Child-Centred Sydney

05/12/2025

One example of how play therapy works.

05/12/2025

"When we lose our playfulness, we're in trouble. Children need to play, adults need to play. We have become a work-oriented society, an outcome-based society. When a child plays a game only to win and doesn't enjoy the activity — that is no longer play, it's work." — Dr. Gordon Neufeld

True play isn’t about performance or outcomes. It’s expressive, not evaluative. It creates emotional safety and freedom — not pressure to succeed. But in today’s culture, true play is vanishing.

This clip is from Dr. Neufeld’s Keynote: 'Making Sense of Kids' from the 2018 Neufeld Institute Vancouver Conference. If you want to listen to the whole keynote, then you can find it under our free resources at neufeldinstitute.org/free

03/12/2025

Child-Centred Play Therapy (CCPT) Facts.
Source: CCPT International

30/11/2025

05/11/2025

Something to bear in mind: 'What looks frivolous might actually be a child learning where control begins. And ends.

When a child wraps tape around their arm, they’re doing more than playing with a material. They’re experimenting with autonomy.

How tight is too tight? What happens if I pull? How does it feel to choose something uncomfortable, and undo it myself?

This is sensory exploration and self-regulation in motion. It’s the body asking questions the brain doesn’t have experience for yet.

Play like this isn’t about craft or product. It’s about agency. And when we interrupt too soon, “Don’t waste that tape!” “That will hurt!” we cut off the very process that teaches kids how to recognise, test, and trust their own limits.

So the next time you see something that looks like nonsense, stay curious. You might be witnessing the first draft of self-control.'

Source: Rooted in Play

04/11/2025

Play therapy provides an opportunity for children to develop their narratives and make meaning of their experiences. The therapist's role is to support children through reflection and co-regulation so that they can develop coherent narratives of their lived experiences.

27/10/2025

"Many people underestimate how common trauma is for young people. Surveys suggest this clinical form of dissociation affects 7–11% of high school students, making it as common as anxiety disorders."

Dissociation is the brain’s way of protecting itself from overwhelming stress or emotion, and it’s often linked to trauma.

26/10/2025

💕 This.