Spirited Hearts the podcast
Welcome to Spirited Hearts® The Podcast with Stephanie Heartfield. This is a space filled with rich, beautiful, authentic, alive and empowering conversations about parenting, motherhood, natural learning, homeschooling, early childhood education and life. Nothing is off limits, and we explore many of life's challenges and struggles, as well as the beauty and joy. Filled with heartfelt and meaningful content, this is the perfect podcast for you if you want to delve into the deep topics of life in an aware space where you are welcome to reflect and enjoy a cup of tea. Steph is a trauma-informed & neuro-arffirming Play Therapist, Counsellor, Early Childhood Educator, Level 2 Aware Parenting Instructor, the founder of Spirited Hearts® a multi-service community business dedicated to providing the most emotionally safe and supportive space to children, families and educators, and The Heartfield Way Mentor Program.
Spirited Hearts the podcast
66. Supporting Families with Child-Centred Play Therapy with Kylie Ellison
Welcome to 2025 and this brand new episode, which I actually recorded 6 months ago! What can I say, life happened, we made it to a new year and I am delighted to introduce you to this week's guest; Kylie Ellison. She is a Counsellor, Play Therapist - Supervisor and Mum.
In this episode we discuss:
- The definition of Child-Centred Play Therapy (CCPT)
- Developmentally appropriate therapies
- Looking beneath the behaviour
- How CCPT holds space for parents/carers
- Learned helplessness, parental burnout and Mum guilt
- Fostering communities for our family
- Plus much more
Where to Find Kylie:
Centre for Play Therapy Website
Centre for Play Therapy Instagram
Play Therapy Training Australia Website
Play Therapy Training Australia Instagram
Resources Mentioned:
Dibs in Search of Self by Virginia Axiline
ABOUT KYLIE
Kylie is a Registered Counsellor, and Play Therapist- Supervisor who has been working with children, young people and families in the human services field for the past 19 years.
Kylie commenced her career working alongside mental health practitioners in adult mental health, before moving into the area of child protection and disabilities.
In 2016, Kylie discovered a passion for Child Centered Play Therapy as a way of working alongside children and their parents/ carers. Subsequently, Kylie established Centre for Play Therapy, an organisation committed to supporting children to work through difficult feelings and experiences through the provision of Child Centred Play Therapy services. Today the organisation operates across South- East Queensland, with a commitment to accessibility of play therapy services in Australia.
In 2021 along with Centre for Play Therapy, Kylie founded Play Therapy Training Australia, to offer a professional training program and provide a pathway to registration as a play therapist for professionals in Australia.
Along with overseeing both companies, Kylie was a previous Board member and previous President of the Play Therapy Practitioners Association, a professional association established for those interested in or trained as play therapists in Australia.
Kylie is passionate about creating a community of play therapy practitioners that fosters access to training and therapy services along with advocacy for play therapy in both the community and professional arenas.