Meet the team

I am a qualified Social Worker; Play Therapist, Interplay Practitioner and a mother of two. I am so excited to be able to provide a space that can promote healing, repair and connection for our little ones and families, in a way that I am so passionate about.

My practice is very much informed by attachment and the significance of the parent child relationship, interpersonal neurobiology and its impact on regulation and emotional safety, and the unique strengths that every family has in its own system. I strive to come from a place of genuine acceptance when I work with families, and I have always believed in the need to be authentic and transparent, particularly when supporting them through some of their most challenging times.

Since completing my Post-graduate Social Work qualifications in 2010 (BSW), my work has strongly focused on supporting families with young children, across various services and settings. I have worked within the Child Protection system as well as the primary education setting in recent years. The more significant areas of my practice included supporting families around complex mental health issues, behavioural challenges, neurological and biological disorders, trauma informed practice and Child Centred Play Therapy (CCPT). I enjoy working with parents and caregivers to support them to form meaningful strategies and communication with children in their care, to see effective outcomes.

Courtney is a registered early childhood and primary school teacher, with eighteen years’ experience working with children from birth to twelve years old. Courtney holds a Master of Child Play Therapy from Deakin University, where she trained in Learn to Play and as a Child Centred Play Therapist & Filial Therapist. This complements her Bachelor of Early Childhood and Primary Education and Diploma of Children’s Services.

Courtney brings a wealth of experience to The Play Therapy Studio, having worked in a range of educational settings across Australia and the UK, encompassing managing an early intervention therapy clinic, teaching in long day care (birth to 5 years), sessional kindergarten, primary school, outside of school hour’s care and tertiary institutions teaching early childhood studies to adult learners. She has experience working with children in early intervention and inclusion support and has worked with a range of developmental needs.

Courtney acknowledges that play is children’s natural form of communication and recognises that developing and maintaining children’s social, emotional, physical and mental health and wellbeing is an ongoing process that can be supported by a trained play therapist. Courtney enjoys working with children and families and is passionate about supporting children’s healing journey so that they can grow to be well-adjusted, healthier and happier adults. Research shows that intervention during early childhood, positively supports children and lays the foundation for future development and improved outcomes.

Her Master of Child play therapy has enhanced her current teaching and early intervention therapy experience, with her vision for all children and families who have experienced adverse or trauma related experiences and/or other mental health concerns, to be able to access the support, respect and compassion they deserve through play therapy, with the intention to achieve improved health outcomes, support children’s healthy development, build resilience, enhance connection and relationships in order to achieve better outcomes in life.

Courtney has a warm and caring approach, is committed to working therapeutically with children, families and the wider community and is dedicated to making a positive difference for her clients.

I am a qualified Social Worker and play therapist. I am originally from Ireland and moved to the other side of the world, Australia, in 2019. My social work career has been dedicated to supporting the needs of children and teenagers both internationally in Ireland and the UK as well as Australia, before recently retraining as a play therapist.

Having worked with children of all ages within complex child protection systems for approx. 10 years, my approach has always been to view each child as part of a system, family and community. For example, working closely with schools and other services that may be in place to holistically support a child and their family is a key focus for me in my work. Family relationships are in my view, crucial to the development of any child and have always been a central focus for me when responding to the needs of any child.

I approach my work with the purpose of holding genuine space to hear each families story and their experience of what is happening for them. As a person I am empathetic, genuine and often described as “down to earth” which helps me in building trusting relationships with those that have legitimate reasons not to trust others…both adults and children. Retraining as a play therapist came from a place of frequently seeing firsthand children struggling or resisting traditional talking therapies due to not feeling able to relate or verbally communicate what is happening for them just yet, due to age, developmental needs or trauma history. I have also had the pleasure of working alongside play therapists as a social worker in complex spaces and have observed children grow immensely through having access to the genuine therapeutic relationship that play therapy provides.

Hi, I am Jane, a mother of two, with over 19 years of experience working in the Enhanced Maternal & Child Health program, alongside parents and children birth to school age, who have experienced significant early parenting difficulties.  I express my gratitude to these parents in allowing me to enter into their world, no matter where they were in their parenting journey.

I am compassionate about making a positive difference in family’s lives and look forward to joining the team at the Play Therapy Studio. I seek to create a safe and supportive space in all the work I do, helping parents to feel calm and at ease, as they work separately or together in scaffolding ways to understand and build a thoughtful, loving, mutually enjoyable relationship with their baby, toddler, or older child.

Questions to consider as a parent – Are you carrying an invisible load as you adjust to being a parent? Is parenting your baby, toddler or older child tricky to navigate?  Would you like support in keeping your baby in mind?

Using best practice information and applying this into practice,  I can assist in building parenting confidence through providing support and guidance in the following areas:

• Understanding baby’s first relationship.
• Strengthening your bond during the transition to parenthood (third trimester of pregnancy, early postnatal period and beyond).
• Infant and toddler feeding.
• Sleep & settling under 5 years.
• Learning about ages and stages of development and ways to promote development.
• Challenging toddler behaviour.
• Taking care of yourself.
• Building social connections through parenting information sessions and groups.

In consultation with parents, referrals can be made to other in-house professionals and surrounding services if further specialised support is required.

I’m a Certified Play Therapist & Interplay Practitioner. Alongside play therapy, I’m currently working as a Child and Family Trauma Consultant, supporting teachers/educators in trauma-informed practice and relationship-based approaches in the early years setting.

Over the last 12 years, my work has largely focused on supporting families and children, across many community settings, predominately assisting families in the child welfare setting, to navigate parenting challenges, create a sense of safety, strengthen family relationships, and provide opportunities for healing and growth.

Outside of the playroom, I’m a mother of two boys, and a lover of making mud pies, building fortes, and lounge room dance parties. Being in nature, moving my body, and dancing, are some of the things that fill up my cup. Feeling things deeply & listening to my inner voice, are two of my superpowers.

Through interplay, I aim to create a safe space to give a parent and child the opportunity to feel safe and connected together, in their relationship. I’m passionate about creating authentic relationships with children and families, to support them to reconnect and meet their needs through the therapeutic journey. I strive to help parents/caregivers feel more confident, connected, and empowered in their relationships with their child, and on their parenting journey.

Through play, children can make sense of their inner world, to process and integrate these experiences. I’m passionate about empowering children through their natural language of play and strongly believe all children have the right to feel safe, seen, heard, and understood.

My primary aim is to foster a sense of safety, security, connection, healing, and growth by drawing on the interconnected theories of attachment, trauma informed & relationship-based approaches, and their impact on child development and neurobiology.

I look forward to meeting you in the playroom, at The Play Therapy Studio.

Ashleigh is undergoing further accreditation in Child Centred Humanistic Play Therapy.