Vicki Martin

My Story

Hi, I’m Vicki, owner of Harmony and Growth. Welcome!

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I live in the glorious Barossa Valley in South Australia, and I am dedicated to empowering Mums and Dads to feel confident in their parenting skills, to lay the foundations that can help raise children into resilient and confident adults. I believe that every family is unique, and as a researcher and psychologist, with over 20 years of experience, I have worked closely with individual families, to understand their specific needs and have help many successfully navigate the ups and downs of living in what is an increasingly fast-paced world.

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In my spare time, I enjoy travelling and exploring new places, pottering in my garden, loving on my friends’ pets when I visit for a cuppa and chat, and going for walks either locally or down at the beach. I’m also a lifelong learner – reading about new techniques and the latest research into what makes us humans tick.

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A bit of back story

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In 1998, after resigning from a successful career in the world of corporate banking, I volunteered as a child care worker with CAFHs, and then later as a volunteer Playgroup Coordinator on the CranioFacial, Burns, and Palliative Care ward at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in North Adelaide. It was here I felt drawn to helping parents and children who were facing significant emotional and physical challenges.

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I remember one pivotal moment on the hospital ward that involved comforting a crying child with severe burns. Aside from some babysitting ventures in my teenage years, I’d had little involvement with children up to this point, but the training I received at the hospital allowed me to quickly and successfully calm the child – I was just as surprised and delighted as the parent 😊. This incident became a turning point for me, as, up until then, I’d assumed all parents were provided with at least the essentials of parenting knowledge. Motivated to make a difference, I decided to retrain as a psychologist. This saw me move from Adelaide to Brisbane, where I dove heart and soul into research and projects at the University of Queensland, taking a special interest in neurodevelopmental psychology and focussing on children's learning and social/emotional development.

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After more than 15 years in private practice, I am now looking to transition from one-on-one therapy to group coaching and mentoring, aiming to share my knowledge and skills with a broader audience online, supporting and empowering parents and caregivers worldwide. With compassion, commitment and connection.