Child-Centred Sydney

01/03/2026

Narratives help organise our experiences. Humans have used narratives for meaning making for over 40,000 years - oral and visual storytelling are thought to have been an integral part of hunter-gatherer societies.

Narratives help us integrate information of both the right and left brain hemispheres and make sense of it. When information is fragmented (unintegrated), individuals can't describe what happened, and that becomes an unresolved experience for them.

Play therapy provides an opportunity for children to develop their narratives and make meaning of their experiences. The therapist's role is to support children through reflection and co-regulation so that they can develop coherent narratives of their lived experiences.

01/03/2026

The materials in a CCPT room are carefully selected - not collected.

13/02/2026

05/02/2026

Marking the end of International Play Therapy Week.

* * *
When I was growing up, my mum had a poster of the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child in her paediatric waiting room. By the time I was a teenager, the declaration was followed by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). This is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history. The only UN country that hasn't ratified the treaty is the United States.

However, to what extent do duty bearers uphold the articles of the Convention? Wars, climate change and our busy lives in a fast-paced society often make it virtually impossible to do so. The results speak for themselves.

As a child reading my mum's poster, it seemed odd that there was a specific article about play (Art. 31). And yet, that has not been enough to ensure and promote play across all ages. In fact, free play has been in decline over the past 35 years. So much so that in March 2024, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 11 June as the International Day of Play to champion and protect this right.

Play isn't just play. Play is a physical, emotional and developmental need, as well as a basic human right. As parents, our responsibility is to allow ample time for unstructured free play, much of it outdoors. As a society, we must create and support spaces and systemic structures that encourage such unstructured free play.

But for all of this to happen, we must first educate ourselves about human development and the consequences of not allowing children the time, space and opportunity to play.

--
Originally posted on Child-Centred Sydney's page in June 2024.

On 25 March 2024, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 11 June as the International Day of Play, to be observed annually (A/RES/78/268).

03/02/2026

As part of the Play Therapy Olympics organised by for International Play Therapy Week, today I participated in the Arm Sweep Reset event.

The event consists of sweeping 26 animals off the shelf and then timing how long it takes the therapist to reorganise them. Most of us have been practising daily for years to make it this far 🌱

30/01/2026

"The good news is, it’s never too late (…) As parents, we must be patient. Children will grow out of impulsiveness if we support the conditions that are conducive for growth. They need to feel all their feelings " - Dr. Gordon Neufeld

24/01/2026

All restocked and ready to welcome back our teens…

22/01/2026

Pre-consultation video for CCPT treatment | 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfbW7vODRWs

CONTENTS

Section 1 - Introduction 0:01
Section 2 - The Play Therapy Process 1:42
Section 3 - Phases of Treatment 2:04
Initiation Phase 2:12
Resistance Phase 2:39
Work Phase 3:09
Termination Phase 3:20
Section 4 - Universal Outcomes 3:54
Section 5 - Parent Involvement 4:24
Section 6 - Confidentiality 4:57
Themes: The Metaphors of Play 5:39
Section 7 - Wrap Up 6:15

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Special thanks to Dr Brenna Hicks, whose guidance has been invaluable for streamlining my practice processes and providing a better service.

REFERENCES

Axline, V. M. (1947). Play therapy. Ballantine Books.
Cochran, N., Nordling, W., & Cochran, J. (2010). Child-centered play therapy: A practical guide to developing therapeutic relationships with children. Wiley.
Hicks, B. (2024). The CCPT Collective. https://www.ccptcollective.com
Landreth, G. L. (2023). Play therapy: The art of the relationship (4th ed.). Routledge.
Newman, R. (2023). Child-centered documentation framework. Seattle Play Therapy Training Center. https://seattleplaytherapy.com/child-...
Ray, D. C. (2011). Advanced play therapy: Essential conditions, knowledge, and skills for child practice. Routledge.
Rogers, C. R. (1979). The foundations of the person-centered approach. Education, 100(2), 98-107.

22/01/2026

Updated pre-consultation video for Child-Centred Play Therapy treatment.

CONTENTSSection 1 - Introduction 0:01Section 2 - The Play Therapy Process 1:42Section 3 - Phases of Treatment 2:04Initiation Phase 2:12Resistance Phase 2:39W...

18/01/2026

Ready to welcome back our families from Tuesday 20 January 2026 🌱

17/01/2026

Welcome to the playroom!

Children often play out what they have experienced, as they don’t have the words to describe what happened to them or don't have the cognitive ability to articulate complex emotions.

Accordingly, the playroom toys and materials have been carefully selected to support self-expression in the different therapy stages.

But the most important resource in the room is the therapist. Just like in other modalities, the child-clinician relationship is the highest predictor of positive treatment outcomes. The therapist builds an unconditional relationship within a warm, safe and predictable environment. This special connection is healing for the child.

In play therapy, the child uses the whole self —mind and body— to express unconscious thoughts, wishes, fears, anxieties and so forth. This helps them process ‘stuck’ emotions and thoughts. Through such play, the therapist gains an understanding of the child’s needs and experiences without giving directions or asking questions.

CCPT specialists are trained to read the metaphors of the play and observe emerging patterns. These observations help the clinician to reflect thoughts and feelings back to the child, thus addressing the underlying sources of challenges and allowing the child to gain insight into their own behaviours.

Change then happens from the inside out. As internal growth increases, behavioural symptoms will decrease. This leads to a stronger person (resilience and inner strength), more able to tolerate triggers and changes. The effects are progressively noticed in the child’s daily functioning.

* * *

Arranged from left to right, the categories of toys in a Child-Centred Play Therapy playroom are as follows:

Acting-Out or Aggressive-Release Toys:

These toys allow for the release of emotions that are typically not allowed to be expressed in other settings and include a large bag of air (BoA), toy soldiers, rubber or foam knives/swords and toy guns that do not look realistic. Less obvious, but still important are egg cartoons and Popsicle sticks that can be physically broken down and destroyed.

Real-Life Toys:

This category consists of toys that are directly representative of real-world items including doll families, doll's house, pretend food, baby bottles, blankets; doctor kit; miniature figurines; cars, boats, airplanes; cash register and play money; pretend/fantasy play items, such as dress ups, masks and magic wands; puppets and puppet theatre, among other things.

Creative Expression Toys:

This toy grouping allows for creativity. There is no right or wrong way to show creativity, so children will always have an opportunity to feel successful and experience mastery. Items in this category include sand, water, paints, easel, paper, pencils, crayons, textas, scissors, pipe cleaners and construction materials (Landreth, 2002, 2023).

21/12/2025

These questions or comments are also - usually unintentionally - condescending. If you wouldn't say it to a friend, don't say it to a child. It's not about treating children like adults, it's about showing them the same level of respect.

Also remember, questions are not great for connection and quizzing can make kids anxious. They're having to perform at an age when they should be learning organically through natural exchanges and modelling by their safe adults.