Versatility
I am no longer taking on new clients as I am retiring in June 2023.
However, there are 9 Associates who work for me seeing children and adults in the Fort Playroom. These therapists are hand-picked by me, they all have a Master’s in Counselling and have ongoing training and supervision with myself. They are all covered under extended medical Insurance that uses the terms Registered/Certified Clinical Counsellor. For those of you who do not have extended coverage, we have a well-qualified intern who will help your family. for a reduced rate. She has completed all her coursework and her practicum and is supervised by myself.
They work with children who have a variety of challenges as a result of experiencing horrendous acute trauma. Skills are not taught. The counsellors work by transforming the underlying lack of safety that has occured due to the trauma. Trauma has no time stamp. It happened in the past but the child’s (and adult’s) system perceives it as ongoing. By playing in the sand tray the child can use their imagination to create safety amongst the figurines. As they create safety for the miniature toys, they internalise a sense of safety and can place the traumatic experience in the past.

Method of Therapy
All the Associates use “Neuroscience and Satir in the Sand tray” which is a model that has been developed by Dr Madeleine De Little based on recent research. The essence of the work is that we hold the emotions of our experiences in images in our right hemisphere of the brain and subsequently our body. By creating images or playing in the sand tray, these right-brain experiences are externalized. With language added to the experiences by the therapist and the child, the experiences are integrated on both sides of the brain and in the body, new neural pathways are created and harmony and health are manifest.

Active Parent Participation
Support and resolution of your child’s concerns are usually facilitated by active parental participation, parents may also be encouraged to initiate changes in their parenting practices and or the child/youth’s environment in order to support treatment success. It will be at the counsellor’s discretion to discontinue the service or your involvement if an agreement cannot be reached regarding optimal levels of parenting participation /collaboration.