Who are Check and Chat?
Having opened their doors in 2021, Check and Chat has become the leading 1:1 sexuality and consent education service in Victoria.
Run by social worker, Lou Mapleston (she/her), Check and Chat has helped hundreds of clients and their supports improve their understanding of consent, sex education, body safety and healthy relationships.
The Check and Chat team has over 10 years experience working with clients from both mainstream and disability settings, as well as complex cases including those with:
profound/multiple disabilities
complex trauma
mental health needs
non-verbal communication
neurodevelopmental and psychosocial disability.
With an ethos of respect, equity and accountability, Check and Chat provides a truly dynamic service. Sessions are realistic, and tailored to work towards each individual’s goals, while considering their limitations. Topics are designed to suit areas of interest or need, and are explored in a way that best suits each client’s learning style – whether that be through art, music or drama, as ways of exploration, connection, reflection and play.
Services are LGBTIQA+ informed and use an intersectional and feminist-based philosophy to guide theory and workshops. Check and Chat is also the leading NDIS service in consent and sexuality education in Victoria.
Please note, while Check and Chat offers wellbeing and brief counselling support for clients with non-acute MH conditions, they DO NOT offer ongoing, focused psychological strategies for mental health support. Check and Chat and its clinicians are NOT Sex therapists (they do not work on sexual function), or Trauma therapists (they do not engage in trauma therapy).
Who is Lou Mapelston?
Founder, consent educator, and counsellor, Lou Mapleston (she/her) comes with over a decade of experience in the consent, mental health and youth wellbeing space.
Guided by the social model of disability, Lou is neuro-affirming, and disability affirming, recognising the challenges individuals face are mostly due to inaccessible, discriminative systems.
Lou’s work is also deeply trauma informed. Having spent 7 years working in various roles across the public Alcohol and Other Drugs sector, Emergency Housing services, Corrections Victoria, sexual assault services and youth mental health sector.
Prior to Check and Chat, Lou was employed as the primary prevention co-ordinator at the South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault (SECASA) with working groups and individuals who have experienced relational and systems based trauma.
Providing an intentionally dynamic service, Lou is deeply connected to her clients. Recognising each person’s individual needs, goals and limitations, Lou takes a flexible, non-judgemental approach to her sessions and demonstrates unconditional positive regard for all of her clients.
She strives to provide a creative, engaging and fun environment, while surrounding herself with a network of other allied health professionals to enhance her work and service delivery to ensure the best outcomes for all of her clients.
Qualifications
Bachelor of Health Science (health promotion / public health)- Monash University
Bachelor of Social Work- Monash University
Check and Chat is proudly supported by Porter Practice Management
“Lou is a natural within the training environment and easily creates a space of safety, curiosity, and nonjudgement. Particularly in the arena of LGBTIQ+ development, were often participants limited knowledge and fear of curiosity stunts individuals learning and progression. She welcomes vulnerability without judgement.”