Therapeutic Approaches

DIR/Floortime is a developmental and relationship-focused framework that aims to build healthy foundations for social, emotional, and intellectual capacities rather than focusing exclusively on skills and isolated behaviors.

-        The “D” describes the understanding of the unique developmental process that allows space for each person to be respected and guided in his or her own personal developmental journey.

-        The "I" describes the unique ways each person takes in, regulates, responds to, and comprehends the world around them.

-        The “R” describes how relationships fuel and promote healthy development.

An essential principle in DIR/Floortime is to follow the child's lead while scaffolding them so they develop capacities for regulation, engagement, communication, problem-solving, imaginative play, and cognitive thinking. It is especially powerful in helping children on the autism spectrum or with other developmental or emotional challenges.

Interplay is a modality of therapy where a primary caregiver, such as a mother, father, or carer, joins a child in sessions. The approach recognises the critical role that parents play in their child's emotional development and strengthens the attachment bond through play. Interplay has been shown to be particularly effective in helping children with emotional issues, as it provides a safe, supportive space for them to connect with their caregivers and express their emotions. Additionally, involving parents in the therapy process helps them develop new parenting skills and strategies that can benefit their child long after the therapy has ended.

The above Meta-Analysis Studies have also observed a steady trend and a surprising further increase in the effectiveness of non-directive therapy when parents were involved, particularly through engagement in Filial Therapy. Filial Therapy as a play-based family therapy was developed by Mr. and Mrs. Guerney in the 1960s who realised that parents could be facilitated to become their children's therapeutic agents creating intergenerational family healing. This approach to Family Therapy has been manualised into Child-Parent Relationship therapy  by Dr. Landreth and can be facilitated in individual, couple, and group settings. It's a highly cost-effective method of therapy that also produces great results.  This therapeutic modality has also shown positive results with families of children on the Autism Spectrum

Expressive arts therapy teaches children how to release their emotions safely when feeling overwhelmed. Expressive arts therapy focuses on creative expression and uses a variety of activities such as art, writing, sand tray, poetry, music, and dancing, to allow the individual to connect and recognise their emotions and create positive change in the process.

As sensory-based, it is particularly useful for young children who may not have the language skills to articulate thoughts, sensations, emotions, or perceptions. Such expressive modalities offer a stable ground for developing emotional safety and opening pathways for inherent healing which may otherwise be inaccessible by traditional talking therapies. 

Neurophysiologists have shown that art and healing all come from the same source in the body and that is why expressive therapies can effectively assist in the healing process by altering a child’s brain physiology, ultimately leading to improved emotional wellbeing.

The aim of Learn to Play Therapy is to build the spontaneous pretend play ability of children, so they can generalise their play ability skills to home, neighbours, and early childhood settings. Learn to Play is a therapeutic approach that supports young children with developmental delays, autism spectrum disorders, or those who find playing difficult and need help playing with friends. The play therapy activities will gradually challenge your child as their pretend play skills begin to develop. Pretend play ability is scientifically proven to be linked with their development in language, narrative understanding, creativity, social competence, emotional self-regulation, and cognitive skills. Improving children’s pretend play skill can enhance their ability to understand others' points of view, see beyond the literal use of objects, and create meaning and stories within their play.

AutPlay Therapy has been proven effective for children and families affected by autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dysregulation issues, and other neurodevelopmental disorders. AutPlay Therapy incorporates a combination of structured play therapy interventions, and relationship development to improve skill deficits in the areas of emotional regulation, social functioning, and relationship connection. AutPlay Therapy incorporates several of the approaches identified as evidence-based practices for treating children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, such as  Modeling, Naturalistic Intervention, Parent-Implemented Intervention, Reinforcement, Scripting, Self Management, Social Narratives, Social Skills Facilitating, and Visual Supports.