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This practical session explores how school psychologists, counsellors and pastoral staff can confidently navigate requests for information, subpoenas and court involvement. With a focus on real-world school contexts, it will unpack what you are required to do, where your professional boundaries sit, and how to respond when legal, ethical and organisational expectations collide. The session also highlights the importance of clear, documented processes and well-structured consent practices to support consistent, defensible decision-making around information sharing.
What you will learn
This session will provide you with a comprehensive overview of family law as it relates to your work, including:
This course includes:
Who is it for?
Presented by:
When supporting students experiencing self-harm or suicidal thoughts, school staff are often balancing compassion, legal responsibility and practical limitations. In this session, Dr Matt O’Connor and Ben Tallboys unpack what duty of care looks like in real school contexts — including identifying risk, sharing information appropriately, and making reasonable, defensible decisions. Designed for school psychologists, counsellors, pastoral staff and leaders, this session will help you navigate complexity with greater clarity and confidence, while maintaining fair and sustainable boundaries.
As school counsellors and pastoral carers, your role often intersects with family dynamics, particularly during challenging times like family breakdowns. Understanding the implications of separation on children and families is crucial. This session aims to give you an overview of Family Law Orders and how they impact students and schools, Family Violence and Intervention Orders, and your rights and responsibilities regarding providing information to parents and third parties. We’ll also look at how to integrate this knowledge into the systems and processes you use in your school, to ensure that there are clear guides for decision making.
Dr Matt O’Connor
Clinical and School Psychologist
Dr Matt O’Connor is a Clinical and School Psychologist, Board-Approved Supervisor, and Director of ConnectEd Counselling and Consultancy—a Brisbane-based clinic supporting young people, families, and schools. With experience across clinical, educational, and organisational settings, Matt brings a deep understanding of the real-world challenges facing school-based professionals.
His areas of expertise are in supporting school psychologists, counsellors, and pastoral care staff to navigate the layered dynamics of school systems, where limited time, complex relationships, and competing demands can make the work especially challenging.
Matt’s work focuses on implementing practical, sustainable approaches to student wellbeing, including the design of effective school counselling systems, early intervention initiatives, and whole-school pastoral care frameworks. He helps schools create clear, usable processes that align with best practice.
A sought-after presenter, Matt has delivered over 1,000 workshops, presentations and keynotes for schools, universities, and organisations across Australia, combining academic insight with practical strategies that genuinely support those working on the ground.
Rebecca (Bec) Dahl
Lawyer
Bec practices exclusively in Family Law and has a keen interest in promoting access to justice for the LGBTIQA+ community and specialises in providing legal guidance for rainbow families on various legal matters including donor agreements, parentage, assisted reproduction, IVF and relationship separation.
She also has extensive experience in marital and de facto property disputes, and preparing Binding Financial Agreements both during relationships, and post separation as well as assisting clients involved in Intervention Order proceedings in the Magistrates Court.
Bec is a trained Collaborative Practitioner and relishes the opportunity to assist clients in this non-litigious form of dispute resolution.
In addition, Bec provides advice to clients and representation in relation to all other legal issues arising from family law and relationship breakdown including:
Bec also has experience in the Children’s Court jurisdiction both in Victoria and South Australia and is able to provide advice and support to clients involved in these systems.
As a product of her passion for access to justice within the LGBTIQA+ community, Bec is heavily celebrated in the advocacy space. Bec is a regular presenter on JOY 94.9, Australia’s LGBTIQA+ community media organisation. As a testament to her contributions to the LGBTIQA+ advocacy space, Bec is the recipient of numerous nominations at the GLOBE Community Awards. Bec has also spoken at national conferences on legal issues impacting the LGBTIQA+ community.
Bec is also a member of the Leadership Team of the Victorian Chapter of Pride in Law.
Meet your presenter
Bec Dahl
Practising Family Lawyer with over 20 years of experience in divorce, separation, child access, property division, surrogacy, and LGBTQIA+ family law issues.
Her extensive background in family law provides unique insights into the challenges school counsellors may face, offering guidance on how to support children and families navigating the complexities of family law.
Dr Matt O’Connor
Clinical and School Psychologist, and Director of Brisbane-based clinic and consultancy service, ConnectEd Counselling and Consultancy, who deliver the ConnectEd School PD series for school psychologists/counsellors and pastoral care staff.
His work across the school-sector in Australia focuses on the practical and applied challenges school counsellor’s encounter. Matt is a sought-after supervisor and consultant, often in the areas of school structures and supporting psychologists/counsellors and schools to identify opportunities to improve school pastoral care and wellbeing processes.
Understand the legal requirements and duty of care responsibilities for school staff when supporting students experiencing self harm and suicidal thoughts
Gain essential insights into Family Law Orders, parental responsibilities, and navigating the complexities of family dynamics in schools.
This unique Professional Development session will explore how to integrate AI-driven digital scribing solutions into your practise—whether you are a psychologist, physiotherapist, GP, or other health practitioner!
School Psychologist and Counsellor PD package
Access ALL courses from 2023-2026
(works out to be only $12 per PD!)
"It has been really helpful to have access to PD that's specific to school psychology/ counselling. The most helpful element has been hearing about the diversity of school psychology/ counselling, and getting a sense of what's "normal" in terms of role expectations, approaches to counselling, etc."
"I appreciated the focus on processes and how to effectively set up localised, meaningful systems (within an already existing system of a school/sector)"
Expert-designed live and on-demand webinars, complete with resources, for school psychologists and counsellors. Covering the most important, practical, and complex areas of school-based practice.
"ConnectEd provides informative, thoughtful and engaging PD that can be applied to all therapeutic practices. Being available for live sessions is difficult, but the ability to go back and view recordings has made ConnectEd one of my favourite ways to stay up-to-date on topics that are always relevant to my practice."
3 PD sessions covering practical ways to improve your work, processes and boundaries in schools
A practical session that builds confidence in delivering brief, effective parent-focused interventions within a school counselling role.
Explore how autism presents differently in girls and discover practical, student-led strategies to support their wellbeing, learning and sense of belonging at school.
Expert-designed live and on-demand webinars, complete with resources, for school psychologists and counsellors. Covering the most important, practical, and complex areas of school-based practice.
Practical strategies and examples for designing and implementing effective school transition programs for students starting primary and high school
A practical and compassionate guide to understanding and supporting students with Pathological Demand Avoidance in school settings.
A practical and evidence-based PD session exploring short-term therapeutic interventions in schools and how to document them effectively for student support and NCCD.
A practical and engaging guide to designing and running effective intervention groups in primary school settings
A practical PD session on balancing well-being and time management for school psychologists and counsellors counsellors, covering burnout prevention, boundary setting, and effective time management strategies to enhance efficiency and work-life balance
Learn how to harness AI tools to improve efficiency, streamline processes, and navigate compliance in your professional practice in schools.
A practical and insightful session exploring strategies and tools to collaborate effectively with parents, supporting student wellbeing and success.
Explore frameworks and strategies for building effective interdisciplinary teamwork between school psychologists and learning support teams to enhance student success
Expert-designed live and on-demand webinars, complete with resources, for school psychologists and counsellors. Covering the most important, practical, and complex areas of school-based practice.
Learn how to ask the right questions, collect and analyse data effectively, and share your findings to make a real difference in your school community.
Explore innovative strategies for school psychologists and counsellors to support student well-being beyond traditional therapy.
Enhance your skills in supporting school administration and support staff, managing pressure points, and fostering collaboration for better student care.
Discover practical guidance for setting up and managing effective school wellbeing spaces to support student self-regulation and mental health.
Explore practical strategies for school assessments, from administration to reporting, to enhance personalised learning and support mental health interventions.
Learn effective meeting structures to enhance service delivery in schools, improving collaboration and productivity for school psychologists and counsellors
Learn practical strategies to set boundaries, prevent burnout, and enhance wellbeing in your professional role.
Enhance your presentation and group facilitation skills in school settings with practical tips and strategies.
Learn to use digital systems for efficient management of referrals, bookings, notes, and data in school counselling and psychology settings.
Enhance your school’s approach to managing student risk. Learn to pre-plan, identify, assess, and manage risk, ensuring effective communication and better outcomes.
Learn to collect, analyse, and communicate data to improve service delivery and support student well-being.
Discover strategies to define your role, enhance clarity, and improve communication as a school psychologist or counsellor
Pastoral Carers PD package
Access ALL courses
(works out to be only $25 per PD!)
Tailor-made live and on-demand webinars (and resources), designed specifically for Pastoral Carers in Schools. Supporting you with practical insights, strategies and considerations to address the unique challenges faced in these roles (e.g. year level coordinators, heads of house, deputies and principals).
An introduction to the foundations of effective pastoral care, focusing on how schools can create consistent, sustainable systems of support through clear roles, relational practices, and tiered wellbeing structures.
A reflective session that centres carers themselves, exploring how to sustain compassion, manage emotional labour, and build professional boundaries and cultures that protect wellbeing while doing deeply caring work.
A practical session for pastoral carers on supporting students to navigate friendships, boundaries, consent and healthy relationships with confidence and care.
Tailor-made live and on-demand webinars (and resources), designed specifically for Pastoral Carers in Schools. Supporting you with practical insights, strategies and considerations to address the unique challenges faced in these roles (e.g. year level coordinators, heads of house, deputies and principals).
Practical strategies for integrating pastoral care and curriculum to improve collaboration, communication, and student wellbeing in schools.
Learn how to recognise and respond to student emotional distress using a practical tiered model of support tailored for school-based professionals.
Learn how to recognise and respond to academic pressure and perfectionism in schools, with practical strategies to support student wellbeing and sustainable achievement.
Explore practical strategies for supporting young people in developing healthy technology habits, engaging parents in conversations about digital wellbeing, and creating effective guidelines for technology use
Strengthen school-home relationships with practical strategies for effective communication, managing difficult conversations, and fostering parent engagement.
A PD session that equips pastoral carers with skills to set boundaries, prevent burnout, and prioritise sustainable wellbeing in their roles.
Discover how to optimise pastoral care processes with digital systems and tools to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in your role
Tailor-made live and on-demand webinars (and resources), designed specifically for Pastoral Carers in Schools. Supporting you with practical insights, strategies and considerations to address the unique challenges faced in these roles (e.g. year level coordinators, heads of house, deputies and principals).
Discover strategies to define your role, enhance clarity, and improve communication as a school psychologist or counsellor
Gain essential skills in managing risk and supporting students at risk of significant self-harm and suicide. This webinar will cover comprehensive processes for identification, assessment, immediate management, and ongoing care, ensuring effective and empathetic support within a school setting.
Enhance your role as a school pastoral carer with practical counselling skills to support students' mental health. This webinar will provide you with essential tools for handling challenging conversations, establishing effective boundaries, and collaborating efficiently with your team.
Enhance your role as a school pastoral carer with practical strategies for clarity, consistency, and communication, strategies better define your responsibilities, establish effective boundaries, and collaborate efficiently with your team.
Practical guidance for school staff supporting students experiencing family difficulties, including separation, conflict, and other complex home situations.
Understand the legal requirements and duty of care responsibilities for school staff when supporting students experiencing self harm and suicidal thoughts
Gain essential insights into Family Law Orders, parental responsibilities, and navigating the complexities of family dynamics in schools.
This unique Professional Development session will explore how to integrate AI-driven digital scribing solutions into your practise—whether you are a psychologist, physiotherapist, GP, or other health practitioner!
