In this final episode of 2025, Kylie Ellison reflects on the Play Therapy Circle podcast journey and offers sincere gratitude to the growing community of listeners. She acknowledges the emotional, often invisible work of child-centered play therapists and affirms the importance of showing up with empathy, authenticity, and care in the playroom. Kylie highlights how listening to the podcast is an act of professional self-care and validation, particularly for those working in isolation. Looking ahead to 2026, she shares excitement about continuing weekly episodes, introducing guest voices, and launching new initiatives and events to strengthen connection within the global CCPT community.
In Part Two of 10 Things Every Play Therapist Needs to Know at Christmas, Kylie speaks directly to child-centred play therapists navigating the emotional, physical, and relational load of the end-of-year period. Released during Christmas week, this episode is a compassionate reminder that therapists matter too.
Kylie explores the realities of end-of-year fatigue, compassion fatigue, and reduced capacity, normalising how layered stress builds across the year. She reframes rest as an ethical and clinical responsibility, not a reward, highlighting how therapist regulation directly impacts therapeutic presence and client safety.
Listeners are encouraged to let go of the pressure to “wrap everything up” before the year ends, to allow reflection to happen in their own time (including in January), and to embrace self-care that genuinely restores the nervous system — even if it looks simple, quiet, or “boring.”
The episode closes with a powerful message about releasing guilt, challenging productivity culture in helping professions, and viewing rest as an act of sustainability and care for both current and future clients.
This is a gentle, affirming episode offering permission to slow down, soften, and prioritise longevity in the work.
In this first part of a special two-part episode, Kylie Ellison reflects on the end-of-year intensity many play therapists and families experience and introduces 10 Things All Play Therapists Need to Know for Christmas. She explores how Christmas can amplify stress, grief, and dysregulation for children and families, and what this looks like in the playroom through play rather than words. The episode focuses on supporting clients and families during the festive season, emphasising containment, boundaries, and presence over “fixing.” Part two will shift the focus to caring for ourselves as therapists during this demanding time of year.
Kylie dedicates this episode to CCPT practitioners who feel lost, doubtful, or exhausted, especially at the end of the year. She normalises feelings of “Is this working?” and explains how they often come from caring deeply, holding a lot of grief for struggling families, and working within an over-stressed, time-poor culture. Instead of piling on strategies, she encourages going back to basics: presence over performance, tiny wins, supervision, and simple connection moments for parents and kids. Her core message: trust yourself, trust the child, and trust the process, your work genuinely matters, even when it doesn’t feel dramatic or visible.
PART TWO from Hawaii! This episode reassures CCPT practitioners who worry they’re “not doing enough,” especially when children appear withdrawn, silent, or resistant in the playroom. It explains that meaningful therapeutic change occurs through presence, safety, and the non-directive relationship, not through directing play or speeding up progress, and that children often begin to shift just when therapists start doubting themselves. Join Kylie as she normalises imposter syndrome, urges therapists to trust the child’s pace and core CCPT principles, and reminds them that their presence is the intervention.
Also..... T Shirts being made!
Recorded in Hawaii! While on a much-needed break, Kylie explores a topic many CCPT practitioners struggle with—imposter syndrome. She discusses how self-doubt can arise at any stage of a therapist’s journey, from early skill development to managing stakeholder expectations, and highlights how community stress can intensify these feelings. The episode encourages therapists to trust the CCPT process, lean into core principles of empathy and connection, and reframe challenges as opportunities for growth and deeper self-reflection.
In this episode we tackle therapist burn out and ensuring you are taking care of yourself - not just others! Kylie reflects honestly on her own exhaustion and lack of breaks this year to open a conversation about self-care (or “how you’re really doing”) as a play therapist. She highlights the emotional load of holding trauma, staying attuned, and being a regulated, safe presence, and frames self-care not as a luxury but as a professional responsibility that protects against burnout and compassion fatigue. Kylie offers three key “pillars”: professional boundaries (manageable caseloads, breaks, admin limits, quality supervision), emotional/nervous-system care (grounding rituals, breathing, note-taking, supervision), and real-life practices (hydration, food, rest, fun activities, transition rituals, peer connection). She encourages listeners to choose just one small, realistic change to implement, reminding them they matter just as much as the children and families they support.
In this episode, Kylie discusses the “pandemic ripple effect” on 4–6-year-olds, exploring why so many children are now presenting with heightened anxiety and separation anxiety as they start school. We unpack emerging research and Australian census data showing declines in social competence and emotional maturity and connect this with the early-life disruptions children experienced during COVID-19 such as fewer peer interactions, disrupted routines, and increased family stress.
Kylie walks through how these factors may have shaped children’s neurobiology and development, and what that looks like in the playroom and classroom today. She then explores how Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) can support this cohort, and shares practical, evidence-informed ideas for working with parents, schools, and families.
This episode is designed to validate what many practitioners, educators, and caregivers are seeing right now, and to spark an ongoing conversation about how we can best support these kids.
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In this episode, Kylie explores the delicate balance of communicating updates to parents and carers while maintaining the confidentiality and trust central to Child-Centred Play Therapy (CCPT). She discusses why this process can feel challenging, even for experienced practitioners, and offers frameworks and communication strategies that protect the child’s privacy while keeping parents informed. Kylie highlights the importance of grounding feedback in themes and stages of play, using accessible language and empathy to connect with families. Ultimately, she reminds us that ethical, reflective, and relationship-based communication is at the heart of meaningful parent consultations. 🌿
In this episode, Kylie outlines how to structure ongoing parent/carer consultations in three parts: reviewing progress, sharing playroom insights, and planning next steps. Every 4–6 weeks, she meets with parents to reflect on their child’s growth, revisit goals, and adjust support where needed. Kylie emphasizes communicating themes and stages of play in parent-friendly language while protecting the child’s confidentiality, using examples like power and control or learned helplessness. She also shares practical, realistic strategies for parents to strengthen connection and co-regulation at home — always returning to the core principles of empathy, collaboration, and attachment in Child-Centred Play Therapy. 🌿
The episode dives into the essentials of conducting initial parent consultations in Child-Centred Play Therapy (CCPT) — from building authentic rapport and exploring formative history, to gathering insights on school, health, and family systems. Kylie offers practical guidance for beginning therapists, emphasizing that connection and caregiver involvement are key to positive outcomes. Part Two will continue next week with ongoing parent consultations and deeper strategies for supporting families in the therapeutic journey. 💛
In this episode, Kylie explores how trust, empathy, and authentic connection with parents and caregivers are essential for children’s therapeutic progress, especially amid today’s complex family challenges. She also reminds play therapists to offer themselves the same compassion they give to clients, honouring boundaries, collaboration, and self-reflection in their work. 🌿
In this episode, Kylie Ellison takes us through one of the foundational frameworks of Child-Centred Play Therapy (CCPT), the stages of the therapeutic process, exploratory, aggressive, regressive, and mastery.
She unpacks what each stage looks like in the playroom, how to recognise progress, and why growth in CCPT is rarely linear. Kylie shares insights for therapists on staying grounded, trusting the process, and communicating progress to parents while protecting confidentiality.
A thoughtful, practical guide to understanding how children move through their therapeutic journey — and how we can meet them with empathy at every stage. 💛
In this episode of the Play Therapy Circle podcast, Kylie Ellison introduces the concept of limit setting in child-centered play therapy (CCPT), focusing on the ACT model (Acknowledge feelings, Communicate the limit, Target alternatives). She reflects on her own challenges learning this skill, reassures beginning play therapists that it becomes easier with practice, and emphasizes that limits build safety, structure, and trust in the playroom. Ultimately, Kylie highlights how consistent and empathetic limit setting not only protects therapists, children, and resources but also fosters emotional regulation, self-responsibility, and respectful relationships.
This episode explores the foundational CCPT skill of reflecting feelings, building on last week’s focus on tracking. The discussion highlights how reflecting feelings validates children’s emotions, deepens the therapeutic alliance, and supports emotional literacy and self-regulation. Practical strategies are shared for tone, timing, and language, along with common pitfalls and the importance of authenticity. Therapists are encouraged to practice, embrace mistakes, and trust the process as children lead their healing journey.
Kylie introduces the core CCPT skills of tracking and reflecting content, framing tracking as the foundational way therapists show they’re following a child’s play (e.g., starting statements with “You/You are…”). She explains how brief, non-judgmental tracking supports co-regulation, invites permissiveness, and keeps the child in the lead, while reflecting content offers short summaries of what the child has done. Kylie cautions against the “question trap,” over-praise, and over-tracking; encourages pausing to observe nonverbal feedback; and highlights culturally sensitive and neurodiversity-affirming language. The episode closes with practical tips: practice tracking in everyday life, keep statements short and concrete, observe before speaking, and remember the goal is the child’s process, not the therapist's “answers.”
Kylie Ellison explores how play serves as a powerful avenue for children to express emotions they cannot yet verbalise, highlighting the importance of meeting children where they are developmentally. She emphasises the therapist’s role in creating a safe, authentic, and supportive space while observing themes and symbolic play without rushing to interpret. The episode encourages practitioners to trust themselves, the process, and the child, using play as both communication and healing.
Kylie Ellison explores how to set up a therapeutic playroom from a child-centered play therapy (CCPT) perspective, highlighting the importance of intentional toy selection, clear layout, and safety. She emphasizes that quality over quantity matters, and that therapists should choose resources they feel congruent and comfortable with. Beyond the physical setup, Kylie reminds listeners that the therapist’s presence—through empathy, consistency, and unconditional positive regard—is central to creating a safe and healing space.
In this episode of the Play Therapy Circle podcast, Kylie Ellison reflects on the importance of play as a child’s natural language of communication. She highlights how play therapy, particularly Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT), provides unique insights into children’s inner worlds, allowing practitioners, parents, and caregivers to understand emotions and experiences that children cannot yet express in words. Kylie emphasizes the value of observing play without rushing to interpret or fix, instead creating safe spaces where children feel seen and heard. She encourages adults across communities—therapists, educators, and parents alike—to trust the process of play and recognize it as a powerful tool for growth, healing, and connection.
In this episode of the Play Therapy Circle podcast, host Kylie Ellison explores the differences between directive and non-directive (child-centered) play therapy. Kylie highlights the benefits of both methods, noting that directive strategies can be useful for short-term goals and measurable outcomes, whereas non-directive approaches build trust, resilience, and deeper emotional exploration. She emphasizes that regardless of method, the therapeutic relationship remains the foundation of effective play therapy practice.