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Scribbly Gum Counselling, 170 Osborne Road, Mitchelton (2026)

08/06/2026

Growing up isn't always a straight path. Sometimes there are unexpected twists, challenges, and moments that feel overwhelming. Having the right support can help young people build the skills and confidence to navigate whatever comes their way.

As a small practice based in Mitchelton, I ensure every young person and family receives thoughtful, personalised care. With over 20 years of experience working with children and teens, and qualifications in education, psychology, and counselling, I bring a unique blend of insight, strategy, and compassion to my work.

I am passionate about creating inclusive, neuro-affirming spaces where young people feel genuinely understood. Sessions are tailored to each individual, helping them develop practical skills to manage emotions, handle challenges, strengthen relationships, and move towards a life that feels meaningful to them.

My focus is always on supporting real, lasting growth so that young people can not only cope with life's ups and downs but learn to thrive through them.

From Deb at Scribbly Gum Counselling
📍 170 Osborne Road, Mitchelton
📞 Call/Text: 0415 180 921
🌿 Website: scribblygumhouse.com
NDIS Provider

01/06/2026

A positive review means a lot because it tells me a young person felt safe enough to show up and talk about what really matters to them.

When teens feel understood, they engage. And this is when we can start working together for real change.

I make sure every session gives them something practical to walk away with. Whether it’s a strategy to try that week, a sentence they can use in a tricky moment, or a tool to manage big feelings at school or home.

Therapy isn’t just talking about problems. It’s practising skills they can use straight away.

Deb from Scribbly Gum Counselling
https://scribblygumhouse.com/
Call/Text 0415 180 921
Email [email protected]
170 Osborne Road, Mitchelton
NDIS Provider

14/05/2026

Not all brains are wired the same. Some teens feel more deeply, react more intensely, and experience emotions at a higher volume.

This emotional sensitivity can be a strength, helping them connect, empathise, and notice things others might miss. It can also feel overwhelming, both for them and for the people around them.

Neurodivergent teens, in particular, are often more emotionally reactive. And sometimes, even the most well-meaning of us can unintentionally make things harder.

Phrases like “you’re overreacting,” “it’s not a big deal,” or expecting them to have the same self-control as everyone else can feel invalidating.

Minimising their feelings or treating sensitivity as a flaw can make emotional reactions even stronger over time.

So what helps? VALIDATION. Let them know:

• “What you’re feeling makes sense.”
• “I’m here — take your time to process these feelings”
• “You are safe to express your feelings with me ”
• “It’s OK to be angry. You can be angry AND keep yourself and others safe”

We can validate the feelings without approving behaviour that’s unsafe or inappropriate. Over time, learning to manage emotional reactivity helps teens express themselves more effectively, feel understood, and navigate social situations with greater confidence.

Being emotionally sensitive isn’t a weakness. It can be a gift, especially when teens have the tools to manage it.

Deb from Scribbly Gum Counselling
https://scribblygumhouse.com/
170 Osborne Road, Mitchelton
Call Deb - 0415 180 921
NDIS provider

10/05/2026

The way we respond to problems often reveals our patterns.
And when we’re overwhelmed, stressed or emotional, most of us fall back on automatic reactions without even realising it.

There are 5 ways we can deal with a problem according to Dialectical Behaviour Therapy.

SOLVE IT
Sometimes there is something practical we can do like make a plan, ask for help, have the conversation, set a boundary or break the task into steps.

CHANGE HOW YOU FEEL
Not every problem changes immediately, but our relationship to it can. This might look like calming your nervous system, finding a new perspective or showing yourself compassion.

ACCEPT IT
Some situations are painful, unfair or outside our control. Acceptance doesn’t mean liking it or giving up, it means stopping the fight with reality so you can move forward more effectively.

STAY MISERABLE
This is the stuck place many of us know well. It looks like replaying the problem, spiralling, avoiding, complaining, shutting down or waiting for things to magically feel different while suffering the whole time.

MAKE IT WORSE
When emotions take over, we can react in ways that add more pain: yelling; impulsive decisions; pushing people away; doom scrolling; procrastinating; numbing out or attacking ourselves.

The powerful part is once you become aware of your usual pattern, you can create space for choice.

You can pause. Notice what your brain wants to do automatically.
And ask yourself, what if I choose something different?

The goal isn’t to respond perfectly every time.
It’s learning that you have more options than your first impulse.

Deb at Scribbly Gum Counselling
170 Osborne Road, Mitchelton
Call/Text 0415 180 921
Website - https://scribblygumhouse.com/

NDIS provider

06/05/2026

Scribbly Gum Counselling is my passion.

As a small practice based in Mitchelton, I ensure every young person and family receives thoughtful and personalised care.

With over 20 years experience in working with young people and qualifications in education, psychology and counselling, I bring a unique blend of insight, strategy and heart to my work.

I care about creating inclusive, neuro-affirming spaces where children and teens feel genuinely understood and where sessions are paced just right, balancing depth with lightness.

My focus is always on meaningful progress, supporting young people to create real change and truly thrive.

Deb from Scribbly Gum Counselling
170 Osborne Road, Mitchelton
Call/Text 0415 180 921
Website https://scribblygumhouse.com/
NDIS provider

04/05/2026

Our brains are wired to protect us.

Over time, they build mental habits and rules to help us stay safe — fit in, avoid risk, get it right, stay in control. These patterns make sense, but they can also turn into mind traps. When this happens, thinking can start to feel frustrating, overwhelming, and a bit like we’re stuck.

This is often what mind traps can look like for teens…

• “I’m always getting things wrong, so why even bother.”
• “Everyone else is doing better than me.”
• “They didn’t reply so they don’t like me.”
• “I never get to do what I want.”

As parents, we get pulled in too:

• “If they can do it one day, they should be able to do it every day.”
• “I won’t be spoken to like that.”
• “Other kids are coping, so what’s going on here?”
• “They should know better.”

These thoughts feel true because they are a trying to keep us safe and they are a quick way to make sense of things. But these mind traps can also keep us stuck and reacting on autopilot.

Instead of arguing with the thought, try noticing it. You can ask yourself — or help your teen notice — with prompts like:

• “Do you think your brain is trying to protect you from something?”
• “Are you noticing any ‘always,’ ‘shoulds,’ or ‘nevers’ in your thinking?”
• “I wonder when you first started thinking this way?”
• “What might happen if we got curious and kept an open mind here?”

We don’t need to get rid of these thoughts but we can learn to hold them more lightly.

That’s where flexibility and growth begin.

Deb from Scribbly Gum Counselling
170 Osborne Road, Mitchelton
Call/Text 0415 180 921
Email [email protected]
Website - https://scribblygumhouse.com/

19/04/2026

The school holidays give our teens more time and more choice over how they spend their days. For many teens (and let’s be real, grown-ups too), holidays can end up looking like hours of doom scrolling, gaming and binge watching. There’s also something about it that can feel really liberating, like there are no limits and you can just stay on your screen as long as you want. And it makes sense. It’s easy, doesn’t require much effort, and it can feel like it’s giving you exactly what you want, at least for a while.

But if we pause and listen to our bodies, might they be telling us something different?

It’s worth paying attention to what our bodies are saying as we make choices about how we spend our time.

Do hours spent binge watching on the couch leave your body feeling energised, refreshed and truly recharged, or more flat, restless and stuck?

And what about those moments where you feel that little spark in your body, or catch a glimpse of yourself at your best?

Surprisingly, I recently found my spark in a cycle class at my gym, something I avoided for years because I was sure I’d hate it. And I do hate it… a bit. But it’s also where I notice myself feeling a little more alive and good about myself. It’s a feeling I want more of.

Not everything we’re drawn to will nourish us and sometimes it’s what we least expect that gives us those feel-good moments.

Listening to the wisdom of your body isn’t about rules or restrictions. It’s about gently shaping your days to be more open to the things that genuinely give something back and actually fill you up.

If you’re a parent, could your teen benefit from a bit of space to reflect on how they’re shaping their days and support to find what lights them up?

Deb from Scribbly Gum Counselling

https://scribblygumhouse.com/
170 Osborne Road, Mitchelton
Call/Text - 0415 180 921
Email - [email protected]

NDIS provider

09/03/2026

Big emotions rarely explode out of nowhere. Most of the time, they build quietly in the background.

When someone is starting to feel overwhelmed, stressed, or flooded with emotion, it’s actually really hard to find the words to explain what’s going on.

One simple strategy I’ve used with lots of families (including my own) is creating a short-hand for feelings, using a feelings scale.

Some scales look a bit like this:

1 = Calm and okay
2 = A little bothered
3 = Stressed or frustrated
4 = Really overwhelmed
5 = About to lose it

Everyone’s scale will look a little different because we all experience feelings in our own way. What helps is learning to notice when those stressful feelings are starting to build and get stronger.

Sometimes all a teen has to say is:
“I’m at a 4 out of 5 right now.”

That one sentence can change everything.

When families have already talked about what each number means, everyone knows: what helps and what makes things worse.

It gives young people a quick way to communicate before things boil over, and that’s where regulation begins. It’s simple and it’s powerful.

Follow along for more practical ideas and tips for raising resilient and self- aware young people.

Deb from Scribbly Gum Counselling
https://scribblygumhouse.com/
Call/Message 0415 180 921
Email [email protected]

170 Osborne Road, Mitchelton
NDIS Provider

05/03/2026

Have you ever tried pairing something mildly annoying with something mildly awesome?

An unexpected homework hack in our place was Hubba Bubba homework time. The only time gum was allowed, was while homework was happening.

It sounds small, but it worked.

Some brains, especially neurodivergent brains, don’t get a big enough dopamine boost from doing everyday tasks like homework, showering or tidying up. Those tasks feel draining and hard to start.

Dopamine isn’t just about pleasure. It’s about motivation, initiation, and follow-through.

When a task is low-interest, the brain struggles to switch on. Pairing it with something stimulating, like chewing gum, a favourite playlist or a comfort show in the background, can gently lift dopamine enough to get the engine running.

This is called dopamine pairing, when you attach a ‘have to’ with a ‘get to.’

For many neurodivergent teens, that’s why:
• Background music helps them focus
• A familiar TV show reduces resistance
• Fidgeting improves concentration
• A special snack makes starting easier

It’s not laziness. It’s nervous system support.

Sometimes we don’t need more discipline. We need a little side of something energising to help us move through the everyday things we don’t feel like doing.

If homework is a nightly battle in your house, try asking:
- What could we pair this with?
- What makes this 10% more tolerable?

Small shifts can change the whole tone of the task.
And yes, sometimes that shift tastes like strawberry bubble gum.

Deb from Scribbly Gum Counselling
https://scribblygumhouse.com/
Email - [email protected]
Call/Text - 0415 180 921

After school appointments available
170 Osborne Road, Mitchelton

NDIS Provider

02/03/2026

A positive review means a lot because it tells me a young person felt safe enough to show up and talk about what really matters to them.

When teens feel understood, they engage. And this is when we can start working together for real change.

I make sure every session gives them something practical to walk away with. Whether it’s a strategy to try that week, a sentence they can use in a tricky moment, or a tool to manage big feelings at school or home.

Therapy isn’t just talking about problems. It’s practising skills they can use straight away.

Deb from Scribbly Gum Counselling
https://scribblygumhouse.com/
Call/Text 0415 180 921
Email [email protected]

170 Osborne Road, Mitchelton
NDIS Provider

Scribbly Gum Counselling

08/06/2026

01/06/2026

14/05/2026

10/05/2026

06/05/2026

04/05/2026

19/04/2026

09/03/2026

05/03/2026

02/03/2026

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