About Us

Our clinical service is based in Hobart in a private practice setting, and also provides telehealth services Australia-wide.  We provide psychology and play therapy services in response to a broad range of presenting issues and referral sources.  In addition, our Trauma Therapy Service provides dedicated trauma responsive care to children living in Out of Home Care, supporting their recovery from the effects of abuse and trauma. 

We invite you to explore our website to learn more about our professional background, play therapy, upcoming professional development opportunities, and details about our range of supervision and consultancy services for you and/or your organisation.

She loves applying play therapy to support children with the foundations that can help them grow into secure and resilient adults.

Her specific interest areas include childhood trauma and recovery; play therapy; integrating interpersonal neurobiology into play therapy process, supervision and leadership development; and mentoring mental health professionals in business and private practice development, particularly in the delivery of child and family services.

And, as a prominent leader in the play therapy field in Australia, you can depend on her knowledge and experience.

In addition to applying play therapy methods herself, Katherine has also developed the Play Therapy Dimensions Model - Revised (PTDM-R). This helps guide other clinicians with their clinical decision-making when using play-based therapies with children.

Now, from her base in Hobart, Tasmania, Katherine provides therapy services as well as support for other mental health professionals across Australia and internationally.

In fact, Katherine’s so committed to the growth of play therapy in Australia, she continues to work closely with both industry bodies and universities, and regularly presents at conferences to share developments in the field of play therapy. She holds a position as a Casual Academic with Deakin University’s Master of Child Play Therapy course. Over many years, Katherine has also previously held several roles with the Australasia Pacific Play Therapy Association (APPTA), and remains an active member.  

That’s why, as well as being an experienced psychologist and play therapist, Katherine is also well known as a clinical supervisor, leader, consultant, trainer, and published author.

And over 2,000 mental health professionals who work with children have flourished under her guidance and mentorship.

In her clinical work, Katherine works extensively in the areas of childhood trauma and recovery; and play therapy.  She has extensive experience in the provision of counselling and play therapy to children, young people and families in the areas of abuse related trauma, family violence, grief and loss, and drought and bushfire disaster recovery.  Katherine has worked extensively with children, young people and their families involved with child safety services and living in out of home care (i.e. foster care, kinship care, therapeutic residential care).  

Furthermore, Katherine is also experienced in working with adults struggling with parenting issues, perinatal mental health, trauma, anxiety, stress, and depression, as well as providing specific services to support Tasmania’s Emergency Services personnel and first responders.

Her balance of working with adults as well as children, and supporting other mental health professionals throughout her career has given Katherine the skills to meet most challenges.

Whether you’re seeking support for yourself or your child, Katherine ensures whoever she’s working with feels accepted, safe, and capable of exploring their own struggles.

Psychology and Play Therapy Australia Pty Ltd was founded initially in response to demand from mental health, community services and education professionals supporting children and families for supervision, training and consultancy in the areas of play-based interventions and trauma-informed care.  Psychology and Play Therapy Australia was born, with our professional services arm established.

Our Founder and Director, Katherine Olejniczak, has been at the forefront in Australia of integrating the latest neuroscience into psychology and play therapy practice, and a regular presenter of these innovative practices at key conferences throughout the country.  As Katherine shared her knowledge and work throughout Australia, it resonated strongly with many professionals in the field, also gaining increasing international attention and publication. 

With Katherine being based in Hobart, Tasmania, our clinical services arm was then established in 2019.  We provide psychology and play therapy services to our southern Tasmanian community and now, also Australia-wide via telehealth.

At Psychology and Play Therapy Australia, we are passionate about ensuring children’s experiences are honoured, and they have access to developmentally appropriate mental health services.  

Why?  Because that’s what children have taught us they need!

 Katherine began her journey as a psychologist providing therapy to children with a diverse range of presenting issues, and she explored numerous therapeutic approaches and models.  

The children soon taught Katherine that they were best able to participate in therapy when it allowed them to express themselves through their most fundamental means – play!  

 Play therapy became Katherine’s primary theraeputic modality, utilising an integrative play therapy approach and the Play Therapy Dimensions Model (PTDM;  Yasenik & Gardner, 2012) to guide clinical decision-making.  Katherine recently proposed enhancements to the PTDM that integrates principles of neuroscience of psychotherapy, focusing on the role of affect regulation and the therapeutic dance.  Katherine is now a published author, with this work being published in a book in 2019 – “Turning points in play therapy and the emergence of self: Applications of the Play Therapy Dimensions Model”.