Play Therapy Circle Podcast

Am I actually making a difference?

It’s the question so many play therapists carry quietly.

When a child leaves the playroom and returns to a chaotic home, an unstable system, family separation, child protection, trauma, or crisis… it can be hard not to wonder:

Did any of that matter?

This episode is not a pep talk.

It’s a grounded, honest reminder that the work matters even when you cannot see the outcome.

The evidence tells us that one consistent, caring, attuned adult can change a child’s life trajectory. The brain holds experiences of safety and connection. The relationship matters. The playroom matters. You matter in that child’s nervous system, even when the world outside the room does not change.

So when you cannot control the system, anchor yourself to what is real:

This session.
One moment of attunement.
Your own integrity.
The model.
Supervision.
The long view.

You may not see the harvest.

But the seeds are still real.

🎧 Listen to Episode 44 of The Play Therapy Circle Podcast:
Am I Making a Difference? When the World Outside the Playroom Is Out of Our Hands

Save this one for the days you wonder if it matters.

5 months to go! ✨

The countdown is on for The Play Therapy Circle Conference 2026.

Join Kylie Ellison and Dr Jodi Mullen in Brisbane for two days dedicated to learning, connection, reflection and our shared passion for Child-Centred Play Therapy.

This weekend will bring together play therapists and helping professionals for meaningful professional development, practical insight and community connection.

📅 24th & 25th October 2026
📍 Rydges Southbank, Brisbane
🎟️ 1 Day, 2 Day and VIP tickets available

Places are limited -secure your spot now.

👉 www.kylieellison.com.au/ptcconf2026

EPISODE 43 IS OUT NOW 🎙️💗

This week on The Play Therapy Circle, we’re going Back to Basics with one of the foundational CCPT skills: tracking & we answer a listener question!

Tracking can feel clunky when you’re learning it - and that’s completely normal. In this episode, Kylie breaks down what tracking is, why it matters, and how it helps children feel seen without being led, judged or interpreted.

We also answer a thoughtful listener question from Terri in Ireland about people-pleasing, controlling behaviours, silence, unmet needs, and when deeper reflective responding is appropriate in the playroom.

A gentle reminder from this episode:

Reflection follows relationship.
The depth of our responding should never outpace the depth of trust.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

Send in your listener questions for a future episode - we’d love to hear from you 💗

New episode coming Friday 💗
Here's what's inside Episode 43 of The Play Therapy Circle Podcast:
🎯 A back-to-basics teach on tracking - the skill that started it all
✨ A question from Ireland on relational behaviours through a developmental lens

🎙️Dropping soon - are you subscribed?

🎙️ This week's episode of The Play Therapy Circle is live.

We're revisiting The Pandemic Ripple Effect.
Are you noticing more anxiety in young children? More separation distress at drop-off? Children who seem to be carrying big feelings they don't quite have the words for?
For many children aged 4–6, their earliest years unfolded during COVID-19. Routines were disrupted. Playgroups disappeared. Peer connection was reduced. Families were navigating stress, uncertainty and isolation, and children absorbed more of that than we realise.
Now, as this cohort moves into kindergarten and the early years of school, those experiences are showing up. And it can feel confusing and exhausting for everyone around them.
In this episode, Kylie explores what the research tells us about this generation, how Child-Centered Play Therapy can offer children a safe space to process and heal, and what parents, carers and professionals can do to help.
This conversation is not about blame. It's about understanding, validation and a path forward.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and where you get your podcasts.

This week Kylie is talking about something that has been coming up over and over again in training rooms, supervision sessions, and parent consultations - the sheer exhaustion of parenting right now, and why it makes complete sense that you're feeling it.

The episode covers the COVID generation - the actual neuroscience behind what happened to children born between 2019 and 2022 - and why so many kids are presenting as harder, more dysregulated, and more delayed than we would expect for their age. This is not your fault. The data backs that up.

If you've been running on empty and wondering if you're doing enough, this episode is for you. 💛