Our People

When I left school, I completed a BA Honours Degree in Psychology at University College Dublin. My real interest was psychotherapy so I went on to study counselling and psychotherapy and worked in drug and alcohol and other addictions. Much of my work was with young people and their families. After we had our children I trained as a Crisis Support Worker at Lifeline and more recently completed my Post Graduate Certificate in Play Therapy.

I am from Ireland and travelled to Australia in my 20’s. Just before I was about to leave Sydney I met my Australian husband and the rest is history.

Working in addiction I often wondered what life would have been like for some of my clients if they had been able to get help when they were young. After raising my own family, I felt drawn towards working with children, I wanted to find a way that would truly allow them to safely express themselves. When I learned about Play Therapy and how it reaches children in a way that talking therapy cannot, I knew I had found that way.

I am constantly amazed in the playroom as I watch children process their struggles and guide their own growth. I feel enormously privileged that they allow me into their lives to be part of that process. I love helping provide a safe space and developing a relationship where they can feel supported and secure enough to express their feelings, thoughts, fears and worries through the medium that comes most naturally to them – play.

I grew up in the countryside and loved to escape down the fields or into the woods, immersing myself in the freedom of nature and my imagination. In the playroom, I love working in the sand with children and being with them as their natural creativity and imagination takes them where they need to go.

My previous work experience has been in Casework and Counselling roles in the field of child welfare and family support. I have also worked in schools doing expressive therapy with individuals and groups. I love working with children and families to help them thrive as individuals and in relationships.

I was born and grew up in Sydney’s Western suburbs.

Through my experience in schools and in social work roles I met many children who were really struggling with big emotions, grief and trauma. I found these kids were often misunderstood, and their families, teachers and I just didn’t know the best way to help them. When I discovered Play Therapy it just made sense! I love that Play Therapy uses the most natural and developmentally appropriate way for children to communicate and express themselves.

I feel so privileged to have children let me into their inner world through their play! It is amazing to witness kids express difficult emotions, discover strength and build resilience within the safety of the playroom and therapeutic relationship. I also love working alongside parents and carers to support attachment and family relationships through play.

As a child I loved to go on adventures through all sorts of imaginative play. I still love dress ups, escaping through a good novel or musical and exploring outside in nature.

I have been working with children for almost 20 years through various volunteer programs and decided to make a career out of it in 2006. I studied a Bachelor’s in Counselling majoring in Working with Children & Marriage and Family Therapy, then took this one step further and became a qualified Play Therapist in 2011. I worked with Be Centre for 6 years before I moved to Orange County, California for 6 years where I worked in one of the nation’s leading paediatric hospitals in a child and adolescent psychiatric facility. In 2020 my husband, newborn son and I moved back to Australia, and I was able to re-join the wonderful team at Be Centre once again.

I was born and raised Northern Beaches.

For me, prevention and early intervention is key. If children are given a safe space to be totally accepted as they are and given permission to process their difficulties in a way that is natural to them (play!), the future generations will develop into healthy, happy adolescents and adults. Play Therapy advocates for children to have a voice and an environment to make sense of what is happening in their world.

The uniqueness of every child. I am still getting surprised even after 13 years of being a Play Therapist. I love having the privilege of being allowed into the child’s world to witness them make courageous steps towards their healing.

Inside the room my favourite play is sand and role-play. Outside the room is anything with water!

I am deeply enthusiastic about dramatherapy and its remarkable capacity to empower young individuals through play, movement, and creative expression. I hold a degree in Creative Arts Therapy from the University of Melbourne and have received professional training as an actor and performer. Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with diverse groups and individuals ranging from ages 3 to 103. In my spare time I perform with Playback Theatre Sydney, and enjoy swimming, horse riding and getting out in the sunshine.

I was born in the North-West of Sydney and grew up on 5 acres with horses and dogs. Over the years I have spent time living in Melbourne and the United States.

I was inspired to pursue a career in Drama Therapy by the incredible potential of drama, theatre, and play to provide a safe and transformative space for exploring our identities, understanding others, and discovering new aspects of ourselves. This profound ability to create positive change motivated me to embark on the path of becoming a dramatherapist, allowing me to combine my passion for acting with the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives of young individuals.

The surprise and spontaneity that fills my work keeps me fully immersed, as I am consistently captivated by the imagination of the children I have the privilege to interact with. Witnessing and nurturing a child's growth in strength and capacity to navigate life's intricate challenges, gives me immense satisfaction. It is a truly rewarding experience to be a part of their journey.

Silly play – play that makes no-sense at all! Which arguably makes greater sense 😉

I was born and raised in Sydney but have recently spent five years living in London.

During my work with children in schools who experienced trauma, I found play to be a way for us to connect with each other and for them to feel safe. The more we played, the more I realised how powerful the process was for them. As I watched the play transform they way they saw themselves in the world, I knew it was the right path for me.

I am always in awe of how my clients explore their ‘whole self’ through creative ways in the playroom. The safety and acceptance that play therapy provides allows me to celebrate each child and connect with them without words.

I love any kind of play that involves a messy, sensory element- sand, water or getting my hands into paint!

I have worked as an Art Psychotherapist (MA) for 6 years in the UK, New Zealand, and now Australia. Over this time, I have spent a lot of time with young people and their families who have experienced distressing circumstances and post-traumatic stress. Alongside clinical work, I supervise and train in art based psychological trauma resilience and recovery.

I was brought up in the UK, Lebanon, and Cyprus as a child, and travelled lots. I moved to New Zealand in 2018 and I now live on the Northern Beaches which I love as I am a keen surfer and could spend all my time on the water.

Growing up in different cultures with an early experience of different ways of living, I knew I wanted to work with people who had been affected by difficult circumstances through a universal language. I am drawn to creativity and communicating through the arts and body makes sense to me. Art has such an important impact on our culture and society, and you can say 1000 words through a powerful image.

I like that I am always learning different ways in which people experience the world and how ‘one size does not fit all. I constantly get to see children and families grow, see their own potential, and feel happier in themselves. The exceptional team is also a huge factor and is full of experienced people with knowledge, compassion, and humour.

I am a ceramicist, so I make all sorts on the pottery wheel! The whole process of working with clay is therapeutic and helps me relax and concentrate on what I’m doing rather than on my busy brain. I also love illustration, photography, and painting and the stories they can tell. When I’m out and about I like seeing large murals and the different creative ways art transforms our community.

After years of working in the business and corporate sectors focusing on supporting people within the business scope, I made the decision to leave that space and really focus on people personally. This led to me further training in psychotherapy, play therapy and interplay family therapy which started my journey of working therapeutically with adults, young people, families and more recently with precious kiddos. I have also enjoyed volunteer roles at the Benevolent Society supporting new Mums and Bubs, being a Raise mentor and have been lucky enough to experience some awesome volunteer roles supporting young people in South America and Africa.

I was born and bred around Sydney and the Central Coast.

I guess it’s largely because I feel passionate about kids and their wellbeing, and I wish every child (and adult) was loved and supported and trauma-proof. And from a big picture perspective, I think no one’s life is perfect and often things that happen in early years (outside of our control) impact us in many ways that can shift throughout time. The way we deal with these impacts can become patterns of behaviour or relationships or just ways of managing. And it’s when these approaches no longer serve us that we look to get help as adults. I love the idea of short-circuiting this and offering healing and support by way of early intervention so that the impact in those early years can help us build better ways of being throughout life. And to work effectively with children in those early years I think it’s important we communicate in a way that is natural for them, hence the draw of play therapy. It’s such a beautiful way of relating.

The people. Every individual – whether a child, a parent, a carer, a significant other or a colleague at work – they impact me. I feel so honoured to be let into people’s worlds and be part of the process of change they may be seeking. Don’t get me wrong – the playroom is super awesome too!

It depends on my mood – I love the sand especially when I am feeling like I want to chill and when I want to get my creative on, it’s the art supplies that take top spot.

After completing my honours in Psychology, I devoted time to voluntary work in informal settlements and hospitals in India, igniting my passion for working with children and families. Subsequently, I pursued a postgraduate degree in Psychometric Assessments while engaging with children ranging from 5 years old to university students at the University of Johannesburg. This experience led me to a role in corporate HR and learning and development for four years. However, my deep-seated desire to work directly with children persisted, prompting me to undergo training in life coaching for children and later in Play Therapy. During my journey into Play Therapy, I owned and managed a preschool.

I was born and raised in South Africa.

My passion lies in supporting children facing challenges beyond their control. I'm captivated by the use of play to establish connections with children, facilitating exploration of solutions to cope with their worries, fears, sadness, and challenging circumstances. The versatility of tools and resources available for each child's exploration is particularly rewarding. Above all, it's a privilege to provide a safe haven where children can authentically express themselves, aiding them in thriving.

Witnessing the impact of the playroom on each child is immensely gratifying. Being part of a process that empowers children to freely explore, discover their own solutions, and unlock their full potential is truly remarkable.

I love the multisensory experience of beach play, the engagement of board games, the joy of silliness with my son, and the freedom of expression through dance.