OT & Play - By the Bay

Get to know OT & Play - By the Bay

From OT & Play - By the Bay's website.

• Our approach

  At OT & Play, therapy is grounded in the belief that all behaviour makes sense and that children communicate their needs in different ways. The focus is relationship-based, with sessions designed to be fun and supportive spaces where children and families feel welcome and understood. The approach draws on non-directive, attachment-focused and trauma-informed practice, emphasizing how safety and regulation develop through relationships. Using insights from interpersonal neuroscience, the team helps families interpret challenging behaviours and understand how the brain works. Sessions are guided by curiosity, compassion and deep empathy as the provider works alongside each child and family to achieve their goals.

• Working with families

  The provider emphasizes relationship-based therapy and works alongside children and their families together. Parents are supported to understand their child's behaviour through the lens of interpersonal neuroscience and to learn how to create safety and regulation in their relationships. The practice recognizes the challenges parents face with dysregulated children and approaches families with deep empathy and understanding.

• Meet the team

  The team consists of Ingerlisa Matthews, a Registered Play Therapist with over 20 years of experience, certified in AutPlay and Interplay therapy, trained in parent coaching and mentoring, and with lived experience as a parent of children with special needs; and Cassandra Allison, a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) graduate from the University of Queensland with further studies in ADHD and personality disorders, who has worked across diverse settings including homes, hospitals, clinics and outdoor spaces.