According to the World Health Organisation, half of all mental health disorders begin before the age of 14, and 75% by mid-twenties. And with a typical childhood being turned upside down over the last few years due to global pandemics, extreme weather, and global current affairs, it’s no wonder our children are struggling with their mental health. But where do parents go to find support? Ask any parent of a child under 12, you’ll hear big sighs of despair.
One such parent was Newport mum Deborah Killelea. Unable to find the right support for a young family member more than 20 years ago, Deborah wasn’t going to let other parents endure the same experience, founding Be Centre in 2008, having discovered the value of play therapy and its power to unlock and help heal trauma.
Be Centre is one of the only not-for-profit services on the Beaches specialising in children’s mental health. Be Centre is also the largest play therapy-specific service offered in Australia. Starting with one therapist and one room, Be Centre’s premises in Warriewood has twelve clinical staff and provides over 2000 one-to-one sessions per year to children who experience anxiety, parent separation, loss/grief, and other struggles.
What is play therapy? It is for children what talk therapy is for adults. Because a child’s verbal development lags their cognitive development, kids often don’t have the words to express themselves. ‘Playing out’ their trauma in a safe environment – that includes a huge variety of toys and arts and crafts, knicks and knacks and all manner of expressive options – with a highly qualified play therapist is how they can do this.
The therapist team all have post-graduate degrees in Play/Art/Drama Therapy, along with undergraduate degrees in related fields such as psychology, mental health, and social work. With this shared wealth of knowledge, the team is equipped to deal with all kinds of early childhood trauma – from social anxiety to domestic violence.
Be Centre’s approach to play therapy is child centred and child-led, meaning each child can work on what is most meaningful to them. Toys are children’s words and play is their language. Children choose from the various toys in the room and through the safe distance of symbol and metaphor they can explore what is most important to them. This allows them to naturally play out their feelings and past experiences in a way that is self-directed and self-healing.
Tom Carroll, surfing legend, is a long-term passionate Ambassador for Be Centre who understands the importance of healing from childhood trauma. “When I first researched Be Centre and saw the extraordinary outcomes from Play Therapy on traumatised children and the positive impact, it simply hit my heart and peeled it wide open. It is crystal clear that making these remarkable programs available to those seeking help is an absolute high priority. The medium to long term ramifications of not addressing these issues for all involved both directly and indirectly can be devastating. Every young person must be given the best chance possible.”
Be Centre’s flagship 1:1 program, ‘Hear Me Play’, is available to children 3-12 years following a Professional Referral. Parents/carers are also supported in a variety of ways including psycho-educational programs and parent counselling. With a new group therapy room and free group therapy programs starting in 2024, including an art program made possible by funding from Sydney North Health Network, through the NSW Ministry of Health, there are a variety of programs to choose from.
A short free online course for parents on the ‘Need to Play’ with lots of great ideas for parent/child play can also be found at becentreacademy.org.au
How to help
As a not-for-profit organisation, volunteer support is always appreciated. Every dollar saved goes towards keeping this essential service running.
Contact Be Centre
To volunteer, or for any queries, visit becentre.org.au or email info@becentre.org.au