Psychology and Play Therapy Australia

09/12/2025

08/12/2025

Last week, we spoke about how you can reduce the end of year load on kids who are already struggling.

But what about you, the therapist?

This time of year is a lot for us too! Many of us will be hanging out for the end of the year and a chance to take a break.

Therefore, how can you check in with yourself, like we did for the kids last week?

How are you feeling now? What is your capacity for the rest of the year? What do you need to put in place for yourself to end the year well?

Take a moment in the busyness to check in with YOU too.

07/12/2025

It’s okay to promote kids saying no to things.

While we head into the busy season, keep in mind that it can be a hard time of year. As play therapists, it’s okay to let our clients know that it’s okay to say no to going to Christmas events.

Don’t get to Christmas and drop for a week - instead, imagine getting to Christmas with energy!

The coming weeks are the time that wrecks people. For families and for kids who are vulnerable, it’s the hardest time, as they can already be vulnerable to excitement and things being out of routine.

While December is such a special time, there are extra pressures on a child.

Let your clients know that setting boundaries is okay, and rejecting invitations can actually be a form of self-care.

06/12/2025

** WEEKEND WONDERING **

What if children could finish the school year with an experience that’s positive, rather than one where they’ve been removed from class every day?

This time of year can be overwhelming for kids who are already struggling, so it’s vital to look out how we can reduce the load on them and make seeing out 2025 easier.

🦋Therapist reflection prompt🦋
In what ways can you work with parents, caregivers or schools to proactively implement plans to reduce the load for kids already struggling, that mean they’ll get to the end of the year well?

05/12/2025

**FRIDAY FUNNY**

04/12/2025

As adults, we never want a child to miss out or to not be included.

But what adults may think is exciting for a child to go to - and therefore don’t want them to miss out on - may in fact just add more to their cognitive sensory and physiological regulation load.

That means that they might not even enjoy it anyway!

This is a timely reminder for this time of year, when parties and activities are occurring every weekend, and the temptation to pack your (and your child’s!) calendar is high.

03/12/2025

For kids who are already struggling, the end of the year may be too much for their capacity.

It’s up to the adults around those children to make intentional decisions to reduce the load.

If kids are starting to fall apart by the end of the week, the therapist may want to chat to the parents about reducing school time - for example, on Wednesday and Friday afternoons they could finish at lunchtime. This would allow them to get a break during the day.

Another option may be liaising with schools and teachers to increase the amount of break times or movement breaks in the lead up to Christmas. This would allow the child’s body to actually maintain greater regulation throughout the day and the week overall.

Think about how you can help to make this time of year easier on the children you support!

02/12/2025

⭐DYADIC PLAY THERAPY TRAINING PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT: MODULE 5⭐
Contemporary Dyadic Play Therapy: History and Context

This module introduces the theoretical and historical foundations of Contemporary Dyadic Play Therapy, situating it within broader systemic and attachment-based frameworks.

Participants will explore the influence of neuroscience (drawing on the work of Schore and Tronick), the therapist’s and parent’s own attachment histories, and the systemic principles that underpin dyadic and family therapy approaches.

Practical learning includes using genograms for assessment (not only family representation), case conceptualisation, and setting therapeutic goals across the child, parent, and dyad. By grounding practice in theory, this module builds a rich understanding of how relational dynamics and developmental science inform effective dyadic interventions.

This is module five of our Dyadic Play Therapy Training Program.

Learn more about the program and register: https://www.psychologyandplay.com.au/dyadic-play-therapy

01/12/2025

Excitement is a joyous and happy emotion that is wonderful to see in children, and we want to support them in their learning of managing the changing nature of their regulation in this merry state!

That’s because excitement can also lead to heightened states of physiological arousal.....often tipping over into a dysregulated state and challenging behaviour.

Some things that can be helpful to remember:
👉🏻Do not underestimate the basic needs of sleeping and eating
👉🏻Reflect the child’s body cues to them
👉🏻Verbalise to the child their feelings in the moment
👉🏻Help develop ways they can feel more relaxed in their body

And remember......it's OK to say NO to accepting every invitation for end of year and Christmas festivities! Boundaries are essential to our wellbeing.

30/11/2025

**BEING IS THE DOING**
The power of presence, of being with....
Attuned...
Connected...
Two biologies in flow with each other...
Healing.
Transformational.
No other "strategies" or "techniques".
Being together.
Co-regulating. Witnessing. Validating. Accepting.
Healing.
Transformational.

30/11/2025

The end of the year is slowly creeping up. Have you started thinking about your January plans yet?

I’m not talking about your plans to relax on the beach or to read the book you’ve had on your bedside table for months… I’m talking about your PD plans!

January can be a great time to strategically book in some clinical PD, whilst client work is lighter and you’ve got more time on your hands.

That’s why our new workshop - Be My Co-Therapist™ Module 2: Clinical Skills for Working with Parents/Caregivers - is being held over two days during January.

This workshop will equip you with core adult counselling skills that supports parent/caregiver engagement. Specific focus will be on deepening assessment conversations, developing shared therapeutic goals and navigating differing views, providing effective feedback about children’s needs and therapy progress, offering therapeutic responses/approaches to be implemented at home, and having hard conversations.

Learn more and register now: https://psychologyandplay.mykajabi.com/offers/ojh2LzZ9/checkout

30/11/2025

⭐DYADIC PLAY THERAPY TRAINING PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT: MODULE 7⭐
Dyadic Play Therapy: Clinical Skills Intensive

In this culminating skills-intensive module, participants bring everything together — theory, reflection, and clinical application — through experiential practice.

The focus is on integrating the full Dyadic Play Therapy process from start to finish, allowing participants to refine their skills and embody therapeutic confidence. Through immersive, hands-on learning, this module transforms understanding into competence, preparing practitioners to deliver dyadic interventions with clarity, creativity, and confidence.

This module will be delivered in-person, in Melbourne.

This is module seven of our Dyadic Play Therapy Training Program.

Learn more about the program and register: https://www.psychologyandplay.com.au/dyadic-play-therapy