Rise Up Psychological Services

13/10/2026

Your child is bright… so why are they struggling at school?

Sometimes, it’s not about how hard a child is trying. It’s about understanding how their brain processes information and how they learn best. 💜

Every child has a unique cognitive profile, with their own strengths and areas where they may need additional support.

A cognitive assessment can help us look beyond school grades and classroom performance to better understand a child’s thinking, reasoning, working memory and processing speed.

✨ Understanding the why behind learning challenges can make all the difference.

At Rise Up Psychological Services, we use cognitive assessments to help families better understand their child’s learning profile, recognise their strengths and identify strategies and supports that can help them thrive.

💜 Because every child deserves to feel understood, capable and supported.

👉 Swipe through to learn more about cognitive assessments and when they may be helpful.

📍 Rise Up Psychological Services | Bardwell Park, Sydney

🌐 www.rupsychology.com.au

Navigating Life’s Challenges Together.

WISCV NeurodiversityAffirming LearningSupport SydneyPsychologist BardwellPark

13/10/2026

When you spend your day teaching emotional regulation… but your own coping strategy comes in a tiny glass. ☕😂
Who is with us? Are we alone! 🙋‍♀️
”

24/09/2026

The to-do list can feel like a beast before the workday has even begun. 🫠

Sometimes our instinct is to walk through the door and go straight into GO mode — emails, calls, notes, deadlines, people needing things…

But what if you slowed down first?

☕ Make the coffee or tea
🌿 Notice something that feels or smells good.
🫁 Take a few slow breaths.
🧠 Give your nervous system a moment to arrive before asking it to perform.

Taking a few minutes to soothe your senses isn’t wasting time. It can help you meet the demands of the day from a more regulated place.

Slow down before you take on the beast. 🐉

MentalHealth SelfRegulation RiseUpPsychology

14/09/2026

Everyone needs time to refill their energy bar, therapists included🔋❤️ One way to do that is to engage in our SPINS (special interests).
 
Check out Ervin putting self-care and creativity into action at Oz Comic-Con Sydney! We are loving his outfit .
 
Who else attended Comic-Con and what do you think?

11/09/2026

10/09/2026

A little glimpse behind the scenes at Rise Up 💜

We recently took some photos and while we managed to capture a few polished ones, these natural, laughter-filled moments feel the most like us. These photos capture a little of the connection, playfulness and heart behind Rise Up Psychological Services.

The faces behind Rise Up (though missing Nicole from admin) from left to right:

💜 Maria — Principal Clinical and Forensic Psychologist
💜 Carmela — our Clinic Coordinator and, on most days, the therapists’ therapist!
💜 Jannie — Educational and Developmental Psychologist
💜 Ervin — Clinical Psychology Registrar

28/08/2026

A little time out of the clinic to keep learning 💫

As psychologists, ongoing professional development is part of maintaining our registration with AHPRA , and as Clinical,Forensic, and Educational and Developmental Psychologists, our learning also includes specialised professional development relevant to our area of practice endorsement

This week, we focused on something we see so often in our work with children: children having a hard time to manage big feelings, especially anger, frustration and disappointment.

We explored playful, creative and practical ways to help children:
✨ understand what anger might be communicating
✨ build a richer language for what they’re feeling
✨ express those feelings safely
✨ communicate their needs in ways that help others understand and respond
✨ feel heard and supported, rather than simply having the feeling “fixed”

And because regulation doesn’t happen in isolation, we also explored ways to support parents and carers with co-regulation , holding space for the feeling before rushing in to solve the problem.

One strategy we particularly enjoyed was the H.O.L.D.S. method by Dr.Fiona Zandt, a model for supporting coregulation. Creative Child Therapy Workshops

If this is something you’re working on with your child, explore it with your therapist — or get in touch with us to learn more. 💛

ChildTherapy Psychology ProfessionalDevelopment

21/08/2026

Setting up some new fun resources for our kiddos -because if it doesn’t involve a little colour, play and chaos, are we even doing therapy? 😂💜Thank you Smartypals - Educational Toys for Kids

19/08/2026

All in the name of quality assurance 😂.

18/08/2026

It’s quite common for children to come to our clinic with significant fears of needles, injections and blood. We treat these fears using CBT, an evidence-based therapy for anxiety, but with children we also use the art of play , tailor therapy to children’s interests and likes, and moving at a pace that considers their stress tolerance and capacity to cope.

Today that meant syringes, red and green dye, Orbeez, a doll… and somehow a water fight (where Maria definitely lost 😂💦).

We gradually worked our way along the exposure step ladder, eventually reaching a pretend injection , and every goal was met! 🙌

We fight fear by gradually facing it, but with children, how we do that matters. 💜