Portable Play Therapy Comes to Therapy

Portable Play Therapy offers Child-Centred Play Therapy (CCPT) for children aged two to 11 years who are experiencing social, emotional and relational challenges.

Play therapy is a form of therapy that uses play to uncover and deal with psychological issues, in particular for child counselling and early intervention during stages of a child’s life that can be difficult or even painful.

“One area we’ve had great success in is helping children make the transition from day care to kindy and kindy to school,” says Bernadette (Berine) Ryan, Founder of Portable Play Therapy.

“These can be challenging times for any child, but especially for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). They can have difficulty concentrating during class, find it hard to fit in and establish meaningful friendships. This can often result in behavioural issues.

These behavioural issues are often the child’s way of communicating that something isn’t right – they just don’t have the vocabulary to articulate it in language, so it comes out in other ways.

We use play therapy to first help the child identify what triggers them and then to improve their self-management skills and boost their emotional intelligence so they can  develop coping strategies to regulate how they react to what’s going on around them.”

Play therapy builds on a child’s inner resources and strengths to bring about developmental growth and healing. It helps children develop confidence and positive self-esteem, find healthier ways of communicating and can promote resilience and coping, in ways that are appropriate to their age and developmental stage.

According to Healthline.com, there are many potential benefits of play therapy including taking more responsibility for certain behaviours, creative problem-solving skills, greater self-respect, increased empathy and respect for others, alleviation of anxiety, and stronger social skills.

Before therapy commences, Bernie invites parents or primary carers to a FREE one-hour consultation without the child. During this time, you openly discuss your worries and concerns about the child’s behaviours and relationships with others. A full developmental history of the child and family is explored and the play therapy process, fees and practical considerations are all discussed.

From there, a program is developed consisting of Play Therapy sessions and Parent/Carer Consultation sessions. The process normally lasts about six months or longer depending on the circumstances.

Session fees start at $150 + GST per hour and will vary depending on age and area and whether the service is private or through NDIS.