Judi Jacobsen: Child Therapist and Co-Trainer

Judi is a registered counsellor. Alongside working with adults in adult counselling, Judi specialises in
working with children in Child Centered Play Therapy.

Judi has worked with children professionally for over 20 years and comes from a background of primary
teaching. Her interest in Play Therapy began when, as a reading recovery teacher, she held a deep
concern for the children she worked alongside whose emotional needs appeared to stand in the way of
their academic progress. To this end, she sought a way of helping these children and discovered the
beautiful world of Child Centered Play Therapy.

Training with Play Therapy Australia, Judi gained a Post Graduate Diploma in Play Therapy. Alongside
this she trained in New Zealand as a counsellor and she also holds a Post Graduate Certificate in
Counselling (FamCouns) from the University of Waikato.

Judi practices in Hamilton at The Salvation Army The Nest Community Ministries; in Te Awamutu at
Rosetown Counselling; and in Tokoroa where she is in private practice.

Judi is a full member of the New Zealand Association of Counsellors and is a member of the USA-based
Association for Play Therapy (APT). She is registered with ACC to work with sensitive claims.

Judi has a commitment to further CCPT in New Zealand and is deeply passionate about this way of working with children who are experiencing difficulties in their lives.

 

Megan Longman: Child Therapist and Co-Trainer

Megan is a registered social worker. She has worked with children and their families for 40 years
beginning as a primary school teacher and then moving into early childhood education through joining
Playcentre. The Playcentre philosophy of parents and children learning together through the use of play
was one that really appealed to Megan.

Megan remained with the Playcentre organisation in the Waikato both training and then providing
training for parents on the use of play and suitable play equipment.

30 years ago Megan began working in Hamilton with Parentline (a child advocacy agency) and in 1988
saw the inception there of a Play Therapy Unit. Along with in-depth training and consultation with Dr
Mary Dawson, several members of staff were trained and a Play Therapy room was set up.

Megan is now working at Family Connections in Hamilton with The Salvation Army The Nest Community
Ministries. She works with families and co-facilitates Parenting programmes and Keep Safe programmes,
as well as working therapeutically with children in the playroom.

Megan is a full member of the New Zealand Association of Social Workers and is a member of the USA-based
Association for Play Therapy (APT). She is registered with ACC to work with sensitive claims.

Megan has a commitment to the development of Play Therapy as being an appropriate process to address children’s emotional and mental health needs.

Trish Searle: Presenter – Training Module 2

Trish is a lecturer in Early Childhood Education at WINTEC in Hamilton, with experience in various
aspects of children’s education and care. She has lectured at WINTEC for 6 years specialising in topics
related to play and child development.

As a teacher Trish believes in the paramount importance of play in a child’s life and how children have
an innate ability to learn about their environment and lives through play.

The belief in the importance of play as a therapy has lead Trish to complete The World of Play Therapy 1 and 2 workshops with Play Therapy Australia, and to attend other workshops and seminars on the topic.

Trish is very excited to be part of Play Therapy Training in New Zealand and looks forward to sharing this
journey with others.

Heather is a Consultant Child Pychotherapist in private practice at The Child and Family Development Centre, on the Kapiti Coast. She originally began her work in psychotherapy with adults in 1986 and trained further in psychodynamic Child Psychotherapy in 1991, receiving her Post Graduate Diploma in Child Psychotherapy at Otago University, Dunedin. She is a registered psychotherapist for both adults and children and holds an advanced clinical practice certificate through NZAP.

 

Heather is also a Consultant Child Psychotherapist to the Child Adolescent and Family Mental Health Service at Hutt Valley Health, District Health Board, Wellington. Her primary role is to train and support staff in PACT; an attachment based intervention that she has authored and developed for parents and children experiencing intractable relationship distress.

 

She has trained groups of clinicians in South Australia in the model, through funding and support of Flinders Medical School, Adelaide. Her treatment model is currently being practised and researched within CAMHS services in South Australia.

 

Heather's longstanding interest and the focus of all of her work is the promotion and remediation of positive parent child relationships as a basis for mental health. Currently she is engaged in teaching, clinical work, supervision and writing.