Frequently Asked Questions about Play Based Therapy

While regular play is a vital, unstructured activity for enjoyment and natural exploration, Play-Based Psychosocial Intervention is a targeted, evidence-based approach.

Unlike spontaneous play, our sessions are:

• Intentional & Structured: Every activity is selected based on its ability to support brain plasticity and nervous system regulation.
• Goal-Oriented: We work collaboratively with families to set specific milestones within an Individual Service Plan (ISP).

Our sessions are primarily child-led, meaning we meet your child where they are emotionally and developmentally on any given day. While we embrace a "go with the flow" philosophy to build trust and spontaneity, we remain highly goal-oriented. Where appropriate, I will introduce structured activities designed to maximize the psychosocial outcomes outlined in your child’s Individual Service Plan (ISP).

Our environment is entirely non-judgmental; we believe that when a child feels safe to lead, that is where the most significant neural and emotional growth occurs.

A Multimodal Approach to Play

You can expect to see play used in a highly intentional and meaningful way. To engage all facets of a child's development, we incorporate several expressive modalities based on your child's interests:

• Expressive Arts & Music: Providing creative outlets for non-verbal emotional expression.
• Sensory Modulation: Utilizing sand trays and water play—consistent favorites that help children regulate their nervous systems.
• Somatic Movement: Exploring gross motor development.

Every session is a blend of connection, science, and play, designed to help your child feel regulated, capable, and understood.

Although we are passionate about early intervention for children with disabilities, developmental delays or autism, we see all children whose parents feel like they can benefit from sessions. Additionally we are here to support parents, caregivers and families through our services.

Sessions can be implemented for young infants right through to 9 years of age. However, we do see older children whose parents feel they may benefit from sessions. 

We see clients right through the week with flexible time options and also offer a mobile service. We see clients at our private office based in South West Sydney or are happy to visit you in home or at your child's childcare.

Yes! Parents/caregivers remain present during the session. Where appropriate, the parent/caregiver is involved and provided with the tools to replicate aspects of sessions at home. This inclusive approach can further support a child. 

We want to fully focus on your child, so we recommend where possible that any other siblings or children are not present during our scheduled sessions.

If you would like to incorporate "sibling relational support and psychosocial coaching" to work on social skills/relationship dynamics- this can be added as a goal, and a sibling is welcome to take part. 

No. We currently see private clients and are not an NDIS provider service. 

Key focus areas:

• Support emerging skills: Targeting areas like language development, communication, social interaction, cognitive development, sensory and motor skills.
• Process early experiences: Helping children understand and cope with transitions, anxieties, or challenges.
• Build a strong foundation: Fostering healthy emotional regulation, self-awareness, and confidence.

We love collaborating! Our work often complements Allied Health services by focusing on the relational and emotional "anchor." While an OT might work on sensory processing or fine motor skills, we focus on the child’s psychosocial confidence and the parent-child bond (the Filial approach). We integrate these different goals into a cohesive Individual Service Plan (ISP) to ensure your child’s support team is moving in the same direction.

In the world of child development and clinical neuroscience, we know that play is the "work" of the developing brain. For a child, especially one navigating neurodivergence, play is the most effective medium for building new neural pathways. It lowers the "threat response" in the nervous system, allowing children to practice social navigation and emotional regulation in a space where they feel safe and in control.

DIRFloortime ®️, is a holistic, relationship-based framework used to support children with autism and other developmental challenges. Rather than focusing solely on isolated behaviors, this approach focuses on the emotional and relational foundation of a child’s development.

The acronym stands for:

• D (Developmental): Building the "milestones" of development, such as staying calm, engaging with others, and solving problems.
• I (Individual-differences): Respecting each child’s unique way of processing sights, sounds, and movement.
• R (Relationship-based): Using the power of the bond between a child and their caregivers to spark learning and growth.