As a local counselling service, it was a privilege to attend the recent Celebrate Mooroolbark Festival and engage with the local community in the Croydon area. It was a beautiful autumn day and the place was buzzing all day with both young and old exploring the community stalls, goods for sale, children’s activities, car show and wool show. It was so lovely seeing people enjoying themselves and engaging in all the wonderful things our local community has to offer.
Local Counselling Servicing Croydon, Mooroolbark, Ringwood and Surrounds
One of the reasons I chose to have a table at the festival was to inform the community that my local counselling services through Doongalla Counselling are expanding. While I have been in private counselling practice since well prior to the pandemic, I have shared my time with a local school as school counsellor for students in Prep-12.
The time is right and, with many mixed emotions as I am leaving a wonderful team at the school, I have chosen to resign from my role as school counsellor and invest fully in my local counselling practice in Croydon South. This has been my dream for some time, and it is exciting to see this become a reality.
I am looking forward to further nurturing my passion for trauma recovery and helping people find tools to live the life they want to lead. I count it a privilege to be invited into people’s lives, listen to their experiences and help them to find a way forward.
Mental Health and Other Service Providers
The festival was a wonderful opportunity to chat with other service providers and learn about the services they offer in our community. Among these providers was Different Journeys, a local service in Lilydale, who provide a multitude of tailored support services for the autistic community. Caladenia Dementia Care were also present. Their services are located in Mooroolbark and provide empathic and caring support for people with dementia and their carers.
There were numerous other community groups and small businesses and many rich conversations were had. I really appreciated the connections made throughout the festival, not only because it’s fun to have conversations with people I don’t already know, but also because my toolbox of resources for the clients with whom I work expands.
Snapshots of the Day
So many people came past the stall to chat, engage with the activities and enjoy the free lollies and notepads!
It was a beautiful morning underneath the trees to chat with festival goers. While the day became increasingly warmer, the enthusiasm for the day was high! This was the first day the new Doongalla pop-up banner had been used, and I loved how it showcased the local counselling services in Croydon.
The table had some very popular interactive activities that interested both adults and kids alike, set on an inviting backdrop of green eucalyptus leaves to match the Doongalla logo.
The Orbeez water beads were a big sensory hit with the kids! Many kids returned multiple times to play, giving the grown-ups an opportunity to learn about the local counselling services on offer.
It was wonderful seeing the creative self-care ideas that members of our community contributed to the board. It was overflowing by the end of the day! Ideas ranged from dancing in the rain, to playing with pets, to playing basketball or going for a run. I most enjoyed seeing families engaging in these conversations, as they explained to their kids what self-care is and exploring what that might look like in everyday life.
Who doesn’t love a handy little notepad? These freebies advertising Doongalla’s local counselling services were very popular along with the lollies.
