Frequently Asked Questions
If you don't find the answers you need here, please contact Synchrony Child Counselling directly.
What are your fees and how long are sessions?
60-minute Child-Centred Play Therapy Session | $150​​
​Play sessions are 50 minutes, with 10 minutes for greetings and farewells, hand washing and snack time. Ideally, Play Therapy is scheduled once per week.
60-minute Initial Parent Meeting | No Charge​
​The initial parent meeting occurs before the first play therapy session. The child does not attend this meeting.
60-minute Parent Review Meetings | No Charge
​Every five weeks I meet with parent/s (only) to discuss your child’s progress, review therapy goals, and for parents to provide feedback and ask questions. We can also discuss parenting strategies and school support.
How are play therapists different from talk therapists (e.g. psychologists)?
Talk therapists help people resolve and process issues verbally. In therapy, the client will discuss their concerns, goals, and problems, and the therapist will listen non-judgementally. Through dialogue, discussion and homework (e.g. worksheets/diaries), the therapist will help the client identify and change unhelpful thoughts, beliefs and behaviours. Talk therapy requires sophisticated abstract thinking skills, which don't emerge until around age 12. That's why talk therapy is much better suited to older adolescents and adults!
​​
Play therapists utilise play as the primary medium of exploration and learning. The therapist provides a safe and supportive play environment where the child can play out - literally or symbolically - their inner and real-life experiences. This process allows children to fully express and explore self (feelings, thoughts, experiences, and behaviours) in a way that builds insight and capacity.
​
While children are not developmentally able to verbally articulate their challenges, needs and desires, they are well-equipped to explore these through play! Trained play therapists respond in ways that help the child to interpret situations that arise in play, challenge or reinforce the child's self-perception, practise self-regulation, improve communication, develop and master important skills, build emotional literacy, and make sense of their world. ​
Do you offer private health rebates, Medicare bulk billing, and/or NDIS?
Synchrony Child Counselling is a member of the Australian Counselling Association, thus play therapy sessions are eligible for private health rebates. Please contact your provider to check if your cover includes therapy services.
Synchrony Child Counselling can also accept payment from Self-managed NDIS plans.
*Counsellors do not bulk bill through Medicare under the Mental Healthcare Plan scheme.
A 50 per cent deposit is required upon booking. Cancellations more than 24 hours before your booking will receive a full refund.
How long does play therapy last?
The number of play therapy sessions required depends on the needs of each child. For most children, the longer an issue has taken to develop, the longer it will take to improve or resolve through therapy. Generally, play therapy sessions are scheduled once a week for five weeks at a time. At the five-week mark, I meet with parents to review the child’s progress, share questions and feedback, and discuss treatment moving forward.
​Looking for a quick(er) fix? You may not find one. Humans grow and heal within and through trusting and secure relationships. This is especially true for children. Successful treatment involves building a trusting relationship with the therapist, and then doing 'the work'. We therapists do not have magic wands - or magic words. What we do have is the tools, the time and the opportunity to facilitate a process of guided self-discovery and self-mastery for a child.
In Child-Centred Play Therapy, there are four distinct and predictable phases of therapy that a child will progress through:
1. The Initiation Phase, where the child and therapist bond and develop trust, and the child explores the toys and playroom;
2. The Resistance Phase (a natural part of all therapy), where the child comes face-to-face with the 'the work' that needs to be done, and considers if they are brave enough and ready enough to tackle their problems;
3. The Work Phase, where the child is fully involved in the process, working through their challenges, exploring their fears and desires, and developing new skills; and -
4. The Termination Phase, wherein the child is now equipped to continue their life without therapy and it's time to finalise therapy.
What ages do you work with?
Synchrony Child Counselling works exclusively with children aged 3-14 years.
​
In special circumstances, I am able to work with older or younger children. Alternatively, I can provide parent counselling and support using the tenets of Child-Parent Relationship Therapy. Please request a consultation for more information.