By Niekaylah Binns (Therapy Assistant) & Emma Langley (Clinical Psychologist)
When you watch your child participating in a play-based session, it may not always be obvious what they are working on.
They might be building with LEGO, arranging animals, drawing or creating a Minecraft world. From the outside, it may look like they are “just playing”.
However, the clinician may be paying attention to much more than the activity itself. Depending on your child’s goals, play may provide opportunities to support areas such as regulation, communication, flexible thinking, shared problem-solving, recognising feelings and communicating needs.
The purpose is not to make every moment educational. Play can provide a familiar and meaningful context in which your child’s strengths, needs and ways of communicating can be understood and supported.
Play-based sessions can look different
“Play-based support” is a broad term. Clinicians may use play in different ways depending on their training, the approach being used and the child’s individual goals.
Some sessions are largely led by the child, with the clinician observing and responding to their interests and communication. Other sessions may include more structured games, activities or playful challenges. Parents and carers may participate directly, observe part of the session or speak with the clinician separately.
Before starting, it can be helpful to ask:
What type of play-based approach will be used?
How will this connect with my child’s goals?
What will my involvement look like?
How and when will progress be reviewed?
What information will be shared with me?
Understanding the purpose and structure can help you know what to expect and how you can be involved.
Before sessions begin
The early stages will usually involve gathering information and developing goals. This may happen through an intake appointment, questionnaires, conversations with parents or carers, observation, or time spent getting to know the child.
The clinician may ask about:
your child’s strengths, interests and preferred ways of communicating
what your child and family would like support with
situations your child finds comfortable or difficult
strategies that have helped or been unhelpful
relevant information from home, school or other services
what meaningful progress would look like for your child and family.
Where possible, parents, children and clinicians should develop a shared understanding of the goals. Children may express their views through words, play, behaviour, drawings, gestures or other forms of communication. Parents and clinicians may also understand a concern differently, so it is important to make space for these perspectives and discuss any differences openly. These conversations can help ensure the goals remain meaningful, realistic and connected to your child’s needs.
Preparing your child
It may help to give your child a clear and simple explanation of where they are going and what to expect.
The language you use will depend on their age, communication and understanding. For example, you might say:
“We’re going to meet Nik. There will be some toys and activities to help Nik get to know you and understand what you’re good at, what you enjoy and what might help with things that feel tricky.”
You could also let your child know:
who they will meet
where you will be
approximately how long the appointment will last
whether they can bring a familiar object
what will happen afterwards.
Try not to promise exactly what will happen unless this has been confirmed. If your child has questions or worries, you can share these with the clinician beforehand.
What might happen during a session?
Although each session will be different, the clinician may begin by helping your child become comfortable and engaged. They might follow your child’s interests, notice how they communicate and gradually introduce opportunities for interaction, problem-solving or flexibility.
The activity itself is only one part of what is happening. For example, while building a LEGO house, your child might communicate an idea, ask for help, respond to a misunderstanding, cope with the structure falling over or consider another person’s suggestion.
The finished LEGO house may be less important than the communication, regulation and shared problem-solving that happened while it was being built.
Sessions may also look different from week to week. A child who was ready for imaginative play and problem-solving one week may arrive tired, worried or overwhelmed the next. They might need more time with a familiar activity or greater support to become comfortable.
This does not necessarily mean the session was unsuccessful or that your child has lost a skill. A responsive approach adjusts to what your child brings to the session while keeping their broader goals in mind.
Your involvement may take different forms
Parents and carers know their child across different settings, relationships and routines. You may have information that is not visible during an appointment, including:
recent changes at home or school
new interests or ways of communicating
situations your child has found difficult
patterns you have noticed
strategies that have helped
recommendations that have been difficult to use at home.
Depending on the approach, you may be invited to join an activity, observe, meet with the clinician separately or try a strategy between sessions.
Parent involvement does not mean you are expected to become your child’s therapist or make every interaction therapeutic. Instead, you and the clinician can share information and identify practical ways of supporting your child that fit your family.
Research on parent engagement in child-focused services highlights the value of clear communication, shared decision-making and adapting support to the circumstances of each child and family (Burney et al., 2024; Klatte et al., 2024).
Ask what the clinician noticed
A brief conversation after a session can help you understand what was happening beneath the activity.
You might ask:
What helped my child engage today?
How did my child communicate during the session?
What kinds of interaction seemed enjoyable for them?
What level of challenge worked well?
Was anything overwhelming or unhelpful?
What did you notice about their problem-solving or flexible thinking?
How did today’s session connect with their goals?
Is there one strategy we could try at home this week?
You can also ask the clinician to explain the reason behind an activity or recommendation. Understanding why something is being suggested can make it easier to decide whether and how it could fit into everyday life.
Supporting the work at home
You do not need a long list of strategies after every session. One small and realistic idea may be more useful.
This might involve pausing for longer before helping, responding to a new form of communication, adjusting the demands in a particular routine or making time for an activity that helps your child connect.
Not every session will result in something that needs to be practised at home. Sometimes the next step may simply be to notice what happens in a particular situation or continue providing an activity your child enjoys.
If a strategy feels unnatural, creates stress or does not seem helpful, let the clinician know. This does not mean that you or your child have failed. It is useful information that can help the clinician understand what works for your child and adjust their recommendations.
Information should flow both ways. You might notice that your child responds differently at home, needs more time at the end of the day or uses a skill in one setting but not another. A brief example of what happened, what you tried and how your child responded can be very helpful.
Focus on meaningful progress
There is no single correct way for a child to play, communicate or participate in a session.
Play-based support should be connected to your child’s strengths, needs, preferences and meaningful goals. Some sessions may involve a new idea or successful problem-solving. Others may help the clinician better understand what supports your child’s participation.
By asking questions, sharing what you notice and trying manageable ideas at home when relevant, you can support the therapeutic work without turning home into another therapy setting.
Accessing Play-Based Support at HMC
Our Therapy Assistants provide developmental play-based support under the supervision of a Clinical Psychologist. Support is tailored to each child’s strengths, needs and goals, with parents and carers involved throughout the process.
If you would like to explore whether this service may be suitable for your child, please email admin@healthymindcentre.com.au or call us on (03) 6388 9229.
References
Burney, V., McCann, C. M., & Arnold-Saritepe, A. (2024). Parent engagement in child-focused interventions: A systematised review of qualitative allied health literature. Child & Youth Care Forum, 53, 1451–1486. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-024-09797-6
Klatte, I. S., Ketelaar, M., de Groot, A., Bloemen, M., & Gerrits, E. (2024). Collaboration: How does it work according to therapists and parents of young children? A systematic review. Child: Care, Health and Development, 50(1), e13167. https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.13167