Alison Saxton

Alison is a registered psychologist and has over 20 years professional experience working with children, families and adults. She has specialised in the trauma and attachment field and has worked in health, statutory child protection, non-government organisations and private practice. She is also an experienced trainer, with over 15 years experience working as a lecturer in post graduate psychology and counselling at university, and providing training as a Theraplay trainer.

Alison's clinical experience working with adults and children includes:
• Trauma and PTSD
• Grief and loss
• Anxiety, depression and other mental health concerns
• Parenting challenges
• Child emotional and behavioural difficulties
• Child developmental delays

Alison’s therapeutic approaches include Theraplay®, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), Narrative Therapy, Schema Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT & TFCBT) and play based interventions.

Alison is an authorised supervisor with the Psychology Board of Australia and a Theraplay supervisor and provides consultation and supervision.

Alison was introduced to Theraplay through a colleague who had discovered Theraplay through the 'Theraplay: Helping Parents and Children Build Better Relationships Through Attachment-Based Play' book by Phyllis Booth and Ann Jernberg. Theraplay was not very well known in Australia at this time, with only one training having been held in 2005. At this time, Alison was working in the health department with families involved in the child protection system and children in out of home care and had been looking for an experiential structured therapeutic approach for assessing and supporting healthy relationships in families. Plans were underway to travel to Chicago when the training came to Australia! (Thank you Nexus Health, Kate Lewer, Annie Kiermaier and Riikka Korja).

Theraplay was the missing piece for helping families to 'see and do' differently, and Alison has had the opportunity to provide Theraplay intervention (dyadic, group and Sunshine Circles®) in diverse settings including child mental health, pre natal programs with at risk parents, reunification programs, schools and targeted group programs. Theraplay has also supported Alison's longevity of practice in the trauma field, as she shares in the positive impacts of Theraplay through supporting joyful, playful, attuned interactions between parent/carers and their children.

Alison is a registered psychologist and has over 20 years professional experience working with children, families and adults. She has specialised in the trauma and attachment field and has worked in health, statutory child protection, non-government organisations and private practice. She is also an experienced trainer, with over 15 years experience working as a lecturer in post graduate psychology and counselling at university, and providing training as a Theraplay trainer.

Alison's clinical experience working with adults and children includes:
• Trauma and PTSD
• Grief and loss
• Anxiety, depression and other mental health concerns
• Parenting challenges
• Child emotional and behavioural difficulties
• Child developmental delays

Alison’s therapeutic approaches include Theraplay®, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), Narrative Therapy, Schema Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT & TFCBT) and play based interventions.

Alison is an authorised supervisor with the Psychology Board of Australia and a Theraplay supervisor and provides consultation and supervision.