Hi – my name’s Therese. I’m not a Spoonie, I’m a psychologist, living in Sydney Australia. And I’m also a very proud mum to four daughters.
I’ve been successfully running my practice for over twenty-five years and I love my work but I’ve reached a stage in my life where I was looking for a way to give back.
For a while now I’ve been playing with the idea of trying to reach people who may never have the opportunity of meeting with me in-person. I wanted to see if my skills and knowledge as a psychologist could be useful to people from the comfort of their own homes – to help them make meaningful changes in their lives.
It was by chance that I stumbled on the term ‘Spoonies’ on social media but slowly over time I began to experience firsthand their bold determination to never give up and their warmth and supportiveness of each other. I could see that their needs were often poorly recognised or misunderstood by doctors and others. And so began my adventure into this world and the creating of the STRONGER EVERYDAY program just for Spoonies.
As I meet with people each day, I listen to their stories and the pain that lies underneath, and together we gently untangle the messiness and look for ways to live with what’s happening in their lives. Through this we have the opportunity to talk openly and honestly about all the stuff that is not easy to share at a dinner party with friends – or the Aussie version, at a BBQ with mates.
For me, working this way with others is always a privilege. And I’m looking forward to finding ways to reach the Spoonie community and have the opportunity to share in their stories as well.