Play & Filial Therapy

02/12/2025

Play Therapists deliver Play Therapy Evidence-Based interventions through Evidence Based Practice ✅ ✅

Nat Scira and I wrote about this in Section ll of our Working Paper - Building the Bridge: Why Play Therapists Must Contribute to Research for Both Treatment Validation and Practice Excellence (p. 8-21) ✍️

In this Working Paper we encourage Play Therapists to describe Play Therapy clearly and consistently in these way to further strengthen the field of Play Therapy within the mental health and developmental supports landscape 📢📢

Access our FREE Working Paper here: https://www.playandfilialtherapy.com/_files/ugd/c223a1_8406ef0956be49d294aa25e7101223ba.pdf.
Natalie RaeePlayroom Therapyy

02/12/2025

I enjoyed talking all things PLAY with Dan Krigstein at SXSW Sydney! 🎙️

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: we’ve built a culture that treats play as frivolous, and it’s costing us our mental health, connection, and creativity. In this conversation, we explore why rediscovering play isn’t about being less serious, it’s about being more human 🧠

Ready to dance at the edge of the rules? Listen to Rules Don’t Apply – Season 2 🎧

https://youtu.be/FLTSElBm6G8?si=_YSZhOnD8-i3tVwd

In this episode, Dan Krigstein sits down at SXSW with Dr. Kate Renshaw. Founding director of Play in Field Therapy to explore how play is not just for childr...

01/12/2025

Dr. Kate Renshaw had an early start to accept a Global Advocacy Forum 2025 award (online) at the awards dinner held in London 🇬🇧

Award for Social Impact -Global Health and Well-being with Special focus on Play Therapy

Acceptance speech:

“Thank you so much for this recognition.

Sixty percent of adults globally carry childhood adversity into their lives. I accept this award thinking of every child who needed support but couldn’t access it—and for the systems we’re working together to change.

Most children experiencing developmental vulnerability and adversity remain invisible in traditional referral systems. That’s why developing approaches like the Teacher’s Optimal Relationship Approach (TORA) matters—equipping educators with playful therapeutic skills means we can reach children where they already are, in their classrooms and communities, before crises deepen.

The advocacy work—the drafting of submissions, the parliamentary inquiries, the meetings with government officials—it’s exhausting and slow. But it’s also working. We’re building momentum toward a future where developmentally sensitive therapy isn’t a privilege, it’s accessible.

This recognition also belongs to play therapy colleagues who’ve helped shaped ethical practice across our region and internationally, to the educators implementing TORA with their students, to the families fighting tirelessly for their children’s support, and to every play therapist standing in the gap.

Awards recognise individuals, but transformation requires movements. There’s so much work ahead—and I’m grateful to do it alongside such committed advocates.

Thank you for seeing this work, and for everyone here doing yours.”

30/11/2025

Read Dr. Kate Renshaw’s address in Australian Parliament as part of an evidence hearing of the Thriving Kids Inquiry

30/11/2025

A special guest joined me in Canberra for the Thriving Kids Inquiry – my copy of ‘Play Matters’ 📖

This book looked right at home sitting in Parliament House and playing on the parliamentary lawn. It also made its way into the official record, submitted as supplementary evidence to the inquiry examining developmental supports for children 0-8 in Australia 🇦🇺

When a book about the vital role of early years play gets a seat at the table in Parliament, that’s progress worth celebrating🎯

The Play Matters book is FREE to download and chapter 12 is on Play Therapy: https://www.early-years-reviews.com/play-matters

29/11/2025

Dr Kate Renshaw took four VIPs with her to Canberra ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

They sat on official seats, they lounged on parliamentary grass, but most importantly they were provided to the Thriving Kids Inquiry as supplementary evidence 📚

All four documents had been co-authored by Dr Kate and Nat Scira in the last 12 months and co-published by Play and Filial Therapy and Playroom Therapy 🤓🤓

These documents are also very imporant moving forward as they will inform the submission we are drafting for the ‘NDIS Evidence Advisory Committee’ when Play Therapy is reviewed for suitability of supports for funding under the NDIS ✅



Natalie Rae Playroom Therapy

28/11/2025

Historic Play Therapy Milestones in Australian Parliament:

1️⃣ 18 March 2024, the first day Play Therapy was mentioned in Australian Parliament by Dr Sophie Scamps MP. She advocated for the federal government to extend the Better Access mental health-care initiative to include Play Therapy

2️⃣ 28 November 2025, the first day a Registered Play Therapist delivered an address in Australian parliament. As an independent advocate, Dr Kate Renshaw delivered an address to the Thriving Kids Inquiry. She called for Play Therapy to be integrated into both universal programs and specialised supports for children aged conception - 8, families, schools, and communities. Dr Kate emphasised the need for paediatric specialists like Play Therapists to be offered as a choice to children and families across health (through medicare), education, and community services

🇦🇺 Let’s continue to make historic milestones for Play Therapy in Australia, for the benefit of children, families, teachers, and our society. We have highly trained Play Therapists in every state and territory of Australia let’s empower them to do their work that is evidence-based, developmentally appropriate, neuro-affirming, culturally responsive, and child and family centred

Image description: Dr Kate Renshaw in the marble foyer of Parliament House



Natalie Rae Playroom Therapy

27/11/2025

The submission we (Play and Filial Therapy and Playroom Therapy) made to the Thriving Kids Parliamentary Inquiry on the 2nd October has been reviewed, accepted and today published!

Supplementary evidence that was provided with our submission included:
- Play Therapy and the NDIS: How Play Therapists support NDIS child participants and their families (Renshaw & Scira, 2024)
- Evidence-Based Psychological Interventions (APS, 2024)
- Play Therapy Evidence Summary (Renshaw & Scira, 2025)
- Play Matters (Bradbury, Wright, Boardman, Thompson, Jarvis, Cowley, Veale, Wayne, Swailes, Scollan, Grimmer & Renshaw, 2025)
- Play Australia’s 'State of Play (Monro Miller, 2025)

Access the submission here:
https://www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStore.ashx?id=b08b5b82-95de-47f1-b2e2-5f2d33b37aa4&subId=779001

Natalie Rae

Play Australia

26/11/2025

Tomorrow Dr Kate Renshaw will give evidence on Play Therapy as part of the Thriving Kids Inquiry into how the Australian government will offer future supports for children 0-8 who experience developmental vulnerability

Tune in live to this public hearing- Roundtable 6 between 1.30-2.15pm (AEDT)

https://www.aph.gov.au/News_and_Events/Watch_Read_Listen?watchParliamentOn=28/11/2025&tab=tab1a

26/11/2025

“Play therapy is particularly effective for trauma because children may express experiences that are too difficult to verbalise.” (Renshaw & Scira, 2025). Natalie Rae

📰 Dall'articolo dedicato alla ricerca in Play Therapy di Kate Lee e Natalie Rae disponibile nella prossima Rivista di Play Therapy a fine novembre.

Nell'attesa scarica gratuitamente altre interessanti letture 👇👇👇

https://www.associazioneplaytherapy.it/rivista-psicologia-play-therapy/acquisto

26/11/2025

🤲 Funding threats didn't break us. They galvanised us

🌏 Local → National → Global. Our advocacy is cross-pollinating, our evidence is compelling, and our collective voice is undeniable

🛡️We're not just defending Play Therapy: we're building a resilient, globally connected profession that's here to stay

📚As I pack my bags to head to parliament I'm reflecting on the huge amount of documentation we have needed to create and disseminate this year to seize this threat to our profession and reframe it as an opportunity!

🫶🏼Dr Kate Renshaw is grateful for Natalie Rae and Playroom Therapy for continually stepping up to assist with this mammoth task!!

🤓 We have heard that these resources have been used and valued all over the world so check them out (if you haven't already):
- Play Therapy and the NDIS: How Play Therapists support NDIS child participants and their families (Renshaw & Scira, 2024)https://www.playandfilialtherapy.com/_files/ugd/c223a1_f39d37e1acad40319795feae91ba64e5.pdf
- Play Therapy Evidence Summary (Renshaw & Scira, 2025)https://www.playandfilialtherapy.com/_files/ugd/c223a1_2763b4443a38455390bf17bde1180091.pdf
- Working Paper: Building the Bridge (Renshaw & Scira, 2025)https://www.playandfilialtherapy.com/_files/ugd/c223a1_44777915fda84f518731f5b384bc2c44.pdf