Play & Filial Therapy

10/03/2026

Thanks for having me on the ‘Wag Tales’ podcast Megan Corcoran - it was an enjoyable chat…apt really when discussing all things play, playfulness and play therapy!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVrsIPOAXPc/?igsh=MWtjbzNqeGw4Nmticw==

09/03/2026

Let me introduce you to some of my sandtray miniatures!

When a child (or adult) approaches the sand tray, they aren’t just choosing objects. They are choosing a language. And like any language, it needs vocabulary

I’ve been collecting sandtray symbols for over 20 years. I thought I’d celebrate some of the smallest yet most powerful toys in the playroom through a series of colour matchy matchy light box photoshoots 📸

First up - yellow 💛

07/03/2026

88% of play therapists are women (*US stat)

And across early childhood, education, and allied health — the story is the same. The professions holding children’s wellbeing together and nirturingg their development are overwhelmingly staffed by women. Skilled, dedicated, and too often undervalued by larger systems

Today I want to say thank you

To every play therapist, educator, allied health professional, and researcher showing up for children every day — you are balancing the scales

Tag a woman in your world who is working to balance the scales for children’s wellbeing and development💜

06/03/2026

Humanity has great capacity for growth and repair within safe environments and relationships. Play therapy creates the optimal conditions and relationship for this to occur

06/03/2026

Twenty years ago, the town of Clunes in Victoria committed to becoming a booktown. Today it’s the only one in the southern hemisphere and home to Australia’s largest booktown festival.
This year’s theme is Defiance and Hope — and for Dr Kate Renshaw, it resonates on a very specific level

She’ll be joining my fellow Little Ivory Haus authors at a book traders stall, with Hello Elephant Mumma! making its festival debut. This is a prenatal book — written for parents to read aloud to their babies during pregnancy, grounded in the evidence that connection, attunement, and bonding begin in utero

There’s something quietly radical about that premise. In a world that often treats the perinatal period as purely medical, choosing to read, to sing, to speak to your unborn child is an act of intention. Of relationship. Of hope

Defiance and Hope as a theme couldn’t be more apt for a book that says: your baby is already listening. Already becoming. Already worthy of story

If you’re in regional Victoria this 21-22 March, come find us at the stall 📚🐘

🔗 clunesbooktown.org.au

We respectfully acknowledge the Dja Dja Wurrung People, the Traditional Custodians and Original Storytellers of the lands on which we celebrate our love of stories.

05/03/2026

This International Women’s Day (8th March), here are 5 ways the playroom balances the scales for girls:
1. It gives them permission to have needs
2. It speaks the language of what words can’t hold
3. It shows them what an equal relationship feels like
4. It sees the girls that systems miss
5. It starts early — because early intervention is a justice issue

Play therapy can help balance the scales ⚖️

05/03/2026

03/03/2026

Today is the day UN Australia are celebrating International Women’s Day and the 2026 theme couldn’t be more relevant to the work we do.
Balance the Scales.
I’ve been thinking about what that means from a play therapy lens — and there’s so much here. Access. Voice. Trauma. Justice. The women doing the work.
Watch the reel for my take 💜

02/03/2026

Many International Women’s Day (IWD) events are happening tomorrow (March 4th) here in Australia 🇦🇺

02/03/2026

When LinkedIn connections become something more! This morning I had the pleasure of connecting with Megan Corcoran on her podcast 'Wag Tails' (https://theia.ac/wag-tails-podcast/)

You might be able to guess a few of the topics we spoke about (play + humanity) but I look forward to sharing our full conversation with you when it goes live!

Thanks for a play filled and playful conversation Megan!

01/03/2026

We need more nuance in how we talk about therapeutic approaches for children, and young people

Highly verbal, cognitive strategies have their place. But they’re not universally developmentally appropriate. A teenager-appropriate approach isn’t automatically right for a preschooler or a child just starting school. And equally, not every teenager is ready for a purely cognitive or verbal process — regardless of their age

That’s where play comes in!

I’ve worked with many teenagers who have found their voice through play-based communication — a board game, a metaphor, a moment of shared play — when words alone couldn’t get there

Developmental readiness matters more than chronological age. Play meets children and young people where they are

01/03/2026

Last week we talked about Blue Mind Theory and the surprisingly powerful effect of water on our wellbeing🐟💙

This week? Let's go green. Meet Green Mind Theory 🌿

Natural environments (yes, including the plant on your desk) activate a distinct neurological state associated with reduced stress, restored attention, and improved mood

A review of 42 studies found that simply being in the presence of indoor plants can improve both mental and physical health. And for the many of us spending hours inside, those plants may be doing more heavy lifting than we realise!

Here's what the science tells us:
🌱 Greenery lowers physiological stress markers
🌱 Improved air quality from indoor plants supports cognitive performance
🌱 Tending to plants gives us a sense of agency and accomplishment (yes, even keeping a succulent alive counts)
🌱 Visual access to nature restores focused attention

For children? Even more critical. Green spaces support emotional regulation, focus, and the kind of free, exploratory play that builds healthy brains 🧠

So whether it's a pot plant on the windowsill, a courtyard garden, or a school oval with actual grass, we are neurologically wired to need green 💚

📖 Read more:
Green Mind Theory (Pretty et al.) → [link in comments]
Houseplants and mental health (WEF/The Conversation) → [link in comments]

What's growing in your space right now? 🪴
Do you have plants in your therapeutic space? 🌱