Latest / The Play Therapy Circle / Episode 26- Returning to the Playroom: What Really Matters in the First Session Back

Transcript

Episode 26- Returning to the Playroom: What Really Matters in the First Session Back · The Play Therapy Circle

0:00
Hi there and welcome to the Play Therapy Circle.
0:04
Before we begin, Please note this podcast is for
0:07
informational and educational purposes only.
0:10
It does not provide therapeutic advice and listening does not
0:14
create a client therapist relationship.
0:17
All views expressed are my own and any case example shared have
0:21
been de identified to protect privacy.
0:24
If you're seeking personal support, please reach out to a
0:27
qualified mental health professional in your area.
0:33
Hi and welcome to an episode of The Play Therapy Circle.
0:38
I'm Kylie Ellison, a therapist, clinical supervisor and play
0:42
therapy trainer and I'm so grateful you're here.
0:45
This podcast is a space for thoughtful, soulful
0:49
conversations about child centred therapy, play based work
0:53
and what it means to show up with presence and compassion,
0:57
both for our clients and for ourselves.
1:00
Whether you're a seasoned play therapist, a student just
1:03
starting out, or someone deeply passionate about working with
1:07
children, you belong here. Hey everyone, welcome back to
1:14
the Play Therapy Circle podcast. I'm your host, Kylie Ellison,
1:19
and I am so glad you are here. Welcome to the circle in 2026.
1:27
I genuinely cannot believe I'm even saying that.
1:31
And in true Kylie style, when we talk about, you know, being
1:36
organised, I brought my microphone.
1:39
So I'm recording today. This sound might be a bit echoey
1:42
guys, so I apologise. I brought my microphone for any
1:46
of you guys watching on YouTube or the videos here.
1:48
It is like I've got it here, but I forgot the cord.
1:51
I've got the cord for the headphones, but not the plug to
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plug into the computer. So love that for me.
1:57
So just going to kind of wing it and hope that this works, which
2:03
probably sets the tone for 2026 really at this point.
2:07
So happy New Year to all of our incredible listeners and
2:11
supporters around the globe. We are connected now with play
2:15
therapists and people who love play therapy in 35 countries
2:20
around the world. So I'm so grateful for any of
2:23
you listening outside of Australia to set the tone or or
2:27
I guess set the stage for where I am.
2:29
I am currently on holidays this week.
2:32
I am in Begara, north of Brisbane in Queensland.
2:36
You can, for those of you watching on the videos, you can
2:38
see behind me the water like it is just so lovely here.
2:43
My husband and my kids have gone for a bike ride so that I could,
2:48
you know, jump on here and do this podcast.
2:50
So I love that we have been spending the week just
2:55
recharging, relaxing. We've got a lot of really
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exciting projects coming up this year in my practise and
3:02
obviously here as well at the circle.
3:04
So we're so excited for 2026. But I was thinking about the
3:09
topic of what I wanted to do today and I guess what I wanted
3:14
to talk about before I officially go back to the
3:16
playroom as of Monday next week. So it's Wednesday today that I'm
3:20
recording, so it'll be about 5 days, but I'm back in the
3:25
playroom seeing all of my incredible clients.
3:28
So I was trying to think of a topic to ease us into 2026 as
3:34
play therapists around the globe.
3:36
And I felt like just having a conversation around that
3:42
transition back to the playroom after we've had holidays, after
3:46
we've had a break. If you've been fortunate enough
3:47
to have one, I really hope that that's the case for you.
3:52
So I want to kick off with our first topic, talking about the
3:57
myth around the fresh Start. I think that this is something
4:02
really important that I'd really like to chat about.
4:05
I guess for all of you coming back after holidays and feeling
4:12
like maybe you have an expectation of yourself or maybe
4:17
you feel that from others where you've had a holiday.
4:20
So you feel refreshed. You feel like you should be, you
4:24
know, kicking goals back in the playroom, getting back in and
4:27
connecting with your clients and feeling like you should be, you
4:31
know, hitting the ground running.
4:33
I think that you know what I am starting to learn in my own self
4:39
reflection and honestly having a break.
4:42
We've had three weeks. It'll be by the time I go back
4:44
to work next week, it'll be 3 weeks.
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And it's been so lovely to have that three week break where you
4:51
can just spend some time recalibrating I guess a little
4:54
bit. I, I think that it's definitely
4:56
a myth to kind of say that and some people might, but a lot of
5:00
people don't necessarily have holidays in full, fully
5:02
recharged and like ready to go when they, I step back into the
5:06
playroom and reconnect in our work in CCPT.
5:11
Definitely for me, a lot of what I've been focusing on and
5:14
reflecting on over my holidays has been calming the nervous
5:18
system. It's been something that's been
5:20
coming up a lot of my social media, but also just in terms of
5:23
my intentions for this year around operating from a space
5:27
where we feel calm, we feel regulated, and so we can then
5:32
serve the clients in our playrooms as well.
5:35
And I think that when you start to feel that way, when you
5:38
notice if you're becoming a little bit dysregulated or a bit
5:41
stressed and we go back to taking care of ourselves in
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terms of those really simple exercises.
5:47
I'm sure many of you guys can find heats on there.
5:49
I really like kind of those breathing techniques.
5:51
I think I've talked about it before, but really having a good
5:56
kind of conscious awareness of when you are feeling stressed
5:59
and regulating that so that you can connect and move and do your
6:04
work from a a much healthier space.
6:07
So I'm going to go off on a tangent because that's what my
6:10
brain does. And one of the things I was
6:12
talking to my daughter about when we're getting coffee this
6:14
morning was the idea of a word for 2026.
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I know again, you've probably seen it on social media.
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It's been coming across my feet as well, this idea of picking a
6:24
word that encapsulates what you hope to achieve in 2026 or what
6:30
your intention is, I guess for the year.
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And I was so excited when I shared with Chelsea, I was like,
6:35
Oh my God, my word, this year is going to be thrive.
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Like I'm just, I felt like for so many of the conversations I
6:40
was having, especially towards the end of last year with a lot
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of families and fellow play therapists and just people in
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the community, I would jokingly, because I was trying to, I
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guess, you know, provide a space of support there where it didn't
6:56
feel so intensive. But I would often say, are you
6:58
surviving or thriving? Like, how are you doing?
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Like it was kind of a scale tool I was using often with clients.
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And so I was like, Oh no, I don't want to survive this year.
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I want to thrive. And then Chelsea was like, no,
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no, that was the year for last year because it rhymed.
7:10
You say thrive in 2025, so you can't have that in 2026.
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And I was like, Oh my God. So now I have to find a new
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word. So one of the things that I want
7:19
to give you guys all an invitation to do if you're up
7:23
for it. And you don't have to do it, but
7:24
to kind of spend a little bit of time before you get back into
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the playroom this year to think about what might be your word
7:31
for your intention for 2026. Because apparently I need to
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find a new one according to my 14 year old daughter.
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So if anyone has any ideas for me, that'd also be great that
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I'd really like that problem solved.
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So I'm thinking about it, certainly thinking about it.
7:45
So how did I get there? Because I think that we
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definitely spend some time obviously in that transition
7:53
back really wanting to, I guess I guess really sort of set the
7:59
stage in a, in a good way when we're moving back into the
8:02
playroom and we all come with the best of intentions there
8:05
around that. But I guess I want to offer that
8:09
invitation that when we think about child centred play
8:13
therapy, it's, it's obviously, and, and I know I'm speaking
8:16
and, and preaching to the choir when I say this, but it's
8:19
obviously not about performance. It, it really is a presence and
8:23
a way of being and a way of connecting with kids.
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It's relational and it unfolds over time.
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So take that pressure off if you're feeling like you need to
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be on your on your game and and you know right on with your
8:39
skills and straight out the gate doing amazing things.
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It's it's really not necessarily important for us to focus on
8:48
that, but more so about how are we doing and how do we re attune
8:53
with our kids in the playroom as opposed to coming in as this
8:57
incredible professional come in with that presence of self, that
9:00
congruence and that authenticity.
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And so how are we re attuning to connect with our kids back in
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the playroom? So I'm always reminded, as I
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know you guys are, of our incredible saying around trust
9:14
yourself, trust the child and trust the process.
9:17
We know that is so important. And I just, I guess Ioffer that
9:22
in this first podcast for 2026 because I think we all probably
9:26
need that reminder to some extent when we are coming back
9:30
into the playroom after a break. So I wanted to offer that to get
9:34
us started. So unpacking that a little bit
9:37
more, I guess I want to talk a little bit now about that idea
9:41
of that gentle re entry for us. I'll talk about the child in a
9:45
second, but I wanted to talk first about us as play
9:48
therapists. So the first thing I want to
9:50
acknowledge is you are transitioning to not just your
9:54
clients. So this is where and this
9:58
podcast has become so much for me around talking through
10:01
obviously my knowledge and my experiences, but it's also a
10:04
reminder for me as much as it is for each of you listening that
10:09
we are transitioning. We've had a big year last year.
10:13
I often find myself kind of saying, I can't believe that
10:17
it's 2026 already. Like how are we here?
10:20
Like, how are we here? It's last year I feel went super
10:24
fast and we are already into January.
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So I really just want to offer that grounding statement and
10:31
reflection around us transitioning.
10:34
So it is common for therapists who are coming back after a
10:39
break to feel flat after the break, maybe feel a little bit
10:43
overstimulated, especially if you've been away on holidays
10:45
with family or friends, you've been travelling.
10:48
I think, I think sometimes I know where we are here in
10:52
Vergara is just so connecting for me.
10:55
It's it's just a really peaceful, really grounding space
10:58
to be. But not everywhere is like that.
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So if you've been to somewhere where it has been a lot and and
11:05
incredible experience is no doubt, but still a lot, you
11:08
might be feeling that fatigue. You might come back to the
11:11
playroom feeling a sense of self doubt of do.
11:15
And especially for those of you who maybe started practise last
11:17
year and are fairly new to the profession, this is kind of your
11:21
first year back and this might be a new transition for you
11:25
coming back after holidays, feeling that sense of doubt
11:28
might be a part of it. Maybe also to feeling a little
11:31
bit of that lack of self confidence around your skills
11:35
because you have had a little bit of a break and you're
11:37
returning to the playroom. So I want to normalise that this
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is all state based, not skills based, right?
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So this is around doubting ourselves or doubting our
11:51
skills, but but not in the sense of anything we haven't done
11:56
before. So for all of you working out in
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private practise last year or in your roles as a play therapist,
12:02
you have had some of those experiences, some of those
12:05
skills developed before you had holidays.
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So coming back is more about a state of mind as opposed to your
12:12
level of skills. So you don't need to feel
12:15
connected immediately when you step back into the playroom.
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It's OK for you to take a minute as well.
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And I'm going to talk about some of those tips, I guess, for
12:26
supporting kids back into the playroom a little bit later.
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But I just want to emphasise that to begin with that making
12:34
meaning and themes and assessment of stages of play and
12:38
all of those really important parts of our practise.
12:42
I would encourage you guys to consider to just maybe pause for
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a second and really focus on in that first week back and those
12:51
first sessions back with your clients, whenever that is, for
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you to just invest in that time of regulating yourself, bringing
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yourself into the playroom, being really self aware of your
13:04
presence in the room, connecting with the child, being your
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authentic congruent self. That is what is important,
13:12
important and we know that that is so grounded in our framework
13:16
as well. So what is enough in that first
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week back, in those first sessions back, a regulated body
13:23
for you, absolutely. A consistent presence, so
13:28
feeling like you can be present and can be attuned to the child
13:33
and a willingness to follow. Again, because we are shifting
13:38
gears as, as they would say, we're moving away from holiday
13:43
kind of slow down mode and we're moving back into the playroom,
13:46
which is all so important, incredible work.
13:49
But we are inviting ourselves as much as the child to be really
13:56
conscious of being our tenants of CCPT, of empathy, congruence
14:00
and unconditional positive regard.
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And that takes a second, that takes a minute for us to ground
14:05
ourselves in that space. So what would it look like to
14:08
let yourself arrive slowly this week is my question reflection
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prompt for you. What would it look like to let
14:16
yourself arrive slowly this week for your first week back?
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I will leave that with you to ponder.
14:22
So what does the first session back look like in terms of what
14:27
really matters here? We've talked a little bit about
14:30
what that's like for the therapist, but what does that
14:33
look like in our intervention and connecting with the child in
14:37
the playroom? So really, as I said before,
14:40
take that pressure off that we don't need to have big
14:44
therapeutic moments straight up. It's just something to take that
14:48
pressure off yourselves in that first week to do is really going
14:54
at the pace of the child, which is absolutely fundamentals of
14:56
our approach, but not necessarily needing to put that
15:00
pressure on yourself as well around insightful
15:03
interpretations or emotional breakthroughs.
15:06
It's, it's almost like, and 10 years down the line, I'm, I'm
15:11
only leaning into that. I, as I always say to you guys,
15:14
I, I definitely feel like I am absolutely in my infancy in the
15:19
CCPT practise. So I, I share my experiences
15:24
with that intention, but I guess what often is important that I
15:30
find is really gauging where the child is at.
15:34
So it's not so much about catching up on lost time.
15:38
I think that that's something that often play therapists worry
15:41
about. And I know for a lot of my
15:43
career that was certainly a focus as well.
15:46
We're, we're taught in CCPT that that consistency and
15:50
predictability and routine for kids in play therapy is
15:53
important. And I absolutely agree, 100%
15:56
agree. But there is also situations
15:59
sometimes unavoidable where we may need to take leave or the
16:03
child may have something come up, they may have surgery, they
16:06
may have a, a, a change or a move of home.
16:10
There's so many, you know, parental separation, et cetera.
16:14
There's so many things that happen that sometimes force
16:17
those breaks. So what I want to, I guess
16:21
caveat that for all of you true truly committed practitioners to
16:27
CCPT is that being our congruent authentic self means that we are
16:35
acknowledging and recognising when these breaks occur and
16:39
supporting the child no matter what.
16:41
So it's, it's more about acknowledging, Yep, we've had
16:44
that break and now it's time to connect and see where we're at,
16:48
see where I'm at. And, and that's obviously not as
16:51
much of the focus. We've talked earlier about
16:53
regulating ourselves, but it's more about checking in of where
16:57
the child is at. So why do I say that?
16:59
Because sometimes we will have situations where especially for
17:02
our longer term clients where they've had a break over the
17:06
Christmas New Year period and they actually move forward in
17:10
their therapy work when I see them for the first time back.
17:13
So I want to offer that hope to some of you who are worried that
17:17
maybe you would lose traction or you would lose progress in your
17:20
work. That's certainly been one of my
17:24
experiences. Obviously, every child is
17:25
different. I have found that yes, some kids
17:30
have actually benefited from that break to be able to
17:33
recharge, reset similar to what I'm doing so that I can
17:37
reconnect with them. Sometimes because it's the
17:40
holiday season, it's it's Christmas and New Year and it is
17:44
sometimes those experiences of family connections that might be
17:48
challenging or difficult. I find when I connect with that
17:52
child for the first session back, they've regressed.
17:56
And so that's another possibility that we might find
17:59
in the playroom. So they've actually maybe gone
18:03
back to say, the aggressive stage if they were sitting in
18:06
the regressive stage before Christmas or before the
18:08
holidays. And again, what I find in this
18:11
space, and I can only talk anecdotally, is sometimes for
18:15
those kids we've been working with for a long period of time,
18:18
they might just need a couple of sessions to recalibrate
18:22
themselves, maybe to process some of those big feelings from
18:27
that break experience. Or if they had a tumultuous kind
18:31
of Christmas New Year break, they've come to the playroom a
18:34
lot more aggressive than they were in the past.
18:36
And it's been about offering a space for that cathartic kind of
18:40
release of that emotional expression.
18:42
I'm not there to kind of give them answers or find solutions
18:46
for them around the the issues that they're struggling with.
18:49
My, my job is really to hold that space for healing and for
18:52
resolution from themselves. So definitely recognising that
18:58
they may just need a couple of sessions to process that and
19:01
then get back to the work they were doing before we closed over
19:05
Christmas. So there's so many different
19:07
scenarios that can come up. But certainly I want to give
19:10
that invitation to everyone to not feel like you need to catch
19:14
up on time lost. This is a really great
19:17
opportunity to see where kids are at.
19:20
So what are we doing in the playroom when we're supporting
19:23
kids in that first session back? It's really around safety.
19:26
I mean, that's where everything kind of comes back to as well.
19:30
When we're talking about that emotional and relational safety.
19:33
We're connecting with them again, we're reconnecting with
19:36
them. I'm really looking forward to
19:38
seeing my clients next week. Each one of the clients that I
19:41
serve is a privilege, but I know that it will be so nice to just
19:46
connect again and offer that relational safety, that
19:49
emotional safety for them to tell me about their world,
19:53
whatever that is. So some kids will come back and
19:56
they won't want to talk about, and I mean that through play,
19:59
through verbal communication, through symbolic play, or all
20:02
different types. They may not want to talk about
20:04
that holiday period. They may actually just want to
20:06
get back to their work. But it's really about providing
20:09
that safety for them to do that if they need.
20:11
So that predictability of presence.
20:14
Knowing that they're reconnecting with somebody
20:16
that's familiar to them is going to be so great in on so many
20:20
levels. So making sure our tone is the
20:23
same, we're remaining calm, Here comes our regulated nervous
20:26
system and that importance of that and the fact that again,
20:31
it's the same room, it's the same person.
20:34
We're putting those same boundaries in place.
20:36
We're using the same skills as we did before the holiday
20:39
season. So that in itself for kids who
20:43
have been connecting with us immediately provides that sense
20:48
of consistency and predictability.
20:50
So we can do that pretty easily by just being ourselves using
20:55
our CCPT skills and reconnecting with them.
20:57
So there may be in terms of what we can expect to happen, I've
21:03
been talking a little bit about that so far.
21:04
But we may also find that they are either unchanged, that
21:10
they're just picking up where they left off.
21:12
That happens as well. Or they may be reconnecting with
21:16
familiar play themes. But there may also be some
21:20
potentially some avoiding of eye contact or just, I guess a
21:24
little bit of hesitation or reluctance for our kids with
21:26
high separation anxiety, we might see them struggle for a
21:30
second before they come into the playroom.
21:32
If they've been a client I've been seeing for a long time,
21:34
that may be something I will be anticipating.
21:38
I know for a lot of my clients I really like, really, as much as
21:42
I enjoy connecting with them, they enjoy connecting with me.
21:44
So I'm looking forward to seeing them next week.
21:47
But if there was any of them that were a bit reluctant to
21:50
come into the playroom, I'd be honouring that as well.
21:53
And really in that moment in the waiting room, I'm reflecting to
21:56
them that we've had a break. We've had a break and this place
22:01
is is familiar to you. But we've just had some time
22:04
apart and now we're reconnecting.
22:07
And now it's time to head into the playroom.
22:10
It's time for us to to catch up. It's time for us to connect
22:13
again. So really, I guess
22:16
acknowledging, showing that authenticity.
22:18
I'm not going to talk to the child in the waiting room if
22:21
they're reluctant to come in in a way that doesn't, I guess,
22:26
acknowledged because that's my psychotherapy, psychodynamic
22:28
psychotherapy coming through. I don't want to acknowledge, not
22:31
acknowledge the uncomfortable because that's important for
22:35
children to feel seen and heard. So making sure that we are re
22:39
establishing that relationship if we need to and acknowledging
22:42
how they're feeling. So how to be in the playroom?
22:45
What do we need to do in that very first session standing on
22:50
that a little bit more to kind of acknowledge that presence and
22:53
what that looks like. So we're going to slow our pace.
22:56
We're going to slow it down. So I'm going to slow down my
22:59
talking because I need that reminder because I talk way too
23:03
fast. We're going to lower our
23:05
expectations as play therapist for the first session, right?
23:07
This is an agreed, everyone in the circle is agreeing to this.
23:11
This is our agreement unofficially.
23:13
Unofficially, you don't actually have to agree to this, but in
23:16
terms of what we're hoping to do, guys, as a circle for our
23:20
first session, we're going to slow our pace, we're going to
23:22
lower expectations, and we're going to widen our window of
23:26
tolerance. Yay, we've got this.
23:29
You guys, this is going to be so great.
23:32
What can we do? My recommendation if you're lost
23:35
or you're just feeling a bit overwhelmed or all of those
23:37
things that we described at the beginning of the podcast is go
23:40
back to tracking for a minute. If you really need just a second
23:45
to kind of ground yourself more than a second, if you're needing
23:48
a little bit of time in your sessions on that first day back,
23:52
start slow. Lower those expectations.
23:54
Take that pressure off track more.
23:57
Take that pressure off of making meaning early.
24:00
That's important too, that we're not trying to interpret.
24:03
And here's my favourite 1. And I don't know if it's for
24:06
everyone because it might not be, but sitting in the silence a
24:10
little bit, if you need to let some of the silence do the work,
24:17
it's pretty deep. It's pretty deep for Kylie on
24:20
holidays. Holy moly.
24:23
Watch out for this year's podcast, you guys.
24:25
I'm getting deep. Session one on podcast episode
24:29
one for Georgia music. If you're unsure if silence
24:34
isn't isn't you jam and you don't necessarily like sitting
24:37
in the silence all the time. Reflect feelings.
24:39
You guys know I've said it before.
24:40
I'll say it again, going back to the feelings every time, if
24:43
we're lost, if we don't know what we're doing, if we just
24:45
need some direction, noticing that transference, counter
24:50
transference and what is coming up emotionally for you in terms
24:54
of what the child is telling you, reflect that back to the
24:56
child. Absolutely tracking and
24:59
reflecting feelings. Remember, most importantly that
25:04
the relationship remembers itself.
25:09
Oh, let me say that again. The relationship remembers
25:12
itself. I found that and I was like,
25:15
that's amazing. I have to share that it all
25:19
comes back to the relationship. So if we go with that intention
25:24
of that adhering to our tenants and our skills of CCPTA around
25:28
congruence, empathy and unconditional positive regard,
25:30
we're going to use tracking and reflecting feelings.
25:32
We are doing so with an intentionality of reconnecting
25:37
with the child after the break to connect with that
25:41
relationship that's always been there.
25:44
Love it. Even if you feel unsure.
25:47
The therapeutic frame remains intact.
25:50
So we know that regardless of how the child presents, we have
25:55
our skills of CCPT to get started.
25:58
So we know that we don't need to have the answers.
26:01
We don't need to have handout sheets, We don't need to have
26:03
strategies ready to go. We don't need to have questions
26:06
for the child. We are there to reconnect.
26:09
So we have our tracking, our reflecting feelings, we're
26:11
noticing transference and counter transference and we're
26:14
sitting with the child and reconnecting being our authentic
26:17
selves. OK, I am going to wrap this up
26:22
because I'm gonna head down to the park soon just as a life
26:27
update for anyone who didn't really ask for it.
26:30
I am here for another two days. So I am am going to definitely
26:35
take the most of it and then head back into the office next
26:39
week. So I'm, I'm very, very excited
26:41
to see my colleagues, to see my clients and just get back into
26:46
2026 and CCPT life with a real intentionality around helping
26:52
myself. And, and I hope that this is an
26:54
invitation for you as well in that grounding and that
26:58
connection and that regulation that's so important for all of
27:01
us. So what do I want to leave you
27:04
with? Here we go.
27:06
I want to give you an intention along the lines of this.
27:10
My job this week is to be consistent and kind to my
27:14
clients and myself. Say it again.
27:18
My only job this week is to be consistent and kind to my
27:23
clients and myself. Oh, so closing arguments here,
27:30
you guys. You don't need to rush the
27:32
reconnection. Here's some of my notes.
27:36
CCPT lives everywhere. It lives and breathes
27:41
everywhere. It was at the shops today when I
27:44
was to share this story before I close this episode.
27:48
Oh my gosh, I get so distracted, you guys.
27:50
I'm so sorry. I was waiting.
27:54
I'm just trying to set the tone here of what I was doing, set
27:57
the context. I had gone to the shops with my
28:00
daughter, my husband and my son and Grant and my son were
28:05
outside and we were just lining up to pay like we'd done our
28:07
shopping and we were lining up to pay.
28:09
And I was a couple of kind of people behind kind of the person
28:16
that was waiting next to be served.
28:18
And so there was a lot of these self serve checkouts at Kmart.
28:22
It's kind of like Walmart, I guess it's kind of like Target
28:26
in America to kind of get contact.
28:28
So anyway, I'm sitting there waiting and I noticed that there
28:32
was and she had two little ones and she was frantically trying
28:37
to scan and put things in her cart so that she could pay and
28:41
leave. And for anyone who's had I, my
28:44
kids were a year apart, so I was in the trenches of little ones
28:48
in shopping centres for many years.
28:50
I feel like I've earned my stripes in that space.
28:53
Anyway, I was watching and the child was OK, but in the moment
28:59
it's quite scary. Her trolley kind of shifted to
29:02
the side. So I think I didn't watch the
29:03
whole thing, but I think the child may have tried to lean
29:05
over and it kind of moved the trolley and he fell onto the
29:08
ground. And you know that cry that
29:10
little ones do. He looked like maybe around 2.
29:13
You know, when they just, they scream, but there's no noise
29:15
because they're so distressed. That happened.
29:19
And so I think that anyone who has cared for a child knows that
29:23
scream and and you immediately want to go and help.
29:27
And it was really interesting to kind of watch how everyone kind
29:31
of moved around her. Like her child was obviously
29:34
distressed. She was on her own and she had
29:37
toodle on. I want to say that her kids were
29:39
like maybe two and four. There was a little boy and a
29:41
little girl and she was just, she was just.
29:44
And when I eventually walked up to her, she had like sweat all
29:46
over her face. Like she was literally working
29:48
so hard to just get out of that shop.
29:51
And I made a point and I just, I think it's the play therapist in
29:57
me, it's the counsellor in me. It's, it's all of those things
30:00
that I can't help myself that I think that it's so important to
30:05
offer support to others where we can.
30:07
And so I went up to her and I just said, I just want you to
30:12
know that you are doing an incredible job.
30:14
And I can see how hard you're working right now and you're
30:18
doing amazing. How many times, I guess we
30:23
wouldn't necessarily use those value statements in the
30:25
playroom, right? But really kind of acknowledging
30:27
at the core what somebody is trying to do or trying to tell
30:30
us or trying to work through. And this poor mum, she just
30:34
turned to me and she's like, oh, thank you.
30:35
She's like, I just, I'm trying to get this done.
30:38
You know, she was just frantic. And I just said to her, you're
30:41
doing amazing, You're doing amazing.
30:44
Have the best date. Like it will get better from
30:46
here, I promise. And and wish her well.
30:50
And I think that that goes back to absolutely our tenants of
30:54
CCPT around empathy, right? Eventually talking about it,
30:59
empathy not only to our clients in the playroom, but empathy
31:03
lives and breathes everywhere, everywhere, right?
31:05
So if we get that opportunity to be able to extend that empathy
31:09
to somebody else, why wouldn't we do it as child centre play
31:11
therapists? It's what we believe in, it's
31:14
our core values. So making sure that we're living
31:17
and breathing that. And once you, I literally live
31:20
and breathe my approach. Once you live and breathe this
31:22
stuff, it just happens without even thinking.
31:25
But having that empathy, having that congruence, that
31:27
authenticity, I knew as a mum what that moment was like and
31:31
how tough it was and that nobody else offered to help her.
31:35
Sorry. Obviously I wanted to grow up to
31:36
offer her help by the time I got there because I was in the line
31:39
and it was, it was all chaos. But by the time I got to to
31:42
reach her, she was pretty much done.
31:44
But just that idea of connecting in an authentic way with others
31:49
and recognising that everyone right now is having a tough time
31:52
or not not everyone. But when you connect, sometimes
31:55
will you have that opportunity to observe, I guess things
32:00
happen in the community or just in relationships with others,
32:04
offering that space of empathy and congruence and unconditional
32:07
positive regard that I knew that this mum was absolutely trying
32:11
her best and I wanted her to know that.
32:14
So I want you to give yourselves that empathy as well.
32:19
I wanna summarise this and let you guys go cool around not
32:24
needing to rush that reconnection and really just
32:27
taking that time to transition back into the playroom as much
32:31
as the kids in your clinic will do as well.
32:35
It's possible that for some of the kids that you connect with,
32:38
that they may also be feeling a little bit anxious or a little
32:43
bit. I guess I'm curious about what
32:47
the first session back is going to look like too.
32:49
So knowing that they probably feel similar to us in a lot of
32:53
ways, it definitely takes that pressure off a lot of the time.
32:58
So that is my message to you guys.
33:00
This was a very kind of gentle re entry.
33:03
See, there's a deliberateness to me doing it as well.
33:05
And I've only gone into the 30th kind of minute mark as I finish,
33:12
which is great as well. So we are going to get back into
33:17
regular programming next week. I'll be back in clinic.
33:21
So I will be recording another podcast episode next week.
33:26
What we have certainly received feedback on is everyone is
33:30
loving a lot of the basics of child centre play therapy and
33:33
really just kind of understanding a lot of the
33:37
components of CCPT. So we will be doing a lot of
33:40
those topics in the coming weeks and months.
33:43
We will look at topics that you could potentially share with
33:47
parents as well that are certainly targeted towards
33:50
talking through some of the aspects of child standard play
33:52
therapy to help support parents and families understand what we
33:55
do. So lots and lots of great topics
33:58
coming up. So please feel free to follow us
34:01
on the socials. So we are on Instagram, we're on
34:05
Tiktok and we're on Facebook. So at the Play Therapy Circle
34:09
podcast. So check us out, follow along
34:12
each episode each week is posted there with a bit of a summary so
34:16
you guys can check that out and we will keep connected with you.
34:21
Please check us out on Spotify and Apple Podcasts as well.
34:25
Please feel free to share. We are getting a lot of new
34:28
followers each week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
34:30
I love it. So please feel free to follow
34:34
along so that you get those drops each week, usually on a
34:36
Friday in Australia, we tend to drop them.
34:40
So make sure that you are following so that you get that
34:45
notification. But thank you so much for all of
34:48
your support last year. I am so excited for this year.
34:51
Please reach out to us if you've got any ideas, DM us on the
34:55
socials, email us if you would like to share the topics that
35:00
you would like us to cover this year.
35:02
I'm hoping to maybe look at some, you know, guests coming on
35:06
as well. So I'm super excited.
35:09
Can't wait to share it all with you.
35:10
So thank you so much and for all of your support, go well, be
35:13
kind to yourselves and each other and I will see you next
35:16
week. Bye.
35:21
Thank you so much for being here for another episode of The Play
35:24
Therapy Circle. If anything resonated with you
35:27
today, I'd love it if you could follow the podcast, share it
35:31
with a colleague, or leave a short review.
35:33
It really helps others find our circle.
35:36
And if you have a topic or question you'd love me to
35:38
explore, I'd love to hear from you.
35:41
This space is for you, and I want it to feel like a
35:44
conversation. Until next time, take care of
35:48
yourself and remember you belong here.