THERAPLAY® TRAINERS

Kathryn (Kate) Lewer, B App Sci (Occupational Therapy), Grad Dip Ed, 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.

Alison Saxton (PhD, B. Psych (Hons) MAPS) is a registered psychologist with over 15 years experience working in the child trauma field with health, statutory and non-government organisations. Alison is a Certified Theraplay® Therapist, Trainer and Supervisor. Alison works with children and parents/carers from out of home care, adoption, reunification and child protection contexts. Informed by trauma and attachment theories, she has integrated Theraplay® into her practice to provide reparative relational experiences in the treatment of child abuse and neglect. Alison also provides professional supervision and consultation and is a lecturer in post graduate psychology programs at two Sydney universities. 

Amy-Lee Seward is a registered Psychologist and Certified Theraplay® Practitioner, Trainer and Supervisor-in-training. She has experience supporting children, adolescents, adults and families, with a diverse range of mental health presentations and disabilities. Amy-Lee graduated from The University of Newcastle in 2013. Her honours research focusing on suicide prevention was published in the ‘Journal of Clinical Psychology’. Amy-Lee has also completed post-graduate training in Applied Behaviour Analysis and Theraplay.

Amy-Lee works from an attachment-based framework and is passionate about strengthening the attachment relationship between a child and their parent. She has experience using Theraplay with children and adolescents who have experienced complex trauma, to support them to develop and strengthen relationships with their parents/caregivers and reduce challenging behaviour. Amy-Lee also enjoys utilising psychological assessment to guide treatment planning and intervention. She is focused on delivering clinical services through a client-centred and positive-based framework, with the goal of helping clients meet their needs. Amy-Lee uses the following therapeutic modalities: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Eye-Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR), Theraplay, Mindfulness, Motivational Interviewing and Narrative Therapy. 

Kelly Hefferon (she/her,) is a Kanaka Maoli (native Hawaiian) working and living on Whadjuk Country.  Kelly draws on the intersections of mental health, social justice and deep connection to the land. Kelly is passionate about supporting clients and families - emotionally, cognitively, somatically - so that over time clients know they have choices, skills and strategies to become empowered in their own healing process.

Kelly has a Masters in Social Work, Graduate Diploma in Counseling and a Bachelor of Multidisciplinary Science (Environmental Biology). Over the years Kelly has undertaken further specialised training focusing on Trauma and the Body, Attachment, Expressive Therapies, Play Therapy, Yoga Teacher Training and Trauma Centre Trauma Sensitive Yoga to name a few.

Kelly holds the vision of a world where embodied social and systemic change can develop into a way of community that is grounded in localisation, compassion, wisdom, connection that celebrates diversity and sameness. Kelly is passionate about mental health and wellbeing is person centred and strength based.

Kelly has worked with families and children for over 20 years in educational and mental health settings, a Clinical Supervisor, Certified Theraplay® Practitioner and Trauma Centre Trauma Sensitive Yoga Facilitator.