Another Pathway to Support: Victim-Support Funded Counselling at Big Bear’s Treehouse

One of the things I’m always conscious of at Big Bear’s Treehouse is that finding the right support for a child is only part of the picture. Families also need to be able to access that support.

So I’m very pleased to share that Big Bear’s Treehouse can now support eligible children and families accessing victim-support funded counselling in both New South Wales and Queensland, through Victims Services NSW and Victim Assist Queensland.

Interestingly, pursuing Victims Services approval wasn’t originally something sitting on my business to-do list.

It grew from conversations with local services — particularly The Family Centre — about children who needed counselling and families who were accessing Victims Services funding. Those conversations made me realise there was a gap I could potentially help fill, so I began the approval process.

And now here we are. 🌿

What might counselling look like for a child?

Children don’t always have the words to explain what has happened to them, how it has affected them, or even what they are feeling.

That is one of the reasons play is such an important part of my work.

At Big Bear’s Treehouse, counselling is child-centred, trauma-informed and developmentally appropriate. Depending on the child, sessions may involve play therapy, creative activities, games, sandtray, conversation, movement or other relational approaches.

The aim isn’t to push a child to tell their story.

It is to provide a safe therapeutic relationship and a space where they can begin making sense of their experiences, develop regulation and coping capacity, strengthen their sense of safety and gradually work towards the things that matter for them and their family.

Support across the NSW–Queensland border

Being located in Tweed Heads South, and also providing outreach into the Northern Rivers and Somerset regions, means Big Bear’s Treehouse sits in a rather useful spot between two states.

Eligible NSW families may be able to access counselling through Victims Services NSW, while Queensland families may have counselling costs supported through Victim Assist Queensland.

The two schemes operate differently, so eligibility and funding arrangements need to be considered individually.

If you’re a parent, carer, caseworker or another service supporting a child, and you’re wondering whether one of these pathways might apply, you’re very welcome to contact me and we can work out the next step.

Sometimes another funding pathway may sound like a small thing.

But if it means one more child can get the support they need without cost being the thing that stops them, I think it matters. 🌿🐻

Julie