Inspiring Play

13/07/2025

✨🩵 What I’ve Learned (and Keep Learning) From Being a Play Therapist 🩵✨

I’ve always believed that children are capable and competent, but being a play therapist has allowed me to see this truth unfold in profound and humbling ways.

Here are some lessons that have landed deeply for me in the playroom:

* Children need time, not just time to speak or play, but time to feel safe. Time to trust. Time to simply be without pressure or expectation. There’s no rushing that.

* Therapy isn’t always easy for a child. Sometimes it brings up big feelings, and that can feel scary. But I’ve also seen how play becomes a bridge, a gentle way for children to face hard things while still holding onto a sense of safety and control.

* A child’s behaviour is always communicating something. Even when it looks messy or confusing, there's a message beneath the surface. The playroom invites us to slow down and truly listen.

* The relationship matters more than any technique. Healing happens in connection, through consistent, warm, attuned presence.

* Play is powerful. It’s not just fun, it’s how children process, explore, express, and rehearse life. What looks like “just play” often holds the most important emotional truths.

* Children don’t need us to fix their feelings. They need us to trust them, to sit with them in the hard parts and reflect their strength back to them.

* What’s challenging for adults (aggression, refusal, silence) is often exactly where the child most needs to be met with calm, acceptance and compassion. That’s where the real work, and healing, begin.

Working as a play therapist has deepened my respect for the rich inner lives of children. It has taught me to slow down, to listen with more than my ears, and to trust the process, and the child, even when things feel unclear.

And above all, I’ve learned this: when we hold space with presence and patience, children will show us the way.

If you’re curious about play therapy or wondering if it might support your child, I’d love to connect. 🩵✨

14/02/2025

🩷 I see you, mama. 🩷

You’re doing your best, but some days just feel really hard. Maybe your little one is struggling with big emotions, meltdowns, or worries that you’re not sure how to help with. I’ve been there too, and I want you to know, you don’t have to do this alone.

At Inspiring Play: Child & Family Play Therapy Sunshine Coast, we use play to help children feel safe, understood, and more in control of their emotions. If you’re wondering whether play therapy could help your little one( or just need a place to start), I’m here to listen.

🩷 Send me a message anytime. 🩷

31/01/2025

Is Child-Centred Play Therapy Evidence-Based?

Short answer? YES, it is!

Child-Centred Play Therapy (CCPT) is backed by decades of research showing its effectiveness in supporting children's emotional, social, and behavioural development. When children engage in play therapy, they’re not “just playing”, they’re working through big feelings, building coping skills, and strengthening their sense of self.

The Science Behind It
�Studies have shown that CCPT helps children:�✔️ Regulate emotions and reduce anxiety�✔️ Improve self-esteem and confidence�✔️ Strengthen relationships and social skills�✔️ Process trauma and build resilience

Why It Works
�Children communicate through play, it’s their language. In CCPT, the therapist provides a safe, non-judgmental space where children can express themselves freely, process their emotions, and develop problem-solving skills at their own pace. The relationship is the healing factor, fostering trust, empowerment, and emotional growth.

So yes, Child-Centred Play Therapy isn’t just powerful - it’s proven.

04/01/2025

Start the New Year with Support for Your Child and Family!

Is your child struggling with emotions, anxiety, behaviour difficulties or social skills? Play Therapy could be the safe, nurturing space they need to thrive.

At Inspiring Play: Child and Family Play Therapy Sunshine Coast, we empower children to explore their feelings, build resilience, and develop essential skills - all through the power of play.

New Year, New Opportunities! We’re excited to announce additional play therapy spaces are now available. Start 2025 with support tailored to your child’s unique needs.

Book Now to secure your spot and take the first step towards a brighter year for your family.

Visit our website: www.inspiringplay.com.au
�Or call us today to learn more on 07 5241 5991

Let’s make this year one of growth and emotional well-being for your child. Inspiring Play is here to support you and your child. 🩷

28/11/2024

Please take a moment to sign the petition below.

In Australia, people with disabilities use their NDIS funding to access Creative and Experiential Therapies that they choose themselves, because it helps them to live well, stay strong, active and healthy.

Creative and Experiential Therapies include therapies that use more than verbal approaches to engage people:

Creative Arts Therapy
Music Therapy
Dance/Movement Therapy
Drama Therapy
Art Therapy
Play Therapy

Creative and Experiential Therapies are evidence-based approaches that:

improve quality of life and independent living,
keep people active in their body,
help people regulate emotions,
engage people in their communities,
strengthen relational and communication skills,
and provide a safe place where people can be free to be themselves.

Creative and Experiential Therapists have tertiary degrees and are members of professional associations. They are recognised members of Australia's Allied Health Work Force along with physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists.

Allied Health Services provided by registered Creative and Experiential Therapists for NDIS participants should be distinct from the services provided by support workers. Creative and Experiential Therapists should classified under capacity building along with other Allied Health therapies, and paid at the same rate as other Allied Health Professionals.

Creative and Experiential Therapies belong in the NDIS.

Creative and Experiential Therapies Belong in the NDIS

04/11/2024

30/10/2024

🩷

Looking for a Playgroup near you🧸❤

Head to our website:
https://playmatters.org.au/search

28/10/2024

💚

Symposium committee - Allie, Katrina, Mel and Renae celebrating at the end of a very successful first ever event for PTPA! (But where is Emma!)

More photos to come tomorrow. We just need to let the amazingness of last 3 days sink in! Just wow 🤩

18/10/2024

Co-regulation is the process of guiding your child through their big feelings by being their calm anchor.

When kids are overwhelmed, they often need our support to feel safe and understood before they can regulate on their own.

Check out our latest blog post for more on Co-Regulation.

As a parent, I get it. You’re doing your best to support your child through big feelings, meltdowns, and challenging behaviours—and some days, it feels like you’re barely holding it together. I’ve been there too, navigating the stormy seas of parenthood with young children. It’s exhausting...

08/10/2024

Parenting a child with developmental delays is a journey filled with hope, stress, and moments of uncertainty. As a parent who has walked this path, I understand firsthand the emotional rollercoaster that comes with supporting your child’s therapeutic journey. I vividly remember the overwhelming feeling of shuffling from one therapist to the next, desperately searching for that elusive “quick fix” that would magically solve my child's challenges. If only I had known back then that progress takes time—and that this journey is more like running a marathon than a sprint.

Therapy isn’t about instant results. It's about nurturing, building trust, and creating a safe space where children can gradually feel comfortable to express themselves, heal, and grow. It’s important for parents to understand that this process takes time. But, trust me, it’s so worth it.

See our blog post below for more;

Parenting a child with developmental delays is a journey filled with hope, stress, and moments of uncertainty. As a parent who has walked this path, I understand firsthand the emotional rollercoaster that comes with supporting your child’s therapeutic journey. I vividly remember the overwhelming f...