Baralga is a weekend in-service project for families conducted on seven weekends through the year – two each in Inverell, Gunnedah and Peak Hill and one in Tamworth encompassing five local preschools. The Baralga program deals with prevention of trauma, loss and attachment issues through seminars, special staff counselling sessions and parent and child art therapy.

parent and child art therapy at Inverell

These sessions are attended by up to five professionals from Sydney and many local professionals, who share discussions on local issues such as domestic violence, mental health issues, issues to do with anger management. Programs of parent child art therapy are then held and these are an introduction to the work of the next day.

The most important part of this program is the way the parents can use us to talk about their real problems. The hostility that sometimes is expressed towards their families and children is surprising but invaluable in that it seeks help and is so trusting of the professionals who hear their stories and work with them on practical and immediate ways of handling their feelings.

Two important projects have been born out of the Country visits.:

The amazing booklet “Lets Go to Preschool” provides a gentle way to introduce parent and preschool children to preschool and encourages parents to be interested in their children’s pre-literacy skills. This project, consisting mainly of pictures together with key phrases, informs parents in a non-threatening and non-confrontational way of some of the ways they can better interact with early childhood teachers and how to better care for and interact with their child. The booklet has been accepted and purchased by DET (Department of Education and Training) and the Health Department for South Western NSW for distribution to children who have not yet accessed preschool.

We have also produced a DVD created for the children in our Gunnedah center – “I go to Preschool now”.

This excellent DVD adds to the value of the booklet and provides a reassuring illustration of attending Preschool.