Play and Art Therapy in the Sutherland Shire

At Evolving Minds Counselling and Psychology in Menai, our psychologists and counsellors provide play-based and art-informed therapy for children and adolescents across the Sutherland Shire. Appointments are available in person at our Menai practice.

Play-based and art-informed approaches support emotional expression, regulation and the processing of experiences through creative and symbolic exploration. They are often drawn on when children or adolescents find it difficult to express thoughts and feelings verbally, or when emotions feel overwhelming or hard to manage.

Our team includes clinicians who have completed Theraplay training (Levels 1 and 2), which is a play-based therapeutic approach focused on strengthening parent-child relationships through structured interactive play.

What is Play and Art Therapy?

In play-based and art-informed therapy, sessions may include creative and sensory-based activities, symbolic play, visual expression, structured reflection, and emotional regulation strategies. The focus is not on artistic ability but on expression, emotional safety and meaning-making.

For children and young people, play-based approaches provide a developmentally appropriate way to explore emotions, relationships and experiences. Children often communicate through play more readily than through words, particularly when something feels overwhelming or difficult to name.

Theraplay sessions involve structured, interactive play with a child and their parent or caregiver, supporting connection, regulation and trust. This approach can be particularly helpful for children who have experienced disruption to early attachment, or where the parent-child relationship is under strain.

When can Play and Art Therapy help?

Play-based and art-informed therapy may be helpful for children and adolescents experiencing:

difficulty expressing or regulating emotions
low mood or anxiety
adjustment to significant change or transitions
grief and loss
challenges in friendships or family relationships
working through difficult or distressing experiences

These approaches may also be drawn on within broader work such as child and adolescent counselling, family counselling or reparative parenting, depending on each child's needs.