Play Therapy

Children are not mini adults. It sounds obvious, but it has a lot of implications for what counselling with children actually looks like. Child exploring sesnsory materials When a child comes into my room for the first time, it usually wasn't their decision to be there. Their parent might be worried about them, their school may have suggested counselling, or a GP or another professional has recommended some additional support. Sometimes the child agrees that something is diff

Adults usually communicate their experiences through words. For children, particularly younger children, this isn't always possible. Children may not yet have the language, emotional awareness or developmental capacity to sit down and explain what they're worried about, why they're angry, or what has been happening for them. Instead, children naturally communicate and make sense of their world through play. Play therapy provides children with a developmentally appropriate way

There can be a lot to think about when you're working therapeutically with children. In play therapy, we're paying attention to what happens in the playroom, the themes that emerge over time, the therapeutic relationship and what we know about the child's history and wider family experiences. We're also working within a system around the child, which may include parents, schools and other professionals who have their own concerns and expectations about what therapy will achie

Clinical supervision is often described in formal terms - reflective, supportive, focused on safety and professional development. All of that is true. But in the day-to-day reality of working with children and families, supervision becomes something much more practical - and often, essential. At its core, supervision is a protected space to step out of the room and think about the work more clearly - with someone alongside you. For social workers and child or play therapists