About us
Portrait of Jodie
A warm, natural-light photo of Jodie — shoulders-up or three-quarter. Not a corporate headshot. Think: “approachable adult you’d trust in your living room.”
Sand/cream background works best. Orientation: portrait (4:5). Minimum 1200×1500 px.
To do: book a short photo session or choose an existing photo Jodie is happy with.
I'm Jodie. I coach parents of neurodivergent kids, teens, and young people — and I'm the parent of two neurodivergent adults myself. The work I do with families is shaped by nearly thirty years across child protection, disability, out-of-home care, and family support, and by thirty years of raising my own two. Practice grounded in trauma-informed, attachment-aware, and neuroaffirming approaches.
What I do
I work alongside the adults who parent neurodivergent kids, teens, and young people — not their children. My focus is on building your capacity, strengthening connection, and helping you respond with more confidence in the moments that matter.
Sessions are a conversation, not a curriculum. You come with what's hard this week, or this year, and together we work out what might help.
The approach is trauma-informed, attachment-aware, and neuroaffirming. My strong belief is that behaviour is communication, and that children thrive when the adults around them have the right tools, insight, and support.
I am not a psychologist or mental-health clinician, and I do not provide therapy, counselling, or mental-health treatment — for children or for adults. I work as a parent coach because the change that matters most happens at home, in everyday family life, and it has to be something you can keep doing on a Tuesday.
My background
Nearly thirty years supporting children and families across child protection, disability services, out-of-home care, family support, and early intervention.
Ongoing professional development. Trained in the PASE Model of reflective supervision.
Parent of two neurodivergent adult children, bringing lived experience of navigating overwhelm, uncertainty, and the emotional load of caregiving. I combine professional expertise with genuine lived understanding to support parents in a relatable, non-judgmental way.
Qualifications and professional standing
I'm a member of the Australian Association of Social Workers, with a Bachelor of Social Work (AASW-accredited) and nearly thirty years of sector experience across child protection, disability, out-of-home care, and family support. My SWRB SA registration is in progress. Working With Children Check and National Police Check current; documentation available on request.
A note on how I describe myself, because words matter here: the title “social worker” is protected under the Social Workers Registration Act 2021 (SA), and I don't use that title to describe myself until my SWRB SA registration is granted. I currently practise as a parent coach and educator, drawing on an AASW-accredited social work qualification and nearly thirty years of sector experience. I do not provide psychological therapy, mental-health treatment, or any AHPRA-regulated service, and I do not provide statutory-required supervision to registered practitioners.
Why “Raising Orchids”
Some children are more sensitive to their environment.
Like orchids, they don't thrive in just any conditions. They are deeply responsive to what's happening around them — emotionally, physically, and relationally. When the environment doesn't meet their needs, things can feel hard for them and for you. But with the right support, understanding, and conditions, they can truly flourish.
The name comes from an idea some parents find useful: some kids, like orchids, need certain conditions to do well — and when the conditions fit, they do. Your child doesn't have to be “an orchid” for this work to be for you. Raising Orchids is about helping you create those conditions in everyday family life.