Riptide offers Child-Centred Play Therapy (CCPT) for children and young people. CCPT is a modality of psychotherapy and counselling that is empirically supported, developmentally appropriate and trauma-informed. CCPT is Riptide’s preferred modality of therapeutic support with children and young people as it effectively treats a wide range of child and youth social, emotional, behavioural and developmental presentations.
Riptide uses the power of play and connection to promote healing, growth and self-discovery to support children and young people to live happier and healthier lives. Play Therapy is an evidence-based, developmentally sensitive mental health intervention that views play as the child or young person’s language and toys as their words. At Riptide, a safe, nurturing and validating environment is created for the child or young person to be free to be the true version of themselves and play out their issues and concerns at their own pace. In this environment, children and young people can express their inner world to the therapist who supports the child or young person identify better ways of being that then translate to their life outside the playroom.
Play is the language of children and young people who developmentally do not have the cognitive or verbal skills to express their inner experience. Play allows the child or young person to show the therapist their inner world without having to use words, supporting development and therapeutic progress to a better place of wellbeing. The therapist through the child or young person’s play builds an awareness of areas of the child or young person’s life where they require support and helps the child or young person address these concerns through building adaptive coping strategies to enhance their wellbeing. Play therapy does not ‘do something’ to a child or young person, the approach provides a framework of being with a child or young person in a supportive relationship that promotes the child or young person’s self-direction which increases resilience, self-actualisation and self-esteem.
SERVICE:
Play Therapy: Individual play therapy for children and young people. Riptide conducts an initial parent/carer intake session to get to know the child or young person, their family, the presenting issue and the goals for therapy. It is recommended that sessions occur weekly and parent/carer contact occurs every four to six weeks. The optimal amount of sessions is dependent on the child or young person, their needs and the goals of therapy.
BENEFITS OF PLAY THERAPY:
- Self-awareness and insight: Engaging in play supports children and young people to develop insight into their emotions, behaviours and cognitions. When children and young people play, they discover new things about themselves which enhances their self-awareness and understanding of the self.
Emotional expression: Developmentally, children and young people can experience difficulty expressing their emotions verbally. Through play, children and young people can communicate their feelings freely, allowing the child or young person to express themselves more naturally, and facilitating emotional release and processing. - Enhanced communication skills: Play therapy provides space for children and young people to practice communication skills such as understanding others, listening and expressing themselves which they can then apply to their interactions with family members, peers and individuals in their lives.
- Emotional Regulation: In play therapy, children and young people learn to regulate their emotions in more adaptive ways leading to the development of coping skills and strategies to manage distress and challenging emotions.
- Problem-solving: Play therapy supports children and young people to explore various solutions to the problems they encounter in play which develops the child or young person’s critical thinking and problem-solving skills that they can apply outside of the playroom.
- Increased self-esteem: Play therapy allows children and young peopl to explore and express themselves in a supportive environment in a manner that boosts their self-esteem and confidence as they learn that their thoughts and feelings are valid and that they can develop ways to cope in the face of adversity.
- Trauma processing: CCPT can be used to support children and young people process their trauma experience. Play allows children and young people to gradually process their experiences, reduce distress and develop resilience.
- Relationship blueprint: The relationship between the therapist and child or young person can provide a blueprint to the child or young person on what a healthy respectful relationship is which can then support the child or young person to learn to trust, develop positive connections with others and communication skills.
Riptide offers child and youth counselling (12-25) using a range of therapeutic modalities including Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Interpersonal Psychotherapy – Adolescent (IPT-A), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) and Narrative Therapy. We select the therapeutic modality that is best aligned with the presenting concerns of the child or young person and their therapeutic goals. Riptide believes in utilising bespoke engagement approaches to suit the needs of the young person, be it including a friend or family member in the first few sessions, conducting therapy on a hike or whilst playing sport, the options are endless! Riptide acknowledges and understands that engaging in therapy for young people can be extremely difficult, as such Riptide offers flexible options for engagement and is always happy to get creative in the delivery of therapeutic support!
Riptide supports young people with a range of presenting issues including mental health concerns, trauma, low self-confidence, behavioural challenges, academic concerns, and emotional regulation difficulties, among others. Riptide has extensive experience in providing therapeutic support to both neurotypical and neurodiverse young people.
SERVICE:
Individual counselling: Bespoke individual counselling young people. Riptide conducts a thorough initial intake session with the parent/carer of the young person to get to know their likes, preferences and needs to tailor sessions that engage the young person and build trust in the therapeutic process. Riptides offers a range of evidence-based therapeutic modalities to meet a range of presenting issues that young people commonly experience. These sessions aim to empower and build the young person’s capacity to meet the challenges in their life.
Group counselling: Riptide aims to establish group counselling in the coming months using DBT. Stay tuned!
BENEFITS OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT COUNSELLING:
- Emotional Regulation: Counselling supports young people develop effective strategies for responding to and managing their emotions. Through therapy, young people develop skills to identify and express their emotions in a healthy way, leading to improved emotional regulation and resilience.
- Improved Coping Skills: Counselling provides young people with coping skills to navigate the challenges and stressors that they will encounter throughout their lives. In therapy, young people learn adaptive coping strategies to deal with various presenting concerns more effectively.
- Enhanced Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence: Counselling provides a supportive environment where young people can explore their strengths, talents and life accomplishments. As young people gain insight into their abilities and qualities, their self-worth increases, empowering them to face life’s stressors and challenges with greater confidence.
- Healthy Relationships: Therapy supports young people develop interpersonal skills and communication techniques necessary for building healthy relationships in their lives. Young people through counselling will learn to express themselves assertively, resolve conflicts constructively and establish boundaries in their relationships.
- Academic Success: Counselling can address academic challenges young people face such as learning difficulties, test anxiety or perfectionism. Riptide uses therapeutic interventions tailored to address specific academic concerns that can improve concentration, motivation and study skills leading to greater academic success
- Behavioural support: Counselling assists young people in understanding the underlying causes of adverse behaviours and supports them to develop alternative, more adaptive ways of responding. By addressing concerning behaviours, therapy can prevent them from escalating into problematic behaviours in the future.
- Mental Health Support: Counselling provides a safe space for young people to discuss their mental health concerns, such as anxiety, depression, trauma or grief. Riptide offers evidence-based intervention to support symptom reduction, improve coping strategies and promote overall mental health and wellbeing.
- Empowerment: Through counselling, young people learn to advocate for their needs and make informed decisions about their lives. Through the therapeutic relationship, Riptide empowers young people to take steps to support their mental health and wellbeing and identify when and how to seek support.
- Family Dynamics: Therapy can involve family therapy sessions to address interpersonal conflicts, communication breakdowns, or other family issues that impact the young person. By involving family members in the therapeutic process, counselling promotes empathy, understanding and cohesion in the family unit.
Riptide supports parents through individual or group counselling sessions aimed at empowering parents to navigate the joys and complexities of raising children with confidence and resilience. Our counselling sessions offer parents a compassionate and non-judgement space to explore concerns, provide feedback to align with the parenting style of choice, gain insights, work through challenging situations, provide psychoeducation on child development, behaviour and psychology and support parents by providing tips and strategies to navigate challenging experiences. We view every parent and family as unique and tailor our approach to meet the unique needs of each parent and family. At Riptide, we use collaborative problem-solving to walk alongside the parent/s to identify their strengths, values and goals. Through open dialogue and mutual respect, we support parents to develop effective problem-solving skills and find solutions to their concerns that align with their family’s unique and dynamic circumstances.
SERVICE
Individual/couple counselling: One-on-one or group counselling provides parents with a nurturing, safe and supportive space for parents to work through their concerns, explore effective parenting techniques and strategies and receive guidance and support to build parent capacity to empower parents to be the best versions of themselves.
During sessions, parents will be provided with psychoeducation on childhood development, behaviour and psychology to provide parents with an understanding of their child/children. Parents will also have access to a variety of parenting resources including articles, books, videos and online material to support parents on their journey.
BENEFITS OF PARENTING SUPPORT:
- Enhanced Parenting Skills: Riptide’s approach empowers parents with practical tools, strategies, insights and education to build their capacity to foster stronger connections with their children creating a nurturing, safe and supportive family environment for children to blossom.
- Increased Confidence: Through providing validation, encouragement and personalised support, Riptide helps parents develop greater confidence in their parenting abilities and decision-making skills.
- Strengthened Parent-Child Relationships: Through counselling parents build their capacity to improve their communication, understanding and empathy for their child, fostering a deeper connection with their child.
- Reducing stress, anxiety and parental burnout: Through counselling and psychoeducation, Riptide emphasises and creates space for parental self-care to empower parents to take steps in their lives to prioritise their own self-care alleviating stress, anxiety and create balance and greater wellbeing in their lives.