12 Points Psychology

12 Points Psychology 12 Points Psychology provides mental health and well-being services and animal-assisted therapy

It’s so easy to just keep moving the goal posts.You get through something that once felt impossible, learn a new way of ...
03/09/2026

It’s so easy to just keep moving the goal posts.

You get through something that once felt impossible, learn a new way of responding, set a boundary you never thought you could set... and then barely stop to notice before moving onto the next thing.

So sometimes it’s worth pausing to look back for a minute.

Not to dwell on where you’ve been, but to notice just how much has changed.

I especially love this little image because it was inspired by someone learning to give herself the things she didn’t always get growing up: compassion, presence, trust and strength.

Slowly flipping the script she’d inherited.

And that kind of change is well worth acknowledging!

So, every now and then, give yourself a pat on the back!

You might be much further from where you started than you realise.

Part of being a good therapist is keeping up with new research.But it’s not often I come across a study that simultaneou...
01/09/2026

Part of being a good therapist is keeping up with new research.

But it’s not often I come across a study that simultaneously:

1) explains so much of what we’re seeing play out in the broader zeitgeist, 𝗮𝗻𝗱
2) scares the hell out of me quite so much.

Not just because it confirms what many of us already knew - that hostile beliefs about women are disturbingly widespread.

But because it indicates those attitudes are:
- becoming increasingly more common,
- showing up in younger and younger kids, and
- are closely associated with positive beliefs about violence and extremism.

Almost a quarter of boys aged 13-17 agreed that 𝘧𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘺.

And across the different forms of extremism researchers measured:
- hostile attitudes towards women, and
- beliefs that minimise or excuse violence against women
were among the strongest predictors of support for extremist violence.

Importantly, this does NOT mean that a kid who says something s*xist is destined to become a violent extremist.

But it DOES mean we’ve got a problem with potentially profound consequences for people of all genders.

The bit that gives us somewhere useful to go next - and why I'm sharing this here is that these attitudes are 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥.

Which means they can also be questioned, challenged and changed.

And we all need to get a bit more serious and intentional about doing that, because this is a society-level problem.

It also got us thinking about the big picture of what's happening here and that parents and teachers wrestle with all the time:

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀?

That’s what our new 12 Points parenting series is going to explore.

So parents, teachers, and anyone else helping raise the next generation: what do you most want us to unpack?

Original University of Melbourne article:
https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/hostile-attitudes-toward-women-are-driving-extremism-in-young-australians?

27/08/2026

Recreated from the *kinds* of conversations that genuinely happen in our team chat. Not actual screenshots.

And no, this is not where we discuss client content. It’s mostly practical updates, animal admin, printer complaints, and the occasional deeply important debate about fish names!

In short, the group chat is doing vital work! 😉

I once had a client tell me there was about a 1/10 chance that they would make a particular change that week… but that m...
25/08/2026

I once had a client tell me there was about a 1/10 chance that they would make a particular change that week… but that maybe in a couple of weeks they’d feel more ready.

When I asked what would be different by then, the answer was basically: hopefully… something?

There was silence for a moment and then we both started laughing - hard! It was just such a perfect example of how so many of us think (or wish!) change works.

We wait and we hope. We assume motivation will magically show up and give us the boost we need to do the hard stuff.

But that’s not usually how it goes.

Think of motivation like a bank account.

You can’t keep making withdrawals - work, admin, exercise, appointments, housework, all the stuff you 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 to do - if nothing ever gets deposited.

The deposits are the things that give your brain some reward: enjoyment, connection, novelty, achievement, finishing something, laughing, moving your body, doing something purely because you enjoy it.

But if your whole week is made up of things you 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 do, 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 to do and 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 to do, eventually there’s nothing left in the account.

So if you’re waiting to feel more ready, more confident, more motivated before you begin… this is your reminder:

Start with the action ➡️ the feeling will follow.

21/08/2026

We’ve welcomed quite a few new team members to Crown Court over the years.

Puppies. Kitties. Lizards. Axolotls.

But this is the first one who can genuinely claim Crown Court as their place of birth.

Yep. We have our first baby swordtail in the Purple Room tank!

Swordtails are livebearers, which means they give birth to actual tiny fish rather than laying eggs.

Is this proof positive that the Purple Room is the ultimate calm and welcoming oasis?

Ok - probably not.

Are we taking it as a tiny fishy vote of confidence anyway?

𝗔𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆.

And thank you to all our Purple Room clients who’ve helped make that little corner of Crown Court feel like such a lovely place to spend some time.

Now our newest team member just needs a name!

So we’re handing that responsibility over to you.

**Got a suitably fishy suggestion? Enter the naming competition via the link below.**

Terrible fish puns will, naturally, be given due consideration (and extra points!)

https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/quiz/Cx3jbdpfl3kgBEHJ1gnH

Humans really like simple explanations.They’re easier to understand, easier to remember - and much easier to turn into a...
20/08/2026

Humans really like simple explanations.

They’re easier to understand, easier to remember - and much easier to turn into a slogan!

Which is part of why questions like “W𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯?” work so well as culture-war bait.

They turn a genuinely complex topic into one neat, universally applicable answer - and anyone who tries to add the nuance back in can then be dismissed as confused, evasive - or worst of all - woke!

But s*x, gender, identity, biology, physiology and mental health are bloody complex topics!

Pretending otherwise might make some people feel more comfortable in the moment, but it doesn't actually help anyone - and it can actually do real harm to real people.

It just makes the slogan easier.

And somewhere underneath all that arguing are actual trans and gender-diverse people just trying to get on with their lives.

So this post is our attempt to unpack some of that complexity - without requiring you to get a degree in reproductive biology or gender studies first.

And if you’re a parent trying to get your head around all of this while supporting a trans or gender-diverse child, Dr Nick offers individual parent support sessions here at 12 Points.

03 8799 3907
[email protected]

𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗗𝗥 𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗠𝗨𝗠𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘄?Being trans isn’t a fad.It isn’t a choice.And it isn’t a mental dis...
18/08/2026

𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗗𝗥 𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗠𝗨𝗠𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗗

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘄?

Being trans isn’t a fad.
It isn’t a choice.
And it isn’t a mental disorder.

But perhaps most importantly:

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀.

Think about something fundamental you know about yourself — something you didn’t sit down and consciously choose, like whether you’re right- or left-handed.

Now imagine other people repeatedly telling you that 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 understand that part of you better than you do.

A trans person’s understanding of their gender can be just as deeply felt and fundamental — even if it takes time to understand it themselves, or to find the words for it.

We know too, that coming out to a parent can take an enormous amount of courage. Before they get to that point, your child has probably been thinking about this, questioning it and worrying about how you’ll respond for a very long time before they ever say it out loud.

This is not to say that you have to understand everything immediately!

You don’t have to know all the terminology in the first five minutes.

And your questions and feelings deserve somewhere to go too.

But your child shouldn’t have to be the person who manages them for you.

The most important place to start is much simpler:

"𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐’𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦."

And if you want any help navigating things from there, then Dr Nick offers individual sessions for parents who want help understanding and supporting a trans or gender-diverse child or young person — including young people who are non-binary, gender-fluid or questioning.

This is ideal for parents who genuinely want to be supportive, but just aren’t quite sure what that looks like in practice.

That’s what these sessions can be for.

Later this week, we’ll unpack another common point of confusion: the difference between being trans or gender diverse, and experiencing gender dysphoria — because they’re definitely not the same thing!

PDA can be incredibly confusing from the outside.A child can do something perfectly well on Tuesday, then completely fal...
13/08/2026

PDA can be incredibly confusing from the outside.

A child can do something perfectly well on Tuesday, then completely fall apart over the exact same thing on Wednesday.

They might refuse something they actually wanted to, and would usually enjoy, doing.
And when you’re already tired, late, frustrated and just need everyone to PUT THEIR BLOODY SHOES ON, it’s very easy to read that as defiance or manipulation and come down hard on the side of “firmer boundaries”.

But if the demand itself is creating pressure, adding more pressure isn’t especially helpful.

That doesn’t mean removing every expectation, letting the kids run the show, or pretending something is optional when it isn’t.

It means getting curious about where you can take some of the unnecessary pressure out.

𝗪𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗦:
L𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
E𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲
S𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻
S𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿

It’s not a magic script, and it won’t make every hard moment disappear.

It’s simply a way of shifting from:
“How do I make them comply?” towards
“How can I help make this more manageable?”

And sometimes, that small shift changes a lot.

One of our psychologists, Audrey, especially enjoys providing neuroaffirming support for neurodivergent kids, teens and their families. So if you’d like some help navigating the quagmires of PDA - you can learn more or get in touch via the link in our bio.

Here's something Audrey wishes more people realised - the kid who's doing "so good at school" is sometimes the one strug...
11/08/2026

Here's something Audrey wishes more people realised - the kid who's doing "so good at school" is sometimes the one struggling the most.

They hold it together all day. Follow the rules, mask the worry, get the work done. And then they get home, somewhere safe, and it all comes out. The meltdown. The tears. The "I'm fine" that clearly isn't.

For a lot of kids, especially neurodivergent kids, looking like you're coping takes enormous effort. The effort just isn't visible to the people around them, which is why it so often gets missed.

Audrey works with children, teens and young people on the "hidden" hard bits: low mood, worry, school stress, friendship trouble, big changes at home, and everything that comes with growing up in the 2020s. She has a real soft spot for neurodivergent young people and their families, offering neuroaffirming support for ADHDers and Autistic kids and teens.

Her approach is warm, fun, collaborative and Harry-Potter-based wherever possible! Her goal is simple: that every young person leaves feeling a bit more comfortable and capable than when they walked in.

If your child or teen might need someone in their corner, you can book in with Audrey via the link in our bio or call (03) 8799 3907

📍 Ferntree Gully + Telehealth | Tuesdays & Wednesdays

06/08/2026

Our baby boy Winston is NINE today. 🎉

Nine years old and still absolutely convinced he's a puppy. He chases his Kong ball like his life depends on it, then howls at the injustice when it rolls under the fence (or someone else gets there first). He'll make himself comfy on any surface that'll have him, preferably right on top of big sister Rory. And he's gone from being terrified of the cats to full-blown wrestling matches with them. Poor Georgie.

He's also finally decided lap cuddles are worth his time, even gracing the occasional client with a snuggle these days. Turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks.

The one thing that hasn't changed in nine years? His appetite. "The Hungry Gutted Weasel" earned his nickname fair and square, most recently by diving head first into the liver treat jar at the vet.

Equal parts ratbag and gentleman, and we wouldn't have him any other way.

Happy birthday, Winston. Here's to more Kong balls, more lap cuddles, and many more happy howls. 💜

Address

Crown Court
Ferntree Gully, VIC
3156

Opening Hours

Monday 12pm - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm

Telephone

+61387993907

Website

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