Meet me, Frances Cummings, Play Therapist
Hello! I am Frances and I am so glad that you're here. I am a Play Therapist and I am passionate about supporting children to be the best, happiest, most authentic version of themselves. I am a Mum of two, a Defence-spouse, and animal-lover, who enjoys sewing, craft, and baking. I have run Playgroups, Toy Libraries, and Family Programs all over Australia; working in schools, not-for-profits, and local councils while figuring out what I want to be when I grow up. After I finished school, I studied Biomedical Science, and then Science with a Psychology major, and then I moved around a lot which allowed me to get experience in a whole lot of different areas and meet people from all different backgrounds.
One day, a friend told me that she had done an amazing training through her work, and that she thought I should look into Play Therapy. A couple of months later I started a new job, and my co-worker was studying Play Therapy! The more I investigated, the more I knew that I had stumbled onto something amazing and life changing.
I have always been passionate about supporting the mental health of children and their families. As a Mum, I am all too familiar with the challenges of parenthood. And as a scientist with a background in psychology, I knew that there had to be a scientific explanation for big feelings and behaviours: so, I researched everything! I don’t always get it right – my kids still have chicken nuggets for dinner and experience big feelings, but when I discovered Child-Centred Play Therapy, I thought that it was like magic! The kind of magic backed by research that supports brain development and creates positive outcomes in behaviours, mental health, and relationships. I immersed myself in study and as I started to take on clients I was amazed at these little humans and their ability to communicate their needs through play. I will always have your child's best interests at heart as I gently guide them through their therapy journey. It is my hope that they will be successfully authentically themselves as they grow and for the rest of their lives.
Frances and Rosie the Rabbit
Frances’s Qualifications and Training
Bachelor of Science (Psychology), USQ 2012
Bachelor of Biomedical Science, JCU (incomplete)
Post-Graduate Certificate Child-Centered Play Therapy Clinical Training Program, Play Therapy School 2023
Associate Member, Play Therapy Practitioners Australia 2023
Mental Health First Aid, 2022
The Power in Understanding Patterns of Coercive Control, Australian Institution of Family Studies, 2022
SmallTalk Program Facilitator, 2021
Understanding and Supporting Infant Mental Health, Australian Institution of Family Studies, 2021
Supporting Early Language Development, Goulburn Child and Family Services Alliance, 2021
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