Learning through fun: Play therapist Alana Perry has recently opened a new practice.
Photo by
Holly Daniel
To mark International Play Therapy Week, Alana Perry has embarked on an exciting new venture.
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Ms Perry, a registered play therapist, has recently opened a new practice — Healing Hands Help Hearts — in Shepparton, which aims to provide a range of services to children, families and educators.
Play therapy, Ms Perry explained, is a form of counselling for children that supports them to better cope with difficulties in their world.
But this is just one of the services Healing Hands Help Hearts offers.
In addition to play therapy, Ms Perry also offers early intervention, family support and adult connection services to assist individuals and families of all ages to learn and grow.
From an early age, Ms Perry knew she wanted to work with children, and after several years working in childhood and special education, she has gathered a wealth of experience in the industry.
“Fresh out of high school I headed off to uni and did my bachelor’s degree in early childhood eduction, I was a kindergarten teacher for a couple of years and then headed to America,” Ms Perry said.
“I worked at summer camps for people with disabilities over there for a couple of years and when I came home I had developed a further interest in that.”
After several years in the United States, Ms Perry returned to Australia and decided a career change was on the cards.
“I did some work in special education and some more teaching. After that, I decided to switch vocations and headed to Mansfield Statewide Autism Services as a travelling teacher, staying in families’ homes for blocks of time and supporting families to support their kids on the spectrum,” she said.
“I did that for four years, it was wonderful but also exhausting.”
Ms Perry fine-tuned her career yet again some years later after working for Australian disability services provider Scope.
Forever friends: Alana Perry.
Photo by
Holly Daniel
“I headed into early intervention and worked with Scope for a couple of years,” she said.
“During that time I realised there were a lot of kids that I was seeing that didn’t fit into the disability spectrum, but still had a lot of things going on and I didn’t know how to help them or what to do.
“I did some developmental training in trauma with the Australian Childhood Foundation, which was very eye-opening and kind of opened a whole new world of therapeutic interventions.”
Last year, Ms Perry became a registered play therapist. She said the service, although still gaining popularity in Australia, could be a vital part of a child’s development.
“We know that children don’t often have words or language to describe their experiences and their feelings, so they use play and toys to do that,” Ms Perry said.
“Any play benefits children, that’s how they learn, grow and develop. I really try to focus on that.
“If you had an experience you couldn’t explain or was causing you stress, you’d potentially go to counselling or a psychologist and talk it through — children can’t do that and express what they need through words.
“They can do that through play, and that’s what children come here for.”
Healing Hands Help Hearts is located at 77 Numurkah Rd, Shepparton.
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