Rising Heat Project Australia provides age-appropriate education that helps children and young people recognise early warning signs, understand healthy boundaries and seek safe support — long before things escalate.
Personalised support for young people, families, and schools to identify early warning signs of unhealthy or coercive behaviours and take proactive steps before harm occurs.
Safe, facilitated conversations that strengthen communication, reduce risk, and help navigate tense or unstable situations with clarity and care.
Trauma-informed emotional support for individuals affected by instability, family violence, or toxic relationships, fostering resilience, confidence, and long-term wellbeing.
Rising Heat Project Australia delivers structured, evidence-informed education programs that support young people to notice early warning signs in friendships, relationships and family life. Our focus is on prevention: building awareness, language and practical skills so that small changes in behaviour are recognised early, before they become harm.
Rising Heat Project Australia was founded by Sharney Cullen after experiencing firsthand how overlooked patterns and failures in systems can impact families for generations to come. Rather than focusing on crisis or blame, the project turns those lessons into practical tools for early education and awareness within schools, families and communities
• Age-appropriate and classroom-friendly
• Interactive and engaging
• Designed to complement school wellbeing and PDHPE priorities
• Centred on safety, dignity and empowerment
Rising Heat Project teaches young people to recognise warning signs, set healthy boundaries and respond safely to coercive or controlling behaviour.
Young people learn to notice subtle behaviours that don’t feel right — things like jealousy, isolation, pressure, guilt trips or controlling communication. We encourage them to trust their instincts and recognise early warning signs before things escalate.
We explain coercive control in simple, child-friendly language. Using the Rising Heat Frog Model, students see how harmful patterns can build slowly over time and how to identify them safely.
Students learn what healthy behaviour looks like: respect, space, honesty, communication and emotional safety. We teach that everyone has a right to personal boundaries — and that those boundaries should be listened to and honoured.
Through guided activities and discussions, students explore what mutual respect looks like in friendships and early relationships. They learn empathy, kindness, fairness and how to communicate concerns without shame or blame.
We help young people value their own voice, trust their feelings and feel more confident asking for help. Students practise language they can use if something doesn’t feel right.
Students learn that needing help is normal. We outline who they can talk to — teachers, parents, carers, school counsellors and support services — and how to reach out early. This is education and prevention focused, not crisis therapy.
Coercive control rarely begins with obvious violence. It often starts slowly — with small comments, jokes, rules or pressures that build over time.
We use the Frog in Rising Heat Model to explain this safely and simply:
By using the frog metaphor, young people can understand how behaviour can gradually change from “okay” to “not okay”, without feeling frightened or overwhelmed. The frog becomes a memorable, visual way to talk about early warning signs and safe choices.
Rising Heat Project Australia is not a crisis service. Our focus is on education, prevention and empowerment. For immediate help or crisis support, we encourage contact with:
You need to understand Rising Heat Project to see how early awareness and education can prevent cycles of violence.
It’s a movement dedicated to empowering young people, building resilience, and creating safer futures.
Rising Heat Project helped me understand the warning signs I never noticed before. I feel more confident setting boundaries and keeping myself safe.
The workshops taught me about coercive behaviour and how to respond early. I feel empowered and more aware of the people around me.
As a parent, I finally understand how to guide my child without fear or shame. Rising Heat Project gave us practical tools and hope for the future.
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