Building a Village of Support
My name is Karen O'Mara. I'm a mother of two, a qualified and experienced clinical social worker and group facilitator, and founder of Making Mama Village.
I am passionate about creating spaces where mothers can feel heard, held and connected to themselves and others.
My aim is to bring mums together to help you form your village of support so that you feel less alone and isolated in your mothering journey, while also providing you with evidenced-based attachment parenting information, tools and strategies to assist you in becoming the best parent you can be.
Research shows that connection with your child will help them feel secure in themselves and with you. The information shared at Making Mama Village will be based around building connections with your child for their optimal development.
Not all parenting techniques work for every family, and often mums seek information that feels right for them. Every mother at Making Mama Village is respected for making her own decisions about her own child in a judgement free zone.
Some of the motherhood challenges I can help with in individual counselling and the mothers groups:
- Birth trauma
- Breastfeeding
- Adjustment to parenthood
- Sleep deprivation and how to help your baby sleep without sleep training
- When your baby won’t stop crying and wants to constantly be held
- When you are not bonding or connecting with your baby
- When you think you are failing at mothering
- Dealing with criticism and judgment as a mother
- Change in identity since becoming a mother - the loss of your old life, friends, job
- Achieving housework and tasks when you have a new baby
- How to feel competent as a mother
- Dealing with 'mum guilt' and anger
- Postnatal depression and anxiety
- Pregnancy and infant loss
- Pregnancy after loss
- Tips for managing changes in the relationship with your partner
- Transitioning from one to two (or more) children
- Learning gentle parenting
- Separation anxiety in children
- Challenges relating to your child’s behaviour including tantrums and difficulty regulating emotions
- Managing toddler behaviours that trigger negative emotions in you
The Mama Village
Weekly mothers groups in Brisbane for mothers with babies aged from birth to 12 months, as well as weekly mothers groups for mothers of toddlers.
The Mama Village brings mothers together to have honest, raw and vulnerable conversations about the transition to motherhood, covering all the emotional aspects many mothers experience. It is a non-judgemental space where you can feel listened to, emotionally supported, honoured, and understood wherever you are on your motherhood journey.
Individual Counselling
It's really common for mums to need extra support after having a baby. 33% of mums now experience birth trauma, mums often face difficulties with breastfeeding which can affect you emotionally, and it's also really normal for mums to go through a massive transition to motherhood during the process of matrescence. The loss of identity and changes in relationships with partners and others is significant for so many mums. In other times, having a new baby and juggling toddlers or older children can be a constant battle. Does any of this sound familiar for you?
I'm available to support you in your motherhood struggles in a confidential and therapeutic environment.
Circle of Security® Parenting™ program
The internationally acclaimed Circle of Security® Parenting™ program is an evidenced based attachment program which reflects over 50 years of research on the long-term impact of the parent/child relationship in the early years and attachment theory.
Regardless of their age, children thrive when they feel safe, seen, soothed and secure. They grow into their best selves when they are closely connected to the adults around them, when they feel heard, and when they feel understood. But how do you achieve this?
Are you struggling with managing your child's behaviour? It can be so hard to get past your child's behaviour, especially when it's pushing all your buttons and triggering a range of emotions in you. The Circle of Security® Parenting™ program will help you reflect on the way you were parented and build the bridge between your own childhood experiences and how you are parenting now. It will also give you the knowledge and skills to look beyond your child’s immediate behaviour to meet their genuine relationship needs.
Making Mama Vision
To ensure that every mother feels supported in her adjustment to motherhood and throughout challenging events in her role as a mother.
Making Mama Mission
We are passionate and dedicated to providing support to mothers during the period of matrescence and beyond. To respond by providing counselling, group work and evidence-based education on parenting to promote health, emotional well-being and adjustment throughout motherhood. To assist mothers to build their village of support, acquire new knowledge and to respect, educate and support mothers to build confidence and competence in their role.
Making Mama Values
- Compassion
- Communication
- Inclusion
- Kindness
- Respect
- Transparency
- Empowerment
- Research evidence
- Raising professional standard
- Collaboration
Join the Making Mama Village
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