One of the questions parents ask most often before starting play therapy — and sometimes throughout the process — is a very reasonable one: how will we know if it is actually working?
It is a fair question. Play therapy does not come with a visible scorecard. The child does not take a test at the end of each session. Progress does not always look dramatic, and it often happens in ways that are harder to see than the changes you might expect from tutoring or a medication adjustment. And yet, with the right framework, progress in therapeutic play is absolutely measurable — and tracking it is something our practitioners take seriously at Potentialz Unlimited.
This post explains how our play therapy practitioners in Bella Vista assess children before and after therapeutic work, how they monitor progress throughout, and what kinds of changes parents can expect to observe — and when.
Why Assessments Matter in Therapeutic Play
Assessment in therapeutic play serves several purposes.
It establishes a baseline. Before therapeutic work begins, your practitioner wants to understand where your child is starting from. What are the specific difficulties? How severe? What is the impact on daily life — on school, friendships, family relationships, and sleep? Without a clear baseline, it is difficult to know whether things have changed.
It gives us shared language and goals. Assessment creates the opportunity for you and your practitioner to align on what you are working toward. Rather than a vague sense that “things need to be better,” assessment helps identify specific, observable goals: improved emotional regulation, reduced frequency of explosive outbursts, increased willingness to separate, improved peer relationships.
It tracks change over time. By systematically gathering information at the start and at regular intervals, we can identify whether change is occurring, what kind of change it is, and whether the therapeutic approach needs adjustment.
It validates the child’s and family’s experience. When parents can see the changes documented — when they can look at a baseline description and recognise how far their child has come — it reinforces the value of the work and supports continued engagement.
What Pre-Assessments Involve at Potentialz Unlimited
It is worth being clear about what assessments at Potentialz Unlimited are — and what they are not.
Our practitioners are Practitioners in Therapeutic Play, not registered psychologists. They do not conduct diagnostic psychological assessments. They cannot administer standardised psychological tests, diagnose conditions, or provide clinical psychological reports. If diagnostic assessment is needed — for autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, or formal mental health diagnoses — your practitioner will refer you to an appropriate professional.
What our practitioners do conduct are therapeutic pre-assessments: structured observations and information gathering designed to establish a clinical baseline for therapeutic work.
This typically includes:
Intake interview with parents. A detailed conversation about your child’s developmental history, presenting concerns, relevant family and social context, and what you are hoping therapy will achieve. This is the initial parent consultation — the foundation of the therapeutic relationship.
Observation of the child in initial sessions. In the first few sessions with a new child, your practitioner observes carefully: how they use the play space, what themes emerge, how they relate to the practitioner, what their regulatory capacity appears to be, what their play reveals about their inner world.
Parental questionnaire or checklist. Depending on the child’s age and presentation, your practitioner may use structured questionnaires to gather standardised information about behaviour, emotions, and functioning across settings.
School liaison (where appropriate and with consent). With your permission, your practitioner may speak with your child’s teacher or school counsellor to understand how your child is functioning in the school environment — a context the practitioner cannot directly observe.
Together, these sources build a clinical picture of your child at the start of therapy — a baseline against which progress can be measured.
How Progress Is Monitored During Therapy
Assessment does not stop at the beginning. It is an ongoing process throughout the therapeutic journey.
Within sessions, your practitioner observes continuously. They track changes in how your child uses the play space, the themes that appear and how they evolve, their regulatory capacity, the quality of the therapeutic relationship, and the emergence of new capacities — resilience, emotional vocabulary, social initiative. These observations form a clinical record that tracks the arc of the work.
Parent review sessions every six weeks. These structured conversations provide the opportunity to systematically check in: what are you observing at home? What has changed? What remains a concern? These parental reports are crucial data — you see your child in contexts the practitioner never will.
Developmental and relational markers. Change in play therapy often shows up in specific, observable ways before it shows up in dramatic behavioural change. Our practitioners look for markers such as: increased range and complexity of play themes, greater willingness to enter difficult emotional territory in the play, shifts in the quality of the therapeutic relationship, emerging capacity for emotional regulation within the session, and changes in the child’s narrative about themselves and others.
What Post-Assessments Involve
When a child’s therapy is drawing toward completion — or at designated review points — your practitioner conducts a structured post-assessment.
Post-assessments mirror the pre-assessment process: your practitioner gathers current information from parents and (where relevant) from school, reviews the clinical observations gathered across the full therapeutic arc, and compares the current picture with the baseline established at the start.
The post-assessment typically includes:
- A review consultation with parents covering current functioning across all domains (behaviour, emotional regulation, sleep, school, peer relationships, family relationships)
- Comparison of current presentation with baseline documentation
- Identification of goals that have been achieved, areas of ongoing need, and any recommendations for future support
Post-assessments serve an important function beyond simply confirming progress. They also help families understand what has changed and why, support the transition out of therapy, and identify whether any follow-up support might be useful in the future.
What Progress Actually Looks Like
This is the question that matters most to parents: what will I actually notice?
The honest answer is that progress in play therapy often looks different from what parents expect. It is rarely a sudden, dramatic shift. More often, it is a series of small, accumulating changes that — when looked at across three or six months — add up to something significant.
Early signs of progress (typically within the first 12 sessions) may include:
- Slightly less intense or shorter emotional explosions
- Quicker recovery after dysregulation (getting back to calm faster)
- Improved sleep — falling asleep more easily or fewer nightmares
- Small improvements in peer interactions
- A greater willingness to attend sessions (children sometimes resist initially; settling in is itself a sign of progress)
- Parents reporting feeling more equipped and less overwhelmed
Later signs of progress (typically across 20–40 sessions) may include:
- Significant and consistent reduction in the presenting difficulties
- Improved emotional vocabulary — the child can name and communicate feelings
- Greater frustration tolerance and flexibility
- Stronger peer relationships and better social confidence
- Improved family relationships — reduced conflict, increased warmth
- The child appearing more settled, more themselves
The minimum recommended course of play therapy is 12 sessions. Many children benefit from 25–40 sessions to achieve lasting change. This timeline reflects the reality of neurological and relational development — change of the depth we are aiming for takes time.
Key Takeaways
- Assessment in therapeutic play establishes a baseline, creates shared goals, and tracks change over time — making progress visible and measurable
- Pre-assessments at Potentialz Unlimited involve parent intake interviews, clinical observation in early sessions, and (where appropriate) parental questionnaires and school liaison
- These are therapeutic assessments, not diagnostic psychological assessments — our practitioners are Practitioners in Therapeutic Play, not registered psychologists
- Progress is monitored continuously through clinical observation, parent reviews every six weeks, and developmental milestones within the therapeutic work
- Progress often looks subtle at first: quicker recovery from dysregulation, slightly less intense outbursts, improved sleep, small social gains
- Post-assessments compare the child’s current functioning with baseline to document change and plan for the transition out of therapy
How Potentialz Can Help
At Potentialz Unlimited in Bella Vista, our practitioners take assessment seriously — as the foundation of effective therapeutic work and as the ongoing measure of whether that work is serving your child. You can learn more about our play therapy services in Bella Vista, or read about why children often need play therapy rather than talk therapy and how therapeutic play builds resilience.
If you would like to discuss your child’s specific presentation and what assessment and therapeutic goals might look like, please get in touch for an initial parent consultation.
- Initial consultation (includes pre-assessment): $250
- Play therapy sessions: $190 per session
- Parent review consultations: $190 (approximately every 6 weeks)
- Package discounts available for upfront payment
- NDIS self-managed plans accepted
Book a session online: live.potentialz.com.au Call us: 0410 261 838 Visit us: Unit 608, 8 Elizabeth Macarthur Drive, Bella Vista NSW 2153 Hours: Monday to Friday, 10am–7pm | Saturday and after-hours available | Telehealth via phone or Zoom
Related Reading
More from our blog:
- ADHD in Children: Building Self-Regulation Through Play Therapy
- NDIS Funding for Play Therapy: What Parents Need to Know
- How Play Therapy Supports NDIS Children: A Parent’s Guide
Therapy services that may help:
References
Bratton, S. C., Ray, D., Rhine, T., & Jones, L. (2005). The efficacy of play therapy with children: A meta-analytic review of treatment outcomes. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 36(4), 376–390.
Landreth, G. L. (2012). Play therapy: The art of the relationship (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Ray, D. C. (2011). Advanced play therapy: Essential conditions, knowledge, and skills for child practice. Routledge.
Schaefer, C. E., & Drewes, A. A. (Eds.). (2014). The therapeutic powers of play: 20 core agents of change (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
AHPRA Disclaimer: This information is general in nature. Please consult a qualified health professional for individual advice.
Crisis Resources: If you or someone you know needs support, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.
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