Welcome to Kind Connections
'Supporting families, re-building connections'
​Kind Connections Counselling, Coaching & Play Therapy (based in Naarm/Melbourne) provides therapeutic services for adults, infants & children (3 - 10 years) and their families via individual counselling, EMDR, parent coaching and play therapy, all within a trauma-informed framework.
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With over 10 years of expertise is support of issues such as parenting and attachment difficulties, the impacts of family violence, trauma and complex trauma, mental health concerns, as well as working with foster, kinship and adoptive families, creating a genune and authentic therapeutic connection is the cornerstone of clinician and director of Kind Connections, Jane Parkinson.
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For most parents, the experience of parenting is both rewarding as well as challenging, and so reaching out for help can often be a difficult one...
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At various developmental stages, infants & children may perceive specific life events or experiences to be challenging and overwhelming; experiences such as significant life transitions, feelings of anxiety, social or peer relations, emotional regulation issues, the impacts of parental separation or loss, or even the impact of a 'once in a lifetime' pandemic. As adults, seeking therapeutic support at any age or stage of life can provide an opportunity for learning and growth; a chance to reconnect with their authentic selves, re-discover what it is they truly value, and begin to find purpose in life again.
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Although you may initially seek support for your child, Jane's approach to working with families is to engage the 'whole family' in the therapeutic process; like pieces of a puzzle, we create a plan together to work toward your family's goals. In combination with the principles of Synergetic Play Therapy®, Jane believes an integrated & holistic model of therapeutic support ​aids healing from the inside out, leading to a more connected and regulated family system, and ​laying the foundations for genuine long lasting change.
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Want to find out more? I offer a 15 minute initial phone consultation to discuss how I can be of help to you and your family. Get in touch - I look forward to connecting with you...Jane
"Play leads to brain plasticity, adaptability, & creativity.
Nothing fires up the brain like PLAY"
~ Stuart Brown, M.D.
Kind Kids Therapy
What is Play Therapy? Synergetic Play Therapy is a model of therapy that blends the therapeutic power of play with neuroscience, mindfulness, attachment theory, and nervous system regulation (Lisa Dion,2008).
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As a Children's Counsellor & Play Therapist, working with infants & children is Jane's pride and joy. Therapy at Kind Connections engages your child in the therapeutic process by utilising both play-based and expressive arts modalities such as games, toys, role-play, art-making and sand play. Therapy should feel safe and free from judgment; this is especially important for building trust and rapport with children who may be overwhelmed and going through a really tricky a time.
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As a crucial part of your child's 'support team', a parent/carers goals and expectations will always be discussed & agreed upon before therapy begins. Through the use of expressive arts and play, your child will be provided a space to gently experience the challenging feelings and emotions they perceive to be negatively impacting them. A primary goal of therapy at Kind Connections is to use play to empower your child to feel more confident in who they truly are, and supported in what they are working through.
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Children with self-managed or plan-managed NDIS plan can access therapeutic support through Kind Connections. Sessions can be face to face at the Melbourne Play Studio in St Kilda, via tele-therapy, or a combination of both.
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Get in touch...
Want to know more about how I can support you or your family? Get in touch...a free 15min phone consultation is available for all new clients.
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Alternatively, contact me below to schedule an appointment at The Melbourne Play Studio, 264 St Kilda Rd, St Kilda,
Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Ph 0403 209 092
