Therapeutic Foundations
Therapeutic support is informed by child psychotherapy and an integrative play therapy approach.
All services draw on knowledge from child development, trauma, attachment theory, neuroscience, and interpersonal neurobiology, alongside therapeutic approaches including Child-Centred Play Therapy, Synergetic Play Therapy®, AutPlay® Therapy, and Theraplay® principles.
This allows support to remain flexible and responsive to the unique needs of each child and family.
The Playful Minds Approach
At Playful Minds Therapy, we support children and families through a combination of child-focused parent support, child play therapy and parent-child play therapy.
The therapeutic process involves developing a deep understanding of your child's inner world- what it is like to be them. Rather than focusing solely on behaviours, emotions, or challenges, we seek to understand what may be driving their challenges. This involves exploring the needs, relationships, developmental factors, strengths, and experiences that shape how a child feels, functions, and engages with the world around them.
Children Grow Within Relationships
Meaningful and lasting change is strengthened when the important adults in a child's life are supported alongside the child themselves. While some children benefit from individual therapy sessions, support is often most effective when it includes a combination of:
- Child-focused parent support
- Child play therapy
- Parent-child play therapy
- Collaborative consultation with other key supports
By strengthening the relationships surrounding a child, we create opportunities for growth, connection, and wellbeing that extend beyond the therapy room and into everyday life.
The Role of Play
Play therapy is an evidence-based therapeutic approach for children, facilitated by a mental health professional with specialised training and qualifications. It uses play as a developmentally appropriate medium through which children can express, explore, and process their thoughts, feelings, experiences, and relationships. Just as adults often use words in counselling, children often communicate most naturally through play.
At Playful Minds Therapy, play is a central part of how we understand and support children and families. Through play, children communicate, learn, relate, and make sense of their experiences and the world around them. By entering a child's world through play, we gain a deeper understanding of their unique strengths, needs, relationships, and challenges. This understanding creates opportunities for connection, growth, and healing in ways that feel safe, meaningful, and developmentally responsive.
The Therapy Experience
Change for children is never linear, it can at times feel hard. Just like learning to walk, growth can involve vulnerability, regressions and lots and lots of repetition and patience.
For this reason, our approach focuses on creating meaningful, sustainable change, through repeated experiences, rather than 'quick fixes.'
Is Playful Minds the Right Fit?
Finding a therapeutic service that aligns with your values, goals, and expectations is one of the most important factors in a positive therapy experience.
Our approach may be a good fit if you are seeking:
- A relationship-based approach
- Support that considers the whole child within the context of their family and environment
- Active involvement and support for parents and caregivers
- A focus on understanding underlying needs rather than managing behaviour alone
- Meaningful, sustainable growth over time
Our approach requires active engagement from caregivers. As a private fee-for-service practice, families also need to consider the financial commitment involved. We encourage prospective families to carefully consider whether our philosophy and approach feel aligned with their needs before commencing services.