Speaker Abstracts

Learn more about the speakers, explore the topics and choose the presentation that best fits with your goals for the day.

Topics and Presentations

Andrew Whitehouse

Among many things, Andrew is the Director of CliniKids at The Kids Research Institute Australia, where he leads a network of clinical centres for children with neurodevelopmental differences that embeds clinical trials within everyday community practice.

Andrew will present a plenary address to ground our day in the essence of 'Head, Heart and Hands,' leading us through current research, exploring what it means to translate evidence into practice, and immersing in the 'why' of what we do.

First Responders to Separation: How Collaborative Practice Reduces Family Stress

Panel Presentation

A very special panel exploring how to walk alongside children whose parents are separating. The panel will be led by Tiffany Rochester, a Psychologist and the CEO of Co-Parenting Companion and her team Debbie Clinch, a partner in Clairs Keeley Lawyers and an Independent Children's Lawyer, and Katie McDonald a financial planner and Director of Private Wealth Architects.

Tiffany, Debbie and Katie will lead the discussion on the challenges of working with parents and answer your questions on how to remain child focused despite family conflict.

This Masterclass acknowledges that therapists are often the "first responders" when couples separate, providing initial support and guidance to clients seeking a healthy resolution to their transition. This presentation will give attendees a comprehensive overview of Collaborative Law - a powerful, caring alternative to legal disputes, mediation, and family court. Unlike traditional adversarial processes, therapists can play an instrumental role in supporting families navigating this life transition.

Participants will:

Gain an understanding of collaborative separation as an alternative to adversarial legal processes.
Learn about the therapist’s role as Collaborative Coach in facilitating a healthy, constructive separation process.
Discover supportive ways to care for clients navigating separation.
Identify the key players involved in the legal process of separation and their respective roles.
Have the opportunity to ask questions of experts in parenting agreements, family law, and financial separations.

Integrating Child Centred Play Therapy (CCPT): Strengthen therapeutic relationship, safety, & engagement.

Melanie Jansen is Registered Psychologist working in private practice and has specialised in child therapy for the past 15 years. She is the Director of Child Centred Australia, a clinical training program for Child Centred Play Therapy (CCPT). Melanie holds registration as a play therapist and is the Vice President of the Australian Play Therapists Association (APTA).

Melanie will present on the heart of CCPT and the value of integrating some of its core principles and skills into our varied work with children. Application can assist us to establish strong relationships and engage with children in a developmentally appropriate way, particularly with very young children and those who may be otherwise unwilling or unable to engage with therapeutic intervention.

Attendees will gain:

Recommended reading to provide the relevant history, evidence base, and overview of CCPT;
Understanding of the key child centred principles to establish relationship, safety and engagement.
Understanding of play as a developmentally appropriate therapeutic medium, with case examples shared to illustrate;
Experiential and reflective learning in partners using miniatures around beliefs about children, their capabilities, and our role;
Practical application of one core skill of CCPT (empathic responding) in partners, with reflective learning around the use of empathic responses within the context of relationship and safety.
Experience a reading of a play therapy children’s book to consolidate and conclude with the heart of CCPT.
A miniature to take home with them as a learning reminder and gift.

Creative Therapies for Calm Connection: Developing neurobiological safety through rhythm & movement

Jan McConnell is coming to us from Aotearoa (New Zealand) to facilitate this experiential movement & music workshop that will introduce an evidence informed approach grounded in bicultural practice with a focus on sustainably building resilience and wellbeing.

This 1.5-hour experiential movement and music workshop will introduce Mauri Tui Tuia and offer some practical tools using trauma-informed dance and music practices. By the end of the session, you will have a practical understanding and fun creative ways to support children and families:

To create nervous system to nervous system safety though movement, dance, rhythm and music
To develop non-verbal social skills and support emotional literacy toward creative integration that scaffolds curiosity and new learning.
To explore connection and individual expression though play, music, movement, and dance

The tools we will be exploring together include:

Rhythm, sound and movement as our first communication
Mirroring: the moving dance of co-regulation, connection and empathy
The song of the familiar as a pathway to creative variation an new discovery
An introduction to our Calm Connection Video Series

An Introduction to DNA-V: An ACT-based therapy model for children and young people

Renae Kolia is a Registered Psychologist and the owner of Think Feel Grow, a psychology practice dedicated to supporting children, adolescents, and their families. With a background in school psychology, Renae has developed and facilitated DNA-V-based online workshops aimed at helping parents support their teens’ wellbeing during Years 11 and 12 and providing strategies to address negative thinking in children and teens.

Join Renae for an interactive workshop on DNA-V, a developmental therapy model to support the mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescents. This workshop provides an introduction to DNA-V, offering participants skills to integrate the model into their therapeutic practice.

The DNA-V model incorporates evidence-based interventions and theories including evolutionary science, functional contextualism, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and positive psychology. DNA-V helps children and adolescents develop psychological flexibility and strength by learning and using their abilities:

Discoverer – Testing and tracking behaviour
Noticer – Awareness of both inner experiences and the external world
Advisor – Self-talk and thoughts
Valuing – Learning what matters and doing what matters

This model supports young people in using these abilities to cope with difficult thoughts and emotions, build strengths, achieve goals, and build values and vitality. Additionally, the model can be shared with parents to provide further support for children and adolescents.

Participants Will Gain:

An understanding of the DNA-V model and abilities
Insights into how social and self-contexts influence behaviour
Knowledge of how to apply the model transdiagnostically
Practical exercises that can be applied in therapy
An opportunity to practice case conceptualization and intervention planning

The power of using a sensory lens in your work; supporting your clients, your growth and your practice

Hayley Wood is an Occupational Therapist and the Director of Sensory Heroes, a therapy clinic dedicated to supporting neurodivergent children and their families. As a neurodivergent individual herself, Hayley brings lived experience and a deep understanding of creating safety within relationships to facilitate therapeutic growth. With a focus on sensory and emotional regulation, she has supported countless families in achieving their goals and gaining a clearer understanding of themselves. Hayley’s mission is to revolutionise how children and their families are supported, offering a compassionate, strengths-based approach that honours their unique needs and journeys.

Join Hayley for a transformative workshop that delves into the essence of felt safety and its profound role in therapeutic settings. This session offers a sensory-informed lens, providing participants with actionable insights to enhance their practice and support clients more effectively. Hayley will guide attendees through:

The sensory systems in depth: Understanding the sensory motor connections that shape our experiences and behaviours, both as clinicians and as clients.
Felt safety and the nervous system: Exploring how clinicians can support their own nervous systems to create an optimal environment for therapeutic growth.
A sensory approach to felt safety: Practical strategies to identify and address sensory needs in clients, fostering a sense of safety and connection.
Environmental impacts on therapy: Evaluating the physical space where therapy occurs, including how sensory elements in the environment influence outcomes for both clients and practitioners.

Participants will leave with:

A deeper understanding of sensory systems and their role in therapeutic success.
A fresh perspective on the clinician’s role in fostering growth
Practical tools to cultivate felt safety for both themselves and their clients.
Strategies to adapt their practice environments to optimise outcomes and enhance client comfort.

This workshop is an invitation to deepen your practice, integrate sensory and emotional regulation principles, and walk away with actionable strategies you can implement immediately to support yourself and your clients.

Applying a child-Centred Lens to Understanding and Responding to Sexual Behaviours in Children and Young People

Pauline is a Social Worker, Synergetic Play Therapist and Sensorimotor Psychotherapist as well as a Clinical Consultant supporting organisations in implementing trauma-informed policies and practices. Pauline has worked in the childhood trauma sector across Australia and the UK for over 30 years, in clinical, training and management roles, including 8 years as a manager and clinical supervisor in a child sexual abuse therapeutic service.

This Spotlight Presentation will explore a child-centred and developmentally-informed framework for understanding, assessing and responding to sexual behaviours in children and young people. This can be a confronting topic for families and clinicians, and is often skimmed over – if included at all – during professional training. Having an evidence-informed framework for conceptualising sexual behaviours, as well as the tools for responding in ways which best support children and caregivers, can increase practitioner confidence in this space as well as optimising outcomes for child clients and their families. Pauline’s dynamic presentation style will create a safe and engaging space to explore this complex and important topic.