Play Therapy
I currently offer play therapy within schools in the London Boroughs of Merton and Sutton.
Referrals can be made by parents, carers, schools or local authorities.
Supporting Children Through Play
Children do not always have the words to explain how they are feeling. Play is often their most natural way of expressing thoughts, emotions and experiences. Play therapy provides a safe, supportive space where children can express themselves through play, creativity and imagination, helping them explore their inner world make sense of their experiences and emotions.
What is play therapy?
Play therapy is a child-centred therapeutic approach that uses play as the child’s primary means of communication. Just as adults may talk about their thoughts and feelings, children often express themselves through play.
Within a safe trusting relationship, children are given the opportunity to explore experiences, emotions and challenges at their own pace. Through activities such as imaginative play, storytelling, creative activities, games and sensory resources, children can express things that may be too difficult, confusing or overwhelming to put into words.
Play therapy recognises that every child has the capacity for growth and healing when provided with the right support and environment.
How can play therapy help?
Play therapy can help children to:
Better understand and express their feelings
Develop emotional resilience and coping strategies
Build confidence and self-esteem
Improve relationships
Strengthen communication skills
Develop greater self-awareness
Feel safer, calmer and more secure
Who is play therapy for?
Play therapy can benefit children who may find life challenging emotionally and socially. Children may be struggling with anxiety, low confidence, difficulties with friendships, emotional regulation and school-related difficulties. Children may have experienced trauma, bereavement or other losses.
Supporting neurodivergent children and young people, particularly autistic children, is an area of special interest within my practice.
Accessing play therapy
Play therapy can be accessed in several ways:
Parents and carers may make direct enquiries and fund sessions privately,
Schools may commission play therapy for individual pupils,
Local authorities may commission play therapy as part of wider support arrangements for children and young people.
Sessions take place in the child’s school, subject to the agreement with the school and the availability of an appropriate space for therapeutic work.
Play therapy sessions last 45 minutes and take place on a weekly basis at the same day and time.
An inclusive and respectful place
I offer a warm, non-judgemental, and inclusive space. I welcome clients of all ethnicities, genders, sexualities, faiths, abilities, and neurotypes, and I'm committed to working in a way that recognises the impact of power, inequality, and discrimination on people's lives.
Taking the next step
If you’d like to discuss whether play therapy may be suitable for your child. I offer a free 15-minute telephone consultation. This is an opportunity to talk through your concerns, ask questions and find out more about how play therapy works.