Our Child Therapy services are tailored to support children through a variety of emotional, social and developmental challenges. Our approach is deeply child-centred, recognising that each child expresses and experiences the world uniquely.

Child Therapy can be beneficial for children who:

• Experience Social Challenges: Having difficulties making friends, understanding social cues or working cooperatively with peers.
• Show Emotional Distress: Exhibiting signs of anxiety, sadness or significant mood fluctuations that impact their day-to-day activities.
• Encounter Learning Barriers: Struggling with academic tasks due to issues like attention difficulties or challenges in processing information or unidentified reasons.
• Need Help With Emotional Regulation: Displaying behaviours that may be disruptive or withdrawn or distressing, which may include reacting strongly to situations or emotions and difficulty coping with them.

How We Help:

• Engaging Therapeutic Methods: We utilise playful and creative techniques such as play, art and age appropriate technological activities. These methods are chosen for their effectiveness in fostering social skills, emotional regulation and problem-solving abilities in a fun and engaging way.
• Customised Support: Therapy sessions are specifically adapted to each child’s interests and developmental level, ensuring that the therapeutic process is natural and impactful. For instance, a child who enjoys drawing may find therapy involving art particularly engaging and helpful.
• Support for Parents: We provide guidance and support for parents, offering strategies and insights to help them effectively support their child’s development. This support is provided in a respectful and empowering way, recognising the existing strengths and knowledge of each family.

Benefits of Child Therapy:

Our therapy aims to equip children with strategies that enhance their ability to function effectively and comfortably in their environments, including at home and in school. The therapeutic process supports not just the child but also empowers parents with approaches to assist their child in navigating their world more successfully. By fostering understanding and skills, we help in building a strong foundation for lifelong resilience and personal growth

Our Adolescent Therapy services are designed to support teenagers as they navigate the complex emotional, social and developmental challenges of adolescence. Recognising that teens experience and interact with the world differently than younger children, our approach is tailored to be responsive and respectful of their growing independence and unique perspectives. Adolescent Therapy can be beneficial for teens who:

• Experience Social Challenges: Struggling with peer relationships, social anxiety or fitting in, which can impact their self-esteem and social development.
• Show Emotional Distress: Dealing with intense emotions, mood swings or symptoms of mental health issues such as depression or anxiety, which can significantly affect their daily functioning.
• Encounter Academic and Life Planning Stress: Facing challenges related to academic pressure, post school preparation, career choices and other future-oriented decisions.
• Need Help With Emotional Regulation: Learning to manage strong emotions in healthy ways, especially in situations of conflict or pressure, which are common during the teenage years.

• Engaging Therapeutic Methods: We employ a variety of therapeutic techniques including talk therapy, cognitive-behavioural strategies, and practical activities like art to engage teens effectively. These methods are selected for their ability to foster self-expression, develop critical thinking, and support emotional growth in ways that resonate with adolescents.
• Customised Support: Therapy sessions are tailored to each teen’s personal interests, concerns, and developmental stage, ensuring the therapeutic process is both relevant and impactful. This personalised approach might involve using different forms of expression and interaction, such as discussing favourite hobbies or using creative tasks, to facilitate communication and problem-solving skills.
• Support for Parents and Families: We provide guidance for parents to help them understand and support their teen’s emotional and developmental needs. This includes fostering better communication and strengthening the parent-teen relationship, crucial for navigating the challenges of adolescence.

Psychological assessments are vital tools in understanding a child or adolescent’s unique needs and tailoring interventions that support their growth. These assessments are crucial not only for diagnosing various developmental and cognitive conditions but also for planning effective support strategies, including educational accommodations. Our assessments include:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Evaluating for Autism helps in understanding a child’s social interaction, communication challenges and behavioural patterns.
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Assessing for ADHD focuses on identifying attention issues, impulsivity and hyperactivity which can affect learning and behaviour.
• Specific Learning Disorders: Such as Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia, which impact reading, writing and math skills respectively.
• Intellectual Disability and Global Developmental Delay: Evaluating cognitive and developmental abilities to provide insights into a child’s learning capacity and necessary supports.
• Giftedness: Identifying advanced cognitive and creative abilities which can help in tailoring enriched educational programs.

We are dedicated to supporting children and adolescents with NDIS plans through tailored psychological and social support services. Our goal is to help participants maximise their NDIS benefits by enhancing their skills and abilities in crucial developmental areas.

Current and Upcoming Services:

• Capacity Building Support: We provide psychological support for children who have funding for psychology in their NDIS plans. Our services focus on key areas such as emotional regulation, social skills development and the goals identified in your plan.
• Social Skills Programs: Following the success of our Lego Club, we are excited to expand our offerings to include more structured social skills programs designed to enhance participants’ interpersonal skills in engaging and supportive settings. Coming Soon!
• Support Services for Social and Community Participation: We are also preparing to offer services that facilitate social and community participation, helping our clients integrate more fully into community life. Coming Soon!

Assessments and NDIS Access:

For families looking to access the NDIS, we provide detailed psychological assessments that are essential for the initial application process. We support applications for the NDIS when we assess that a client may meet the eligibility criteria, ensuring that our involvement is appropriate based on a thorough understanding of the NDIS requirements.

Additionally, for children aged 9 and under, we offer information and referral services for early intervention through Wanslea, aiding in the navigation of available support options at critical developmental stages.