0405247456
Coffs Coast
Play Therapy
A place to play, feel and explore
Play Therapy services for the
Coffs Coast and beyond.
What is Play Therapy?
Many children have experienced certain life events that leave a lasting emotional and physical impact on their well-being. They can feel sad, angry, worried, guilty and confused. While adults can sit down and talk through some of their difficult feelings, children will struggle to use language as their main form of expression. Gary Landreth, a renowned American play therapist once said that play is their language and toys are their words (Landreth, 2012).
In working with a trained play therapist, children can be helped to better communicate their feelings and thoughts within play. It can be a space for them to explore and better understand their experience of the world and life events that might have been troublesome (Axline, 1969).
Important in this modality of therapy is the creation of the therapeutic relationship. Through building a trusting relationship characterised by genuine warmth and acceptance between the therapist and child, a safe space for a child to explore their feelings and thoughts will emerge (Axline, 1969; Landreth, 2012).
​
​
Therapeutic powers of play
At the heart of play therapy exists the therapeutic powers of play - These are healing agents of change that exist within play itself, they can facilitate communication, foster emotional wellness, increase personal strengths and enhance social relations (Schaefer & Drewes, 2011).
Play-based therapeutic interventions
An Integrative Approach
Humanistic Play Therapy
Non-directive child-centred play therapy
Filial Therapy
A family based, child-centred play therapy
Learn To Play Therapy
Directive therapy, developing children's imaginative play skills
Humanistic play therapy
Non-directive child-centered play therpay
Humanistic play therapy is the foundational therapeutic modality that I foremost work within. It is a therapy to help children communicate their feelings and thoughts through play. In a space of safety, acceptance and empathy a child will begin to communicate some of the difficulties they have been experiencing in life. Allowing them to unravel tangled feelings. In humanistic play therapy a child will be able to communicate with others at their own time and pace, without the use of words and language, that at times will be beyond their developmental level (Axline, 1969). Humanistic play therapy is non-directive, this means, that the child is allowed to play freely without direction from the therapist. Central to this is the belief that children hold within themselves the natural desire to move towards positive growth and healing. And key to this is the therapeutic relationship - when held in an accepting, warm and caring therapeutic relationship a child can access through play, hurts and areas of life they need to understand more fully (Axline, 1969, Landreth, 2012, Rogers, 1957).
​
The length of this intervention will depend on the needs of the individual family, typically a child will attend 12 or more sessions.
​
What problems can humanistic play therapy help with?
It is appropriate for children aged 3-12 years and can help with a wide variety of difficulties:
Chronic Illness / injury
Bereavement
Trauma and Abuse/neglect
Emotional and behavioural difficulties, including aggression
Conduct disorders
Bullying
Self-esteem issues / confidence
Anxiety
Family breakdown (separation & divorce)
Selective Mutism
Attachment related difficulties
Eating and sleeping difficulties
When will humanistic play therapy be appropriate?
When a child is in a safe and secure home environment, where the home experience will not detract from therapeutic work.
​
The therapy process
Typically there will be an intake session where the parents/carers will meet with the myself to discuss the family and child challenges, followed by a play assessment session with the child and 10 - 12 play therapy sessions (with additional parent sessions at the middle of the intervention and at the end).
This can be discussed at the initial intake session to suit the needs of individual families.
​
Feel free to make contact for an informal chat about other issues not covered above.
​
Child Humanistic Brochure (resource to help understand humanistic play therapy)
​
Adult Humanistic Brochure (resource to help understand humanistic play therapy)
Filial Therapy
Family based child-centred approach
Filial Therapy is a family play therapy, working with both children and parents/carers. The Filial therapist will help support a parent and carers through teaching and supervising key therapeutic skills. This allows for stronger healthy attachment relationships to develop between the parent/carer and child. The parent/carer will develop greater understanding into the world of their child. The therapist will help to build 4 core therapeutic skills; structuring, imaginative play skills, empathetic listening/reflection and limit setting. Parents/carers will get to observe play sessions undertaken with the therapist and child, and also get to experience play sessions under the supervision of the therapist. A space to gain understanding and practice these core skills.
Filial therapy is an evidenced based intervention that current research suggests will lead to more positive outcomes in socio-emotional world of the child and wider family (Cornell & Bratton, 2020).
The length of this intervention will depend on the needs of the individual family, but a minimum of 12 sessions is to be expected.
What problems can Filial Therapy help with?
This intervention is offered for families with children ages 3-12 years but it can also involve younger infants and can help with range of presenting issues for a family/child (Guerney, 1964);
Chronic Illness / injury
Bereavement
Life limiting conditions
Emotional and behavioural difficulties, including aggression
Bullying
Self-esteem / confidence issues
Anxiety & depression
Family breakdown (separation & divorce)
Attachment related difficulties
Eating and sleep difficulties
Children in care
Trauma & Abuse/neglect
Social difficulties
Family reunification
When would Filial Therapy be appropriate?
When a child is in a safe and secure home environment, where home life will not detract from therapeutic work.
When parents/cares can commit to weekly home special play session and are able to support their child’s emotional needs.
Feel free to make contact for an informal chat around your family’s needs.
​
The therapy process
Typically there will be an intake session where the parents will meet with the myself to discuss the current family and child's challenges. Then to follow will be a number of different sessions:
family play assessment
therapist led play sessions
parent therapeutic skill building
parent led play sessions (supervised by therapist)
Final family play assessment
​
​
This can be tailored to the needs of each family.
​
Filial play therapy adult brochure (resource to help understand Filial therapy)
​
Filial play therapy child brochure (resource to help explain Filial therapy to a child)
Learn to play
Developing imaginative play skills
Learn to Play’ is a fun, non-threatening child-led therapy. Aiming to help further develop a child’s self-initiated imaginative play. Designed for children up to 6 years of age (older children can also benefit from such a program if there are some underdeveloped play skills). Children are invited to play in a whole range of pretend play activities designed by the therapist, for the individual child to address their current needs and difficulties in play, helping a child progress up the play developmental ladder (Stagnitti, 2009).
Increasing self-initiate pretend play skills can further support a range of developmental skills. Research suggests that children able to imaginative play, will benefit from; higher language skills, increased ability to play socially, increased awareness of their and others emotions, and may lead to positive increases to a child’s readiness to learn (Stagnitti & Unsworth, 2000).
When would ‘Learn to Play’ be appropriate?
Children that are experiencing some difficulties in their ability to play and need some help in the development of pretend play skills, will most benefit from this intervention. Children who are struggling socially with their peers often will benefit from extending their pretend play skills . Also children that maybe experiencing difficulties in their learning at school and other environments might also benefit from further development of these play skills (Stagnitti, 2009).
​
The therapy process
Typically there will be an intake session where the parents will meet with the myself to discuss the family and child challenges, followed by a play assessment session with the child and 8-10 play therapy sessions (with additional parent sessions at the middle of the intervention and at the end).
This can be discussed at the initial intake session to suit the needs of individual families.
​
Feel free to make contact for an informal chat around your child’s play.
Learn to play adult brochure (resource to help understand ‘Learn to Play’)
About Mark
Play Therapist
Mark has spent many years working in mainstream and non-mainstream schools supporting children with additional needs.
And has recently qualified as a play therapist through the completion of the graduate diploma of therapeutic child play and Masters of child play therapy at Deakin University.
He is deeply involved as a parent, and a part of a parenting community – Parenting by Connection / Hand in Hand parenting - having also completed a year master class in Parenting by Connection. Mark deeply believes in the family and other significant adult carers in the life of the child. And therefore is committed to working with the wider community of the child, be that families, schools or others in a child’s life.
​
Mark for a number of years has been working as a play mentor for a nature play service in the mid-north coast of NSW. Working to facilitate a non-directive child-led exploration of the great outdoors, with its learning and healing qualities.
Mark enjoys and feels honoured to work closely with children, and is deeply committed to meeting a child wherever they are in life. Through creating a safe space for acceptance, empathy and understanding, Mark believes in the profound nature of the therapeutic relationship to help a child find their inner direction towards a place of healing and positive growth.
​
Mark is committed to:
To practice from a place of openness, acceptance and care
To join and be with the child in all moments
To support and listen to the whole family and others in a child’s life
To allow the process to unfold, and allow the child to direct themselves in their healing
To advocate for the child’s rights
To be flexible and not be stuck in ways of being and thinking
References
Axline, V. A. (1969). Play therapy. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. Revised Edition
​
Bratton, S.C., Ray, D., Rhine, T., & Jones, L. (2005) The efficacy of play therapy with children: A meta-analytical review of treatment outcomes. Professional Psychology; Research and Practice, 36 (4), 376-390
​
Cochran, N. H., Nordling, W. J., & Cochran, J. L. (2010). Child-centered play therapy : A practical guide to developing therapeutic relationships with children
​
Cornett, N. ( 1 ), & Bratton, S. C. (2020). (n.d.). A golden intervention: 50 years of research on filial therapy. International Journal of Play Therapy, 24(3), 119–133. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039088
​
Guerney. B. G., Jr (1964). Filial Therapy: Description and rationale. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 28 (4), 303-310.
Landreth, G. L. (2012). Play therapy: The art of the relationship (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
Ray, D., Bratton, S., Rhine, T., & Jones, L. (2001). The effectiveness of play therapy: Responding to the critics. International Journal of Play Therapy, 10(1), 85–108.
Rogers, C. R. (1957). The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 21, 95–103.
Schaefer, Charles E., and Athena A. Drewes. The Therapeutic Powers of Play : 20 Core Agents of Change, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2013.
Stagnitti, K. (2009) Children and Play. In K. Stagnitti & R. Cooper, (Eds), Play As Therpay: Assessment and Therapeutic Inetrventions. (pp59-69).
​
Stagnitti, K., & Unsworth, C. (2000). The importance of pretend play in child development: An occupational therapy perspective. The British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 63(3), 121-127.
VanFleet, R. (2014) Filial Therapy: Strengthening Parent-Child Relationships Through Play. 3rd ed, Professional Resource Press, USA.