Digital Play and Screen Use in Refugee Children: A Trauma-Informed Approach
Held on 23 September 2026 | Free webinar | → View recording!
NAVIGATING THE RISKS AND REWARDS OF DIGITAL PLAY FOR YOUNG REFUGEES
Refugee children and young people often carry the impact of multiple losses, disruptions, and traumatic experiences. These histories, including disruptions to early attachment relationships, shape how they cope, connect, and regulate in their everyday lives. In an increasingly digital world, screens and online games can become both a source of comfort and a space where distress is expressed.
This Clinical Master Class explores the complex role of digital play in the lives of trauma-affected refugee children. While gaming and online engagement can support emotional regulation, identity formation, and social connection, they can also mask distress or become intertwined with trauma responses. Clinicians are often left navigating this duality, balancing risk with opportunity in their work with young people and families.
LEARN FROM LEADING EXPERTS IN CYBERPSYCHOLOGY AND TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICE
Join Jocelyn Brewer, psychologist and cyberpsychology researcher, and Shauna Murphy, STARTTS Early Childhood Counsellor, as they bring together theory and practice to explore this emerging area. Jocelyn introduces her Digital Nutrition™ framework to help practitioners assess the ‘quality’ of digital engagement, while Shauna presents a real clinical case that illustrates how trauma and screen use can become closely linked. Together, they offer practical, trauma-informed strategies to support children and families in navigating digital worlds safely and meaningfully.
WHAT YOU’LL GAIN
- A deeper understanding of how trauma, attachment disruption, and displacement shape children’s engagement with digital media
- Insights into the regulatory, relational, and developmental functions of gaming and screen use
- A practical framework (Digital Nutrition™) for assessing the risks and benefits of digital play
- The ability to recognise when screen use may signal underlying distress or dysregulation
- Trauma-informed strategies to support healthy digital engagement for children and families
- A real clinical case illustrating the intersection of trauma and escalating screen use
- Tools to support caregivers in setting boundaries while maintaining connection and safety
- The opportunity to engage directly with presenters during a live Q&A
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
- Psychologists, counsellors, psychotherapists, and social workers
- Clinicians working with refugee children, young people, and families
- Early childhood practitioners and educators
- Caseworkers, youth workers, and community practitioners
- Mental health and humanitarian workers supporting trauma-affected populations
- Anyone interested in digital wellbeing, cyberpsychology, and trauma-informed care
Jocelyn Brewer
Jocelyn Brewer is a Gadigal/Sydney-based psychologist and cyberpsychology researcher focused on digital wellbeing and the human impact of technology in an AI-driven world. With over 15 years’ experience as a teacher and school counsellor, her work bridges education, mental health, and technology use. Her early research explored Problematic Internet Use, shaping her ongoing focus on online behaviour. She developed Digital Nutrition™, a framework helping people assess the impact of digital content. Jocelyn is affiliated with the Cyberpsychology Research Group and completed a Masters in Cyberpsychology in 2021. She co-founded MetaWell and delivers courses, keynotes, coaching, and media commentary on living well online.
Shauna Murphy
Shauna Murphy is an Early Childhood Counsellor and Project Officer at STARTTS, working in the Early Childhood and Caregiver Support Program. She facilitates Growing, Playing, Learning Together groups and provides counselling for children under eight and their caregivers. With over thirty years’ experience, Shauna brings a holistic, trauma-informed approach grounded in attachment-focused and child-centred practice. Her work integrates play, co-regulation, and sensory-based strategies to support recovery and development. She also delivers Circle of Security based parenting programs and evidence-based playgroups, including Parent-Child Mother Goose and PeepLTP, supporting caregivers to rebuild attachment disrupted by the refugee experience. Shauna holds a Graduate Diploma in Counselling and a BA/Law (Hons).
Jorge Aroche
Jorge Aroche is a clinical psychologist and STARTTS’ Chief Executive Officer. Jorge was born in Uruguay and has worked with migrants and refugee survivors of torture and organized violence since before 1989, when he joined STARTTS. He has led the organization since March 1997, through some of the most challenging times for refugee services in Australia, helping STARTTS grow from a dozen staff to more than 200, assuming a truly state-wide role and becoming a world leader in this field in the process, while continuing to learn from its clients, its culturally diverse staff and the latest scientific advances. Jorge has also held a number of honorary positions in international humanitarian organizations, Australia government advisory bodies and NGO boards. He was the President of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) from 2016 until November 2020.
FORMAT AND INCLUSIONS
- Presented by experts in the refugee trauma field
- Includes real-life scenarios, practical tips and a Q&A panel
- Claim 1.5 CPD points
- Receive a certificate of completion and a PDF of the presentation slides
- Free access to the webinar recording
WATCH THE RECORDING
Watch the recording now via the on-demand replay and watch at your convenience. The full catalogue of recorded webinars is available here.
CONTACT US
stts-training@health.nsw.gov.au
(02) 9646 6700 Ask for the Training Administration Officer