Kim Marie Norton Career Guidance and Life Skills Support

04/09/2026

Younger teens typically experience a dip in school engagement. Electives can help them stay excited about learning.

👉 Read the article: https://theconversation.com/how-can-year-7-and-8-students-make-the-most-of-their-electives-287953

💬 Comment "newsletter" and we'll send you the link to sign up for our free wrap of the latest insight and analysis.

03/09/2026

Career development and Counselling sessions.

If you have a teenager stressing over their studies or worrying about their options for next year, then I can help.

Online sessions are available and can consist of a tailored program or single sessions including:

- Vocational Assessments and Interpretation/Recommendations
- Establishing values, interests, characteristics and abilities
- Setting smart goals
- Travel skills
- Time management skills
- Anxiety management
- Scheduling
- Study techniques
- Mentoring opportunities
- Course applications
- Volunteer opportunities
- Employment opportunities and preparation including resume writing, mock interviews etc
- Obtaining Working with children’s check, White Card, RSA and/or other similar licenses needed for any volunteer or paid work
- Short course/further study options

The cost of sessions depends on the length of the session and the program itself. NDIS self-managed, plan-managed, and private clients welcome with a variety of line item numbers that can be utilised depending on your individual plan.

For more about me see www.kimmarienorton.com.au

For more information please email [email protected] or call/text on 0401 561923.

Kim Norton RPCDP
(Registered Professional Career Development Practitioner)

01/09/2026

Online Sessions available for NDIS Self and Plan Managed Clients.

💜Life Transition Planning Incl. Mentoring Peer Support and Individual Skill Development. (Item Number 09_006_0106_6_3).

Life Transition Planning is designed to aid NDIS participants with tailored mentoring, peer support, and skill enhancement opportunities. It encompasses one-on-one guidance focusing on personal growth, vocational and educational aspirations, as well as community engagement. Mentors and peers proficient in disability support contribute deeply to the individual’s personalised development plan, ensuring relevance and efficacy. This comprehensive service can encompass aspects from daily living skills to complex decision-making processes. These sessions can include:
– stress and anxiety management,
– anger management,
– skill development
– social skills development
– time management
– emotional regulation,
– identifying, accessing and navigating tools and resources to achieve NDIS goals, and
– developing Resilience

Other online sessions and in-person sessions are also available.

For more information, please contact me on 0401 561923 or [email protected]

Kim :)
(Dip Comm Services, Grad Cert in Education, NDIS Worker Screening Check, Blue Card, First Aid and CPR).
www.kimmarienorton.com.au

23/08/2026

Sometimes school anxiety starts before anything has actually happened.

That’s because the brain learns from experience.

If school has repeatedly felt overwhelming, unpredictable or difficult, the brain can begin to anticipate that feeling — and the alarm response may start earlier and earlier.

At the classroom door.
While getting dressed.
The night before.
Eventually, sometimes just from thinking about school.

This is why simply saying “there’s nothing to worry about” may not be enough.

We need to understand what is activating that child’s alarm system and help create new experiences of predictability, coping and safety.

School anxiety has been our topic this week — looking beyond the behaviour to understand what may be happening underneath it.

07/08/2026

Student disengagement during the early high school years shouldn’t be dismissed as ‘just being a teenager’.

👉 Read the article: https://theconversation.com/one-in-three-students-in-years-7-9-show-signs-of-school-disengagement-whats-causing-it-288817

💬 Comment "newsletter" and we'll send you the link to sign up for our free wrap of the latest insight and analysis.

29/07/2026

Every day in class, students are encouraged to ‘visualise’, ‘imagine’ or ‘picture’ concepts in their minds. Some find this impossible.

👉 Read the full story: https://theconversation.com/we-assume-students-see-pictures-in-their-minds-as-they-learn-but-not-everyone-can-286645

💬 Comment "newsletter" and we'll send you the link to sign up for our free wrap of the latest insight and analysis.

17/07/2026

14/07/2026

When a child says “I can’t go to school,” it isn’t always defiance.

Sometimes it’s a racing heart.
A sore tummy.
A headache that appears every morning.
Tears at the door.
Sleepless nights.
Panic over getting dressed, walking in, or being seen.

School anxiety can become a cycle: worry builds, the body reacts, school is avoided, relief comes for a moment… and then the next day feels even bigger.

The hard part is that avoidance can look like the solution because it calms everything down quickly. But for many children, it quietly teaches the brain that school is unsafe, making returning feel even harder.

What helps isn’t pressure, shame, or “just get on with it.”

What helps is calm curiosity:
“What feels hardest about school right now?”
“Where do you feel the worry in your body?”
“What would make the first step feel smaller?”
“Who at school could help you feel safe?”

Small steps matter. A short visit. A trusted adult at the gate. A reduced timetable if needed. A predictable morning routine. Celebrating getting through one tiny part of the day.

Children with school anxiety need adults who can hold two truths at once:

Your distress is real.
And we can help you move through it, one manageable step at a time.

FREE THE SCHOOL ANXIETY CYCLE: CHILD SCHOOL AVOIDANCE PDF

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