B App Sci (Occupational Therapy), Grad Dip Ed,
Kate is a registered Mental Health Occupational Therapist and Expressive Therapist. Kate has worked in Mental Health for some 25 years. Kate was inspired after participating the first Theraplay® Trainings in Australia conducted by Phyllis Rubin in 2005. Kate incorporated Theraplay in her work immediately and commenced supervision with Dr. Phyllis Rubin. Since then, Kate has worked tirelessly promoting and hosting Theraplay trainings in Australia. Kate is passionate about supporting others to integrate Theraplay and embrace the road to certification to spread Theraplay in Australia. Kate currently works at Nexus Primary Health in Victoria, Australia as Theraplay coordinator at Nexus. Kate has extensive experience working in child and parent welfare/trauma and increasingly in bushfire affected families. Kate’s work is guided by deep principles of social justice and is committed to reconciliation with our First Nations People.
Kate is a Certified Theraplay Practitioner, Trainer, and Supervisor.
Kate welcomes your contact on [email protected]
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Patti is a private therapist in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She has a Masters in Social Work and is a Certified Theraplay® Practitioner and Theraplay Supervisor-in-Training. She has been working in a therapeutic role with children and families for thirty years. Her experiences have included First Nations community agencies, the Child Welfare System and the School System. Her expertise lies in working with children who have experienced developmental trauma, and enhancing their felt-security with their primary caregiver. She is also a certified Play Therapist Supervisor with the Canadian Association of Child and Play Therapy. Patti is certified in both the individual and group model of Circle of Security and is a reliable coder for the Strange Situation protocol. Patti has completed level 1 and 2 training in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP). She enjoys facilitating training within Canada for professionals regarding developmental trauma and how best to work with the children and families we are most worried about within our homes, schools, and communities.
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Dianne Nicholas, MS, LMFT, is a licensed marriage family therapist and a Certified Theraplay® Practitioner, Supervisor, and Trainer. She holds a Master’s of Science Degree in Counseling from California State University, Northridge and a BA in Psychology with a minor in Developmental Psychology. She has worked extensively with children and families in the child-welfare system and specializes in attachment focused treatment for childhood trauma and abuse. Dianne has completed intensive training in Dyadic Development Psychotherapy with Daniel Hughes, PhD, trained in Trauma Focused-CBT, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization (EMDR). Dianne held the position of Clinical Director and Supervisor at a non-profit agency until recently taking on a position as a Consultant to Children & Family Services with the objective of promoting Trauma-Informed Best Practice within the agency. Dianne resides in Ventura, CA where she has a private practice. She views Theraplay as an integral component toward developing the relationship bond between the children and caregivers she sees in therapy. Dianne can be reached at [email protected].
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Alexis is a Certified Theraplay® Therapist, and Trainer in private practice in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. She graduated with her Master’s Degree in Counseling from Gallaudet University in Washington, DC and is fluent in American Sign Language. Alexis has a specialization in working with Deaf and hard of hearing children and parents. She is a Registered Play Therapist and Supervisor and teaches Play Therapy courses at Gallaudet and at Bethel University in St Paul, Minnesota. Alexis has a certification in Permanency and Adoption Competency. She is trained in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, EMDR and is currently seeking certification in TraumaPlay. She can be reached at [email protected]
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Kristen is a certified Theraplay® Practitioner, Group Theraplay Practitioner, and Group Theraplay Trainer. She is also a Registered Play Therapist. Kristen earned a Masters in Child Development from the Erikson Institute and a Masters in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago. She has extensive experience working with children and families in a variety of capacities such as Early Childhood Educator, Family Support Specialist, Child Advocacy Worker in the Child Welfare System, and as a Child and Family Clinician in shelters, schools, and clinic settings.
Currently, Kristen is a Child and Family Clinician at Come Play, STL in St. Louis, MO. Kristen works with children of all ages and their caregivers, primarily working from an attachment framework. Kristen is passionate about the use of Theraplay and it has been an integral part of her professional work since the beginning of her career. In addition to Theraplay, Kristen is trained in other attachment modalities including Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy and Circle of Security, all of which inform her continued work with children and families.
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Ms. Wesolowski is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor who has been a part of the Theraplay® community since 2013. She’s experienced in providing therapy and support for children of all ages, and particularly enjoys working with young children and their caregivers to encourage healing and growth as well as bonding and resiliency in relationships. Ms. Wesolowski views therapy as a space for children and their parents to experience the connection, understanding, mutual joy, and attunement necessary for positive emotional and behavioral change.
In addition to Theraplay, Ms. Wesolowski uses a variety of interventions adapted to achieve the desired goals of the children and families with whom she works, including Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), TF-CBT, and Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress (SPARCS). Ms. Wesolowski has received extensive training on child development, early attachment, self-regulation and parenting, as well as issues of child trauma and exposure to violence. She has specific training in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and has a special interest in supporting families following the addition of a new child to the family. Ms. Wesolowski received a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Marquette University and a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
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Allison is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 15 years of experience. Allison completed her graduate training at Children’s Memorial Hospital and spent several years working as the social worker in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Northwestern Memorial Prentice Hospital. Allison worked for many years as The Theraply® Institute’s Clinic Manager, Attachment Matters program coordinator, and a Staff Therapist at The Theraplay Clinic. Allison is a co-founder of Healing Space Therapy, a child and family therapy practice in Chicago, IL, where she currently works. Allison’s areas of expertise and interests include medical trauma, anxiety, adjustment to chronic illness, transition to parenthood, family transition/separation/divorce, and grief and loss. Allison uses a strengths-based approach and a holistic care lens when working with families and, in addition to Theraplay, Allison is trained in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, Yoga-Informed Psychotherapy, and Narrative Therapy. Allison is passionate about helping families through crisis, and her calming, reassuring nature allows children and parents to feel comfortable and understood. Allison earned her Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her Master of Art in Social Work at the University of Chicago. She can be reached at [email protected]
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SKJ Registered Social Worker
Certified Theraplay® Practitioner, Associate Theraplay Trainer and Theraplay Supervisor in training. Linda has also did the DDP level 1 training and completed a Post-Graduate Certificate as a Child and Youth Therapist. Linda works as a social worker in a psychiatric treatment center for children with low IQ in the age of 5-12 years where she provides parent consulting. And she works as a Theraplay Practitioner in a policlinical psychiatric setting for youth in the age of 5-18 years old. Linda provides advice, guidance and consultation to parents and has experience in working with adoptive parents and foster parents, parents with low IQ and parents with autism. Her clinical experience includes helping children with trauma through abuse and neglect as well as children with autism. As an Associate Trainer she was co-trainer for the level I Theraplay Training in The Netherlands since 2015 and is a Associate Theraplay Supervisor in training since 2016. Linda can be reached at [email protected].
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received her Master’s degree as a developmental psychologist at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands and completed a post-graduate training as a parental therapist. She has worked in several institutions as a psychologist for children and adults with special needs and is specialized in children with autism and low IQ. For several years she worked in a child psychiatric clinical and daycare centre and at the moment she has a private practice, where she provides Theraplay, parent consulting and psychological assessments. She became one of the first certified Theraplay® Practitioners in the Netherlands and spends a lot of time promoting Theraplay in her country. Bettie is a certified Theraplay Practitioner, Trainer and Supervisor and also country representative for TTI in the Netherlands. Bettie can be reached at [email protected].
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in Orthopedagogiek and Educational studies, is a certified Theraplay Practitioner and Supervisor, and trained to be a Theraplay trainer. She works at a mental health care institution in Delft, the Netherlands. She specializes in Infant Mental Health, trauma and attachment issues. Marianne is married and has two daughters and a son. You can reach Marianne at [email protected]
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