Strengthening the missing middle of adolescent care
Structured early intervention for adolescent girls who need more than weekly support — but do not require hospital care.
Why Solid Ground
Solid Ground was developed in response to a growing gap in support for young people. Many adolescent girls need more than traditional, once-a-week therapy, yet do not meet the criteria for acute or hospital-based care. Too often, they are left trying to manage escalating challenges without the level of support they need. We saw the need for something different — a structured, short-term program that provides consistency, connection, and practical support, while remaining developmentally appropriate and grounded in real life. Informed by the voices of young people, families, and regional professionals, our model brings together movement, time in nature, creative expression, peer connection, and guided skill-building within a safe and professionally supported environment. Drawing on trauma-informed, relational, and strengths-based approaches, Solid Ground strengthens internal stability, identity, and confidence at a critical stage of development — supporting meaningful and lasting change.
Our Mission & Values
Solid Ground Recovery Centre is committed to delivering structured early intervention grounded in safety, integrity, and meaningful partnership with families and community.
Safety First
Participant wellbeing underpins all program design, decision-making, and governance.
Structure with Compassion
Clear, consistent frameworks delivered with relational warmth and respect.
Youth Voice Matters
Shaped through consultation with young people, and grounded in lived experience.
Family Partnership
Sustainable change happens when families are engaged, supported, and included.
Accountability & Integrity
We operate with transparent governance, measurable outcomes, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
Cultural Safety & Inclusion
We are committed to culturally safe, inclusive practice. We honour Aboriginal leadership, identity, and connection to community, ensuring our work reflects respect, partnership, and responsiveness to diverse lived experiences.
The People Behind Solid Ground
Our team combines clinical expertise, lived experience, and deep commitment to supporting adolescent girls through structured early intervention in regional New South Wales.
Founder & CEO
Kimberley Smith
Kimberley Smith is a trauma counsellor, youth advocate and founder of Solid Ground Recovery Centre, with over 15 years’ experience supporting young people and families. Her work began in teen mental health, including the creation of a free wellbeing magazine to amplify youth voice and provide practical tools for resilience. She has worked across Aboriginal communities and juvenile detention, deepening her commitment to early intervention and dignity-based care. A former member of the Australian Army, Kimberley brings grounded leadership and a strong understanding of trauma and its impact. She holds a Master of Counselling, runs a private practice, and works within the community sector supporting complex and vulnerable populations. Kimberley collaborates with carers, schools and service systems to promote holistic, relational care. A proud Northern Rivers local and mum, she is dedicated to creating environments where young people don’t just cope — they rise.
Program Coordinator
Dominic Fallini
Dom is a facilitator, mentor and proud Quandamooka man with over 15 years’ experience leading men’s groups and working with young people across community settings. He creates spaces that challenge, strengthen and connect — guiding men and youth to step into responsibility, identity and purpose. Deeply committed to the next generation, Dom works to empower Indigenous youth to stand strong in cultural pride while accessing education, leadership and opportunity. His work honours culture as a foundation for resilience and direction, integrating storytelling, community connection and culturally grounded practices into his facilitation. Holding a Bachelor of Health Science, Dom brings grounded knowledge and lived experience. His steady presence, calm authority and clear guidance support others to build confidence, self-awareness and lasting change.
Youth Mentor
Kasey Godwin
Kasey is a proud Wiradjuri woman with over eight years’ experience in community services and holds a Diploma in Community Services. Her background spans Aboriginal Housing, Out-of-Home Care, and direct support roles with young people navigating vulnerability, placement instability, and complex life circumstances. Kasey is warm, approachable, and highly skilled in engaging teenagers. She forms strong, respectful connections and creates safe, culturally responsive spaces where young people feel seen, heard, and supported. Her lived experience, alongside professional training, strengthens her ability to work alongside young people facing adversity with empathy, steadiness, and practical guidance. Working from a strengths-based framework, Kasey focuses on resilience, identity, and capability — helping young people build confidence, stability, and a clearer sense of direction. She is deeply committed to empowering youth to recognise their potential and feel valued within their communities.
Therapeutic Arts Facilitator
Aiba Godwin
Aiba Godwin is an experienced environmental educator and youth worker with over 25 years supporting young people across diverse communities. Her work includes bush schools, autism camps, youth centres, and therapeutic programs for disengaged young people, including music initiatives through the ACMF Children’s Foundation and programs with young people who have had contact with the juvenile justice system in Broome. Of mixed Papua New Guinean and Anglo-Australian heritage and raised in North Queensland, Aiba brings a strong appreciation for culture, land, and community connection. She creates inclusive spaces where creativity becomes a pathway to confidence, regulation, and self-expression for young people of all abilities and backgrounds. A multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Aiba integrates music, movement, nature connection, and therapeutic arts into youth-focused workshops. With a creative yet grounded presence, she inspires young people to recognise their strengths, build self-worth, and grow in ways that feel authentic and empowering.
Built with partnership and purpose
Solid Ground has been shaped through consultation and co-design with young people, families, and regional professionals — ensuring the program reflects real needs, prioritises safety, and delivers practical impact. The Centre is made possible through the support of philanthropic partners, community organisations, local businesses, and individuals committed to strengthening regional mental health care. Our strategic priorities include: • Delivery and independent evaluation of Foundation Year (2026) • Establishment of a permanent regional site • Expansion to include boys’ intakes following evaluation • Development of sponsorship pathways to support equitable access • Ongoing refinement of a measurable outcomes framework
Thinking this might be the right support?
We welcome enquiries from families, practitioners, schools, and potential funding partners.