Meet Belinda Dean
Belinda Dean is a qualified Registered Nurse, holds a Masters of Child Play Therapist, is Lecturer in Child Play Therapy at Deakin University and supervises postgraduate Child Play Therapy students. Belinda has over 20 years’ experience in the healthcare field with a focus on Child and Adolescent Health & Development, Mental Health, Community and Family Health.
Belinda is passionate about play based medical, attachment and trauma models to promote early intervention to mental and physical health through play therapy. Belinda understand the impacts this way of working has on neurological, physical, social and emotional development.
In play therapy the child is free to play with anything in the playroom and Belinda's role is to witness their play and to be with them as a solid, reliable source of support and attachment. Our only rule whilst working together is to take care of each other and the toys in the room.
Research suggests that working with children in a non-directive way assists with lowering behaviours’ seen to be problematic such as internalising (anxiety, worry, frustration) and externalising (anger, aggression, violence) behaviours.
Belinda continually ensures that she is holding the child in mind non-judgmentally and with a continual unconditional positive regard. Belinda extends this to keep in mind unconditionally the child’s background, culture, family situation and development.