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 new way of understanding themselves. Often, it explains why we can feel so stuck or reactive in the present, especially when what’s happening now touches on pain from the past.

What is the inner child?

Our “inner child” refers to the younger parts of ourselves - parts that carry our 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.

Our “inner child” refers to the younger parts of ourselves - parts that carry our 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.

Here are some examples:

You might notice your inner child showing up when:

  • Someone speaks over you in a meeting, and you feel dismissed or small.

  • A friend makes a critical comment and you shut down or feel flooded with shame.

  • As a parent, your child’s emotional outburst triggers unexpected anger or helplessness in you.

While these reactions might seem disproportionate on the surface, they often reflect deeper emotional wounds from childhood - moments when your needs weren’t met, or when 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 others, it’s not necessarily about culture or background, but about 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 the way you relate to yourself as an adult. For some, this can lead to perfectionism, people-pleasing, emotional shutdowns, or feeling stuck in patterns that don’t reflect who they truly are.

Reparenting work allows us to gently shift these patterns by offering those inner parts the support they needed, but may not have received at the time.

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 may not have received.

Through this work, clients often experience a deepening of self-compassion, more emotional regulation, and a sense of freedom from old patterns. This process can also bring up grief, anger, or sadness - which is why having a trauma-informed therapist beside you is so important.

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:

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

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 this kind of 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.