At Play Therapy Melbourne, we’re passionate about helping children reach their full potential through fun, inclusive, and evidence-based group therapy. Our programs are offered throughout the year, both in our clinics and in schools and community organisations across Melbourne.
To make group therapy accessible for busy families, we offer sessions during school terms as well as week long ‘intensives’ in the school holidays.
No matter your schedule, there’s a place for your child to grow, connect, and thrive in a supportive group setting.Our small groups are thoughtfully designed by a team of experienced Mental Health Clinicians, Educators, and Occupational Therapists. With a high facilitator-to-child ratio, we ensure every child receives individualised support to practice new skills, build confidence, and connect meaningfully with peers, all in a safe and engaging environment.
Whether your child is preparing for school, building social confidence, or navigating adolescence, our popular and highly demanded programs like School Readiness, Social Skills Group, and Brain Power Teens, are grounded in evidence founded in our ‘Brain Power Program’ and aligned with the VEYLD’s pillars of learning and development. Best of all, they’re fun of course!
Collaboratively designed by our multidisciplinary team, including input from occupational therapists and speech pathologists, our program utilises evidence-based approaches to ensure effective outcomes for all children. Our Brain Power approach means we use our evidence-based approach to promote neural integration, support nervous system regulation, and help re-pattern children’s nervous systems. Given our deep understanding of how children with perceived challenge present in educational settings, this bespoke program your child will be immersed in, is also published on the Victorian Kindergarten School Readiness Funding Menu!
During enrolment, one of our lead facilitators will connect with you for a comprehensive parent consult, taking opportunity to truly understand your child, their unique strengths, challenges, and goals. With your invaluable insight, we craft an ‘Individualised Support Plan’, to ensuring we have clear understanding of exactly what our primary focus is for your childs time spent in our group therapy sessions and throughout the program. You’ll also have access to our Brain Power parent resources, designed to reinforce and compliment their new learnings at home. Throughout our programs, you can follow your child’s journey via StoryPark, seeing their progress in real time. At the conclusion of the program, you’ll receive a personalised treatment report detailing and outlining your childs key achievements, future recommendations, and ways to continue supporting your child’s development. Many parents find these reports and resources invaluable when sharing insights with educators and other involved specialists, ensuring a consistent and supportive approach for their child’s ongoing growth.
Our Lead Facilitators are highly qualified clinicians with expertise in Allied or Mental Health, or Early Education, holding both undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in their fields of expertise. As NDIS Registered Providers, we maintain the highest standards of qualification and experience, so your child receives the best possible care and support. Play Therapy Melbourne assures families that all members of our clinical team, including Lead Facilitators and Co-Facilitators, meet AQF Level 7 (or above) in a Mental or Allied Health field. Each team member is a recognised allied health professional, registered with an approved governing board, ensuring quality and professionalism in every intervention.
Our program combines intentional teaching with child-led exploration, creating a personalised experience that nurtures each child's unique needs and interests. Through engaging play-based activities including art, music, storytelling, and mindfulness, children develop essential social and emotional skills while having fun. We explicitly teach children about their ‘Brain States’, empowering them with self-regulation strategies to build resilience and confidence. With small group sizes and a high ratio of facilitators to children, every child receives individualised attention and therapeutic support to ensure progress is being made towards the individualised goals of every child. Our dynamic social learning environment fosters independence and connection, ensuring a meaningful and enriching experience that helps children thrive.
Our program focuses on promoting regulation and interoception awareness, helping children navigate social spaces and extend themselves on their own terms. We prioritise a strengths-based and affirming approach in all interactions. We are guided by neurodivergence affirming principles and are committed to promoting access and inclusion for all participants. Children are explicitly taught about their brain states and self-regulation strategies. We empower children to express themselves, interact with their peers, and problem-solve in a child-led environment. Through collaborative activities, we foster confidence, self-advocacy, and social skills development.
Enrolments Closed
Moonee Ponds / Briar Hill / Frankston
5 days: Monday 29 September to Friday 3 October
Block 1: 9.00am – 12.30pm
Block 2: 1.00pm – 4.30pm (Moonee Ponds Only)
Mondays
7 weeks: 20 October to 1 December
10.30am – 1:30pm
Wednesdays
7 weeks: 22 October to 3 December
10.30am – 1.30pm
Thursdays
7 weeks: 23 October to 4 December
10.30am – 1.30pm
5th - 9th January
Briar Hill / Moonee Ponds / Frankston
12th - 16th January
Briar Hill / Moonee Ponds / Frankston
19th - 23rd January
Briar Hill / Moonee Ponds / Frankston
21 hours of direct group therapy participation
2 parent consultations
Supportive resources to use at home or school, individualised for your childs’s specific goals
Final treatment report with further recommendations to support and advocate for your childs unique needs
Invoiced in 3 instalments for term long programs, or 2 instalments for school holiday instensive programs
Please note:
Your child’s place will not be confirmed until we have received payment of the initial invoice
Moonee Ponds / Briar Hill / Frankston
4 days: Monday 22 Septmeber to Thursday 25 September
1.00pm – 4.00pm
Enrolments Closed
Mondays
8 weeks: 13 October to 1 December
4.00pm – 5:30pm
Wednesdays
8 weeks: 15 October to 3 December
4.00pm – 5:30pm
Thursdays
8 weeks: 16 October to 4 December
4.00pm – 5:30pm
5th - 9th January
Briar Hill / Moonee Ponds / Frankston
12th - 16th January
Briar Hill / Moonee Ponds / Frankston
19th - 23rd January
Briar Hill / Moonee Ponds / Frankston
12 hours of direct group therapy participation
2 parent consultations
Supportive resources to use at home or school, individualised for your childs’s specific goals
Final treatment report
Invoiced in 3 instalments for term long programs, or 2 instalments for school holiday instensive programs
Please note:
Your child’s place will not be confirmed until we have received payment of the initial invoice