's about connection, hope, joy, and being part of meaningful change in people's lives.

Thank you, Hayes, for such an amazing, meaningful gift.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend 💛

*Shared with permission.

Photo 📸 credit to Haye's art teacher.

With care,
Sammy ♥️

06/08/2026

This week's burning question 🔥 I'm finally in a good relationship, so why am I sabotaging it?

There are many reasons, and everyone is different, but here's one truth, self-sabotage can be a pattern that formed to protect a nervous system that's been programmed to feel chaos is "safe." I'm not talking about physical safety here, but the familiarity your nervous system and mind have become accustomed to as normal, which, in some cases, equals safety.

When things are going well, a nervous system used to chaos can find that unfamiliar, even uncomfortable. So sabotage, your old friend, shows up to protect you from those feelings. It's not bad, it just thinks it has to protect you.

It can help to pause when it shows up and ask yourself, "what is it trying to protect me from?", "what feelings arise just before the self-sabotage starts?"

See if you can sit with those feelings a little more.

It's not easy, but it's always possible.

With care,
Sammy ♥️

04/08/2026

After my dad died, so many people told me the same thing, "the first of everything will be the hardest." The first Christmas. The first birthday. The first Father's Day.

This September marks 7 years since he died, and here's what nobody prepared me for, it's not just the firsts. Anniversaries, Father's Day, my birthday, Christmas, these milestone dates still hit me hard, every single year, yet year by year the support dwindles, people move on with their lives.

As a Trauma and Grief Counsellor and Psychotherapist, I see this same experience reflected back to me by my clients, over and over. We all grieve differently, we all carry different stories, but the weight of these dates never fully lifts. It just changes shape.

That's why I created Before the Date.

A 90-minute session held 2–4 weeks before a significant date, so you can process what's coming up, prepare instead of just brace, and have support on the day itself too.

This might be for you if you're approaching:
A death anniversary.
A diagnosis date.
The anniversary of an accident.
The anniversary of a traumatic event.
A separation or divorce court date.
A divorce finalisation date.

Or any other date that marks a moment everything shifted.

📅 One 90-minute session.
📱 Voxer support on the day for check-in, venting, or reflection.
🔁 Available as a one-off, or booked ahead for future dates that matter to you.

Because it's not just the first year that can hit the hardest. If there's a date on your calendar that you're already dreading, I'd be honoured to support you.

With care,
Sammy ♥️

04/08/2026

Those golden afternoon appointments. ☺️✨️

You know the ones, the slots that don't mean pulling your child out of school for half a day, don't mean rearranging your whole week, don't mean another missed activity. We get it. They're rare, and you've probably been on waitlist after waitlist just to find one.

Let's be honest, anything after 2pm is prime real estate when it comes to therapy for your child.

Right now, Melissa has limited spots on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 2pm.

If your afternoons look like meltdowns after school, mornings that turn into a battle to get out the door, or a child who's shut down and can't tell you what's wrong, Melissa works with exactly this.

She specialises in:

✨️ Emotion regulation therapy, helping kids (and you) get out of the meltdown cycle.

✨️ School refusal, understanding what's underneath it, not just managing the mornings.

✨️ Neurodiversity-affirming practice, support that works with your child's brain, not against it.

And her sessions aren't just talk-therapy-in-a-chair, she brings in movement and play, including a trampoline that's become a bit of a session favourite (if you know, you know 😉).

If your child has NDIS funding, self- or plan-managed, sessions may be fully covered just reach out to us at [email protected] to confirm.

Spots like this don't stay open long. If you've been waiting for the right time to get your child support that actually fits your life, this might be it.

We look forward to welcoming you and your child to The Still Space.

Sammy and Melissa ♥️

03/08/2026

If you're looking for a handout or a worksheet, The Still Space may not be for you.

Here, we do therapy differently.

Not clinical. Not surface-level coping strategies. Not worksheets that end up in the bin as soon as you leave a session.

We're here for the deep journey.

The trauma that was experienced years ago and still sits on your heart. The grief that has changed how you see yourself and the world around you. The anxiety that keeps you on edge, even when you can't explain why. The relationship ending that has changed your sense of trust in yourself and the world.

We're not a clinical space where you're just a number or an appointment in the diary. Led by our practice principal, Sammy, and founded on the belief that everyone deserves to live a fulfilled and meaningful life, The Still Space exists not to make you someone different, but to help you become who you've always wanted to be.

The Still Space is therapy done differently, and we're so proud of that.

♥️

31/07/2026

Therapy doesn't just have to be for the moment of crisis. When everything feels too much.

It can also be a place to reconnect with your dreams, goals and visions for the future. To gain clarity on what matters to you, and realign with your values. To keep momentum going when things are already working well. To celebrate your wins and achievements, with someone in your corner.

You don't need a crisis to deserve support.

We're here for the challenges, the wins, the highs and lows. Whatever season you find yourself in, we'll be here as steady ground to anchor to.

With care,
Sammy and The Still Space Team ♥️

30/07/2026

You know your child better than anyone. But when they're struggling, with big emotions, sensory overwhelm, a new diagnosis, a nervous system that feels dysregulated more often than not, even the most devoted parent can feel completely out of their depth.

There's no judgement here. No sense that you should have this figured out, or that struggling means you're failing. Melissa understands that feeling deeply. As a mum of four herself, she's walked the sleepless nights, the school refusal, the worry of am I doing enough for my child?

That's part of why her work looks a little different.

Melissa brings together years supporting children through anxiety, neurodiversity, sensory processing challenges and emotional regulation. She sees the whole child, not just the label on a report.

Her sessions are gentle, practical, and paced for your child, while you, the parent, are held and informed every step of the way.

✨ Melissa is now accepting new clients, with immediate availability. We look forward to welcoming your child.

With care,
Sammy and Melissa ♥️

30/07/2026

This week's burning question: "I've just started a new job and I'm finding it really hard to wind down at night, is this stress or anxiety?" 😵‍💫

Such a great question, and it actually matters that we tell the difference, because how we support each one therapeutically is different.

In a nutshell: stress is usually situational and short-term, it shows up around a deadline, a new job, a change in life. It tends to ease once things settle.

Anxiety, on the other hand, is more prolonged. It can feel constant, like a humming that's always there in your mind and body, even when there's nothing obvious to point to.

If you notice stress that isn't shifting, or you recognise that hum of anxiety, it can be a great time to reach out for support.

With care,
Sammy and The Still Space Team ♥️

28/07/2026

🌟 FINAL SPOTS AVAILABLE in The Brave Space, a 4-week program for anxious little ones 🌟

Big worries before school. Tears or tummy aches before something new. Meltdowns that seem to come out of nowhere. If this sounds familiar, you'll know how hard it can be to watch your child struggle, and how helpless it can feel as a parent, wanting to make it better but not always knowing how.

You're not alone, and we'd love to help.

The Brave Space is a small-group program designed especially for primary-school aged children who experience anxiety. Over four weeks, your child will learn simple, practical tools to understand their worries, build confidence, and feel braver in everyday life, all in a warm, supportive space alongside other kids who just get it.

📅 Starting Monday 10 August
⏰ 4:00pm – 5:00pm, for 4 weeks

Spots are limited, so if this sounds like something your family could use, we'd love to welcome you.

Find out more and enrol here: https://www.thestillspace.com.au/therapyprogramsforchildren

If your child has NDIS funding and is either plan or self-managed these sessions may be fully covered.

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to reach out at [email protected] We're always happy to chat about whether this program is the right fit for your child. 💛

Helping children make sense of big feelings through creativity and play. Our child-centred anxiety, play, and art therapy programs delivered in Engadine, Sutherland Shire, provide a nurturing space for kids to explore emotions, reduce stress, and process trauma safely.

27/07/2026

Everyone stopped asking how you were around week six.

That's usually when it starts. The meals stop coming, the messages thin out, people go back to their own lives and you're standing in a kitchen at 4pm holding a mug, undone by nothing in particular.

Losing a parent is the loss we hear about most at The Still Space. Not because it's the hardest, grief doesn't rank, but because so many people carry it while carrying everything else. The school run. The job. The siblings who aren't coping. The children who need an explanation you don't have.

It doesn't move in a line. It comes in waves that arrive closer together, not further apart. It shows up at work more often than at home. It lands hardest on ordinary Tuesdays and leaves you fine on the anniversary you'd braced for.

And sometimes it starts before they've gone, the strange, unspeakable grief of sitting beside someone who is still here.

There's no version of this you're doing wrong.

If you're in it, there's a chair here for you. No timeline, no tidying it up, no need to be further along than you are.

The Still Space is a soft place to land during life's hardest seasons.

Your grief is welcome here.

With care,
Sammy and The Still Space Team ♥️

Engadine | in person and online
thestillspace.com.au
[email protected]