BY FAR

May 19, 2022

Copy Children enjoying playgroup session run by Far South Coast Family Support Services and hosted at Bega Uniting Church Hall. Photo supplied. A future play therapist for the Bega Valley is looking forward to addressing the "high need in community in helping kids overcome trauma in a creative and new way". Youth and family worker Kellie Bateman said she and her team at Far South Coast Family Support Services had noticed there was a lack of services for children in the district, which led them to applying for grants. Advertisement Ad Thanks to an IMB Bank Community Foundation grant , they received funds to begin training a play therapist for the district. "There's a bit of service gap in relation to working with children that are experiencing trauma and play therapy is something that has been used to help children with all types of trauma," Ms Batemans said. Kellie Bateman the future Far South Coast Family Support Services play therapist. Photo supplied. Ms Bateman said play therapy offered the opportunity for children to be immersed in a playroom filled with toys and games they can interact with. "The play therapist will move with the child throughout the room and throughout the play," she said. Ad Ms Bateman said she aimed to create a safe place for the child where they could "take the lead through play". "The main goal, I suppose, as a therapist is to look at the underlying need that may not have been met and then being able to draw that out, work with the child and re-empower them," she said. Ms Bateman said the eligibility for such a service was broad and included children suffering from a dysregulated lifestyle, significant changes in family or home life, children experiencing loss, grief or health issues, as well as children with disabilities. Children icing biscuits during a playgroup session with Far South Coast Family Support Service. Photo supplied. "Play therapy is a humanistic therapy that helps to ease your child's pain and feelings of being dysregulated for a period of time and it will all happen in a safe environment," she said. Ms Bateman said the benefit of play therapy was that it offered the chance for children to be "in their world" rather than getting support in a space that felt clinical. Ms Bateman is still undergoing her study to becoming a qualified play therapist and recently travelled to Melbourne for face to face training. "Our course runs for 12 months and then we're required to complete 20 hours of first hand practice with the supervision of a qualified play therapist," she said. The sand pit is a popular play space for children during play group sessions with Far South Coast Family Support Service at Bega Uniting Church Hall. Photo supplied. Ms Bateman said she had been practising skills learnt during the course with a few of her clients in the area. Advertisement Ad "We've been offering a little bit of play therapy to a few clientele, and it's been working really well," she said. Ms Bateman encouraged anyone in the community to make the most of grant funding made available by the IMB Bank Community. "The IMB were amazing in their support and funding, which allowed us to start the training and I encourage other services to reach out," she said. Applications are now open for not-for-profits and community groups to apply for 2022 grant funding through IMB Bank Community Foundation. Groups can apply online via www.imb.com.au/community . Applications close June 30, 2022. READ ALSO: