Power of Play Counselling

25/10/2025

Validation + Boundaries 👇

22/10/2025

We are excited to announce the reopening of Power of Play Counselling following a short temporary closure whilst Alannah has been on Maternity Leave.

Alannah will be working Tuesdays and Fridays at Kyneton Consulting Rooms from Tuesday 11th November 2025.

Email Alannah@popcounselling.com.au for all booking enquiries or fill out the enquiry form at www.popcounselling.com.au

We can’t wait to be back in the playroom in coming weeks!

✨

17/10/2025

Effort over outcome 👏

19/08/2025

What an amazing platform for everyone - and it’s free

Beyond the curriculum

18/08/2025

So true. Thanks Perth Children's Occupational Therapy.

12/08/2025

The word “bully” or “bullying” gets thrown around very easily where often it’s being used to describe mean and unkind behaviour and conflict. Whilst these experiences are not nice experiences - it is important we don’t over generalise the term bully/bullying.

How do you know if it's bullying... or something else?

Upsetting interactions can be confusing to work out. This flowchart is a tool to help you understand what is happening, so you can figure out what to do next.

25/06/2025

Repair 💕

01/05/2025

26/03/2025

Such amazing work being done locally!

23/03/2025

It’s a GIRL

🌷

Alannah is beyond excited to announce that, after a few false starts,

Charlotte Shae Jansz (Lottie)

was welcomed earth side on Thursday 20th March at 2:16am. Weighing in at 3.28kg (7lb2oz) and 52cm long.

Mum and bubs are both doing really well 🥰 and the rest of the family are absolutely smitten with our newest addition.

Thank you for all the love and well wishes from our POP family and friends. We hope you are all doing well.

💕💕

10/03/2025

Appointments are available at Kyneton, Woodend and Gisborne for children, adolescents, adults, families and couples.

Search our website to see the profiles of all our clinicians.

Not all clinicians have availability. You can either contact each clinicians directly or submit an enquiry via our website. We will help connect you to a suitable clinician.

https://www.macedonrangesconsultingrooms.com.au/

03/02/2025

In the original post by Natural Learner - Leah McDermott she gave a fantastic caption:

"Can you imagine someone following you around trying to turn everything you did into a “learning” experience?!

“Oh, I see you mixed those ingredients with the mixer, Stephanie... why don’t we try doing it by hand now!”

“Hmmm pumping gas was fun, wasn’t it, John? Let’s read all about how the gas is used in the car!”

“I see you love unwinding by playing the guitar, Emily. Let’s enroll you in some lessons so you can be even better!”

“Interesting choice to end your email that way, Sam. Can you write four more signing offs to experiment?”

Just let your kids enjoy things. Not everything has to become a lesson or be any more than it already is.

You’re just putting undue pressure on yourself and possibly ruining an enjoyable experience for your child."

***

I truly believe that this stems almost completely from the fact that play is NOT seen as valuable.

Play is not seen as learning.

Play is not seen as developing crucial skills.

Play is seen as wasting time between "all the other stuff" we need kids to do throughout a day. So when they're some age that we think they need to quit wasting time and get around to the real life stuff...5 or 4 or 3...then we think they better quit playing and start doing more meaningful things.

(Not stop playing *entirely*, of course, we would never ask something so unreasonable! Just long enough for circle time...or to make them trace letters and shapes...or to quiz them on things they already know...)

If we actually saw play as valuable as it actually is, it would shift our entire lens on its head.

[Image description: A screenshot of a tweet by Your Natural Learner - Leah McDermott that reads, "It's such a weird adult instinct to want to turn everything into a more 'meaningful' experience, isn't it? Like...what if we just...let kids ENJOY THINGS?" with a "mind blown" emoji. End description.]