Come Play with Me Fiji
Our Inaugural Conference "Come Play with Me Fiji!"
Presenting Our Inaugural Conference
"Come Play with Me Fiji!"
Trauma is the Fun Killer - Educate, Invigorate and Capacity Build
Sunday 5th - Friday 10th August 2018
Novatel Suva Lami Bay - Suva, Fiji
Follow Moana across the Pacific to beautiful Fiji and join an array of world-class experts in exploring the worlds of trauma, play therapy and attachment!
On our journey with Moana, we will explore many themes involved in trauma, including:
Chief Tui (Home)
Security, safety, family & the land
Goddess Te Fiti
(Spirituality and Heart)
Attachment, love & a sense of "place"
Tala The Wise Grandmother
(The Brain and Cognition)
Neurobiology and research evidence
Moana (Courage)
Self-esteem, resilience, growth and gender equality
Download a copy of the Preliminary Conference Program.
PRE-CONFERENCE Sunday 5th August: Play Therapy and Trauma Masterclass ($100)
CONFERENCE Monday 6th - Tuesday 7th August: Conference presentations & workshops with Traditional Dinner & entertainment on Monday evening
(price: $600, Fijian & Pacific Islander Resident price: $150)
POST-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP OPTIONS - Wednesday 8th - Friday 10th August:
Experiential workshops in Play Therapy Half Day (3 hours) ($100 each, Fiji & Pacific Islander resident price: $20 each)
2 day Water Play Therapy (WPT) (price: $400, Fiji & Pacific Islander resident price: $150)
Educational Village Tour (price: $90 Adults, Children under 16 years $45)
Intensive small group Play Therapy supervision sessions on 5th, 8th and 9th of August: with Dr. Brandy Schumann or Josephine Martin ($375 per 3 hour session)
Download a copy of the Preliminary Conference Program.
For further details and informaiton on these events please visit our professional development workshops page.
Please Note: All Prices are in Australian Dollars ($AUD)
International Presenters
Yael Livneh (Israel)
Yael Livneh (Israel), MA, is an expressive art therapist with over 20 years of practice experience in psychodrama and intermodal approaches. She owns a private clinic for adolescents and children with emotional problems. Yael is the developer of WPT (Water Play Therapy), has published a book "Rising On Water" about this method and uses her website for publishing news about upcoming workshops, material, photos and videos (www.aquatip.co.il). She presents her method for medical and educational staff in hospitals and agencies in Israel and Tel Aviv University and does art therapy workshops overseas with communities in Africa and Asia as a representative of international humanitarian organisations. Yael also teaches performing arts, supervises teachers in high schools and teaches play therapy at Oranim Academic College. Yael is a mother of four boys and plays cache-ball in the women's national league.
Claudio Mochi (Italy)
Claudio Mochi (Italy) is a licensed Clinical Psychologist, Registered Play Therapist Supervisor (APT-USA) and expert in emergency and disaster mental health, including the use of clinical/community psychology and Play Therapy in post-disaster situations. Since 2001, for more than a decade, he has participated to crisis interventions, created and developed psychosocial programs addressing the needs of disaster survivors and trained local professionals in several countries such as Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro, Iran, Palestine, Pakistan, Lebanon, Sri Lanka and Haiti. Mochi is Founder and President of the “Associazione per la Play Therapy Italia” (APTI) and he is currently developing Play Therapy training in Europe and projects based on Play Therapy in several countries including Switzerland, Nigeria and Venezuela. On trauma and post-disaster intervention Claudio Mochi has presented at XIX APT Conference (Cleveland, 2012), at the Australasia and Pacific Conference as Keynote (Sydney, 2017) and several other occasions in different countries.
Isabella Cassina (Switzerland)
Isabella Cassina (Switzerland) is a Social Worker specialised in Therapeutic Play (APTI) and International Cooperation (MA) from The Graduate Institute for International and Development Studies IHEID in Geneva, Switzerland. She is an Italian native speaker skilled in French, English, Croatian, Serbian, Spanish and German. Since 2006 she has achieved significant humanitarian experience in Colombia, Serbia, Haiti, India, Nigeria and, most recently, Venezuela. She worked for the Swiss Red Cross as Head of the Social Service in temporary reception centres for asylum seekers and refugees and Manager of the Project “Migrant Children and Therapeutic Play”. Currently Isabella Cassina is Project Manager and Trainer for INA - International Academy for Play Therapy studies and PsychoSocial Projects based in Switzerland, working in several European countries, Nigeria and Venezuela, and Consultant for APTI. She is author of the psychoeducational book for children “The Magic Home” (La Casa magica), Ed. Manni, 2016.
Dr. Brandy Schumann (USA)
Dr. Brandy Schumann (USA) is a Licensed Professional Counsellor-Supervisor, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, National Certified Counsellor, Professor at Southern Methodist University (SMU) and is a past President of the Texas Association for Play Therapy. Dr. Schumann holds a PHD in Counselling, with a specialty in Play Therapy from the top ranked program in the world, the University of North Texas. For over a decade, she has worked with children and families in a variety of settings including: private practice, agencies, and as a school counsellor for Denton ISD and with community organisations including: the Red Cross, the WARM Place (A Grief Support Center for Children), Cancer Care Services, Galaxy Counselling Center, Friends of the Family, and the Child Advocacy Center of Denton County. She also provides crisis-counselling services, aiding community members in tragedy including victims in New York, post 9/11, and in Texas, for Hurricane Katrina victims.
Dr. James Lucas (Australia)
Dr. James Lucas (Australia) is an Accredited Mental Health Social worker from Melbourne, Australia, with 10 years practice experience. He currently works at Deakin University as Lecturer in Social Work, where he teaches in the area of Field Education. James' research interests include decision making, stress and coping and the intersection of spirituality and social work. He has worked predominantly in the field of health and hospital social work, including spinal cord injury rehabilitation, post-stroke rehabilitation and renal services. His work has involved helping people from across the lifespan and across urban, rural, and remote locations of Australia.
Josephine Martin (Australia)
Josephine Martin (Australia) has been practising play therapy for over 14 years she is a registered Play Therapist and a registered supervisor. She is one of the founding members of APPTA. Josephine has presented nationally and internationally on Play Therapy. Josephine has worked with children from extremely diverse backgrounds including with children post Victorian Black Saturday Bushfires (2009) and in post individualised personal trauma situations.
Sister Lorraine Garasu (Bougainville)
Sister Lorraine Garasu (Bougainville) emerged as a leader during the civil war between Bougainville and Papua New Guinea from 1989 to 1997. She co-founded Bougainville Inter-Church Women's Forum (BICWF) in 1995 and became a facilitator for the women who were negotiating peace and services for the people with the Bougainville Revolutionary Army. She bravely negotiated life issues such as safety, medical emergencies and women's livelihoods with all combatant sides. Sister Lorraine continued to advocate for an end to violence against women once the Bougainville Peace Agreement was signed in 2001 founding the Nazarene Rehabilitation Centre for women and children facing domestic and family violence. Her contributions to peace and community development have been recognised globally with her receiving the U.S. State Department's International Women of Courage Award in 2009 and the Papua New Guinea Government's Silver Jubilee Award in 2000. Sister Lorraine is a trained community development worker, has worked as a teacher and social worker.
Rosie Catherine (Fiji)
Rosie Catherine (Fiji) is a community mental health advocate and educator. She assisted in establishing the Community Recovery Outreach Program (CROP) seven years ago, assisting Fijians who have experienced often severe mental illness to re-integrate into their communities. Rosie employs creative approaches such as poetry and creative writing in her ongoing work with girls and young women in the areas of leadership and gender-based violence through the Fiji Women's Rights Movement workshops including the Grow Inspire Relate Lead Succeed (GIRLS) program.
Antoinette Braybrook (Australia)
Antoinette Braybrook (Australia) is an Aboriginal woman who was born in Victoria on Wurundjeri country. Antoinette's grandfather and mother's line is through the Kuku Yalanji, North Queensland. Antoinette is a lawyer and CEO of Djirra (formerly FVPLS Victoria), a position she has held since the service was established 15 years ago. Djirra is an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation which provides holistic, culturally safe and specialist legal and non-legal support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who experience family violence - predominantly women. Djirra also designs and delivers important, community-based early intervention and prevention programs and undertakes policy and law reform work to improve access to justice, strengthen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women's resilience and reduce vulnerability to violence. She has held the elected position of National Convenor of the National Family Violence Prevention Legal Services Forum since 2012 and is co-chair of the Change the Record Campaign to end disproportionate rates of imprisonment and violence experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Antoinette's advocacy work has included positions held on advisory groups, expert panels and consultative roles to State and Federal organisations also having received various awards and accolades.
Donna Zander Qura (Australia/Fiji)
Donna Zander Qura (Australia/Fiji) is an Associate Member A.P.S., Accredited Play Therapist (AAPTA). She has expertise in trauma, child abuse and family violence and working therapeutically with infants, children, women, couples and families. She has worked in this field for over 30 years both as a professional and a volunteer. Donna has a history of developing high quality training programs for the Domestic Violence Resource Centre Vic., Australian Childhood Foundation and Post Trauma Victoria. Donna's personalised, energetic and dynamic presentation style sees her services as a keynote speaker and facilitator are in great demand both nationally and overseas including: Bougainville, New Guinea at the Nazareth Rehabilitation Centre and; most recently in Israel facilitating Gottman Method skills at the 2017 Marriage and Family Therapy Conference.
Apakuki Qura (Fiji/Australia)
Apakuki Qura (Fiji/Australia) is a peaceful Fijian warrior and traditional healer from Ovea, Bau. He has expertise in assisting in transforming trauma using traditional dance, drumming, mindfulness and massage techniques. He has worked extensively with Donna Zander Qura training professionals from diverse backgrounds across Australia and Bougainville in integrating traditional and Western approaches to wellbeing and presented at the last three Australasian Pacific Play Therapy Conference's.