Meet Our Team
Meet Our Team
At Fundamental Play Therapy we focus on providing a safe and protected space for our little ones, adolescents and adults during therapies.
High value is placed on rendering a personal service to the individual in need. Fundamental Play Therapy is a Practice where our team serves with Heart & Soul.
Fundamental Play Therapy is solely owned by Liesl Graham.
Liesl Graham
Liesl studied at the University of Pretoria and graduated as a Social Worker in 1998. Due to her excellent academic performance Liesl received a performance bursary from the University of Pretoria which enabled her to enrol for a Masters Degree in Play Therapy (2001) Specialising in animal assisted therapy and the use of art and music to assist children who are diagnosed with depression.
Liesl worked and trained in the UK as a Social Worker where she gained first-hand experience in trauma work while working with war refugees from countries such as Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Kosovo and Serbia. In addition she gained valuable experience in various fields of social work such as forensic social work, fostering and adoption of disabled children, hospital social work and emergency protection work. She also did volunteer work at a respite care unit for terminally ill-, disabled- and ASD children. During her time in London, Liesl also had the opportunity of training as a Gestalt Psychotherapist at the Gestalt Institute of London.
In 2001, Liesl co-founded the Child Trauma Clinic in Garsfontein, Pretoria East with Marita Rademeyer after they met at Tutela Place of Safety and realised they shared the same vision for creating a practice where specialised therapy services aimed specifically at children and their families could be provided. From this practice, the NGO ‘Jelly Beanz’ was born. Liesl gave Dr Carla Winter, now in Private Practice (Child Play Therapy Centurion) the opportunity to leave her Research Assistant position at UP and join the Child Trauma Clinic in 2005. Liesl was also involved in Forensic Social Work for several years and acted as a consultant at ProCare Psycho-Social Services for several years.
In 2004 Liesl received the great honour of being invited to present a Master Class on Socio-Emotional Assessment at the University of Pretoria.
In 2007 Liesl identified the need for- and developed a range of seminars named “Perspectives on” whereby professionals from across all disciplines and from throughout South Africa would act as speakers on a variety of topics, with the first seminar being titled “Perspectives on Depression and Suicide in South African Children (age 6-18 years). Following on this, Liesl co- presented several successful seminars and today, Marie Otto and Claudi Davel creatively took over this concept and it is currently named M&C Training.
Liesl also contributes to-and write articles for several publications across South Africa.
During 2008 Liesl founded the Irene Trauma & Play Therapy Clinic in Centurion and took in her first intern, Mrs. Claudi Davel who today practices as a therapist in her own right in the Moot.
Liesl founded Fundamental Play Therapy and Trauma Practice in Pretoria East, in 2018, alongside a multi-skilled professional therapy team, Big Tree Therapy. Liesl specialises in Child Trauma-and Play Therapy and has a specific passion for working with the Highly Sensitive Child and Adult (Sensory Processing Sensitivity) she makes use of an integrative and non-directive approach and believes in a strong empathic and therapeutic relationship as the medium through which trust and communications develops.
During 2018 Liesl trained in the Community Resiliency Model that transformed Somatic Experiencing (SE) into a more affordable and applicable model for South African circumstances. She thoroughly enjoys working with the Mind Body connection applying the Polyvagal Theory by Stephen Porges and Deb Dana.
Liesl trained in: Trauma and Healing by Dr Peter Levine 2021 and
Somatic Attachment Therapy by Dr Maureen Gallagher 2021
In 2021 she attended an Embodiment Training Certificate Course in Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy under Dr Arielle Schwartz, Dr Peter Levine, Dr Scott Lyons, Dr Lisa Dion and Nkem Ndefo, this was a life changing and enriching opportunity altering her daily approach in her Therapeutic Practice with Children and Adults in Pretoria East.
“ I do believe in a gentle, non-judgemental approach when working with
Trauma and the importance of being embodied (meaning being fully present
in your body) and fully aware of your (emotions) feelings.”
~ Liesl Graham ~
Meet Morrie: The Heart and Soul of Fundamental Play Therapy, our Therapy Assistant Dog.
Morrie, a Wheaten Scottish Terrier, is far more than a therapy assistant dog —he is an integral part of the heart and rhythm of this practice. His name was inspired by the book Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, a memoir that profoundly shaped my understanding of connection, compassion, and what truly matters in life. The book reminds us of the importance of presence, empathy, love, and showing up authentically for one another, especially in the face of vulnerability and suffering. These values sit at the very core of therapeutic work, and it felt only natural that Morrie should carry a name rooted in such meaning.
From the time he was a puppy, it was clear that Morrie owned a special temperament. Having practiced animal-assisted therapy for many years, I am keenly aware that not all animals—and not all clients—are suited to this modality. It requires a unique blend of calmness, intuition, and emotional availability. Morrie embodies these qualities effortlessly. He is a soft, old soul: gentle and submissive with the youngest of children, rambunctious and playful with older ones, and warmly sociable with adult clients. He instinctively knows what each person needs in the moment.
Morrie also takes his role very seriously. He is quick to let both client and therapist know when a session has come to an end—often with a well-placed sigh or a long, meaningful stare at the door. For this reason, I affectionately refer to him as the “CEO” of the practice. He keeps the sessions grounded, the atmosphere light, and me firmly on my toes.
Animal-assisted therapy has been shown to support emotional regulation, reduce anxiety, and foster a sense of safety and connection. Animals can act as powerful co-regulators, offering non-judgmental presence and comfort. For many clients, Morrie helps lower anxiety, encourages expression, and creates a bridge to deeper therapeutic work—sometimes without a single word being spoken.
There is a saying that when a person does what they are passionate about, they will not work a day in their life. While the work of therapy is not always easy—holding space for pain, trauma, and suffering requires deep emotional energy—I am incredibly fortunate to do what I love every day. I am even more blessed to do it alongside Morrie, my partner and companion in this work.
In 2025, I made the decision to redesign the logo of Fundamental Play Therapy to include Morrie, acknowledging the profound impact he has had on the practice and the people within it. For me, it’s no longer just Tuesdays with Morrie—it’s Everyday with Morrie.
