MsBelinda Dean

Belinda (RN, BN, MCPT) is a Registered Nurse with 20 years’ experience in the healthcare field with a focus on Child and Adolescent Health & Development, Mental Health, Community and Family Health. Belinda is a Lecturer in Nursing at Deakin University and teaches in the above areas including educating students around Medical and Procedural play. Belinda holds a Master’s Degree in Child Play Therapy and supervises postgraduate Child Play Therapy students at Deakin University. Belinda is passionate about attachment and trauma models to promote early intervention to mental health through play therapy. Belinda understand the impacts these models have on both neurological, physical, social and emotional development. Belinda's other main areas of research are social skill programs to support neuro-diverse adolescents and play based andragogy. Belinda is a past facilitator of the Imagine, Create, Belong program and is a co-author of Storying Beyond Social Difficulties with Neuro-Diverse Adolescents and related published peer reviewed papers.