The School Can't Experience
For parents and caregivers of young people who struggle to attend school, and related education and health professionals. We share experiences and insights into what is going on for our young people and how we can offer support.
Episodes
In this heartfelt episode of the School Can't Experience Podcast, host Leisa Reichelt is joined by Jane, a School Can’t parent.
Jane shares her journey with her son Johnny, who was diagnosed with ADHD and autism, and the struggles they faced within the school system. Despite a series of setbacks, Jane's advocacy led to finding a supportive educational environment where Johnny is now thriving.
00:00 Welcome to the Sch...
In this episode of the School Can't Experience Podcast, host Leisa Reichelt is joined by Louise Rogers from School Can't Australia and their guest, Eliza Fricker.
Eliza, known for her insightful School Can't Illustrations and webinars, shares her personal journey of navigating 'School Can't' with her daughter. They discuss the challenges of the school environment, the emotional toll on parents, and the...
In this episode, host Leisa Reichelt compiles into stories shared by six parents—Jennie, Marissa, Mark, Jane, Emma, and Lisa—who talk about their struggles and revelations while caring for children who struggle with school attendance.
From early signs of stress and school-related anxiety to burnout, the episode highlights common themes like masking, parent blaming, and the importance of understanding nervous system responses.
As pa...
This episode features a conversation with Tiffany Westphal, Director at School Can't Australia. With host, Leisa Reichelt, Tiffany helps us explore the top six school-based stressors identified in a survey conducted for the Senate Inquiry into School Refusal.
They discuss the nature of stressors, and the key findings from the research, providing valuable insights for parents, carers, and educators to better support children st...
In this episode, host Leisa Reichelt is joined by Lisa McLean as they discuss her daughter Mia's struggles with school attendance and anxiety.
Lisa shares her family's journey from identifying early signs of anxiety in primary school, navigating high school challenges, understanding the mind-body connection, to ultimately finding alternative educational pathways.
They discuss the stress and pressure felt by the entire fam...
This week we’re talking with Emma Brooksby, Managing Director at U&I Educational Partners, about the demands school places on executive function.
Emma, who has ADHD and a background as a school principal, shares her journey and offers insights into how executive function challenges manifest in educational settings and ways to support students who have executive function challenges.
We explore strategies to help kids succeed despi...
This week we return to our Lived Experience series and host Leisa Reichelt is joined by Mark Thompson, a father of two daughters from the south coast of New South Wales.
Mark shares the struggles and triumphs of raising his autistic daughter, codename Bluey, as she faces challenges with attending school. From the daycare where Bluey thrived, to the increasing difficulties in preschool and beyond, Mark shares their journey through t...
Dr. Ross Greene, founder of the Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) model joins host Leisa Reichelt and guest Louise Rogers from School Can't Australia in this episode of the School Can't Experience podcast.
Dr. Greene explains the philosophy behind CPS, focusing on identifying and solving problems that cause challenging behaviours rather than just addressing the behaviours themselves. He discusses practi...
In this episode of the School Can't Experience Podcast, host Leisa Reichelt is joined by clinical psychologist Adelle Sushames to discuss innovative methods for improving communication with neurodivergent children.
Adelle shares her journey, introduces the card decks she has created (Spoon Thieves, Spoon Savers, ND Me), and explains how these tools help children articulate their experiences and needs.
The conversation covers t...
In this episode of the School Can't Experience Podcast, host Leisa Reichelt chats with clinical psychologist Monique Mitchelson, co-host of the Neurodivergent Woman Podcast.
They explore the often misunderstood concept of resilience, especially for our neurodivergent young people.
Monique, who is autistic and ADHD herself, shares her journey and highlights the challenges and necessary shifts in education systems to support neur...
In this episode of the School Can't Experience Podcast, host Leisa Reichelt is joined by School Can’t Australia’s Tiffany Westphal and expert guest, Anna Clarke, to discuss the importance of neurodiversity affirming care.
Anna, a psychologist and play therapist, shares her personal and professional journey as a late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD individual. The conversation explores the principles and challenges of neuro affirmi...
In this episode of the 'School Can't Experience Podcast,' host Leisa Reichelt speaks with Jackie Hall, founder of the Parental Stress Center.
Jackie shares her journey to understanding the four ‘stressful thinking lenses’ that can make difficult parenting situations much more stressful, and how we can shift our mindset to alleviate distress. Jackie emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and challenges traditiona...
In this episode, host Leisa Reichelt is joined by Pavlina McMaster and Heidi Ryan to explore the concept of Deschooling. This is the first step in the transition to Home Education but the core concepts of Deschooling are valuable and reassuring to any School Can’t parent.
Pavlina and Heidi share their personal journeys and insights into how they successfully navigated Deschooling, addressed trauma linked to conventional schooling, a...
In this second part of Marissa Taylor’s Lived Experience episode we learn about how discovering low demand parenting and particularly the importance of collaboration through Dr Ross Greene’s CPS (Collaborative and Proactive Solutions) method was transformative for Marissa at a time when she was unsure how best to support her School Can’t children. Marissa shares some interesting ways she’s used CPS in her family and shares how she ...
In this Lived Experience episode Marissa Taylor shares her family’s experience of School Can’t as her various children each subsequently but very uniquely have their own School Can’t Experiences. Marissa shares the very different experiences she’s had dealing with schools in this journey and her learning curve into Home Education.
This is Part 1 of our discussion with Marissa. In Part 2 she will share how Dr Ross Greene’s Collabora...
In this Lived Experience episode we meet Jennie Plummer who shares her experience of supporting youngest daughter, Bethany, through her School Can’t Experience. Including her ADHD and Autism diagnosis, burnout, and equine supported recovery. Along the way Jennie learned to listen, trust her gut and tune out the loud opinions of others around her.
Dr. Naomi Fisher joins host Leisa Reichelt and School Can’t Australia director Tiffany Westphal to explore how school can contribute to burnout in young people. They discuss recognizing burnout, distinguishing it from anxiety or depression, and what parents can do to help.
Dr. Fisher, a clinical psychologist specializing in child development, trauma, and self-directed education, supports parents of neurodivergent children struggling...
In this episode, host Leisa Reichelt interviews Emma Gilmour, mum to two neurodivergent teens. Emma shares her experience supporting her younger daughter through her journey through discovering her neurodivergence, her School Can’t experience and autistic burnout, and how connecting with passion while reducing demands has helped her daughter to find her way back.
Content warning: includes discussion of self harm and suicidal thoug...
In this first 'Lived Experience' episode, Jane Nicholson, mother of three neurodivergent boys, shares her family's challenges with mainstream schooling and their decision to home educate two of their sons due to ‘School Can’t’ induced stress and trauma.
Jane discusses the deschooling process, creating a flexible educational Unschooling environment, the challenges of finding your Home Education ‘tribe’ and the ment...
In this episode of the School Can't Experience Podcast, host Leisa Reichelt is joined by Pavlina McMaster, Coordinator at the Home Education Network to shed light on some common myths about Home Education, including:
- Myth #1:Home Education is a last resort
- Myth #2: I have to work so don’t have time to Home Educate
- Myth #3: I’m not smart/educated enough to teach my kids
- Myth #4: Home Education restricts our kids future opportu...
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