ABOUT

Being a full time working mum with three active kids, my days were filled with doing the necessary jobs to get by such as washing, drying, ironing, making lunches and meal times. Extra activities such as cleaning up and sorting through cupboards for not only myself but also the kids and also pantry and kitchen, was something I could only dream of, plus I didn’t know where to start and honestly didn’t really have the desire to do it either. But I was finding myself feeling grumpy and frustrated every time I looked in the cupboard or pantry and was wasting a lot of time trying to find things.
Since Marion has been, I now find myself looking forward to placing things in cupboards after ironing them as everything has a home and is visible so I know what I have and where it belongs. I love opening the pantry now as I can see what food I have and it has also made it easier for the kids to go to the pantry themselves to find food to eat. Everything is tidier and cleaner. I feel quite proud if I was to have people look inside my cupboards.
I would definitely recommend a place of calm as Marion was able to complete the decluttering and organising in half the time I would spend to do it, plus I would spend so much time thinking about what to do but Marion logically works through the process.
The upfront investment is so worth the reward of feeling less stressed about how messy cupboards are and being overwhelmed about when would I have time and where do I start.
Thank you Marion

My client was struggling with recognising what a good standard of living was and how to achieve that; disorganisation and clutter in a small one bedroom unit was getting out of control. Even with years of support service, we needed to find a solution!⠀
For my client, hearing about A Place of Calm and what it was about, along with the fact that I knew Marion, was a major bonus for both of us.
Marion’s gentle but very professional approach was outstanding and right away made my client feel safe and comfortable from day one. My client now sees life and how to live, in a better way; space to move, everything has a home, easier for other services who help, to do their work. Seeing the wonderful transformation of my client and her home, along with the results which have been numerous, speaks volumes.⠀
For the great professionalism shown at all times; the communication of keeping you updated with what has been done or recommended; and tailoring the help to adapt to my client’s needs, I would definitely recommend A Place of Calm without hesitation to anyone, especially case managers needing help in this area, for their clients.

Marion provides a holistic approach to her practice. Not only does Marion provide hands on support, she provides essential skill and capacity building support to those she is assisting.
Marion is respectful, non-judgemental and prides herself on developing a strong rapport with her clients.
Marion is skilled in complex environmental situations and is adaptable with her practice.
Marion works collaboratively with client’s care teams and networks to benefit those she is supporting.
I have received nothing but praise for Marion from clients and professional networks.

Dear Marion, I am writing to you to let you know how thrilled my sister and l were to get your help with decluttering my dad’s home, as he is in his early 90’s, and of course he wants to stay in his own home, but he does have a habit of falling over, or may l say losing his balance, so having your expertise to declutter was very much appreciated, and you made our dad feel very comfortable.
I certainly would not hesitate to recommend A Place of Calm to anyone needing your services, to us you were a god send, and did it very professionally and you made us all feel good about the way you went about.
Thanking you ever so much W and P.

My client had hoarding tendencies which were impacted by a recent divorce and moving from a house into a very small unit. Unfortunately my client could not receive services from her NDIS Plan to support her in the unit as the residence did not pass a risk assessment. Adding to this, the neighbours were complaining of the rubbish build up in the client’s carport which was attracting rats.
I engaged Marion from A Place of Calm and with her help, the client has completely cleared out the carport. At least three loads of items were picked up by charity trucks and a few loads of rubbish by a skip on wheels company. Marion also erected a portable shed in the back yard to enable more storage space. My clients is now working towards having supports back in the unit.
The biggest benefit of using A Place of Calm is that Marion builds rapport and trust with the clients from her first meeting which is extremely important for the client and successful outcomes.
I would recommend A Place of Calm as I have seen very positive results and Marion is professional and warm and in touch with all involved.

Prior to working with Marion from a Place of Calm, I was feeling overwhelmed with clutter and jobs left undone! My MS was also a contributing factor. I didn’t know how to ‘let go’ of things, I couldn’t just ‘throw them out.’ I wasn’t sure I’d ever manage to create and keep a tidy cupboard.
From learning how to declutter to a tidier house and mind, working with Marion has been fantastically positive. I would definitely recommend A Place of Calm.

To Marion, thankyou for your highly informative and helpful presentation today, let’s hope it ‘bears fruit’ for all those who attended.
We appreciate the time and effort you kindly gave us.

I was stressed with all the things that had accumulated in my home. The cupboards were full and I could not face the thought of going through the things stored in them. I needed professional help, not a friend but someone who would be objective and removed from the emotional attachments I felt to the Stuff. Marion understood and was my strength during the process. I felt that Marion did listen to my reservations and guided me through the decisions I had to make. Marion was supportive of me during the process and now I have a great sense of relief and freedom and a feeling of control with what I choose to have in my home. I would recommend Marion and her professional skills to others.

It was such a pleasure to have Marion come to my home to help me organise and cull my clothing. For years I kept so many clothes in my wardrobe that I loved and had memories attached to them, but I no longer wore. I wanted to create some space in my wardrobe and I wanted to feel good about the clothes I owned, not look and see old memories and nothing to wear. Marion was professional but more importantly she was understanding and considerate of my situation and the difficulty in letting go of items that were a part of my life for so many years. What I found really lovely that afternoon was that Marion was never forceful or controlling but instead I felt I could trust her enough to talk about my situation and it allowed me to make my own decisions to let go of things myself. I feel lighter and free!! Thank you for bringing a lovely energy into my home and for your support.

I just wanted to say another big thank you for all of your help in getting our house under control. You were so easy to work with from the minute you walked in and made the whole process both easy and efficient. We have been able to maintain the systems you helped to put in place and have found that we are now keeping on top of everything much more easily. Our ‘stuff’ was causing me a great deal of stress as I was unable to manage the day to day tidying and organisation of our home. This left me feeling overwhelmed and at times quite down. The simple process of letting go of many things and finding a place for everything else has made the world of difference. Thank you for all of your support throughout the process. We couldn’t have done it without you.

I wish to record my appreciation of the valuable assistance provided to me by Mrs Marion Ivermee-Villarosa in the reorganising and decluttering of my home study. Over a period of time I had been working alone on this project but my progress was slow due to many other demands on my time. Once I had arranged for Marion to ‘come on board’ we soon built a momentum which under her direction and participation saw the successful completion of the project a week ago. I am extremely pleased with the outcome and thank Marion sincerely for her valuable services.

Thank you Marion for the help you have given me in sorting through my cluttered kitchen cupboards, I had no idea what to do with them as it was all very overwhelming. With you, it was not an invasion but a dedicated caring heart doing something you are naturally good at plus, you showed nothing but respect and care to the point where I could do my little bit as well. I will not allow them to get to that stage again.

Thank you so much for your patience, kindness, clarity of thought and wonderful guidance…and making it fun, you are very clever. I really feel like I am cleaning out more than clutter, you are so inspiring!!

We needed to relocate which meant a complete downsize, 17 years into a 45 day time frame. We needed direction because the big picture was totally overwhelming and we couldn’t see the ‘wood from the trees’.
With planning, Marion helped us with our previously delayed decision making about what we needed and what could potentially go. Her direction, guidance and invaluable insight and recommendations to other services, helped us produce what we set out to achieve. A seamless move.

When I conduct pre-move assessments, for the majority of our customers, I see the relocation of unnecessary furniture and many boxes/bags packed with items that are not longer needed; simply because for various reasons the people don’t have the ability to de-clutter prior to the move. This adds significant cost, not to mention the frustration and annoyance most people feel throughout the whole moving process because of having to deal with their unnecessary clutter.
Marion from “A Place of Calm” provides an excellent personal service to assist people with de-cluttering their households at any time, but in particular when relocating from one house to another. I strongly recommend the use of Marion’s personal and professional service to help create a more comfortable future in your home.

I opened the door to a stranger when I enlisted Marion’s help a little while ago. I was anxious and worried about inviting her to help start the decluttering journey. Making the phone call was enough to get me started before our appointment BUT I am so glad I met Marion. I said goodbye to a FRIEND at the end of our short time together and I have been singing her praises to all my friends but have never told her how wonderful and helpful she was. Marion was respectful, gentle . encouraging and efficient. She gave me many suggestions to help me maintain the easy organisation after our time together. Thank you Marion. I can’t recommend Marion highly enough. If you need help, call her. Not only will you find your home/cupboard/room/self/whatever – you will find a friend.

My mum struggles with an acquired brain injury as a result of a stroke and Marion has been an outstanding support to my mother during the process of moving her to into a new home. Marion assisted Mum and our family by being on-site to provide both practical advice and emotional support during and after the move. Her support gave Mum a sense of comfort that she had someone there to help where she needed, but to also offer friendship and care at times things become challenging or overwhelming. Since the move, Mum seems so happy and much more confident in her abilities to care for herself and stay organised and tidy. Marion’s assistance was invaluable and we intend to keep Marion engaged in providing ongoing support and assistance for Mum as she settles into her new home and lifestyle.

I first saw Marion’s profile in the Humans In Geelong Expo profile in 2017 and thought to myself ‘I need that lady’.
I was wanting to sell my house and relocate but thought it was beyond my reach. I have MS and fatigue very quickly mentally and physically, so it felt like a big unachievable picture.
When I’d tried to get on top of things I would end up making more of a mess plus
I had a bit of an ‘op shop’ addiction.
The beauty of working with Marion was she broke it down for me by planning what we needed to do, what I needed to take, and the support I needed to get some of the jobs done such as a vacate clean, and removalist.
As we decluttered, Marion would offer suggestions that were logical and got results but if I wasn’t ready to let go of something, she certainly didn’t force me.
I would have moments of complete embarrassment, but not once did I get the feeling that Marion was judging me. That was priceless. Marion was and still is great company, and although at times I was stressed, her cheeky sense of
humour made the process fun.
Marion saved me a lot of worry and even connected me with reliable service providers. To have Marion on board with the packing then setting up the new home at the other end was fantastic and I will be forever grateful.