Linda Delaney is a Play Practitioner who bases her work on the ethos that play helps all things. She is a registered Early Childhood Teacher with over twenty years of experience in educational settings. Linda is also a certified Humanistic Play Therapist and Interplay Practitioner with Interplay (Play Therapy Australia). Linda established her business at YREC at the end of 2024. “I wanted to base my business in the Yarra Valley, supporting families in the local and surrounding areas,” she says. “I stumbled across YREC in the search for space with a community feel where I could grow my small business. Sometimes, your feet just step you in the right direction at the right moment.” Developing and implementing play-based programs for children has been the core of Linda’s extensive work in early childhood, and she understands the value that play adds to learning and development. Play is the child’s universal language and is integral to building and maintaining social relationships, core life skills, and positive wellbeing. Interplay is an attachment based therapeutic approach for children and parents/carers, where play and affect are the primary means of communication. The modality is built on creating safety and developing understanding, support integration and healing through connection. Having spent the last three years in a purpose-built school providing care and education for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Linda is passionate about the therapeutic benefits of play for children with ASD and looks forward to supporting and connecting with families through the following services: • Interplay Therapy - Sessions available on Mondays and Tuesdays • Story Mornings - Thursdays at 10:00am and 11:00am aimed to support and connect families of children with A.S.D. • Transition Programs - Preschool and school transition programs from November-January. • Play Resource Kits - Available to clients as of June 2024. • Guided Play Sessions - Building skills that support learning and social development. • Onsite Visits - As required. “The thing that stands out the most to me is feeling a sense of belonging in the space. Working with the management here at YREC, I was able to set a realistic business plan and am pleased to say I have reached my original target in just over eight months,” says Linda. “I look forward to continuing to grow my Play Therapy business here, surrounded by the sweet sound of birds and the friendly community that is so uniquely YREC.” QUALIFICATIONS - LINDA DELANEY Dip Teach (Early Childhood), PG Dip (Children's Literature), Cert IV (Ed Support). Certified ABA Therapist (A.B.I.A), Certified Humanistic Play Therapist and Interplay Practitioner (Interplay, Play Therapy Australia).