Services
Play Therapy
Play Therapy can be helpful for children aged 3 - 14 who are finding the world a challenge to negotiate and are not enjoying their experiences and relationships as much as they could.
Working through play means that children don’t need to find words. They can show the therapist what the world feels like by playing it out. They explore the world in play, make sense of what happens, develop new skills and a sense of confidence in their everyday interactions.
Filial Therapy
Filial Therapy supports the development of strong family relationships through play. It allows children to explore their emotional & developmental difficulties with the support of their parents or carers.
Over 12 - 15 weeks parents & carers first learn to play therapeutically with their children with the support of the therapist. They then apply therapeutic play skills and other parenting skills more generally to their lives at home.
Parents and carers support positive change in their children through these techniques with the aim of presenting problems reducing and improving relationships in the family.
Child Attachment & Play Assessments
Available from Winter 2024
The Child Attachment and Play Assessment (CAPA) assesses attachment and complex trauma in children aged 3 – 11 years.
It is a reliable and non-intrusive method, based on making stories, that looks at young children’s mental representations of attachment and relationships. It assesses the impact of developmental trauma and guides what support would be most effective.
Parent conversations
As a parent you know your child (inside out, even if it doesn’t always feel that way). You won’t necessarily need an “expert” to help with challenging times but you might appreciate space to think about what is going on and what steps might be helpful to take next.
Filial Therapy in schools
When children are so dysregulated that they struggle to stay in class, or have frequent playground difficulties, working through play with a key adult in school can help.
The key adult in school builds a detailed picture of particular difficulties through play observation, with the support of the Play Therapist, and develops skills to support these in supervised therapeutic play sessions.
The child begins to feel safer as they build a stronger, trusting relationship with their key adult and also works through developmental and emotional issues, impacting positively on their ability to manage relationships and school activities better.
Supervision
Helen is a BAPT registered Supervisor ® for student & qualified Play Therapists. She offers a safe space in which you can take time to explore your work without judgement, think about relevant theories that will help make sense of what you are observing in the child or yourself and find your best therapist self.
For student play therapists, Helen is experienced in supporting the BAPT courses and would aim to help you develop your skills and meet your course requirements.
Laura is a newly qualified supervisor and has space for new clients.