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Hello Everyone and Welcome,

Let me introduce myself, I am Steph and I am the Founder/Director of Stephanie Heartfield Play Therapy & Counselling.

I am a Child-Centred Play Therapist, Counsellor, Early Childhood Educator, and Certified Level 2 Aware Parenting Instructor.

Psychology/Counselling Background

I have always had a passion for psychology and counselling, which is why as soon as I finished school, I went and completed a Bachelor degree in psychology, followed by various other counselling qualifications. However, it wasn’t until I had my first son in 2013 that I realised my niche passion was in assisting parents and children to live their best lives. I delved deeply into Aware Parenting, Unconditional Parenting, and Playful Parenting and the philosophies and practices resonated deeply with me.

To find out more about my Parenting Support Sessions please click here…

A dream of mine has always been to support children who have/are experiencing trauma, as well as children with a diagnosis (i.e. ASD, ADHD, PDA, etc). So I did Postgraduate Clinical Training and became a Child-Centred Play Therapist. To find out more how to access this life-changing therapy (it is the only evidence-based play therapy and has been around since the 1960s) please click here.

Early Childhood Educator Background

I first started out as a Family Day Care in Canberra at the beginning of 2014, alongside my husband. We moved to Toowoomba, QLD in 2017 and continued our FDC journey. At the end of 2024, after 10 years, we said a bittersweet good-bye to our roles as Early Childhood Educators, as we started on new journeys. To read some of our Testimonials, click here.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Graduate Diploma of Counselling - University of Tasmania

  • Certificate in Play Therapy Studies - Play Therapy Training Australia

  • Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) - University of Wollongong

  • Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care - TAFE QLD

  • Diploma of Holistic Counselling - Natural Energies College

  • Diploma of Complementary Therapies - Natural Energies College

REGISTRATION/CERTIFICATIONS

  • Certified Level 2 Aware Parenting Instructor - Aware Parenting Institute

  • Child Centered Play Therapist - Play Therapy Practitioners Australia

  • Registered and Qualified Holistic Counsellor - International Institute of Complementary Therapists

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSES

  • Trauma Responsive Practice in Education - Australian Childhood Foundation

  • Teacher Tom’s Play Summit - Teacher Tom

  • Free to Play Summit - Fairy Dust Teaching

  • Australian Learning Tracks - Niki Buchan

  • Intro to Bush Kindy Course - Wildlings Forest School

  • The Technology of Speaking With Children So They Can Think - Teacher Tom

  • Play-Based Classroom Teaching Strategies - Fairy Dust Teaching

  • Aware Parenting Instructor course - Marion Rose

  • Sound Sleep and Secure Attachment course - Marion Rose

  • Making Friends with Children’s Feelings course - Marion Rose

  • Circle Facilitator Certificate - Honouring Hearts Circle Facilitator Training