Inner Child & Reparenting Work in Melbourne
The idea of “inner child work” might feel unfamiliar, or even a little strange at first. But once it clicks, many people find it opens up a powerful way of understanding yourself and your emotional patterns
It can help make sense of why you might feel stuck, reactive, or overwhelmed in certain moments - especially when what’s happening now touches on something deeper from the past.
What is the inner child?
Your “inner child” refers to the younger parts of you - parts that carry early emotional experiences, unmet needs, and core beliefs shaped in childhood. These parts can show up when we feel hurt, unseen, abandoned, overwhelmed, or unsafe - especially in situations that echo past experiences.
You might notice your inner child showing up when:
Someone speaks over you in a meeting, and you feel dismissed or small
Someone close to you makes a comment, and you find yourself shutting down or pulling away
As a parent, your child’s emotional outburst brings up unexpected anger or helplessness
These moments can feel confusing - like your reaction feels disproportionate to what’s happening now. But often, they’re connected to something older.
They can reflect earlier experiences where your needs weren’t met, or where it didn’t feel safe to be fully yourself. You might have grown up in a family where big feelings were discouraged, dismissed, or punished.
For some, it’s not necessarily about culture or background, but about the experiences - subtle or not - that taught you it wasn’t safe to express yourself, or that you had to earn love by being “good,” quiet, or helpful.
How does inner child work help?
Inner child work invites you to reconnect with and care for these younger parts of yourself - particularly the parts that may not have received the compassion, protection, or emotional safety they needed.
Whether you were raised in a home where emotions weren’t welcome, or praised for being the “easy” or “responsible” one, these early experiences shape how you relate to yourself as an adult. For some, this can show up as perfectionism, people-pleasing, emotional shutdowns, or a sense of feeling stuck in ways that don’t quite feel like you.
Reparenting work allows us to gently shift this over time, by offering those inner parts the support they needed, but may not have received.
This might include:
Exploring early relationship patterns and emotional wounds
Reconnecting with younger parts of yourself in ways that feel safe and grounding
Learning how to “reparent” yourself with the love, validation, and boundaries you may not have received
Through this work, you may begin to experience a deeper sense of self-compassion, greater emotional steadiness, and more freedom in how you respond - rather than feeling pulled into the same reactions.
At times, this process can also bring up grief, anger, or sadness. It’s not about forcing anything to surface, but having the space to move through what’s already there, at a pace that feels right for you.
How we work with the inner child:
At our practice, inner child and reparenting work is a unique service currently offered by Jackie, our principal counsellor. Jackie has a special interest in supporting adults who feel stuck in patterns rooted in childhood wounds - particularly those shaped by relational, emotional, or intergenerational trauma.
This work draws on trauma-informed, relational, and somatic approaches, including:
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I bring a body-aware lens to inner child and reparenting work. This means we pay gentle attention to how your body holds past experiences—whether that’s tension, numbness, collapse, or a sense of urgency. We might notice how a younger part responds to certain emotions or relational dynamics not just cognitively, but physiologically.
The focus is on building awareness, co-regulation, and developing a sense of safety and connection within your body. This helps your inner child parts feel seen, soothed, and supported -not just in words, but in felt experience. -
IFS helps us connect with the different "parts" within us—including the inner child. In this work, we gently explore the protective parts that have developed over time, and create space to hear from the younger parts that may be holding old pain or unmet needs. It’s a way of building inner trust, healing wounds, and developing more compassion for yourself.
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EFT supports you in accessing, making sense of, and processing emotions that may have been buried or dismissed in childhood. By tuning into these feelings with care and curiosity, we can begin to shift painful emotional patterns and build more authentic ways of relating - to yourself and to others.
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These practices help you slow down, tune in, and respond to your inner experience with kindness instead of judgment. In inner child work, they’re powerful tools for offering your younger self the understanding and care they may not have received at the time.
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EMDR can support inner child work by helping the nervous system process experiences that may still feel unresolved or emotionally charged. Rather than needing to talk through every detail, we focus on how these experiences are showing up for you now - in your thoughts, emotions, and body.
Through this process, memories that once felt overwhelming can begin to feel more distant, less activating, and easier to hold. This can create more space for your inner child parts to feel safer, less burdened, and no longer stuck in the same emotional responses.
You won’t be expected to dive into anything before you're ready. This is tender, nuanced work, and it’s always paced with care. Whether we’re using visualisation, reflective dialogue, or simply exploring what’s coming up in the present, the aim is to build a more compassionate, attuned relationship with yourself - one where your inner world feels less like a battleground and more like home.
Interested in exploring inner child work?
You can book a session with Jackie, who offers this service at the practice, or get in touch if you’d like to learn more about whether this approach might be a good fit for you
