4.

Early Intervention

at The Kids Counsellor

Early intervention gives children the opportunity to build skills and confidence during the most important years of development. I work with your child and family when extra support is needed, responding in a way that feels safe, supportive, and respectful of who your child is.

At The Kids Counsellor, I work with children under 9 and their families through the NDIS Early Childhood Approach, which is part of the broader NDIS framework. This support is designed to:

Help children develop social, emotional, physical, and communication skills
Support daily routines and transitions
Increase independence and confidence
Reduce the long-term impact of developmental challenges
Support and empower families and caregivers along the way

You don’t need a formal diagnosis to get started with early intervention. If you're concerned about your child’s development—whether it’s speech delays, sensory sensitivities, emotional outbursts, difficulties with play or transitions—that’s enough to reach out. I’ll meet you where you’re at and walk with you through the next steps.

What Early Intervention Can Look Like:

Every child is unique, so every session is tailored to suit your child’s needs, personality, and interests. My approach is family-centred, neuro-affirming, and trauma informed.

Support might include:

Therapeutic play sessions to support regulation, connection, and emotional expression
Sensory-based activities to support body awareness and calming strategies
Sandtray or therapeutic art for gentle, creative emotional processing
Behaviour support using the Positive Behaviour Support framework to understand the “why” behind behaviours
Parent coaching and counselling, so you feel confident and supported in your role
Sibling and family dynamic support to strengthen relationships at home
Home, school, or community visits to support your child in their everyday environments

We work together to create goals that align with your NDIS plan and are meaningful for your family. If you need help writing or adjusting goals for a plan review, I can support that too.

How Early Intervention Fits Within the NDIS

The NDIS Early Childhood Approach supports children aged 0–9 with developmental delay or disability. Supports are typically funded under:

Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living
CB – Relationships
CB – Parent/Carer Training

As an early childhood provider, I focus on supporting skill development, building confidence, and strengthening family capacity in a way that works for your family and follows the NDIS’s focus on reasonable and necessary supports, choice and control, and inclusion in everyday life.

💛 Supporting the Whole Family

Early intervention isn’t just about the child—it’s also about supporting the parents and carers who are doing the hard, beautiful work of raising them. I provide flexible sessions (in-person, online, walk-and-talk, or play-based) and counselling for parents who need a space to process emotions, gain clarity, or reconnect with their own wellbeing.

Let’s Build Strong Foundations Together

The earlier we provide support, the more we can empower children to thrive—not just now, but long into the future. If you’re just starting with the NDIS or aren’t sure if early intervention is the right fit, I’d love to offer a 15-minute, obligation-free chat to talk things through and see how I can support you.

At The Kids Counsellor, I believe that play, creativity, and sensory exploration are not just “extras” — they are powerful ways children heal, learn, and grow.
Children often don’t have the words yet to explain what they’re feeling inside, but through therapeutic play, art, and sensory experiences, they show us their world.
It’s through these natural, gentle methods that we can support them in building emotional regulation, confidence, and resilience.

Each session is tailored to your child’s needs, their personality, and their preferred ways of communicating and connecting — creating a space where they can truly flourish.

Therapeutic Play

Play is a child’s natural language—it’s how they make sense of the world, express big feelings, and process their experiences.
Therapeutic play sessions offer children a safe space where they can explore, express, and work through what’s going on inside without needing to sit down and "talk it out" like adults do.

Using toys, games, role play, storytelling, puppetry, and imagination, your child leads the way at their own pace.
Therapeutic play can help children:

Express and regulate big emotions
Build confidence and emotional strength
Develop problem-solving and social skills
Process worries, fears, or past experiences safely

Every session is guided by your child’s interests, offering support in a way that feels natural, playful, and respectful of who they are.

Sand Tray Therapy

Sand has a magical way of inviting children to slow down, focus, and express themselves without pressure.
Sandtray therapeutic play uses miniatures, figurines, and sensory exploration in the sand to help children tell stories, process emotions, and work through challenges that might feel too big or confusing to talk about directly.

In a sandtray session, your child might:

Create worlds that reflect their feelings and experiences
Act out solutions to problems
Explore fears, hopes, and memories in a safe, hands-on way
Build emotional awareness and self-expression

It’s a calming, grounding, and incredibly powerful way for children to connect with their inner world — all while feeling safe and supported.

Therapeutic Art

Sometimes a paintbrush, a crayon, or a lump of clay can say what words cannot.
Therapeutic art sessions allow children to express complex emotions creatively and safely, without the pressure to "explain" everything verbally.

Through drawing, painting, sculpting, collage, and other creative outlets, children can:

Explore and express feelings in a visual, symbolic way
Build self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment
Process experiences like grief, anxiety, trauma, or change
Boost emotional regulation and resilience

Art-based therapeutic sessions are not about making “perfect” art — they’re about creating a safe, supportive space for emotional growth, healing, and self-discovery.

Sensory Play Sessions

Children experience the world through their senses, and for many kids, sensory input is vital for emotional regulation and wellbeing.
Sensory play sessions at The Kids Counsellor are designed to help children connect with their bodies, regulate their nervous systems, and discover calming strategies that feel good and empowering.

Sensory play may involve:

Tactile activities (like sand, playdough, rice, beads, kinetic sand)
Movement activities (swings, balance boards, yoga-inspired stretches)
Calming sensory tools (weighted blankets, fidgets, cozy corners)
Visual relaxation tools (bubble tubes, lava lamps)

Sensory play builds:

Emotional regulation skills
Body awareness and interoception
Focus and attention
Resilience to sensory overwhelm

These sessions are particularly wonderful for children who are sensory seekers, sensory avoiders, or just need a safe, fun way to reconnect with themselves through touch, movement, and exploration.

Therapeutic Support That Feels Natural

At The Kids Counsellor, counselling doesn’t have to look like "therapy."
It might look like building a world in the sand, painting a story, swinging while sharing a laugh, or quietly molding playdough side-by-side.
Whatever form it takes, the goal is always the same: to create a space where your child feels seen, supported, empowered, and safe to grow.

Whether your child is working through anxiety, big feelings, trauma, neuro-divergence, or simply needs a place to reconnect with their own strengths, our therapeutic play, art, sandtray, and sensory sessions meet them exactly where they are.

Ready to explore?
Reach out for a 15-minute obligation-free chat — I’d love to hear your story and talk about how we can support your child together.