About

Oh hey there and welcome to The Playful Psychologist - the place where you can re-think your approach to child behaviour and better understand their emotions. This platform was created with one core goal: to provide evidence-based, practical approaches to child behaviour that embrace individuality, empathy, play, and genuine connection.

The Playful Psychologist exists because I, Emily, understand one thing very clearly, that you are passionate about nurturing emotionally intelligent children. You want tools and insights that make this journey a little easier, without the endless search for answers online.

Founded in 2018, The Playful Psychologist began as a simple way to share resources with parents and clinicians, and it’s since grown into a multi-faceted platform that thousands turn to for guidance.

With over a decade of experience as a clinical psychologist, along with my personal journey growing up with an autistic brother and being a mum of three, I understand firsthand the value of supportive, flexible approaches.

After years in clinical roles, I found my true passion lay in helping parents and professionals feel equipped and confident in their work with children.

Through individual supervision, courses, workshops, digital resources, and online support, The Playful Psychologist has helped thousands of incredible parents and clinicians. Every resource I share is designed to be accessible, affordable, and backed by research. This isn’t generic information; it’s carefully curated and tailored to cut through the noise so you can support the children in your life.

So when you work with me in any capacity, you can be sure that you are getting research-backed, tailored supports; not the same old advice that’s already available everywhere.

Whether you’re a parent, allied health clinician, or teacher, you can filter my resources to fit your unique needs.

To explore my range of clinical resources, click here.

To view my range of pre-recorded workshops & courses, click here.

Thank you for joining me on this journey to support the next generation of emotionally aware, resilient children!

Published Research

Explore my published clinical research and my co-authored book. You can find these publications listed below.

Psychological Well-Being and Its Relationships with Active and Passive Procrastination.

Emily A Habelrih & Richard E Hicks (2015)

Click here for the full article.

A Study of the Wellbeing of Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Sibling Efficacy, Positive and Negative Affect, and Coping Strategies.

Emily A Habelrih, Richard E Hicks, & Daisy Vanstone (2018)

Click here for the full article.

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It’s that time again where I say THANKYOU and give one lucky legend an epic prize! This prize is fulllllll of books and resources that I have been gifted and want to pass on. Plus a fee extra’s from my store will be thrown in there too! You don’t want to miss this one, it’s epic value!

TO ENTER:
1. Like this post
2. Tag at least three friends in the comments
3. Follow @theplayfulpsychologist
4. BONUS ENTRY: share to your story (be sure to tag me so I can see it!!)

Entries close 9am Friday AEST.

GOODLUCK!! 💡

Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend with their toddlers 😂💡

I love this app, I’ve had it for YEARS. Have you guys tried it? I’m putting together a post on the best apps to support therapy so if you have another that you love leave it on this post and I’ll add it to the list! 💡

It’s here! But early bird pricing is only live for seven days! Comment REC RESOURCE and I’ll send you the link so you can grab your copy! 💡

Came across this book in @kmartaus and thought it was great! It’s about the ‘tricks’ society tries to tell kids such as ‘boys don’t cry.’ It explains that day, we come across many tricks that keep the world from being an equal place. This book helps kids and their grown-ups to learn the tricks that are holding us all back so that together we can get rid of gender stereotypes and create positive change. It’s a really great way to simplify a complex topic for little ones, and only $10! 💡

Why is it that whenever I have grand plans for productivity, she decides that sleep is for the weak? This gal has a sixth sense for my workload I am sure of it 😂 Tell me I am not alone?! 💡

My new recommendation resource as an entire section on this and deep dives into alternatives. Comment REC RESOURCE if you’d like early access! 💡

I just love how books like this are so accessible these days. I found a copy of this beauty by @iamjesssanders in @kmartaus 🤎 This is such a great book and is so much more than body acceptance. It’s about self love and self compassion, as well as self acceptance. Such a good read for young kids! 💡

Rich loves a wedding dance floor, in fact I cannot remember the last wedding we went to where he wasn’t lifted up (we often have to remind him that the focus needs to be on the bride and groom 😅). Must wear his tradie ear plugs though because if you’ve been to an Arabic wedding before, you know they get LOOOUUUDDD. These are the things I want to celebrate in April, no more businesses randomly posting one thing a year that mentions autism and then patting themselves on the back. I want to see things autistic people love and how they make it work for them, so that as a community, we can be more mindful and supportive moving forward. 💡

Just your friendly reminder from a mum who has heard it all (from friends AND from strangers)….there may be times where it feels harder and also times where it feels easier. But there’s so much beauty in watching your kids grow. It’s the biggest privilege on earth to be able to witness them and be with them as they grow older…a privilege I do not take lightly. So now when I hear someone say ‘it only gets harder’ or ‘just you wait…’ I respond with ‘I can’t wait.’ Because if it gets harder, that means I’m around to watch them grow. 💡

I love my kids so much and I loved having time with each of them. But I also love my job and I simply won’t apologise for that. I guess all that hard work, working 50+ hour weeks to build The Playful Psychologist has paid off, and now I can have the best of both world 💡

Okay let’s make this a competition, what’s one of the most unhinged pieces of either parenting advice OR career advice you received. Winner will get a coffee on me! 💡

Just your friendly reminder to take everything you see on social media with a grain of salt 😂💡

He always hits me with the ‘good’ and ‘fine’ only to inform me at bed time that he has a new friend, saw a snake, and now loves tiger sharks 😂😮‍💨

But seriously, let kids decompress after school. It goes against every instinct in my body to *not* ask about his day because I want to know every single detail. BUT often it’s too overwhelming when he’s trying to decompress after a big day and my questions can feel like an interrogation.

Sound familiar? Try going around the dinner table a couple of hours later instead, where everyone shares a plus and a struggle from their day! 💡

Sorry sis you’ve got two older brothers…it will literally never be quiet in this house 😂 But on the plus side, I can literally dance to Arabic music with Lillie in a carrier and she will snooze away, so maybe it’s not so bad having two brothers after all 💡

I’ve done this ever since I was at the park with three kids, all screaming at me…and I couldn’t find a single thing so I emptied my entire nappy bag on the floor to find some wipes and then a big gust of wind came and blew nappies EVERYWHERE 😂 Then literally two days later I changed Elliot’s nappy and was wondering why he was walking around so uncomfortably only to realise I had squeezed him into one of Lillie’s (seriously, why are the ones I like ALL the same colour!?!) ANYWAYS, safe to say I have learnt my lesson 😂😂 This is such a game changer for us, especially when we travel! Is this something you guys do? 💡

Sis has more hair than me at this point which I love…I just wish she would keep it out of my mouth 😂 Side note - who is team baby wearing? I swear with multiple kids it is a LIFE 👏🏽 SAVER 👏🏽 I couldn’t have survived without carriers 💡

What are your thoughts on this?👇🏽
PS Early bird pricing on my new CPD bundles, including one on childhood anxiety ends in less than 48 hours so if you had your eye on them, get in QUICK! They will never be this price again! 💡

If I see one more post by one more uneducated fool selling a water machine, an essential oil, or anything that is not SCIENCE BASED then I will literally lose my mind. Can natural supports HELP in the management of ADHD symptoms? Absolutely. Is drinking water out of a $5000 machine or rubbing some coriander seed on your wrist going to cure ADHD? Probably not sis 💅🏽 What are your thoughts on this? 💡

Some ideas on how to support anxious kids with your language choices…are there any you’d add? PS - the anxiety PD bundle is now LIVE! Comment BUNDLES for a direct link, but hurry! Intro pricing ends soon 💡

Not me trying to squeeze 7+ hours of content into a single post 😅 Want early access to the intro pricing of my new PD bundles? Comment BUNDLES and I’ll send you access! 💡

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@theplayfulpsychologist

About

Published Research

Psychological Well-Being and Its Relationships with Active and Passive Procrastination.

A Study of the Wellbeing of Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Sibling Efficacy, Positive and Negative Affect, and Coping Strategies.

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