I Heart Therapy
East Brisbane, Queensland
Bringing together specialist clinicians to support little hearts and minds
Our Director & Founding Clinician
Jessica Sharrock is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker with a Masters in Child Play Therapy with over 10 years of experience in working with little hearts and minds. Above all, as a mum of two, Jessica is passionate about creating a safe space for individuals and families to connect and flourish!
"Play is a rite of passage for childhood - it’s how they make sense of their world and others. It is how they learn, test and practice.
Play is a place of freedom, a place of creativity and, most importantly, a place of joy."
- Jessica Sharrock, I Heart Therapy Director
Our Approach
First, let’s get the ball rolling - click here to drop me a line, or call me on 0421 474 590, so we can have a chat about your child’s needs.
From there, I will…
Set up a time for an ‘intake’ session (just for us grown-ups);
Discuss a therapeutic support or assessment plan with you;
Get to know your child and their strengths and challenges;
See them regularly for fun, engaging sessions (or conduct an assessment); and
Meet or chat with you regularly to discuss their progress.
What is play therapy?
Is it right for my child?
Play is incredibly important - it’s how a child learns, communicates and makes sense of their world!
Jessica provides child-centred play therapy and ‘Learn to Play’ therapy. Both approaches provide children with a welcoming, safe and engaging play space, and the careful selection of toys and creation of play invitations tailored to their individual interests.
Both approaches help to promote a child’s resilience and coping skills, supporting them to develop:
New ways of expressing feelings;
Confidence, self-esteem and a positive sense of self;
Problem-solving and creativity skills;
Communication and social skills; and
Connections with friends and peers.
Child-centred play therapy is a non-directive approach, where a child is gently encouraged to express their feelings, thoughts and experiences through play. Jessica, as their Play Therapist, responds with warmth, empathy and unconditional positive regard, accepting their invitation for her to join them in their play and world. As the child begins to feel safe in the play space and relationship, they will begin to express and explore their emotionally meaningful experiences - a process which occurs when the child is ready and at their pace. This approach is suitable for children experiencing a range of social, emotional, behavioural and mental health difficulties.
‘Learn to Play’ therapy is a directive approach, where a child is supported to learn to spontaneously self-initiate and participate joyfully in solo and social play. Jessica, as their Play Therapist, teaches children to sequence their play actions logically, use their imagination to pretend an object is something else, engage with a character like a doll or teddy outside of themselves, role play and socially interact using play. This approach is suitable for children who find play difficult, including those who don’t know how to initiate play, can be overly rigid or inflexible, struggle to regulate themselves and/or have a language, intellectual or developmental delay impacting their play skills.