Sessions are held at the same time each week for 40 minutes. I work using an Integrative Holistic Therapeutic Play approach within a safe confidential space. The play therapy toolkit is available consistently in each session, allowing children to choose from the mediums in the room and through metaphor and play explore the themes that were most pertinent to them, alongside the introduction of more directed interventions when appropriate.
The permissive free space is non-judgemental and allows a child to tap into the areas that may be affecting them such as trauma, unprocessed emotional experiences as well as an opportunity to revisit any areas of development that may have been missed. A child will be able to work at their own pace and explore narratives in the metaphor of play.
The relationship that develops between the child and therapist facilitates the child's ability to explore not only their thoughts and feelings but also their perception of relationships and life experiences. Children are given the opportunity to work through what they have experienced and are therefore able to release and control some of their memories stored in their bodies or deep in their subconscious. The amazing thing about play is that it allows communication to happen on an unconscious level so the child does not always need to understand what they have played, drawn or communicated but they will still be able to benefit from allowing those things to be expressed.
