Michele Bland - Your Healing Space Brindabella Park

22/08/2026

Due to construction and no power today at Brindabella, I’m working from home. That meant I had time for a lovely nature walk (down to our dam) over lunch.

21/08/2026

Let’s talk about trust.

Trust is not a "nice to have."
It’s what makes any of this possible.

I hear it every week in my counselling room.
"Who can I trust?"
"Why do I feel so unsafe with that provider?"
"They said they’d call and they didn’t."

And it gets even harder when you’re in systems
like NDIS or workers comp.

You’re already vulnerable. You’re telling your story to strangers. You’re being assessed. And then you’re expected to just trust the process.

The research backs this up.

Bryk & Schneider talk about Relational Trust.

They found that trust isn’t built in big moments. It’s built in small, repeated interactions where people actually do what they said they’d do.

It comes down to 4 things:

Respect -
We speak to you, not about you

Personal Regard -
We see you as a person, not just a case number

Confidence/Competence -
We’re clear about what we know, and what we don’t

Integrity -
We follow through. Consistently.

As they put it:
"You cannot introduce challenge into a low-trust team and expect learning. You will get compliance or conflict. Build the trust first."

This is true in counselling rooms. In case conferences.
In teams. In systems.

Without trust, we don’t get honesty. We don’t get progress. We get people shutting down.

I’d love to hear from you:

What’s one small thing someone did that made you
think "ok, I can trust this person"?
Drop it in the comments - it might help someone else recognise what trust actually looks like.

10/08/2026

07/08/2026

AM I HELPING OR ENABLING???

It’s really difficult, isn’t it? You see someone that you care about self-destructing right in front of your eyes.

And of course, you want to help. So you try. Or maybe you even make/pay for appointments for them with a professional like me.

Your intentions are good. You are a kind, loving, and compassionate person. However, the hard truth is- People change when/if they are ready to change. Not a moment before. And sadly - some people will not change in this lifetime.

The line between helping and enabling can be very blurry at times. Helping is doing something for someone else that they cannot do for themselves. Enabling, on the other hand, is doing something for someone else that they can and should do for themselves.

From a clinical perspective, enabling gets in the way of rock bottom and the climb back up. We enable because we are uncomfortable watching the struggle - not because it is the right thing to do. We do it to ease our own discomfort.

From a spiritual perspective, enabling gets in the way of the person’s soul journey. So please take a huge step back.

If this brings up questions or concerns for you, pop a comment below or send me a message.Meanwhile- Take care of yourself. This business of life is often messy.

05/08/2026

Very true. Also- I can help you with that.💕

04/08/2026

Michele Bland gave this advice 3 years ago.
We need to hear it again today, I think…

02/08/2026

Scrollable version of my most recent reel for accessibility…

02/08/2026

Make it make sense. Musings of an individual/professional.

31/07/2026

Full moon tonight. It’s time to let that s**t go. Screenshot your message and put it in the comments.

30/07/2026

Your Privacy Matters

Can I be real with you for a second?

Lately I’ve had quite a few requests come through - often from legal entities, and often in pretty aggressive tones - asking for therapy notes and clinical records.

So I wanted to take a moment to remind you of something really important:

I do not release clinical notes or therapy records to third parties.

That includes lawyers, schools, and other services. Even if they send me a consent form signed by you, my policy doesn’t change.

This isn’t me being difficult. This is me protecting you, and protecting the safe space we’ve built together in our sessions.

It’s part of the ethical codes I follow as a CPCA counsellor, NESA teacher, and BSPA member, and it’s clearly outlined in the Client Agreement you signed at intake.

What I CAN do:

If you need information for school, NDIS, or legal matters, I’m more than happy to write a summary report with your written consent.

This boundary exists so therapy can stay exactly what it’s meant to be - a confidential, safe place just for you.

Thanks so much for understanding and trusting me with that. 💕Shel xx