Dr. Kate Renshaw sits down with Natalie (Nat) Scira from Playroom Therapy to explore the future of play therapy in Australia. Fresh from their collaboration on NDIS advocacy work, they discuss the challenges facing a profession with varying training standards, and the opportunities that have emerged from the uncertainties.

Nat shares her journey from primary school teacher to play therapist, and we both reflect on how the NDIS review sparked crucial advocacy work - including a comprehensive literature review on play therapy's evidence base for children with disabilities. We explore the need for systemic approaches to children's mental health, the unique position of play therapy as a discipline specifically developed for children, and pathways toward greater recognition and funding access.

The conversation highlights how advocacy happens at both policy and daily practice levels, emphasizing children's rights to access developmentally appropriate therapeutic interventions. Despite the challenges, both see this as a pivotal moment that could strengthen play therapy's position in Australia's healthcare landscape.

A candid discussion about professional resilience, community collaboration, and the ongoing fight for children's therapeutic rights.

The host of “Dr Play”, Dr. Kate Renshaw chats with fellow Play Therapist Caz Hynes

Episode highlights:

• Personal Journey: Caz Hynes shares her path from psychology studies to nursing and finally to play therapy, describing it as coming "full circle" to where she always wanted to be professionally.
• Friendship Foundation: Dr. Kate Renshaw and Caz reflect on their decades-long friendship that began in university, where Kate helped Caz discover the importance of play and lightness in life.
• Professional Insights: Caz discusses how her nursing career revealed the profound impact of childhood experiences on adult physical and mental health, motivating her transition to play therapy.
• The "Good Enough" Philosophy: Both therapists explore Donald Winnicott's concept of being "good enough" and how this principle applies to parenting, therapy, and professional development.
• Parenting Revelations: Caz shares her experiences as a "first pancake parent" (which Kate delightfully renames "Picasso pancake"), highlighting how different children require different approaches.
• Trusting Children: A powerful discussion about how children intuitively know what they need, and the importance of respecting their readiness and choices.
• Learning from Children: Caz emphasizes how every child she works with teaches her something new, describing it as "a privilege to bear witness to healing."
• Speaking Kid: The importance of "translating" children's communication to the adults in their lives, which is the foundation of Caz's practice "We Speak Kid."
• The Power of Supervision: How professional supervision creates a supportive environment for therapists to continue growing and developing their skills.
• Breaking Perfectionism: Personal reflections on overcoming perfectionism in both parenting and professional practice.
• Preventative Mental Health: Brief discussion on the importance of early intervention and preventative approaches to mental health.
• The Value of Play: Throughout the conversation, both therapists emphasize how play creates safe spaces for deep therapeutic work to happen naturally.

Episode highlights:

1. How small interactions can lead to significant community change
2. The importance of mentorship and connection in both personal and professional settings
3. How Operation Presidium emerged from simple conversations to address complex community issues
4. The contrast between traditional community support systems and today's time-pressured reality
5. How play and simple acts of kindness can rebuild community connections

Join Dr Kate Renshaw soon on the Dr Play podcast