Acknowledgement of Country
I would like to acknowledge and pay my respects to the traditional custodians of our meeting places in Macarthur - the people of the Dharawal, Gundungurra and Dharug nations. May we recognise their ancient and enduring connection to land and water. May we learn from their wisdom and find our own nurturing connection to our environment. To the elders past, present and emerging, I offer respect and the opportunity to embrace continued connection and understanding between all peoples.
More about Jo (she/her)
Joanne Rogan: Counsellor
PACFA Registered Clinical Counsellor (No. 22559)
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Grad. Dip. Counselling
Bach. Education (Primary)
Cert. IV Training & Assessment
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You're going to be sharing some deep stuff, being vulnerable, so it makes complete sense for you to find out a little more about me.
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First, I LOVE Camden and the Macarthur area. I love seeing all the green, walking around the many beautiful parks, the Mount Annan Botanic Gardens, hearing the cows moo in the distance and eating at the wonderful cafes and restaurants.
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If I could magically move all of that next to a beach... bliss!
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To recharge my soul
I take photos of nature, go for walks, spend time in water, do pilates, garden and journal. I love children's picture books, musical theatre, word puzzles and Italian food.
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Oysters are at the top of my list of 'things that should never be eaten'.
But if you like them, fine, no judgement about your taste from me.
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"What about your actual professional experience, Jo" I hear you say.
Ok, so, if you've looked at the photos of me, you would have noticed more than a few wrinkles / wisdom lines. I wasn't just born yesterday meaning I've racked up over 25 years working with children and adults in a variety of roles.
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Every child and adult I've encountered is different, each with their own wonderfully unique set of 'ingredients'. In all the years I've worked as a primary teacher, TAFE educator, parenting group-worker, counsellor, raised my own now grown up children with my husband, I've got to know an amazing variety of humans.
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Some things I've learnt on this journey of being part of the human race is that although we have many differences,
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at our core, we have lots more commonalities:
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The early childhood years are when the most enduring messages about our worth, how we show ourselves and how we relate to others are given.
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People just want to 'belong' and we want our loved ones to feel that way too.
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We want to be loved by others and by ourself, regardless of how we identify.
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We want to spend more time feeling happy, contented, excited than we do feeling tired, angry, sad, stressed (and we desperately want this for our children).
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Everyone's doing the best they can with the ingredients they've got but sometimes the recipe just isn't turning out.
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I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the reason you're reaching out is because one or more of the above is just not happening for you or maybe your child.