Group Programs at Playology

Individual therapy and group therapy give children different opportunities.

A group can give your child somewhere to practise skills with other children — sharing ideas, solving problems together, navigating different perspectives, trying something new or working out what to do when things don't quite go to plan. 

Our groups may be supported by Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Psychologists and Therapy Assistants, depending on the program.

Groups aren't about teaching every child to participate in the same way. They're about creating supported opportunities to practise skills that are meaningful for them.

Groups aren't 1:1 therapy, and they won't be the right fit for every child or every therapy goal.

Children don't need to find groups easy or participate in one particular way. But they do need to be able to participate safely and meaningfully within the level of support available in that program.

If your child currently needs consistent 1:1 support, a group may not be the right option at this time.

Not sure? Ask us. We're happy to help you work out whether a particular group could be a good fit.

Yes.

You don't need to receive your child's regular therapy at Playology to join one of our groups. As part of your group enrolment, you and your child will attend a group intake session to ensure that the group is a good fit for your child, understand what they'd like to get from the program, and help our team plan how best to support their participation.

Existing Playology clients may receive priority access to places in some programs.

A group may not be the right environment if your child needs consistent 1:1 support — but we can still create opportunities to practise skills outside the therapy room.

Our Therapy Assistants can work individually with children to practise and extend goals set by their treating therapist in everyday activities and environments.

That might mean practising independence, communication, play, community participation or other therapy goals with 1:1 support in a child's natural environment, such as school, kinder, parks, home, etc...

Talk to us about whether our Therapy Assistant program might be a better fit.

It depends on the program!

Groups might involve cooking, LEGO, craft, science, games, challenges, community activities or everyday independence tasks.

The activity gives children something meaningful to do together, while our clinicians create opportunities to practise the goals relevant to that particular group.

Not necessarily. We think about groups as another way to practise and extend therapy goals.

For some children, a group might complement their individual therapy. For others, a group may be useful on its own for a period of time. Your child's needs and goals help determine what makes sense.

Depending on the program, groups may be run by our Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Psychologists and Therapy Assistants, sometimes working together. The clinicians involved are chosen based on the focus of the particular group.