Newsletter #4 January 2024
Dearest Topsoil Patrons
We trust your 2024 is off to a blooming start, filled with flourishing gardens and joyful moments.
Reflecting on the strides we made in 2023 fills us with gratitude and excitement for what lies ahead in 2024. Here's a glimpse into the journey we've been on and what's on the horizon:
2023 Highlights
Wellbeing Initiatives:
The launch of the Topsoil ‘Spring’ Program
We cultivated the beginnings of our very own garden by successfully introducing our very first ‘Spring’ Horticulture Therapy program. Welcoming two participants to the Topsoil Garden in Norton Summit, Spring couldn’t have been a better way to start our Horticulture Therapy journey. Utilising the serene backdrop of The Scenic Hotel’s garden for exploration and growth, we’re so very happy with how this program went. Developed and delivered by our dedicated members Margot Tucker (Speech Pathologist) and Jay Marinis (Psychologist), read on if you’d like more details -
This 10-week program centered around the themes of change and growth. Spring is a time where the natural world is simply bursting into awareness. Life awakens from its Winter slumber and birth is all around us. Our therapeutic sessions paralleled what was happening in the garden, as we believe that nature is our greatest teacher. No psychological principle is more powerful than that of the Earth and its intrinsic lessons. Participants shared their stories, with each member of the dyad having the opportunity to learn from the others lived experience, moving towards growth and transformation. Sessions explored self-awareness, mindfulness, distress tolerance all whilst sowing seeds and building garden beds. The Topsoil Garden (presently based out of The Scenic) was filled with radishes, celery, beetroot, parsley, basil. If you’ve visited the hotel over the past few months you may have seen our little patches in full bloom (see images below). The program ended with a pickling workshop and shared lunch with the participants and their loved ones. Participants shared that the parts they enjoyed most of the program were…
Exploring difficult and hard to reach information in a nature-based environment; the combination of activities weaved throughout; being in the garden itself; working and talking in a dyadic group; flexibility to adapt the program to suit where we were on any particular day; getting my hands in the soil; feeling comfortable and supported as a person with neurodifference; my sensory sensitivities were acknowledged and respected.
View our Spring Program gallery HERE
Neurodiversity affirming assessments
Teaming up with Youth Inc., we have been providing vital supports through psychology and speech pathology services which empower South Australian young people during this overwhelming and indisputable mental health crisis. Within this partnership we have so far been able to deliver targeted neurodiversity affirming psychological assistance (autism, educational, communication and cognitive assessments) with additional supplemental reports which have in turn assisted (so far) six marginalised young people to now access the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). These young people came with their own individual stories, yet all with the same difficulty - struggling to afford or simply access these very necessary and life changing formal assessments. These access issues only further push vulnerable people into undereducation, underemployment, insecure housing, and compound psychosocial dysfunction. Made worse by the knowledge that some private companies now charge in excess of $3500 per assessment, with an average waitlist of over 12-months, suffice to say, we were keen to begin our work. Thanks to YouthInc. our assessments were funded through discretionary means. Resulting in participants paying no out-of-pocket fees.
All six participants now have access to the care and support which they require to lift them out of previous disempowerment, and into living situations that they can feel proud of, with the hope of now sharing their intrinsic gifts and talents with the world. We’re incredibly proud of this work and look forward to continuing this partnership with YouthInc. and their students long into the future. An eventual plan will be to deliver these psychological assessments at a reduced fee within our nature-based therapy ecosystem as to minimise stress, fear and discomfort. Assessments can be challenging enough as they are, stuffy environments and financial disincentives can make matters far worse. We seek to change this and have consulting locations which are modulated for humans.
Read more about Topsoil’s goals and vision
Psychology Services in Naarm (Melbourne)
Expanding our reach, we established a psychology service at the CERES Community Environment Park in Brunswick East, Melbourne (Naarm). Jay, our psychologist, delivers services both in person and virtually, to cater to diverse needs and promote accessibility . Our partnership with CERES has grown to now include our very own Topsoil Garden patch at this well loved and established community biopark. We hope to eventually deliver our Topsoil Horticulture Therapy seasonal program both at CERES and our forever-home in Norton Summit. If you live in Naarm or would like to receive telehealth services from Jay, feel free to read more about their practice here or email us any questions directly to care@topsoilgarden.org.
Jay’s private rooms and clinic at CERES in Brunswick East, Naarm
Jay’s Topsoil Garden patch at CERES - a home away from home
Read more about our team and our services
Organisational Milestones:
We are thrilled to announce that Topsoil Garden Incorporated has become an ACNC charity as a Public Benevolent Institution of which we have also obtained Deductible Gift Recipience (DGR) status. This milestone marks a significant achievement for our organisation's sustainability, growth and commitment to our values.
Several of our dedicated volunteers transitioned into professional roles within the organisation, embodying the spirit of honouring each others gifts and collaboration.
We are currently scoping out new roles both in therapeutic and administrative positions and look to become a well-rounded health practice.
Professional development - our members have been busy learning and developing their skills during Spring and Summer. Just a few of the PD opportunities include: Healing On Country, EMDR: Level 2 advanced course, EMDR for neurodiverse populations, Neurodiversity affirming Clinical Supervision, Advanced Assessment Methods in Clinical Psychology.
From little things, big things grow
Looking Ahead to 2024:
We're gearing up to launch and roll out our Autumn Horticulture Therapy program, furthering our mission to foster well-being and connection through nature-based interventions. If you’d like to put an inquiry in please email us at care@topsoilgarden.org. Or fill in our referral form located HERE. More on this to come in our February newsletter.
We are seeking to employ an additional psychologist, speech pathologist and occupational therapist to aid with our clinical services, as well as to continue to deliver our Horticulture Therapy programs at The Scenic Hotel. We’re hoping to continue to do this in a considered, sustainable and supported way - free of the usury and neo-liberal methods that we have all individually witnessed through our time in healthcare. We hope to be able to hold each other to our values and commitments with which we commenced this project with.
Norton Summit site build - we have re-engaged with Tim and Kelly from BMD our in-kind building/construction company who has very generously donated their time and skills to our cause. In our current negotiations with the Adelaide Hills Council (AHC) the provision of toilet facilities has significantly increased the complexity of our site and build. BMD are currently underway developing technical drawings and site-specific plans to assist with our resubmission to council. We hope to be able to update you all very soon on the outcome of this resubmission.
AHC has been very gracious in supporting us with this process. Though the site has been more challenging than previously anticipated, we're still committed to bringing this wonderful space to life and thank each and every one of you for your continued support and patience as we navigate this mission. We want to acknowledge how much more of a steep learning curve building a fit-for-purpose disability practice on the side of a hill has been. This has certainly been a teacher for us, and one we’re incredibly grateful for.
In spite of not yet having our forever-home up and running in the time we had initially expected we are very much moving ahead with our delivery of the Topsoil programs at The Scenic Hotel garden. Through this we are building, testing and enacting our initial plans in a way that can eventually be adopted when we shift over the road, and/or to any other future site(s) both in and out of the Adelaide Hills.
Thank you for being an integral part of our journey. Your support and participation fuel our passion to create meaningful impact in our community.
With gratitude, The Topsoil Garden Members