Sydney Centre for Creative Change
is a leading provider of continuing professional development in creative therapies in Australia.
Conference Program*
| Day/ Time | Friday 17th July 2026 | Friday 17th July 2026 | Friday 17th July 2026 | Friday 17th July 2026 | Friday 17th July 2026 |
| Room/ Location | Darling Harbour | Tumbalong | Cockle Bay | Pumphouse Mezzanine | Pier St Grill |
| 8.00 – 9.00am | Registration Open
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| 9.00 - 9.20am | Welcome to country Conference opening
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| 9.20 – 10.30am | Keynote Address
First Nations Stream Working in the Playroom: Aboriginal and Western Ways
Janine Cattanach | | | Vendor Tables | |
| 10.30 – 11.00am | | Networking events
| Networking events | Vendor Tables | |
| 11.00 – 11.30am | | | | Morning Tea/ Vendor Tables
| |
| 11.30am – 1.00pm | Workshop
Weaving the Cultural Therapeutic Web: A Practical Session
Janine Cattanach | Workshop Trauma & Healing Stream
Movement, Metaphor and Meaning: Drama Therapy for Trauma-Responsive Practice
Natalie Mackenzie | Wellbeing and Creative Space | Vendor Tables | |
| 1.00 – 2.00pm
| | | | Vendor Tables | Lunch |
| 2.00 - 3.30pm | Workshop Neurodiversity Stream Playful ways to develop neurodivergent identity and increase family
Dr Fiona Zandt | Workshop Trauma & Healing Stream Finding Vision Beyond Sight: Accessible Creative Rituals for Transition and Loss
Sara Waitzer | Wellbeing and Creative Space | Vendor Tables | |
| 3.30 - 4.00pm | | | | Afternoon Tea / Vendor Tables
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| 4.00 – 5.30pm | Workshop Neurodiversity Stream Play in Motion: Embodied Pathways for Neurodivergent Expression and Regulation
Cathy Williams | Papers Trauma & Healing Stream Paper One 4.00 – 4.30pm “Steve is everywhere”: Supporting children’s grief journeys through sandtray therapy
Emma Sandford Paper Two 4.30 – 5.00pm From Chaos to Containment: Messy Art Interventions for Children Grieving Murder and Community Violence — A School-Based Case Study
Hilda Hallinan Paper Three 5.00 – 5.30pm Recovery from Childhood Trauma Through Creative Therapies: Neurosequential Play Therapy Case Study
Bianca Bird | Wellbeing and Creative Space | Vendor Tables |
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| Day/ Time | Saturday 18th July 2026 | Saturday 18th July 2026 | Saturday 18th July 2026 | Saturday 18th July 2026 | Saturday 18th July 2026 |
| Room/ Location | Darling Harbour | Tumbalong | Cockle Bay | Pumphouse Mezzanine | Pier St Grill |
| 8.00 – 9.00am | Registration Open
| Wellbeing One | Wellbeing Two | | |
| 9.00 - 10.30am | Keynote Address Through the Looking Glass: Seeing Difference, Growing Together
Jacki Short | | | Vendor Tables | |
| 10.30 - 11.00am | | | | Morning Tea / Vendor Tables
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| 11.00am – 12.30pm | Workshop Neurodiversity Stream Creative Therapies with Children: Neurodiversity and Trauma through the lens of Polyvagal Theory
Anna Crooks and Amanda Flynn | Workshop Trauma & Healing Stream Unleashing potential: Bobby’s journey of healing and discovery of
Katherine Olejniczak | Wellbeing and Creative Space | Vendor Tables | |
| 12.30 – 1.30pm | | | | Vendor Tables
| Lunch |
| 1.30 - 3.00pm | Workshop Neurodiversity Stream Creative Therapies with Children: Neurodiversity and Trauma through the lens of Polyvagal Theory
Anna Crooks and Amanda Flynn | Workshop Trauma & Healing Stream Therapeutic Life Story Work (TLSW): meaning making through play, storytelling and therapeutic safety
Elise Saunders | Wellbeing and Creative Space | Vendor Tables | |
| 3.00 - 3:30pm | | | | Afternoon Tea/ Vendor Tables
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| 3:30 – 5.00pm | Workshop Neurodiversity Stream Curiouser and Curiouser: Reflective, Regulated Practice in the Wonderland of Play Kelly Walker | Papers Neurodiversity/ Trauma & Healing Stream Paper One 3.30 – 4.00pm Engagement First: Play and Creative Counselling in Positive Behaviour Support Josie van der Wal Paper Two TBC 4.00 – 4.30pm Paper Three 4.30 – 5.00pm Strengthening Outcomes Through Therapeutic Life Story Work in Out-of-Home Care Jodie Mollison
| Wellbeing and Creative Space | Vendor Tables | |
| 5:00 – 5:30pm | Networking event | Networking event | Wellbeing and Creative Space
| | |
| 6.00 – 10.00pm | | | | Wonderland Party | |
| Day/ Time | Sunday 19th July 2026 | Sunday 19th July 2026 | Sunday 19th July 2026 | Sunday 19th July 2026 | Sunday 19th July 2026 |
| Room/ Location | Darling Harbour | Tumbalong | Cockle Bay | Pumphouse Mezzanine | Pier St Grill |
| 8.00 – 9.00am | Registration Open
| Wellbeing One | Wellbeing Two | Vendor Tables | |
| 9.00 –10.30am | Keynote Address All Those Who Wander Are Not Lost: Finding Yourself in Your Play Therapy Journey Dr Robert Jason Grant | | | Vendor Tables | |
| 10.30 - 11.00am | Morning Tea
| Morning Tea | Morning Tea | Vendor Tables | |
| 11.00am – 12.30pm | Workshop Trauma & Healing Stream Body Part Monologues: Dramatic role extension as a path through complex trauma. Dr Amanda Musicka-Williams
| Workshop Gender Diversity Stream Small Figures, Big Meaning: Exploring Gender Diversity Through Miniatures Sofia Kouznetsova | Wellbeing and Creative Space | Vendor Tables | |
| 12.30 – 1.30pm | | | | Vendor Tables
| Lunch |
| 1.30 - 3.00pm | Panel Discussion
Panellists shared lived experience | Workshop This Way, That Way, My Way: Exploring Identity Through Collagé
Jacki Short | Wellbeing and Creative Space | Vendor Tables | |
| 3.00 - 3.30pm | Afternoon Tea
| Afternoon Tea | Afternoon Tea | Vendor Tables | |
| 3.30 – 5.20pm | Playback Theatre | | | | |
| 5.20 – 5.30pm | Conference Close | | | | |
*Subject to possible changes
Tickets - on sale now
Keynote Conference Presenters
Janine CattanachJanine is an Aboriginal social worker, a clinical play therapist, and is certified in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT). Janine integrates this neurodevelopmental approach with Aboriginal healing ways and evidence-based Western therapeutic practices to foster resilience, cultural identity and emotional wellbeing for children and families. As the founder of Yilimu House, Janine has established a culturally safe and trauma-informed play therapy practice that provides a gentle and creative space for children to heal, connect and grow their stories and Spirits strong. Her clinical work focuses on helping children who have experienced complex trauma to regulate, relate and recover. Working alongside families and educators to weave Cultural Therapeutic Webs — intentional, everyday moments of safety and connection that surround a child and strengthen healing in community. In addition to clinical practice, Janine leads The Cultural Consultancy Group, offering organisations and practitiners the skills, tools, and cultural frameworks needed to engage respectfully and effectively with Aboriginal people and communities. She is passionate about creating bridges between Aboriginal and Western ways of knowing and healing, empowering communities to grow strong Spirit and belonging. Janine’s approach is grounded in cultural knowledge, neurodevelopment science, and trauma-informed practice, and is committed to amplifying Aboriginal voices and healing stories within therapeutic spaces. Janine joins us from Queensland, Australia. |  |
Dr. Robert Jason GrantRobert is a licensed Professional Counselor, National Certified Counselor, Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, and Advanced Certified Autism Specialist. He specializes in working with children, adolescents, families, primarily serving neurodivergent individuals (autism, ADHD, sensory differences, learning disorders, and developmental disabilities). He is the creator of AutPlay® Therapy, an integrative family play therapy framework designed to help address the mental health needs of neurodivergent children and adolescents. Robert is a supervisor, consultant, and life coach and utilizes several years of advanced training and his own lived neurodivergent experience to provide affirming services to children and their families. He has infused his experience and love for education and mental health care to create training programs for professionals and caregivers. He is an international trainer and keynote presenter and is also a multi-published author of several articles, book chapters, and books. In 2015, he was awarded Play Therapist of the Year by the Missouri Association for Play Therapy. In 2017, he was presented with the APT Service Award by the National Association for Play Therapy. He has served on the board of directors for the Association for Play Therapy, including as past president. Robert joins us from Missouri, USA and will be offering a 2-day in-person AutPlay Therapy Training master class directly following the conference. |  |
Jacki ShortJacki Short is a counselling psychologist, play therapist, trainer and clinical supervisor with over 25 years of experience working therapeutically with children, young people, and the professionals who support them. Her work spans a diverse range of settings, including schools, hospitals, welfare organisations, drug and alcohol services, and private practice, giving her a deeply grounded and nuanced understanding of complex clinical presentations. Across her career, Jacki has developed a strong reputation for translating therapeutic theory into meaningful, practical application. Her approach is informed by a clear understanding of the core elements that facilitate connection, regulation, and lasting change. She brings a particular focus to the role of imagination, play, and creative expression as powerful pathways for engagement, healing, and growth—especially for children navigating challenge and adversity. As the Founder and Director of Sydney Centre for Creative Change, Jacki leads training and professional development for mental health clinicians and therapists across Australia and internationally. She is passionate about equipping practitioners with creative, evidence-informed approaches that deepen therapeutic impact while sustaining practitioner wellbeing. Jacki’s work is underpinned by a belief that when individuals are supported to explore their inner world safely and creatively, they can access new possibilities, strengthen resilience and move toward meaningful and lasting change. Jacki joins us from Sydney, Australia. |  |
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