The talk doctors (Megan, Rebekah and Fran) use assessment skills every day in our work with adults, children and families. We each achieve assessment differently and use different counselling frameworks and tools to assist a person to reach their desired life goal. Although I no longer do direct counselling, I do a lot of professional supervision and training. This allows me to pass my counselling and assessment skills on. As a past child therapist I LOVE toy tools.

Using dolls and figurines in assessing family dynamics is a favorite of mine. Representative figurines are not just dolls, they are tools of our trade, tax deductible and they are jolly hard to get! They need to be little, representative of real people rather than fantasy, and socially inclusive. I spend far too much time searching the toy stores, second hand shops and garage sales…never to find exactly what I want. Until recently…..

Keran over at Birdwing Therapies has branched into selling therapeutic resources (thank you Keran – we badly need a therapeutic tool shop in Cairns). She shared her latest finds with me (pictured) and I immediately bought three boxes: an Asian family, a white family and a brown family (pictured). At only $45.00 per box of family they are money very well spent. I will use them in supervision to teach other workers how to assess family dynamics, how to cross analyse assessments and how to support and defend this type of family assessment in court. Bargain…and look out all of my supervisees – guess what we’ll be doing for the next month.

To purchase these dolls therapeutic tools check in over at Birdwing Therapies. We are in the process of setting up the online shop but give Keran a ring and let her know you would like to buy a box of dolls for therapeutic family assessment and she can arrange payment and delivery for you. I thoroughly recommend them.