Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! I understand that babies need their mum, so you are more than welcome to bring them.

Baby groups: If you have a boisterous toddler, and you have someone to take care of them while you attend, you may wish to choose this option so you can concentrate on the discussions. But if you have no option for child care, please bring them and you and your child will be most welcome. If you would like to bring an older child, please bring quiet toys or activities for them to do, along with any food they will need.

The Mama Village mothers' groups and the Circle of Security Parenting programs are held at the Coorparoo School of Arts and RSL Memorial Hall at 210 Cavendish Road, Coorparoo. Please enter via the ramp on the side of the building on Halstead Street.

Counselling sessions are held at the Blooming Heart Therapy rooms at 31 Lancaster Street, Coorparoo.

For the Mama Village mothers' groups and Circle of Security Parenting program, there is a small car park behind the building off Halstead Street (where you can see the dirt patch in the rear of the white building) and after 9am there is a range of on-street parking. Please note: if you arrive before 9am, there are a number of 15 minute parking zones. I will have the gates of the car park open from 9am. There are bus stops on Cavendish Road nearby.

For counselling at 31 Lancaster Street Coorparoo there is on street parking.

Costs for the various services vary, so please check the relevant services pages for information on fees. Please refer directly to the specific mothers group you are interested in joining, as fees for each mothers group type may also vary.

The investment for the Mama Village mothers groups is for a full term, or part thereof if you are joining partway through the term.

Payment can be made via the website or via credit card at the time of attending the first session. Payment plans are available on application.

Circle of Security Parenting programs must be paid in full at the time of booking (unless otherwise negotiated with Making Mama). Please refer to the relevant page for more detailed information and early bird specials.

Individual counselling sessions are $140 per hour.

Once the mothers' groups have commenced no refunds will be granted if you are unable to attend due to illness of yourself or child, or if you are going away. Third party services and catering is paid for by Making Mama in advance of each session.

If you miss a session of the Circle of Security Program Making Mama will help assist you to make up some of the content, but will be unable to run a whole session with you, unless you book a one on one session. You may be ineligible in receiving a Certificate of completion if you miss any sessions.

Counselling sessions must be cancelled with more than 24 hours notice otherwise a cancellation fee of 50% of the total cost of the session will be charged.

The investment for a Mama Village mothers group is for the whole term. The full cost of a term for the Mama Village mothers' group will only be refunded with at least two weeks notice of cancellation prior to the commencement of the term (minus booking fees).

It's important that the Mama Village is the right fit for you. When you attend for your first session, you have 3 days to request a refund of the remainder of the term if you feel the group isn't right for you.

After this time, no refunds will be granted if you are unable to attend due to illness of yourself or child, or if you are going away. Third party services and catering is paid for by Making Mama in advance of each session.

The investment for Circle of Security Parenting Program is for the whole 8 weeks. The full cost will only be refunded with at least two weeks notice of cancellation prior to the commencement of the program (minus booking fees). No refunds will be granted after the commencement of the program.

In some unforeseeable circumstances Karen O’Mara may need to cancel a Mama Village mothers’ group due to illness. If this occurs more than once in a term, you may be entitled to a credit towards a future term booking. If a Circle of Security Parenting program session needs to be cancelled due to illness, a make up session will be organised.

Each week at the Mama Village mothers' groups and the Circle of Security Parenting program tea and coffee will be provided. It is the responsibility of each attendee to advise Making Mama of any food intolerances or allergies before attending if you would like alternative milks to meet your dietary requirements.

You are more than welcome to bring along any food or drink that you may wish as well.

Mothers are responsible for bringing along suitable food for babies if required.

Due to the nature of the flexibility around the Mama Village mothers' groups (eg mums can join at any time during each term), the numbers each week will vary. To assist mums to feel comfortable discussing personal and emotional content, I will continually assess the numbers in attendance and will put a limit on the group if deemed appropriate. It is anticipated that the maximum number of mums would be 12 in one session.

Circle of Security Parenting programs will typically have a maximum of 8 parents in attendance.

The Mama Village mothers' groups and Circle of Security Parenting programs are held at the Coorparoo School of Arts and RSL Memorial Hall – 210 Cavendish Road, Coorparoo – on the corner of Halstead Street, located behind Coorparoo State School.

The hall has a ramp on the side of the building on Halstead Street for easy access with a pram. The hall has timber flooring, ceiling fans (no air con), chairs for seating.

A change table is available and there are toilets on site.

There is plenty of room for movement throughout the sessions if mums wish to move around, have prams located next to them, etc.

Counselling sessions are held at the Blooming Hearts Therapy rooms at 31 Lancaster Street, Coorparoo.

The Mama Village mothers' groups start with an introduction of myself, including housekeeping issues, and an introduction and icebreaker activity for each mum. We then hold a relaxed, informal discussion on a parenting topic where all mums will have the opportunity to participate if they wish and I provide evidence-based parenting information.

Bring a water bottle for yourself. Bring a blanket/rug for your baby/toddler to lay on or sit on. Anything else you need for your child - toys, food etc.

If you are also bringing a toddler or older child to a baby mothers group, please consider what else would be needed to keep your toddler busy - toys, colouring in, activities etc. The hall can be noisy when toddlers have loud toys, so please consider bringing quieter options.

It is preferable for you to find child care for your child/ren so that you can fully focus on the content of the course. However, I understand that most babies, especially breastfed babies, need to be with their mums, so please feel free to bring your baby! Please contact me if you have any questions about this or get really stuck finding alternative options for your child/ren. I would rather you have the opportunity to do the program WITH your baby present, than not come at all.