Play Therapy Circle Podcast

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Play Therapy Circle Podcast

Welcome to The Play Therapy Circle Podcast! The Aussie CCPT podcast, episodes drop every Friday.

19/06/2026

Episode 46 is out now! 🎧

This week on The Play Therapy Circle, Kylie is going back to basics with a core CCPT skill: reflecting feelings.

Reflecting feelings is about mirroring the emotional content we sense in the child, helping them connect their inner experience with language, without leading, interpreting or directing.

In this episode, Kylie talks through why this skill matters so much in the playroom, including how it can:

💗 build empathy and connection
🛡️ create emotional safety and trust
🗣️ help children link feelings to words
🌱 support emotional expression and growth

Kylie also shares common mistakes, including turning reflections into questions, going too big, or putting the therapist’s feelings in the lead.

And as Kylie reminds us: you can’t get it wrong. Even an imperfect reflection can become a beautiful opportunity for repair and connection.

Plus, this episode includes a listener question spotlight from Catherine in Australia, exploring whether babies born after COVID are still being impacted by family stress, dysregulation, reduced village support and the broader post-pandemic ripple effects.

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

17/06/2026

Coming this Friday: Episode 43 🎧

We’re heading back to basics with one of the most powerful CCPT skills: reflecting feelings.

In this episode, Kylie explores how reflecting feelings helps children feel seen, heard and understood — and why this skill can feel vulnerable for beginning play therapists.

Plus, Kylie answers a thoughtful listener question about post-COVID babies, family stress, co-regulation and the ongoing ripple effects for young children.

Episode 46 drops Friday.

Save this one if you’re a play therapist, educator, parent or someone who wants to better understand children’s emotional worlds.

15/06/2026

Have you caught up on the Circle? 🎧💗

There are 44 episodes of The Play Therapy Circle waiting for you.

Whether you’re new here, halfway through the back catalogue, or you’ve been listening from the very beginning - there is so much to revisit.

Inside the Circle, we’ve explored topics like:

✨ Child-Centred Play Therapy foundations
✨ Tracking, reflecting and responding skills
✨ What’s really happening in the playroom
✨ Behaviour as communication
✨ The nervous system and the brain in play therapy
✨ Parent/carer consultations
✨ Imposter syndrome in CCPT
✨ Self-care for play therapists
✨ Navigating endings
✨ The COVID ripple effect
✨ What it means to hold hope when the work feels hard

And, of course, plenty of heartfelt reminders that this work matters, even when we cannot always see the harvest straight away.

So tell us…
Have you listened to all 44 episodes yet?

And which episode has stayed with you the most? 💬

Drop your favourite below, we’d love to know what has resonated with you.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

12/06/2026

Not an episode we planned but a necessary one nevertheless.

Episode 45: A Tribute to Dr. Garry Landreth 💗

Dr. Garry Landreth’s work has shaped the heart of child-centred play therapy for generations.

His words continue to remind us that children communicate through play, and that our presence, trust, and relationship matter deeply in the therapeutic space.

In this episode, we pause to honour his legacy, reflect on his influence, and carry forward the compassion, clarity, and connection he championed.

What part of Dr. Landreth’s legacy stays with you?

Listen to Episode 45 of The Play Therapy Circle with Kylie Ellison.

10/06/2026

No podcast this week 💗

Kylie has a super busy week, so the mic is off and the evenings are on.

Instead of squeezing one more thing into an already-full calendar, Kylie is taking the hint and spending her evenings recharging, reconnecting, and being home in time for dinner.

A gentle reminder for all of us:

You do not have to do it all.
An overfull calendar needs a pause button.
Rest is part of the work.
And sometimes the wisest plan is the one that protects your energy.

Be like Kylie.

Take the evening back. Recharge. Connect with family. Rest before burnout.

We’ll be back next week 💗

05/06/2026

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.

04/06/2026

You show up. You hold the space. You do the work.
And then they walk back out into a world you can't control. 💙
New episode coming soon on The Play Therapy Circle Podcast.

03/06/2026

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

29/05/2026

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 💗

27/05/2026

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?

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Cairns, QLD

Website

http://www.playtherapycircle.com/

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