Our Team
Founder of Learn To Play Therapy
Emeritus Professor Karen Stagnitti
Karen Stagnitti PhD, BOccThy, GCHE. Karen is an occupational therapist by training who has a very strong interest in children’s play and is well respected within the play therapy community.
Karen graduated with Bachelor Degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Queensland in the late 1970’s. For more than 20 years, Karen worked in community-based paediatric and specialist early childhood programs. She has extensively worked with families, children, preschool and kindergarten teachers, early primary school teachers, doctors, paediatricians, speech therapists, occupational therapists, paediatric physiotherapists, psychologists, social workers, dieticians, specialist early childhood workers and early childhood workers.
In the early 1990’s she became serious about researching children’s play. In 2003 she was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy from LaTrobe University in Melbourne. Her research work was primarily focused on how to measure the quality of a child’s pretend play within the confines of clinical practice. The result of this research led to the development of the Child-Initiated Pretend Play Assessment (ChIPPA).
Since 2003 Karen has successfully trained and supervised dozens of research students, including PhDs, and has continued to research children’s play including further studies on the reliability and validity of the ChIPPA, and extending its applicability to Indigenous communities. The Child-Initiated Pretend Play Assessment-2 (ChIPPA-2)  is now available.
She has also developed two further play assessments. One is called the Pretend Play Enjoyment Developmental Checklist (PPE-DC) for children aged 12 months to 5 years, and the other is aimed for older children and teenagers called the Animated Movie Test (AMT).
Putting this work and research together, Karen developed the highly successful play therapy approach called Learn To Play Therapy, for children aged 12 months to 10 years. Together with colleagues, Karen also developed Imagine, Create, Belong, which is a play program for 11 to 15 year olds.
She is a highly sort after speaker and trainer, having delivered hundreds of workshops and training sessions over her career. She has also been frequently invited to present workshops worldwide and various products have been translated in Japanese, Finnish, Portuguese, Croatian, Farsi and Italian.
Karen was awarded the title of Emeritus Professor at Deakin University in 2019 in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the University and continues to contribute to teaching and research in the School of Health & Social Development, Faculty of Health, where she previously held the position of Professor and Personal Chair.
Karen has now retired from delivering workshops and trainings, however is still involved with the continued research and development of Learn To Play Therapy.
For a list of Karen’s publications, click here.
Certified Learn To Play Therapy Trainers
Dr. Siobhan Casey
Dr. Siobhan Casey is a paediatric occupational therapist and Masters qualified play therapist with 18 years experience in working with children, their families and teachers in a variety of settings. Siobhan is currently lecturing with Master of Play Therapy at Deakin University. In 2018, Siobhan was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy under the supervision of Emeritus Professor Karen Stagnitti. Her research primarily focused on understanding the developmental processes of pretend play and self-regulation in supporting the capacity of resilience. Her prior research included identifying important markers and processes for change, for neurodivergent children participating in Learn To Play Therapy.
Siobhan has presented on pretend play development at conferences both nationally and internationally and enjoys delivering training to a wide range of audiences. She has previously worked in early intervention community settings, private practice, and both mainstream and specialist development schools. She is passionate about promoting positive social and emotional wellbeing for children through providing services that are appropriate, purposeful, and sensitive to the needs of children and their families. Siobhan has recently co-authored a book ‘Learning Through Play in the Primary School’ and continues to research the role of play in supporting child development and building positive relationships.Â
Dr. Chloe Wadley
Dr Chloe Wadley is a paediatric Occupational Therapist who has completed her PhD in Learn To Play Therapy in Specialist Schools for neurodivergent children supervised by Emeritus Professor Karen Stagnitti. Chloe works as a paediatric occupational therapist within the community, home, clinic, school, kindergarten, and childcare settings. Chloe specialises in Learn To Play Therapy within her occupational therapy practice and has a passion for working with families and children, supporting their connection and joy in play.
Chloe delivers both individual and group Learn To Play Therapy for pre-school and primary school children. Chloe has extensive training and clinical practice in the use of play assessment tools and Learn To Play Therapy. Chloe enjoys sharing her knowledge and skills through delivering workshops to a range of audiences interested in Learn To Play Therapy, as well as offering supervision to students and clinicians. Chloe’s research to date has focused on Learn To Play Therapy within school and group settings.
Bridget Sarah
Bridget Sarah (MCPT, GCHELT, BOccThy(Hons)) is a paediatric Occupational Therapist and Masters qualified, Registered Play Therapist. Bridget has experience working with children and families in a diverse range of clinic, home, school, and community settings.
Bridget is an integrative Play Therapist, trained and experienced in the delivery of multiple play therapy models and approaches, including Learn To Play Therapy and the associated assessment tools. Bridget’s research and clinical interests include scaffolding children’s ability to playfully express their emotional worlds using toys and creative media. Bridget is a practicing clinician and lecturer, researcher and author in Play Therapy at Deakin University where she provides education and clinical supervision to students.
Belinda Dean
Belinda Dean (BN, MCPT, RND1, RPT) is a qualified Registered Nurse, Registered Play Therapist, Lecturer in Child Play Therapy and PhD Candidate at Deakin University. Belinda has over 20 years’ experience in the healthcare field with a focus on Child and Adolescent Health & Development, Mental Health, Community and Family Health. Belinda holds a Master’s Degree in Child Play Therapy and supervises postgraduate Child Play Therapy students at Deakin University. Belinda is the director of Light Heart Play Therapy and a practicing play therapist.
Belinda is passionate about play based models, particularly Learn To Play Therapy, to promote early intervention of biopsychosocial health through play therapy. Belinda‘s main areas of research are play based social skill programs to support neurodivergent adolescents, integrating therapeutic play into nursing and allied health practice and play based andragogy.Belinda is a facilitator of the Imagine, Create, Belong programme and is a co-author of Storying Beyond Social Difficulties with Neuro-Diverse Adolescents and related published peer reviewed papers. Belinda has presented nationally on this research. Belinda has co-published papers in the Journal of Play in Adulthood: Dean and Parson, Integrating play-based approaches into nursing education: Teachers as playful academics and her latest book published in Springer Nature: Parson, Dean and Hadiprodjo, Integrating therapeutic play into nursing and allied health care: A developmentally sensitive approach to communicating with children is now available through her website. Belinda is the co-founder of Light Heart Publishing and Play Based Learning Pty Ltd.
Learn To Play Therapy Directors
Jessica Stagnitti
Director
Contact for workshops, supervision sessions, products and shipping.Â
Monique Stagnitti
Associate Director
Contact for marketing & advertising, website and online learning portal issues.