Location:   

Cook, ACT

Phone:   

 02 625 14042

Email:   

 psammead@ozemail.com.au

Carolyn has worked with children and parents for the past 30 years. During her years as a school counsellor working with children "at risk", she developed an interest in working with children who experienced emotional distress by using play, sand and other forms of creative techniques. In the past 6 years she has worked in part-time private practise.

Specialisation:

Children (from 3 years to early adolescence) may present with anxiety, fears, grief and loss issues, guilt and low self-esteem. Therapy is also suitable to those who are disorganized, obsessed with perfection or have a need to be in control of everything.

The therapy process is based on sandplay and playtherapy approaches.  The individual sessions give the child the opportunity to manipulate his/her world, helping to integrate intense emotional experiences into the world that they know.

The parent/ caregiver is usually present during the session, providing an opportunity to observe the child working in an environment where the usual adult pressures to comply are absent.  Given this situation, the adult can come to understand the problem from the child's perspective and become aware of the changes that the adult may need to make to help the child function more appropriately in the world.  Parent consultation after each session is followed up, allowing for reflection and  expansion of meaning to the observations made about the child's behaviour                 

Limits are set within the therapy space to enable safety and containment.  The pace is undirected, encouraging the child to set their own limits.

An initial parent interview provides an historical overview of the child; an opportunity to find out about the expected process and a plan to determine the timing for weekly sessions - (usually short term from 6-8 weeks