We help children and adolescents navigate challenges such as anxiety and emotional regulation issues. We focus on your child’s strengths and support you with a clear roadmap for success.
Child and adolescent psychology provides a safe and supportive space for young people to explore big feelings, understand their experiences and build practical coping skills for everyday life.
Georgie approaches every session with warmth, curiosity and unconditional positive regard. She works to ensure each child or teenager feels safe, respected and heard before expecting them to open up or engage in deeper therapeutic work.
For some children, this may involve playful, creative and flexible sessions that help them communicate in ways that feel natural. For adolescents, it may involve a more collaborative space to explore identity, emotions, stress, mood, relationships, school pressures and coping strategies.
Georgie can support young people with anxiety, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, low mood, school refusal, behavioural challenges and the emotional impact of neurodivergence. She also works closely with parents to build understanding, compassion and confidence at home.
Exploring Emotions
We understand how stressful and overwhelming it can feel when your child or teenager is struggling emotionally, socially or behaviourally. You may be unsure whether psychology is the right step, or you may have already tried support in the past and felt that it was not the right fit.
Children and adolescents are not giving you a hard time. Often, they are having a hard time themselves.
Parents commonly come to us with concerns such as:
Anxiety can show up in many different ways for children, including separation worries, sleep difficulties, school avoidance, social stress, perfectionism, stomach aches, meltdowns or constant reassurance-seeking. Georgie works gently with children and families to understand what is driving the anxiety and to build practical coping strategies over time. Support may include helping your child recognise their feelings, manage worries, build confidence and practise small steps toward the things that feel hard.
Adolescence can be a difficult stage, and many teenagers struggle with low mood, stress, emotional overwhelm, withdrawal, irritability or difficulty talking about what is happening. Georgie provides a calm and non-judgmental space where teenagers can feel heard, understood and supported. Therapy may focus on emotional regulation, coping skills, self-esteem, relationships, school stress and building resilience through life’s ups and downs.
School refusal can be incredibly stressful for the whole family. It is often a sign that a child or teenager is overwhelmed, anxious, exhausted or unable to cope with the demands of school in their current form. Georgie can help families understand what may be contributing to the difficulty and develop practical strategies to reduce distress. Support may include coping tools, return-to-school planning, parent coaching, collaboration with schools and advocacy around your child’s needs.
Georgie provides neurodiversity support for children and adolescents who may be autistic, have ADHD, or experience the world differently. Her approach is not about trying to change who your child is. Instead, she works to understand your child’s needs, strengths, communication style and emotional experience. Therapy can support emotional regulation, anxiety, distress tolerance, behaviour, confidence and family understanding in a way that is respectful, compassionate and practical.
Parent coaching and practical home strategies are an important part of Georgie’s work. Families often need support that can be used in real life, not just ideas that sound good in theory. Georgie can help parents better understand what may be underneath their child’s behaviour and develop practical ways to respond at home. This may include strategies for big emotions, anxiety, routines, communication, school stress, conflict, sensory needs or supporting a neurodivergent child more effectively.
That concern is very understandable, especially if your child has felt misunderstood in the past or is reluctant to attend therapy. Georgie’s approach is warm, gentle, flexible and playful where appropriate. She focuses first on building trust and helping your child or teenager feel safe, respected and accepted. Therapy is not about forcing change or making a child feel like they are the problem. It is about understanding their experience, supporting their wellbeing and helping them build skills in a way that feels safe and achievable.
Benefits of Child Psychology
Our psychologist provides tailored, practical tools designed specifically for your child’s age and challenge. This means fewer explosive moments at home and school, and a more peaceful, connected family life built on mutual understanding.
We approach every session with deep compassion and a trauma-informed lens, ensuring your child feels safe, respected, and heard. This foundational trust is critical for genuine progress, allowing them to truly open up and achieve therapeutic breakthroughs.
We use proven methodologies to address impulse control, attention difficulties, and executive functioning deficits. This provides you, the parent, with actionable strategies that reduce stress and improve your child's ability to navigate daily life.
Our Child Psychology room in Mount Barker provides a consistently warm, welcoming and relaxed space built on trust and safety. This environment is the setting that your child needs to take emotional risks and move toward better understanding.
Psychology support is often most effective when parents feel equipped and supported too. Georgie works with parents to build understanding, compassion and confidence at home.
This may include practical strategies for responding to big emotions, supporting anxious behaviour, improving communication, reducing conflict, understanding neurodivergent needs and strengthening family connection.
Child Psychology
Georgie brings warmth, insight and clinical experience to every session. Her flexible and playful approach helps young people feel safe enough to engage, especially when they may have felt overwhelmed, misunderstood or reluctant in other settings.
For children, therapy may include creative, playful and developmentally appropriate ways to explore emotions and practise new skills. For adolescents, therapy may provide a confidential and supportive space to talk through worries, mood, school stress, relationships, identity, family conflict or the pressure of daily life.
Georgie does not offer formal psychological assessments, but she can provide screening, observations and therapeutic insight to help families better understand their child’s needs. She can also support families to make sense of reports or diagnoses and develop everyday strategies that align with recommendations from paediatricians or other professionals involved in the child’s care.
Whether your family is facing a recent diagnosis, ongoing uncertainty or a period of emotional difficulty, Georgie listens deeply and works alongside you to strengthen resilience, self-esteem and family connection.
How it Works
We begin with a complimentary 15-minute phone call to listen to your concerns and understand what support your child, teenager or family may need. This helps us determine whether Child and Adolescent Psychology with Georgie is the right fit.
The first sessions focus on understanding your child or teenager’s needs, history, strengths, challenges and goals. Georgie takes time to build trust and connection, as a strong therapeutic relationship is essential for meaningful progress.
Georgie develops a tailored therapy plan based on your child or adolescent’s needs. This may include individual sessions, parent coaching, coping skills, emotional regulation strategies, school-related support or collaboration with other professionals.
Through regular sessions, Georgie supports your child or teenager to build insight, coping skills, confidence and resilience. Progress is reviewed along the way, and strategies are adjusted to ensure they remain practical and helpful in everyday life.
Our structured process and warm, friendly clinic space help ensure effective support while prioritising your child’s comfort and emotional safety.
The Next Step
If your child or adolescent is struggling with anxiety, emotional regulation, school refusal, low mood, distress, behaviour, neurodivergence-related challenges or family stress, it can help to talk through your options.
You do not need to have all the answers before reaching out.
At Adelaide Hills Child and Family Therapy, we offer a warm and non-judgmental space to discuss your concerns and help you understand whether psychology support with Georgie may be the right next step.
Our Child and Adolescent Psychology service is provided by Georgie Budini, a registered psychologist who supports children, adolescents and families using a warm, flexible and playful approach.
Georgie can support children and adolescents with anxiety, school refusal or “school can’t”, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, low mood, depression, neurodivergence-related emotional and behavioural challenges, social stress, coping skills and family support.
Yes. Georgie supports both children and adolescents. For teenagers, therapy may focus on anxiety, low mood, emotional regulation, school stress, identity, relationships, coping skills and building resilience.
No, we do not offer formal psychological assessments. However, Georgie can provide screening, observations and therapeutic insight. She can also work with paediatricians and other professionals involved in your child’s care.
Yes. Georgie can help families make sense of reports, recommendations or diagnoses and translate them into practical strategies that can be used at home, at school and in the community.
Child and Adolescent Psychology may include talk-based, creative, practical or skills-based therapy depending on the age and needs of the young person. Play Therapy uses play as the primary communication tool and is often suited to younger children. Georgie’s approach can be flexible and playful, while still drawing on psychological knowledge and therapeutic strategies.
Yes. Georgie can support families experiencing school refusal or “school can’t” by helping identify contributing factors, building coping strategies, supporting return-to-school planning and advocating for the child’s needs where appropriate.
No, you can book an appointment directly. However, to access Medicare rebates under the Better Access scheme, your child will need a referral and a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) from your GP or Paediatrician.
Yes, our psychologist is AHPRA Registered (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) and maintains strict compliance with professional and ethical standards, ensuring the highest level of care.
Psychology services may be funded under some NDIS plans, depending on the plan type and goals. Please contact our team to discuss your child’s plan and whether psychology support may be appropriate.
We know reaching out for support can be one of the hardest steps, especially if you are worried about your child’s readiness, cost, wait times or whether therapy will be the right fit.
You are welcome to call us for a confidential, no-pressure conversation. We will answer your questions, listen to your concerns and help you understand your support options.
We are professional Play Therapists in the Adelaide Hills, ready to listen and answer all your questions about play therapy and other specific needs. Get in touch to learn more about how Play Therapy can be and insight into what is going on for your child.
