Riptide Therapeutic Services offers therapeutic support to children and young people (2-25) through Individual Counselling, Play Therapy and Parenting Support. Riptide specialises in child and youth mental health and family support. Riptide has clinical spaces in Anglesea, Colac, Lorne and Winchelsea, as well as offering outreach services to the Cola Otway and Surf Coast communities.
Riptide was establishes to support children and young people who are caught in a metaphorical riptide in their life. Riptides are strong currents in the ocean that bring water from the waves that crash on the shore back out to sea. Riptides are strong, fast and difficult to spot. When caught in a riptide, even the strongest of swimmers have a difficult time freeing themselves from the current. The advice from Surf Life Saving Australia when caught in a riptide is to put your hand up and seek support from the lifeguards on the shore. Riptide Therapeutic Services acts as the lifeguards, trained in mental health qualified to support distressed children, young person and their families get safely out of the riptide and back to a place of wellbeing.
Riptides in life can come from anywhere, riptides are problems or concerns that make a child or young person have big feelings that are hard to understand and move through. At Riptide, we sit with the child or young person where they are at in this really tricky place and support them out of the Riptide through individual counselling or Play Therapy.
Riptide also acknowledges the pain and distress parents face when their child is in the thick of the riptide and offers parental counselling, capacity building and skill development to best support their child or young person and ensure parents are cared for during this hard time.
Once the child or young person is out of the riptide, we support through empowering the child or young person through capacity building and psychoeducation to ensure that should they ever be caught in a metaphorical riptide again, they have the skills, knowledge and confidence to support themselves get back to the safety of the beach and better their wellbeing.
Riptide was created in response to the limited services offered in the Colac Otway and Surf Coast communities specialised in child and youth mental health. After working in the region, Amy (owner) grew determined to create a safe space for children, young people and their families where they could access mental health services in their own community rather than travelling into Torquay, Geelong or other towns in the region to access mental health support. Riptide is passionate about building community connections as part of treatment and supporting children, young people and their family to connect to their local community in an authentic and genuine way.
Amy is the owner and sole practitioner at Riptide. Amy is a registered Social Worker (MSW) and Play Therapist. Amy has a passion for working with children, young people, families and small communities. Amy thrives from building connections with local communities and supporting children, young people and their families in their connections to their communities. Amy is a relational practitioner and relationship, connection and community are central to Amy’s practice.
Amy has worked with children, young people and families for more than 5 years, with experience working at a family-domestic violence service, child and adolescent mental health service, youth diversion program and most recently at a prep to twelve school. Amy has experience working with both neurotypical and neurodivergent children, young people and their families. Amy also has extensive experience working with children and young people living with trauma and attachment concerns, and Amy is proud to be a trauma and attachment informed practitioner.
Riptide emerged from Amy’s concern about the lack of mental health services in the Colac Otway and Surf Coast communities. Amy believes that mental health support should be accessible in the community where a child, young person and their family live, that’s why Ritpide offers outreach to all communities within these regions. Amy loves living and practising in the Colac Otway and Surf Coast communities and sees walking alongside the community as a privilege.
Amy is currently working towards becoming an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker as Amy wants to offer services through Medicare to allow her services to be more accessible. Amy regularly accesses supervision from a highly skilled Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and Play Therapist. Amy is a member of the Australian Association of Social Workers(AASW) and the Play Therapy Practitioners Association (PTPA).