Kid's Stories

Ava, Addison and Jack's Story

Ava, Addison and Jack are three amazing children whose lives were turned upside down when Jack was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.

10-year-old Jack was diagnosed out of the blue with acute myeloid leukaemia in May 2017. After successful rounds of chemotherapy, Jack had an urgent need for a bone marrow transplant.

Ava and Addison proved to be identical matches, which doesn’t always happen. In fact, there is only a one in three chance. Both Ava and Addison were desperate to be the donor and help their older brother, but because of Ava’s age she got the nod. Addie was devastated!

Jack was in isolation for 6 weeks after the transplant. All up he was in hospital for about 3 months and then to and from treatment which meant the children’s mum, Kate was away from home for big chunks of the week, staying and sleeping by Jack’s side.

Jack’s diagnosis seriously impacted Ava and Addison, and in fact the whole family. Addie in particular went from being a confident bubbly young girl to feeling scared and insecure about Jack’s illness and her mum’s absence from her world. Ava also had a weight of adult-sized responsibilities and worries on her shoulders and was struggling with what her family were going through.

One of the mum’s at Addie’s school suggested Be Centre to Kate as a place that could help Addie cope with all the upheaval and uncertainty around Jack’s illness. Both Addie and Ava attended Be Centre where they were able to express themselves in the ways they needed to, without judgement in the safe space of the Playroom.

Today, Jack is a brave and inspiring star, playing AFL and soccer again and hatching plans to be a reporter one day.

Kate speaking of their experience at Be Centre:

“The effect of our son's illness was devastating to watch, and it felt like the girls were the forgotten ones. When we needed some extra support, Be Centre was there with the right tools and support. Addie went from being a relaxed, outgoing child to being clingy and anxious. Ava had the responsibility of being her brother’s donor and this played out in various ways at home and at school.

The girls loved their weekly visits and developed trusting relationships with their therapists, Kati and Tjinta. After a few months, the easygoing Addie we thought we had lost emerged and was happy again. Ava also benefitted greatly - Be Centre helped her process her emotions and she began to feel less burdened and much happier. Be Centre really helped us through a difficult time.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me back my beautiful girls.”

Experiencing high levels of anxiety and social difficulties at school, Nathan's mother turned to Be Centre for help. Nathan showed low self-esteem when he first started Play Therapy. He was often unable to express himself and decide what to do in the Play Therapy room, finding it difficult to engage in spontaneous play and displaying inhibited movements.

During the Play Therapy process, Nathan was able to relax and grow in confidence. He was able to express himself more freely and readily. As he continued to become more assured, his body movements became less constricted until during one of his sessions he began to play for the first time in a spontaneous way, expressing pure joy. These changes continued throughout the Play Therapy process as Nathan explored his sense of self.

Nathan’s mother reports these changes are reflected in his demeanour at home, where he is better able to regulate his emotions and behaviour. Nathan's teacher now describes him as a happy and engaged boy at school.

Nathan has truly benefitted from Be Centre. It has helped him to find his own identity, confidence and most importantly his voice.

Nathan's Mother

*Child's name has been changed for confidentiality reasons

Nathan's Story

Lily's Story

When Lily first started working with Be Centre’s play therapist, she was deeply affected by trauma. She had witnessed and experienced severe family violence throughout her early years. Her mum, Lucy, fled with her and her younger sister to escape the violence, leading to multiple moves and a constant feeling of instability.

At just 8 years old, Lily struggled with nightmares, hypervigilance and social withdrawal. Her confidence was shattered and her ability to regulate emotions was severely impacted.

The Play Therapy journey began with creating a safe, welcoming space where Lily could freely express her fears and confusion. She quickly engaged in therapy, using role-play to explore complex feelings of fear, confusion and distrust. Her play centered around relationships filled with danger and uncertainty, reflecting the trauma of her past. In these sessions, she bravely worked through feelings of sadness, anger and self-blame, trying to make sense of her experiences. As therapy progressed, a beautiful transformation began to unfold. The once-timid girl started expressing assertiveness, empowering herself in her play.

Characters in her stories shifted from being helpless victims to active protectors, much like how Lily started to view herself. She became more confident in expressing emotions and finding ways to regulate her behavior. By the end of therapy, her ability to manage emotions had improved, and her Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire score dropped from 15 to 8, signifying enormous progress.

With a healthier sense of self and newfound emotional tools, Lily’s journey toward healing continues and her family remains forever grateful for the support they received. She now rarely has nightmares!

*Child and mother's names have been changed for confidentiality reasons

Ben's Story

Ben was 6yo when his mum brought him to Be Centre after referral from a local welfare service. Ben’s mum wasn’t sure whether play therapy would help but Ben refused to talk to anyone and his mum was feeling really desperate. She couldn’t afford to pay for therapy and was incredibly relieved to hear Be Centre could provide their services through their scholarship program. Ben’s mum struggled to cope with Ben’s anger, she couldn’t seem to connect with him and it scared her. She felt guilty and very worried for his future.

For much of his young life, Ben had been exposed to domestic violence. He didn’t like it when his dad drank too much. Sometimes his dad was fun to be with but other times he was scary. He heard his mum and dad arguing, especially at night when they thought he was asleep. Sometimes the arguing got so loud the neighbours called the police. Once Ben saw his dad with his hands around his mum’s neck. Ben was scared that one day his dad would kill his mum, or even him or his little brother. He hated seeing his mum crying and he was confused, he thought if he wasn’t so naughty maybe they wouldn’t fight so much. His dad moved out and Ben’s feelings were even more muddled up.

At home, Ben would lash out at his mum and little brother. He couldn’t regulate his big feelings and he couldn’t explain what was happening. He was clingy and didn’t want to leave his mum, sometimes his tummy hurt and he didn’t want to go to school. He was struggling with friendships and nobody invited him to their birthday parties. Ben was having difficulties learning, his teacher said he was easily distracted and it seemed like he was carrying a big heavy weight on his shoulders.

At Be Centre, Ben’s play therapist accepted him just as he was and gave him time and space to do everything at his own pace in the playroom. She recognised the signs of trauma and the difficulties Ben was having connecting with others. Gradually, Ben was able to trust his play therapist and within the safety of this relationship, played out his anger, fear and worries using puppets, role plays, sand play and the bop bag. Slowly but surely, Ben was able to move through his anxiety and fears. He learnt that his feelings were ok and dad and mum fighting wasn’t his fault. He started to develop a sense of self which had been missing before and he began to smile, have fun and be a kid again as the weight lifted off his shoulders.

At Be Centre, Ben’s mum was also supported to reconnect to Ben and understand the impact of trauma on his behaviour.

*Child's name has been changed for confidentiality reasons

Kid's Stories

Ava, Addison and Jack's Story

Ava, Addison and Jack are three amazing children whose lives were turned upside down when Jack was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.

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