Now in Ocean Grove and Torquay
Our Vision
At Light Heart Publishing and Play Based Learning, we believe in a playful approach to enhance social and emotional skills.
We are committed to enriching the lives of children, young people, families and the broader community through play-based learning, therapy and diverse publications.
Members of the Light Heart community are highly valued and respected. We pride ourselves on Unconditional Positive Regard, Social Justice, Equity, Access, and Inclusion for all.
Belinda Dean
Belinda Dean is a Registered Play Therapy Supervisor, Registered Nurse, Lecturer in Child Play Therapy, Play Therapy Supervisor and PhD candidate at Deakin University. She 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 is passionate about trauma informed attachment based Play Therapy, as well as medical Play Therapy approaches to promote early intervention. She is dedicated to using integrative approaches to support children and their families.
Belinda has produced a range of peer reviewed publications, including a social development program for neurodiverse adolescents (the Imagine, Create, Belong Program), as well as publications in the fields of integrating therapeutic play-based approaches into higher education, nursing and allied health care.
James Field has been a Primary School Teacher for the past 16 years, 10 of those being in Special Education.
Beyond his role in mainstream classrooms, he was a Visiting Teacher at the Department of Education for 3 years, specialising in behaviour management, engaged play, social skills, Social Stories, individual learning plans and classroom strategies to enhance student engagement.
James has also produced a range of publications, including a social skills program and a series of picture books that celebrate diversity and inclusion.
James Field
Alison Clark
Alison Clark completed a Master of Child Play Therapy at Deakin University in 2023. Having previously completed a Bachelor of Education (Primary) in 2011, Alison has extensive experience working alongside children and their families in supportive, non-judgemental, and collaborative environments. Alison is passionate about supporting children who have experienced trauma and assisting with the development of positive mental health and wellbeing strategies. Alison thrives on building strong connections with children and their families to assist children to flourish.