WHITSUNDAY mums and local practitioners with specialised skills are being invited to participate in the region’s first ‘Masterclass for Mums’.
‘Masterclass for Mums’ is a short, paid program that aims to support maternal wellbeing and help families thrive.
The brand-new initiative is designed for mums of all ages and stages and will run four times over the next 12 months.
Program creator and founder of Motherhood & Matrescence Amanda Jackson said this was not a ‘how-to-parent’ class.
“We’re going to be flipping the script on mothering to explore what happens to women as they mother,” Ms Jackson said.
“Ultimately, I want mums to finish this program feeling good about themselves, feeling confident as mums, and having a deeper trust in their own instincts, their mothering practices and who they are.
“But to do this, we need to look at the expectations they’re carrying and remind them that they matter,” she said.
Approved and funded by the Queensland Mental Health Commission, each of the four cohorts will cover the same five topics of maternal emotions, expectations of motherhood, invisible loads, re-framing self-care, and matrescence – the transformations every mother goes through but few are told about.
“These topics have been deliberately chosen because we know they are related to those feelings of identity loss and burnout that mothers are experiencing, regardless of whether their children are tinies, toddlers, tweens, or teens, and that seeing these topics in a new way positively affects women’s wellbeing, restoring their agency and self-esteem, and enhancing the mothering experience,” Ms Jackson said.
To ensure measurable results, participants will be asked to complete a survey at the beginning and end of the program, capturing changes in their attitudes towards themselves and their mothering.
By engaging additional guest speakers to present their own high quality information and resources, Ms Jackson is seeking to maximise the opportunity for mums and showcase the range of maternal support services available in the Whitsundays.
“For me, it’s the collaboration here that’s key; we have a lot of highly skilled people in our community and part of this program is about showcasing our community and making those skills more accessible,” she said.
Practitioners will be paid for their presentation and program participants will receive $250 on completion of the course.
The program will run within school terms, starting in Term Three during the week commencing July 28.
It will be held at Motherhood & Matrescence, 121 Shute Harbour Road, Cannonvale.
Places are limited.
For more information, or to register your interest, visit www.motherhoodandmatrescence.com.
