Play & Creative Therapy Bundaberg

25/07/2025

Today we are in-office doing some final touches. We have the painter in to freshen up our soundproof doors, we’re flatpacking, hanging new artwork, mirrors, installing more panels - piece by piece this space is feeling more and more like home to us. Its been a big job but oh so worth it 🍃

25/07/2025

“That must be fun.”
It’s the phrase we often hear as Play Therapists and Creative Counsellors. And yes, on the surface, it can look like fun.

We sit on the floor. We play with dolls, dinosaurs, sand, and paint. We laugh. We build. We explore. We create. Yet beneath the surface, something much deeper is happening.

We are not just “playing.”
We are entering the child’s world through metaphor and symbol. We are witnessing their trauma without words. We are sitting with their dysregulation, their rage, their grief. We are decoding the language of play to understand what cannot yet be spoken.

This work is deeply sacred.
And it asks a lot of us.

Because while the child leaves the room… We stay behind.

We sit with the themes.
We replay the session in our mind. The moment the dinosaur got locked away. The baby that kept being dropped. The tower that was built, over and over again, only to be knocked down. The painting of a tiny figure standing alone in a storm, beneath a crumbling structure, with no doors drawn in.

We clean up the glitter, the clay, the tiny fragments of a story still unfolding. And we try to stay with ourselves, long enough to notice what has been stirred in our own nervous system. The subtle echoes of our own history, the way our breath catches. The quiet ache in our chest we didn’t feel until they left the room.

This is why so many burn out in this field. Because to hold space for others in such a deep and attuned way, we must also hold space for ourselves.

We must find enough felt safety to be with our inner responses. The parts of us that get overwhelmed,
The parts that want to fix,
The parts that feel helpless.

We must come home to ourselves again and again.
Honestly.
Compassionately.
Non-judgmentally.

Only then can we meet the child with presence. Not from habit or hypervigilance, but from a grounded place of connection.

Play & Creative Therapy is often misunderstood. It’s seen as a “lighter” option. Not always valued in the same way as more clinical or structured therapies. But make no mistake, this work is highly attuned, developmentally grounded, evidence-informed, and deeply relational.

It’s not a step down, it’s a step into the child’s nervous system, their attachment wounds, their sense of safety in the world.

Through play, we help the child make sense of what feels confusing or chaotic. We offer rhythm where there has been rupture. We stay steady when the emotions are big. We become a safe other, so the child can take the risk of being seen.

And slowly, through story, symbol, and co-regulation, the child begins to process what once felt too much to hold alone.

And yes, it can be fun.
But don’t be fooled by the crayons and the puppets. This work is deep, raw, incredibly human, and can only be done well with ongoing depth-orientated training, deep supervision, and committed self-reflection.

Because to hold the weight of a child’s inner world… we must be continually tending to our own.

And we wouldn’t have it any other way 💛

24/07/2025

There’s nothing quite like retreating to the corner of a coffee shop to reflect on the week.

Between onboarding new staff, new clients, and identifying gaps in our systems, I somehow seem to have created more work for myself. It’s classic really.

Having an AuDHD brain means I’m constantly innovating, but wow, it can be a lot. I’ll start working on one thing, spot something shiny in the corner of my brain, follow it down a side quest, and suddenly I’m juggling 101 tabs and rethinking the entire structure of a workflow I wasn’t even meant to touch today.

So instead of honing it in, I’m just sitting here, posting about it. Because that counts as productive, right?

Who else knows this feeling?
The chaotic, creative brain that rarely stops. The tendency to over-deliver on things no one even asked for. The side quests that take over the main mission.

You’re not alone. And I know … neither am I 😜

Happy Thursday friends 💛

23/07/2025

You are the steady hands behind the scenes.

The ones holding space.
You navigate systems not built for us.
You show up with gentleness when it’s hard.
You carry the stories, the weight, the wonder.

And still… you keep going.

This work is quiet, often invisible.
But don’t mistake quiet for small.
You are holding more than you know.
And even when it feels like too much, your presence ripples outward.

This is not a race.
It’s a collective act of care.
And we need YOU in it 💕

To the therapists, educators, parents, and caregivers holding it all … thank you 🙏

23/07/2025

✨ We’re so proud of Jo ✨

Jo is now officially listed on the COPE directory for Perinatal Mental Health in Bundaberg, a well-earned recognition of her dedication to supporting parents through the vulnerable seasons of pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and loss.

This means Jo is recognised as a specialist in perinatal mental health, with specific training to assess and respond to the complex needs that can arise during this tender time, always in a way that’s safe, trauma-informed, and deeply respectful.

Perinatal work is where Jo’s heart truly lies. She holds space with gentleness, insight, and deeply attuned presence, and I feel so grateful to have her on our team, supporting mothers and families when they need it most. 💛

Trauma-informed perinatal therapy supporting parents through pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and loss. I offer counselling for birth trauma, perinatal…

20/07/2025

I’ve been walking alongside the neuro-affirming movement since early 2019, before it really became the buzzword, marketing label, or checkbox in professional development it is today. Back then, it was quieter, slower, messy, raw, and community-led. Rooted in lived experience, not branding.

This weekend, after a few honest, grounding conversations, both personally and professionally, I found myself circling back to this question again. Not in theory, but in the felt sense of it. “What does it really mean to do this work with integrity? With care? With depth?”

These days, “neuro-affirming” is everywhere. And while part of me is relieved that awareness is growing, another part of me aches. Because when something becomes popular, it becomes easier to mimic. Easier to market. And I’ve noticed the louder some platforms get, the less space there is for humility, reflection, and collective wisdom.

And sometimes, that noise even comes from within the neurodivergent community itself. That’s what makes it so complex. Because the harm doesn’t always wear obvious colours. It hides behind curated language, credentials, and polished professional personas. But I feel it in my body when something isn’t right, when someone speaks as the authority, when training is built on a single voice, rather than the collective, when nuance is lost in favour of clarity or control.

We can’t claim to be neuro-affirming if we’re not centring multiplicity. If we’re not willing to say, “This is what I’ve come to understand, AND, I’m still learning.” That’s the heartbeat of this work.

Yes, language matters deeply. It shapes how people are seen. It can wound or hold. It can dehumanise or honour. The words we choose matter, because they carry power, especially in professional spaces where neurodivergent people have so often been spoken about, not with.

But neuro-affirming practice is more than language.

It’s also about how we respond, how
we speak when no one is listening, how we reflect on how our own privilege and patterns impact others. It’s how we learn, unlearn, and make space, not just for our own voice, but for the voices that have too often been silenced. It’s how we hold complexity, contradiction, and fluctuation with compassion, and more than anything, how we centre lived experience, not professional ego.

It’s not a performance (though there’s no shortage of that lately). It’s a practice. A way of being that asks more of us than just the right words.

And it has to begin with the willingness to not know. With the courage to sit inside the discomfort of growth.

I question myself often and ask “Am I truly holding this with care? Am I staying anchored in my values, or slipping into protection, performance, or ego?”

Because the truth is, I don’t know if we ever truly arrive. And maybe that’s what keeps us honest, humble, and human.

The people I trust most in this space aren’t the ones who sound like they’ve figured it all out. I trust the ones still listening. Still learning. Still holding this work gently without needing to be loud.

Though I’ll be honest, sometimes I do feel the need to be loud, especially when I witness so much performance in this space. Not for attention, but because silence can feel like complicity.

Because this isn’t a framework to apply it’s the way in which we show up. Neuro-affirming support doesn’t come from performance. It comes from presence. From deep listening. From honouring the person in front of us without assumption or agenda.

It’s about holding space with reverence. Making room for complexity. Honouring communication, autonomy, and difference in all their forms. Not just when it’s easy, but especially when it’s not.

Because in this work, we do have to get it right. Not perfectly. But relationally. With care. With reflection. With a willingness to stay accountable when we miss the mark. To listen. To repair. To keep learning, even when we have lived experience ourselves.

It’s not something we say to sound aligned. It’s something we live, moment by moment, person by person. Something that is known …not by how it sounds … but by how it’s held.

Holding this space with you, always.
With love,
Kara 💞

19/07/2025

It’s been a long time since we’ve had a real, intentional family night. When you’re living in the thick of neurodivergent and disability life, juggling therapies, nervous system overloads, homeschooling, advocacy, appointments, and exhaustion, it’s so easy to slip into survival mode and stay there. And when you’re surviving, connection can feel like a luxury that’s just out of reach.

Because it’s not just the everyday stuff we’re carrying.

It’s writing reports and NDIS reviews.
It’s tracking and juggling funding.
It’s researching approaches that honour your child’s neurotype.
It’s supporting regulation through meltdowns, shutdowns, refusals, and sensory overloads.
It’s navigating systems that often don’t see or understand neurodivergent ways of being.
It’s phone calls, cancellations, reschedules, and explaining yourself over and over again.
It’s the quiet ache of watching your child be misunderstood.
It’s the bone-deep fatigue of being the case manager, therapist, parent, and advocate, often all at once.

And still trying to cook dinner. Earn an income. Keep the house running. Be present for your partner. Find five minutes for yourself. Show up for each child in the way they uniquely need.

It’s a lot. I absolutly get that too.

But I wouldn’t trade this life or these amazing humans for anything.

Connection is what keeps us going. It’s what brings us back to each other when life gets loud, chaotic, and heavy.

Tonight, we’re pressing pause. My son came up with the cool idea of a family Lego party. And it was perfect. We all love Lego, and we all love to PLAY. So joy for us tonight looks like plastic bricks, “pin the Lego head on the figurine,” fajitas, and chocolate cake. No expectations, no agendas, just some fun, shared time together. 💛

That’s our Lego crew up front too (I told you we love Lego). The names are censored for privacy, but those minifigs are full of fierce, funny, fabulous personality. 🫶

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18/07/2025

Wild idea, I know … but what if… just what if… the experts on being Autistic were… wait for it…

Autistic people?

There is still so much misinformation out there from so-called “Autism experts” who’ve never actually lived a single day as an Autistic person.

Please, please, before you take advice from someone who studied Autistic people like a science project…

Ask yourself:
👉 Do they speak about Autistic people or with them?
👉 Do they describe Autism as a problem to be fixed or a neurotype to be understood?
👉 Do they see Autistic people as passive subjects… or as humans with valid perspectives, feelings, and autonomy?

The best way to learn about and understand Autism will always be from those living it, not just observing it.

16/07/2025

Many teens struggle with their mental health, but accessing the right support can be incredibly challenging. Traditional talk therapy, where a therapist asks questions, and the client is expected to verbalise their thoughts and feelings, often isn’t the best fit for young people.

🧠 𝗪𝗵𝘆?

👉 Many teens don’t have the words to express what they’re feeling.
👉 Sitting across from an adult in a formal setting can feel intimidating or unnatural.
👉 They may not even fully understand what’s going on inside them, let alone be able to articulate it.
👉 Trauma, anxiety, and neurodivergence can make spoken communication challenging and exhausting.

That’s why we take a 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 to mental health support for teens. Using 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺, 𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤, 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘴, we help young people explore and process their emotions in a way that feels safe, natural, and engaging.

🌈 Creative counselling meets teens where they are.
🌈 It helps bypass the pressure to “have the right words.”
🌈 It allows for deeper emotional exploration without overwhelming them.
🌈 It fosters confidence, self-expression, and emotional regulation.

💡 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 & 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀?

One of the biggest misconceptions about Play Therapy (a form of Creative Counselling) is that it’s only for children under 12. In reality, teens and even adults can benefit from play-based and expressive therapies!

Play and creative therapy by a trained therapist allows for guided and intentional deeper emotional processing without the pressure of direct conversation, something that can be especially helpful for teens navigating anxiety, trauma, or emotional challenges.

Play Therapy for teens isn’t about toys or games, it’s about expression, connection, and processing in a way that makes sense for their brain and nervous system.

💡 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆?

We know that finding and affording mental health support for teens is HARD. Many families face:
❌ Long waitlists for public services
❌ Financial barriers to private support
❌ Therapists who don’t understand or accommodate neurodivergence or age-appropriate approaches

On top of that, many schools and caregivers don’t always recognise a teen’s needs until they reach a crisis point, especially when those needs don’t fit into a traditional mental health framework. Emotionally sensitive teens, for example, often get labeled as 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤, 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵 instead of receiving the emotional support they truly need. These teens may shut down, lash out, or internalise their struggles until they become overwhelming.

That’s why, despite being a 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗡𝗢 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴, we remain committed to offering sliding scale fees for families who need it. Because we believe every teen deserves access to support, not just those who can afford private care.

If your teen is struggling, they don’t have to do it alone. We’re here to help…. 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝘆.

📩 Reach out to learn more about our approach or to book a session.

www.playcreative.com.au

14/07/2025

When your husband’s the event photographer, you’re guaranteed at least one sneaky photo - perks of marrying the talent 😉📸

Family Fun Day moment! 💛

📸 Icono Images by Shaun Watson

14/07/2025

Too often, children are labelled as the problem, when really, it’s the environment, the expectations placed on them, or the lack of understanding that’s letting them down.

Instead of asking “What’s wrong with this child?” We ask, “What’s happening around them?”

We look beyond behaviour to consider nervous system overwhelm, unmet needs, relational stressors, and the invisible load they might be carrying.

Because real change doesn’t begin with “fixing” children … It begins with rethinking the systems that surround them 🍃