Find out what your child needs most right now. Answer 6 quick questions and get a free personalised play plan. The one area where your child is most ready to grow, and the specific Hub programs to match.
Ask a Therapist about your child
YOU
THE PLAY WAY
Messaging support for parents, from our therapy team
When you're stuck or unsure what to try next, send us a message, a voice note or a video. Our therapy team reply to you within one business day. No appointment, no waitlist.
$79 a month. Three month commitment, then cancel any time. Hub membership included.
Already a Hub member? Upgrade inside the Hub: My Account > Membership > Manage Membership.
What The Play Way's Ask a Therapist does
Tell us what's going on, what you've already tried, and where you feel stuck. Our therapy team read, watch or listen to what you've described, explain what they would try next, and recommend any relevant resources from our Hub that might also help, and reply to you within one business day.
We work with you, the parent.
We help you make sense of what you're seeing, and work out what to try next.
What you get
✔ A reply within one business day, Monday to Friday
✔ Ask about whatever comes up, and keep each conversation going
✔ Replies in writing, as a voice note, or as a short video
✔ Full Hub membership included: the programs, the play kits, the tools, the parent questionnaires
✔ Cancel any time after the first three months
How it works
1. JOIN
Join Ask a Therapist. Full Hub membership comes with it.
2. ASK
Type it out, record a voice note on your phone, or upload a video of what's happening.
3. GET A REPLY
Our therapy team reply within one business day, in writing, as a voice note or as a short video.
Who answers your message?
Kait Cummins is an occupational therapist with 20 years working with families, and a mum of four. She works with our therapy team: occupational therapists, speech therapists, and therapists who work with children's behaviour.
Every question goes past Kait. If she's the best person to answer it, she does. If not, she passes it to whoever on the team is the right person for that question.
So a talking question lands with a speech therapist, and a sensory question lands with an occupational therapist.
What you can message us about
Can I message an occupational therapist about my child?
Yes. The Play Way's Ask a Therapist lets you message our therapy team, and that includes occupational therapists. Parents ask us about sleep and settling, self-care and sensory needs, mealtimes, meltdowns, movement and pencil grip.
Can I message a speech therapist about my child?
Yes. Our therapy team includes speech therapists. Parents message us when their child is late to talk, hard for others to understand, or has the words but won't use them outside the house.
Can I message someone about my child's behaviour?
Yes. Parents message us about meltdowns, big emotions, hitting when upset, and the hard moments at bedtime or before school. Our therapy team includes therapists who work with children's behaviour every day.
Questions you can ask
If it's on your mind, you can ask it.
- Is this normal, or is it more than that?
- Bedtime takes two hours. Where do I even start?
- They eat about five things and the list keeps getting shorter.
- They hold it together all day at school and it all comes out at 3:30.
- Here's a photo of how they hold their pencil.
- People outside our house can't understand them, and school is next year.
- By 6pm I've got nothing left. How do I get through the evenings?
- Which Hub program should we start this week?
What it is not
Ask a Therapist is not an assessment, a diagnosis or a report.
We do not write letters or evidence for the NDIS, for schools or for kinder, and we do not write a therapy plan for your individual child, because we have not met them.
For children who need hands-on therapy, that is the right thing, it is still there, and we would never tell a family otherwise. If what you send us needs an assessment or a person in the room, we'll say so and point you to where to get it. That can include our own clinic team at The Play Projects, who do assessments and reports.
It is not for emergencies or crisis situations. If someone is in danger, call 000.
What it costs
Already a Hub member? Upgrade inside the Hub: My Account > Membership > Manage Membership.
Fair use applies. It is one family, and the questions are about your own child.
Questions about Ask a Therapist
Is it a real person, or AI?
A real person. Every answer is written by a clinician on our team.
The Hub has an AI helper called Sunny that helps you find things. Ask a Therapist is not that.
Who can join?
Parents and guardians aged 18 or over who live in Australia, asking about their own child.
Do I need a diagnosis?
No. Many families who use this do not have one.
Do I need to be on the NDIS?
No. Any parent in Australia can join.
Can I claim it on Medicare, the NDIS or private health?
No. Medicare, the NDIS and private health do not cover Ask a Therapist.
How fast do you reply?
Within one business day. Our hours are 9am to 5pm AEST/AEDT, Monday to Friday, not counting Victorian public holidays. So a message sent on Friday afternoon is usually answered on Monday.
What can I send?
You can send questions as texts, voice notes, photos and short videos. Photos and videos are always optional.
How many questions can I ask?
Enough to get what you need. Fair use applies and the terms explain it.
Is this therapy for my child?
No. We work with you, the parent. Your child is not our client and we are not treating them.
What if my question needs more than a message?
We will tell you, and point you to the right kind of help.
Can I talk to someone on the phone?
Not on this one. If you want to talk live, our one-to-one guidance packages are the option for that.
Who sees what I send?
The Play Way staff and our therapy team. We keep a record, as the law requires for health records.
I'm already a Hub member. How do I upgrade?
In the Hub, go to My Account > Membership > Manage Membership. Under Change plan, choose Switch to Ask a Therapist. Your access starts straight away, and nothing is charged until your next renewal. The 3 month commitment still applies when upgrading.
What happens if I cancel?
You can cancel any time after the first three months. You keep access until the end of the month you've paid for.
Send the question. You don't have to keep second-guessing.
You'll have a reply from our therapy team within one business day.
Already a Hub member? Upgrade inside the Hub: My Account > Membership > Manage Membership.
Ask a Therapist: Consent and Service Agreement
