Allison Davies will speak about how to care for our brains. Photo: Supplied.
For many of us living in areas close to bushfires this season, we’ve been compulsively checking that we are safe, overstimulated by alerts on our phones and worn down by the stress of the unknown.
What does this do to our brains?
Kalaru local Jenny Devine has been the recipient of a Mumbulla Foundation Grant to organise a speaker to present a day-long workshop in Merimbula called Brains = Behaviour, in association with Playability Bega.
“I’ve got two kids with special needs so I’m always looking at alternative therapies to make our lives a little bit easier,” Ms Devine said. “And when I heard about Allison, I knew I wanted to take her workshop in person.”
Allison Davies lives in Tasmania where she has had a private practice since 2007, working predominantly across the areas of early childhood intervention, mental health, neural-rehabilitation and aged care.
She has been sharing her lived experience of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Sensory Processing Disorder for more than 15 years, and is renowned for her ability to entertain a room in her unique ‘storytelling mixed with science’ approach to educating. Ms Davies works with schools and parenting groups worldwide to help deliver light bulb moments about how our children’s brains work, and how we can support their brain development to help them thrive.
“We all know behaviour management isn’t working. It’s based on old science, isn’t effective, and is causing burnout. Behaviours are always a bi-product of what the brain is telling children to do. Every time. And because the behaviour is the bi-product, it shouldn’t be the focus of our attention to the extent it is,” Ms Davies said.
“Supporting the brain to function at its best is where our attention should rightfully be. And modern neuroscience supports this concept fully. A brain that can function at its best is a brain less likely to experience anxiety, overwhelm and overload, and a brain less likely to sit in survival mode. A brain that can function at its best means a child who is less likely to instigate harmful, risky or detrimental behaviours.”
If you feel that your brain needs a reset after living in fear of fire all season, even if you don’t have children, there is much be gained from the workshop.
“This is not only for parents,” Ms Devine said. “It’s for anyone who is feeling overwhelmed.”
For her, the timing of the grant could not have been better.
“This is really important information, delivered at a time when we all need to learn how to calm our nervous systems down a bit after months of technology overload.”
Allison Davies will deliver a day-long workshop on Wednesday 19 Feb 2020 at Merimbula Golf Club from 9 am – 4 pm
Cost: $35 pp. Includes lunch (wraps and sandwiches. GF and veg available)
Register: Direct deposit to Playability BSB 641800 ACCOUNT 037105622
For payment details include: Surname Initial BB. (Registrations close midnight 16.2.20)
Contact Jenny Devine for more information: [email protected]
More on Ms Davies can be found at www.allisondavies.com.au and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allisondavies.com.au/
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