About

Hi, I’m Hayley!

I’m a Masters-qualified registered Play Therapist and registered primary teacher supporting children aged 3–12 and their families on the Sunshine Coast. Head and Heart Child and Family Play Therapy was created with a clear purpose: to offer therapy that is both deeply relational and clinically rigorous. Children and families deserve both.

My Training and Professional Background

I hold a Master of Child Play Therapy from Deakin University. This postgraduate qualification included supervised clinical placement, intensive skills training across multiple therapeutic models, developmental and attachment theory, trauma-informed frameworks, and formal training in both non-directive and directive Play Therapy approaches. My work is grounded in formal postgraduate study, supervised clinical practice, and ongoing professional development.

Before training as a Play Therapist, I worked as a primary school teacher. This experience, along with being a mother of two, continues to inform my clinical work. I understand children in real-world settings. They are shaped by their families, schools, friendships, and the broader environments they move through each day. Effective therapy considers the whole picture.

I am registered with the Play Therapy Practitioners Association (PTPA) and the Queensland College of Teachers.

Why “Head and Heart”?

The name reflects how I practice.

Head.

Play Therapy here is grounded in decades of research, developmental science, and psychology theory. Every session is guided by thoughtful assessment, clear goals, and careful reflection. Patterns are tracked over time. Progress is reviewed. Decisions are intentional.

Heart.

But technique alone does not create change. Humans grow and change in the context of safe, attuned relationships. Emotional safety comes first. Your child is met with genuine warmth, respect, and empathy. There is no shame, no labelling, and no rushing their pace.

At Head and Heart, thinking and feeling come together, grounded in research and strengthened through relationship. Rather than chasing quick behavioural change, Play Therapy focuses on strengthening the foundations deeper down: emotional regulation, flexible thinking, and relational security. As children feel steadier and more capable, change tends to unfold in more sustainable ways.

Head and Heart Child and Family Play Therapy supports families all over the Sunshine Coast, from Noosa to Caloundra, Maroochydore to the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.