The Family Rooms

Get to know The Family Rooms

From The Family Rooms's website.

• Our approach

  The approach is built on the belief that the problem is the problem, not the person—helping families and young people connect with their own wisdom, creativity and agency in tackling painful challenges. Sessions adopt a playful, creative style, often using music, art, craft, poetry and metaphor alongside talking to help people make sense of experiences and develop new understandings. The practice draws on multiple therapeutic frameworks including narrative therapy, attachment-based therapy, solution-focused therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness, tailored to what matters to each person and their hopes for life and relationships. The overall aim is to foster renewed possibility and help people move toward their preferred directions in life.

• Working with families

  The practice actively involves and communicates with parents and carers throughout the therapeutic process, understanding that families are key to supporting young people's wellbeing. Sessions can be structured to include family members, and the team helps parents make informed decisions about who should attend appointments based on what feels right and appropriate for their situation. Davinia works in partnership with families, schools and multi-disciplinary professionals to support children and young people to meet their full potential, and both practitioners adopt a systemic approach that engages families and their community as a means of helping young people and those who care about them to see problems within the wider context of their lives.

• Meet the team

  The team consists of Dr Davinia Shannahan, a registered psychologist with a Professional Doctorate in Child and Educational Psychology and considerable experience working with children, adolescents and families in schools, not-for-profit organisations and independent practice, and Ben Shannahan, a Family Therapist and Clinical Member of the Australian Association of Family Therapy with over 20 years of experience and Masters qualifications in Systemic Psychotherapy and Narrative Therapy. Davinia specialises in cognitive and educational assessments exploring learning disabilities, ADHD, giftedness and intellectual difficulty, while Ben focuses on family therapy across diverse presentations. Both draw on systemic and narrative approaches and work across individual, couple and family contexts to help people address a wide range of challenges including anxiety, depression, trauma, parenting, grief, gender and sexual diversity, and behavioural concerns.

• Your first visit

  At a first appointment, the team works to understand what matters to you, the hopes you have for life and relationships, and how current challenges are getting in the way. You may be unsure about who should attend—whether to come as a family, with a friend, alone or as a couple—and the practice encourages families to come together and/or bring safe, supportive others when appropriate and it feels right for you. For psychological assessments, the process typically begins with an initial consultation to gather relevant information, followed by two 2-hour assessment sessions, consultations with relevant parties and data collection, then a comprehensive report and feedback consultation, though this can vary depending on the assessment type. The team helps you make decisions about what will work best for your situation.