FAQ

Is this service right for my child?

Play therapy may help if your child:

• Has big emotional outbursts
• Is anxious, withdrawn, or fearful
• Has experienced trauma or loss
• Struggles at school or with friendships
• Finds it hard to talk about feelings

What age is play therapy suitable for?

I can work with any children who play or who respond to a play based approach. As a general guide, play therapy suits children aged 2 - 12, but children between 10 and 13 years of age may require an adjusted approach, still play based, but more focused on talking through issues than standard play therapy. In this case, I will use cognitive behavioural therapy or trauma focused cognitive behavioural therapy in a play based setting.

How many sessions does a child usually need?

This is dependent on the child's response to play therapy, the issue we are dealing with and the funding available. I work around the child's particular set of circumstances. I will do as much as I can with them, in the time I am given. If there is no set amount of sessions that I am limited to, then I will work with them until we agree that the child is ready to stop. Usually this is about 2 terms for most children, but sometimes it can be longer or shorter, depending on the child.

Do parents attend sessions?

Parents/caregivers will attend an initial session with me, without the child present, to discuss the issues, background and other relevant information, and to brainstorm any solutions parents could action at home. At this session, we will discuss funding and how therapy will work for the child. When the child starts their therapy, the parent can come in with them to start them off at their first session, if necessary, but the parent will leave as soon as the child is comfortable. From then on, the child will usually be dropped off and picked up from the door. It is essential that the child attend therapy without the parent/caregiver present because the child needs to connect with me as their counsellor and if their attachment figure is there, this connection will be difficult to form. The child also needs to feel free to express anything they need to express without concern that they will get into trouble or say the wrong thing and to this end, it is usually better if the parent isn't there. When therapy concludes, I will meet with the parent again. We can also schedule parent sessions throughout the time that I work with the child and parents can also join a parent support group, when I am offering one.

Is play therapy evidence-based?

Play therapy has been shown to be more effective than talk therapies for most children. It works with the child's natural stage of development and bypasses the need for strong verbal abilities. I have worked with non-verbal children and children who were too young to be able to talk about their issue. Children don't need to understand what their issue is, be able to explain it or even know the details of the trauma they may have suffered. They will play it out whether they realize it or not. Play therapy is gentle and kind to children, doesn't re-traumatise them and allows flexibility to work around the child's personality. Children have so little control over their lives, play therapy removes the adult agenda and lets the child be a child. Play therapy has been around for many years but in recent years, has been the subject of more research and development and has become a very well respected method world-wide.

What can I expect when I bring my child to play therapy?

We will start with the intake session, where I meet with the parent or caregiver. I will need consent from all legal guardians of the child. Sessions are all 50 minutes in duration. We will then schedule the child's sessions. Usually it will either be fortnightly, but occasionally weekly. You will always have the same time slot on the same day of the week. Between sessions, you are welcome to email me any time you like with updates, questions or information. If I feel that you need to know something that happened in session with your child, I will email you. We can arrange parent coaching sessions as needed throughout the child's time with me. When the child is ready to wrap up, I will arrange a wrap up session with the parent/caregiver and I will also let the child know when their last session is because children benefit from having closure too. Once we wrap up, you are still welcome to email me any time if there are further concerns. If you are paying privately for the sessions, you will be invoiced ahead of sessions and your payment will serve as confirmation that the session is taking place. Payments need to be made at least 24 hours in advance. If you are being funded by an agency, all invoicing will be served directly to the funding agency and you do not need to concern yourself with this. Where funding is limited to a certain number of sessions, I will communicate this clearly. After a session, I ask that parents not ask too many questions about what happened in their session. A simple - "how was it?" will suffice. Children may or may not volunteer information on how it was - it is important to respect their choice in this. If a child has worked through something difficult, you may see some different behaviour after the session. If this happens, please let me know as it is helpful information. Improvements in the issue can happen gradually or very suddenly. Sometimes I will see a change in the play content a few weeks before you see a difference at home.

What are developmental play sessions?

Some children just need help playing, or perhaps they can't play at home because there isn't any space or their siblings bother them. Some children won't play if they have access to a device. Perhaps you would like them to have access to different toys or skills. Whatever the reason, sometimes play therapy can be very beneficial for children, even in the absence of a "problem" or mental health reason. For these situations, I have developmental play sessions. These cost a bit less because I am not trying to help your child with a problem specifically, but other than that, they are the same as regular play therapy sessions. They are 50 minutes in duration, which the child will spend one on one with me. If they do express difficult feelings, play therapy can handle this, even if I am not trying to "counsel" them. These sessions are appropriate at any time, without there being any difficult circumstances, so they can be booked for a time when you are at an appointment or if your child only attends school part time. If you choose this session, I will ask a bunch of intake questions via email and there doesn't need to be a parent intake session. The first time you bring the child, you will come into the playroom with the child, just to get them situated and comfortable, and then you will leave as soon as the child is comfortable. These are appropriate for children 12 and under. If the parent would like to attend with the child and be helped to build connection with their child, through play, there is an extra cost of $15. These sessions are for one child at a time.