Our Difference
A neuro-affirming safe haven
We know the world hasn’t always made space for you. Maybe you’ve been told to mask, to try harder, to shrink yourself into boxes that never felt right. Maybe therapy before has felt like pressure, or like you weren’t fully understood.
Here, it’s different.
Our work is shaped by lived experience, relational neuroscience, and trauma-informed practice. We are Autistic, ADHD, and PDA-sensitive, holding deep respect for the nervous system, sensory safety, identity, and authentic expression.
We honour the ways your brain and body move through the world. Your feelings, your needs, and your voice are valid. We look beyond behaviours, especially those shaped by environments that don’t support you, and instead listen for the communication, the stories, the needs, and the strengths underneath.
For children, teens, adults, and parents, we offer a place where you can finally exhale. A place where you don’t have to work so hard to be believed. A place where play, creativity, relational safety and gentle connection open doors when words sometimes just feel too heavy to hold.
You belong here. Just as you are.
Family Centered
We don’t just support the child, we hold the whole family.
Our child, youth, and family-centered services walk beside you with compassion. We help nurture stronger connections, create emotional safety, and build understanding that fits your family’s own rhythm and way of being... without judgement, without pressure.
.jpg)
Child-Centered
Counselling unfolds at each child or young person’s pace, guided by their needs, their interests, and their own ways of expressing.
We weave evidence-based psychotherapies with creative, child-led approaches like play, art, music, and storytelling. These open safe pathways for connection, expression, and emotional growth.
Whether through words, movement, or creativity, Play & Creative therapy is a space to feel safe, take steps when ready, and be met exactly where you are.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
We provide the following services:
-
Child-Centered Play Therapy
-
AutPlay®️ Therapy
-
Filial Family Therapy
-
Creative Counselling
-
General and Holistic Counselling services
-
Perinatal Mental Health Counselling
-
Parent/ Caregiver Counselling & Education
-
Neurologic Music Therapy Services
-
Neurodivergent Affirming Caregiver Coaching & Support
-
Training for Teams - Schools, Kindy, Early Learning Centers, Other Professionals
Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, we integrate different modalities and approaches to suit each person’s unique needs, preferences, and interests.
We value the genuine rapport we build through a lived-experience lens, paying attention not only to what we do but how we do it. As Rogers described, rapport is a “way of being” alongside clients and families throughout the therapeutic journey, supporting real and lasting outcomes.
For more information on our individual therapy services click here.
-
When our coping mechanisms are exhausted, it can show up as big feelings, overwhelm, or behaviours that signal distress. It’s no different for children who often show us through their actions what feels too big to say out loud. Adverse events and environments that don’t support us can have a profound impact on physical, mental, and emotional well-being, leading to complex inner experiences that are hard to put into words.
Play and Creative Therapies are person-centred approaches that recognise people of all ages often communicate, process, and express emotional energy through creative means. For children and teens, this may be through toys, props, art, music, sand tray, or games. For adults, it might be through movement, storytelling, music, art, or other expressive mediums. In therapy, these become safe and symbolic languages that help express feelings, process experiences, and build new ways of coping.
Our practitioners are highly trained in play therapy, creative arts therapies, counselling approaches, and neuro-affirming practice. This depth of training allows us to create supportive environments that honour each person’s unique needs and ways of being, while gently guiding processes that foster safety, expression, and growth.
At Play & Creative Therapy Bundaberg, we believe healing and growth unfold when we step into our creative power. Play and creativity are universal forms of expression, enriching across every stage of life, from infancy to adulthood. Whether through symbolic play or expressive creation, the act of bringing what is inside to the outside allows us to express authentically, uncover hidden emotions, and move toward self-discovery.
Why use Play & Creative Therapies?
Because play and creative expression are powerful processes for healing, growth, and personal transformation at any age. When we create, we move the internal to the external. When we are expressed, we become more aware. With awareness comes understanding. And through healing, we become freer, happier, and more authentic versions of ourselves.We support children, young people and adults from 2+ years who:
-
May be experiencing emotional, attentional, and/ or sensory-based dysregulation.
-
May feel overwhelmed or anxious regularly.
-
May be demonstrating concerning behaviours and seeks support in identifying the underlying cause of distress.
-
Has experienced trauma or significant stressful life events.
-
Has experienced medical trauma or is experiencing chronic illness.
-
Is experiencing grief and loss.
-
Is experiencing divorce or parent separation.
-
Has experienced abuse and neglect.
-
Is experiencing attachment concerns.
-
Is having personal challenges related to a range of disabilities or developmental delay.
-
Has non-speaking, language or communication differences and seeks support to express their emotions, thoughts, and feelings.
-
Is experiencing bullying or peer relationship challenges.
-
Is disengaging or experiencing school ‘can’t’.
-
May be unable to engage in other therapies for varied reasons.
-
Is seeking a safe place to explore their identity and sense of self.
We also support parents and caregivers to:
-
Navigate the emotional impact of parenting.
-
Understand your child's inner world, needs and 'way of being' through a nurturing lens.
-
Attuning to and strengthening your relationship with your child.
-
Be an active partner in your child's therapeutic journey.
-
Participate in Autistic-led & neuro-affirming parenting courses and supports.
What about Autism and ADHD?
While many of the people we support are Autistic, ADHD, or otherwise neurodivergent, we don’t see these identities as “reasons for therapy.” People don’t come to us because they are Autistic or ADHD, they come because they are experiencing the very real challenges of being human in a world that doesn’t always make space for difference.
-
We are located at Shop 4/ 56 Woongarra St, Bundaberg Central.
An appointment is necessary. You can book an appointment by emailing kara@playcreative.com.au.
As we offer a range of services, session durations, and therapeutic approaches, our standard session fees vary between $140 and $195.
We also offer a limited number of Reduced Fee Agreements to support access to therapy for individuals or families who:
-
Have a low income,
-
Do not have access to external funding such as the NDIS or other subsidies, and
-
Are seeking streamlined sessions with minimal after-session admin, ensuring a focused, efficient, and supportive experience.
As a privately run practice, we do not receive external funding. Our services are fully sustained through client fees only.
If you’d like more information about individual pricing or available support options, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
-
Step 1:
Simply fill out our Client Intake Referra; form here.
You can also request a call back if you would like the opportunity for a 10-minute free phone consultation to assess the need and suitability of our services by emailing admin@playcreative.com.au.
Step 2:
We will then book you into an initial consultation to go through a thorough assessment of needs and support requirements and explain in more depth to you the therapy process.
Step 3:
The initial phase of therapy involves weekly 45-50 minute sessions.
During the initial phase of therapy (generally 3-4 sessions), the client becomes comfortable within the therapeutic environment, builds a safe and trusting therapeutic relationship with their therapist, and becomes familiar with the tools and techniques being utilised to help empower them to express themselves freely.
Once the client is comfortable expressing themselves and has developed the trust and security necessary for therapeutic work, they progress to the working phase of therapy.
Step 4:
If the client is a child or teen, their therapist will meet with the parent/ caregiver regularly to provide feedback and collaboratively revisit a more detailed child-centered or youth-centered therapy plan individualised to the client’s needs.
We meet individually with parents every 4-5 sessions for feedback. This is a full hour solely for the caregiver to discuss and review the clients’ needs, experiences, and goals, both inside and outside of the therapy space, and adjust their therapy plan as required. Keeping in communication with your child’s therapist during this time is a vital part of the process as it provides feedback to the therapist who can help caregivers understand how to best support your child at home.
Step 5:
The client will then progress with their weekly sessions based on assessment and observations.
Step 6:
The client's therapy needs, and number of sessions are not set and can differ considerably from individual to individual. However, once the client begins to show progress with less support, they may begin transitioning out of therapy. This process begins with decreasing play therapy or counselling sessions from weekly to every other week.
Parents and caregivers can contact their child's therapist if any concerns arise during this time to discuss the best support options.
No. A formal referral is not required. We welcome self-referrals from both private clients and NDIS clients who are self-managed or plan-managed.
We take the time to meet with the participants caregiver for an initial intake and assessment meeting where we go through a thorough assessment of each individual's needs and support requirements. We then work closely with the individual, their family, and their support network, to develop personalised therapy plans, support plans and ongoing supports.
An individualised therapy plan is collaborated with all participants at the start of their journey or when goals change throughout their time with Play & Creative Therapy Bundaberg. We meet with the child’s caregivers and support network regularly.
Our Approach
Inclusive & Affirming
We begin by building a foundation of trust, attunement, and relational safety. Therapy only works when people feel seen, accepted, and supported as they are, so we take time to build genuine connection before moving forward.
SAFETY & CONNECTION
We integrate counselling, psychotherapy, play therapy, and creative arts therapies with current research and lived experience, tailoring each session to affirm and honour the individual’s unique needs, strengths, and identity.
EVIDENCE-INFORMED
We partner with families, schools, and support networks to extend progress beyond the therapy room into everyday life. By working together, we support real-world application of strategies that nurture resilience, identity, and lasting change.