Honouring your child’s experiences through play therapy means we can uncover their unique emotional challenges, and work with them… on their level
We all know that square pegs don’t fit into round holes.
Yet too often, children are made to fit in with adult-based therapies. Because that’s what many psychologists are trained to do.
But kids think and experience things differently. We know they learn in different ways about themselves, about their relationships, and about their world.
It’s no surprise that adult-based approaches cannot meet the developmental needs of children.
That’s why we have to do things differently at our therapy space, located in Hobart.
Play therapy brings a whole new dimension to the concept of children’s psychology
Our therapists are highly trained in children’s psychology, so we genuinely understand the inner-worlds of children.
And through the safe and sensitive methods of play therapy, your child will teach us exactly what they need.
Your child no longer has to be that square peg in a round hole.
The truth is, you don’t have to accept a ‘one size fits all’ approach for your child and just hope for the best.
Let us show you how play therapy and child-centred counselling can support your child.
Our psychologists are experienced with supporting children aged 0-10 with a range of challenges:
Children’s psychology & counselling
If your child is struggling with trauma or adverse events, anxiety, depression, attachment difficulties, regulation difficulties, grief and loss, parental separation, developmental challenges, ASD, ADHD, or any other emotional or behavioural issues, we can help. We also welcome children with self- and plan-managed NDIS referrals.
Play therapy
Our experienced team offers a range of different play therapies to help support your child using their first and most natural language… play. You can read more about these leading-edge therapies below.
Trauma Therapy Service
We provide a dedicated Trauma Therapy Service that supports children (and their carers) living in Out of Home Care arrangements. We offer this valuable service both locally and remotely, and welcome referrals from anywhere in Australia.
Still confused about what play therapy is and how it adapts to meet your child’s needs? You’re definitely not alone.
While play therapy is still a growing area of children’s psychology, its strength lies in recognising that children think, feel, express, communicate, and process differently to adults.
It’s not simply an adaption of standard adult-based therapies.
Instead, we honour children’s experiences by using child-sensitive play practices.
Even more importantly, our support is specifically tailored to the developmental needs of each child we meet.
We don’t aim to change their behaviours…
We focus on discovering and responding to the underlying needs a child communicates to us through their emotional and behavioural issues.
Because we get kids.
And we know that their external behaviours are usually covering for their internal struggles.
Play is central to how children come to learn about themselves, their relationships, and their world.
Play sessions give us a unique insight into a child’s understanding of themselves.
It shows us how the child sees the world and how safe they feel.
In other words, when a child is playing, they bring unconscious thoughts and feelings into the conscious.
This is especially valuable in the case of younger children. Because although they can speak, they’re not yet able to fully express themselves through words alone.
It’s ridiculous to consider asking a young child about their struggles in life.
Even adults often have a hard time doing that.
Children’s experiences and feelings are often too big for them to manage alone. The thinking part of their brain isn’t yet developed enough for them to process and understand what’s happening, or to use language alone to do this.
And many memories of things that happen in early childhood are stored deep in the brain, outside of conscious awareness, so children need ways of bringing these memories to light.
That’s why play therapy is so beneficial.
When we play, we use all of ourselves.
We tap into all the things stored in our deep, unconscious brain. And these very naturally emerge in our play.
Ever been to a fancy dress party and been surprised when you find yourself not just taking on the role of the character, but aspects of yourself and your experiences pop out too?
This is the power of play!
Even more importantly, play acknowledges and respects children’s developmental differences.
Our therapists are experts in understanding children’s play; how it develops, things that impact their ability to play, and how and what they communicate through play.
Which means that we don’t need your child to rely on words alone to explore their emotions and ask for help.
Our play therapy methods can be applied in a variety of ways:
Child-Centred Play Therapy describes the child-focused support given by an experienced play therapist while the child self-directs the play therapy session.
This approach is based on the assumption that most children have the internal resources to direct their own growth and change. Don’t be fooled by the name though... this doesn’t mean that a child always does what they want. Play Therapists are very active in structuring the sessions and are experts at setting limits.
The real art of play therapy is how the therapist uses their relationship with the child, and a special technique called Tracking and Reflection, to actively work towards therapeutic goals.
Integrative Play Therapy also supports a child individually, however the therapist draws on additional methods of therapy when a more flexible approach is required.
This approach recognises that some children may not yet have developed the internal resources to direct their own growth and change, and may need more help from the therapist.
Filial Play Therapy helps parents and carers put play therapy into action at home, with ongoing support and guidance from our therapists.
This is one of our most favourite therapy approaches. It’s all about empowering YOU - the parent or carer - in your parenting confidence and connection with your child.
Filial Therapy is an evidence-based program that assists in reducing stress in the parent-child relationship, reducing emotional and behavioural difficulties, and finding different ways of being with and responding to your child.
Learn to Play sessions support children with delays in their play development. There are many reasons a child may not develop play skills, however it most commonly occurs alongside trauma, or a developmental delay or disorder, such as ASD.
Learn to Play assesses a child’s play skills and uses specific play activities to teach the art of natural play. For example, pretend play is a skill that helps children gain language skills, develop empathy, and make and maintain friendships.
Who would’ve thought that such important life skills are developed through pretend play?
Of course, you know your child better than anyone…
If you’re looking for a quick-fix to stop your child’s difficult behaviours, then our approach is probably not the best fit for you.But if you’re searching for a child-centred therapy that will help your child promote change from the inside out…
And if you want the support of highly trained therapists who are experienced in using the therapeutic powers of relationship and play, then we’re definitely the service for you!
Reach out to us today.
Be My Co-Therapist™
Children develop in the context of their attachment relationships, and the most effective change occurs for children when their important adults are involved in the change process.
So our model of care actively engages parents/caregivers as our co-therapist – Be My Co-TherapistTM.
In addition to your child’s therapy appointments, we regularly schedule separate parent/caregiver sessions. Our goal is to resource YOU to apply specific therapeutic approaches at home, that are consistent with our goals in therapy.
Here’s what people often ask us when accessing our services:
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In short, no. Anyone can self-refer to our counselling services at any time. However, if you’d like to access the Medicare rebate for psychology sessions, your child will need a referral from their GP.
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A GP Mental Health Care Plan (also referred to as a Mental Health Treatment Plan) is a documented plan developed by your child’s GP to assist with mental health issues.
The GP will need to make a diagnosis of your child’s mental health condition, and write a plan for how this will be supported. When your GP has lodged the plan via Medicare, your child’s access to Medicare rebates for psychology sessions under the Medicare Better Access program will be activated.
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Yes. A Mental Health Care Plan is different to - and separate from - a referral (though many GPs like to forward the MHCP to us). Because of the firm Medicare rules, if you wish to claim a Medicare rebate the most important thing we need from your child’s GP (or Psychiatrist, or Paediatrician) is a Letter of Referral.
This letter of referral needs to:
State your child’s eligible mental health diagnosis under the Medicare Better Access Program; AND
State how many sessions they would like your child to attend. GPs can only refer for up to 6 sessions at a time, after which you’ll need to provide us with a new referral letter.
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When your child has a MHCP (see above), the session fee you pay for your child’s session may be eligible for a Medicare rebate.
Medicare rebates can only be claimed for sessions that your child attends. This means that no rebate is available when you have sessions alone with your child’s therapist (which will happen from time to time during the course of your child’s therapy).
As per the set guidelines of Medicare, the rebate amounts vary between our therapists.
The current Medicare rebates for our clinicians are:
Katherine Olejniczak: $89.65
Jana Panagakos: No rebate available (not an eligible Medicare Provider)
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Due to COVID-19, the Australian Government has increased the number of psychology sessions eligible for a Medicare rebate to 20 per calendar year (up from 10 sessions), effective until 30 June 2022.
On the 1st of January every year, the number of available sessions returns to zero, and individuals are now eligible for the full number of Medicare rebatable sessions again.
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Session fees vary depending on the clinician. Our current fees for a 50min session are:
Katherine Olejniczak, Director, Principal Psychologist, Registered Play Therapist: $280
Jana Panagakos, Children’s Counsellor / Play Therapist: $185
Unfortunately, Jana’s services are not eligible for a Medicare rebate at this time. However her fees have been intentionally set at a lower rate so her services, even without the rebate, are on par with our other therapists.
Please Note: We’re unable to offer a bulk-billing service. Fees are payable at the time of the consultation. To access a Medicare rebate, you’ll need to lodge a claim following full payment of your child’s session.
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Absolutely. Contact your insurer to check if your policy covers mental health support.
Your child’s session fee will need to be paid in full at the time of the consultation, then you can process the receipt directly with your private health insurance provider to claim your rebate.
Please Note: Private health insurers cannot cover the Medicare gap fee. Rebates can only be claimed from either Medicare or your health insurer - not both.
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We’re well-equipped to support children with an NDIS plan, and we welcome both self- and plan-managed NDIS referrals.
Please get in touch to discuss the type of Service Agreement that will best suit your child.
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Yes, we welcome third party referrals from organisations such as Child Safety Services, the Emergency Services (DPFEM), and MAIB.
In these cases, your child’s sessions will be covered and there’ll be no out-of-pocket costs for you to pay. The number of sessions covered will vary depending on the arrangement of the third party.
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Sessions are booked for 50 minutes each.
Child sessions are usually 45 minutes, allowing five minutes for transition at the end. This is particularly useful if your child wants to share something about the session with you.
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This depends on the family and the reason for your child coming to see us.
Our first session will always be a parent/carer-only consultation, without your child. It’s important we have dedicated time to discuss your concerns and gather important information about your child’s development without them present.
When your child has their own individual therapy sessions, parents won’t usually be involved unless there’s something specific your child wants to share.
Although our services are all child-focused, we strongly believe that parents and carers are a vital part of therapeutic outcomes.
This means that, while sessions are usually centred around your child, there may be times that we recommend adult-only sessions. We schedule separate parent sessions to provide feedback about your child’s progress, and discuss with you approaches you can use at home that complement what’s happening in therapy. In effect, you become our co-therapist.
At times we may also recommend Filial Therapy, or combined therapy sessions with child-parent, or other family members.
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Yes, absolutely.
Please be aware that any requests to attend meetings, liaise with other professionals or schools, and prepare letters or reports are billed accordingly.
Fees are charged as per your clinician’s fee schedule, and some of the services are subject to GST. Payment is required at the time of service, and prior to the release of any reports or letters.
Please Note: As we need to schedule time to respond to your request, we’re usually unable to respond to requests at short notice.
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If you need to cancel or change an appointment, please give us as much notice as possible.Any cancellations made with 25-48 hours’ notice will incur a cancellation fee of 50% of the full session fee. Cancellations made with 24 hours notice or less, including missed appointments, will be charged at the full session fee.
Please Note: Our appointments run to a schedule. Which means if your child arrives late for a session, their appointment will still finish at the scheduled time and the full fee still applies.