Creative/Play Therapy for Children aged 7 years +
Who are we?
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We are experienced therapists who love working with children.
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We have a cosy, fully equipped therapy room just off Potters Bar High Street, Hertfordshire
Many of our therapists have experience working in the school environment so understand the pressures your young person faces.
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As parents ourselves we understand the difficulties home life and its ever-changing dynamics and challenges can have on young people
We have found that offering a private confidential environment on a regular basis gives the child or young person the space they need to explore and work through their experiences and any issues they may be facing without worrying about what others close to them may think or feel or how anyone may react.
We love a challenge and are used to working with difficult emotions, we pride ourselves in giving the unconditional acceptance every child deserves.
How does Creative/Play Therapy work?
Both creative and play therapy alongside talking therapy add another dimension to the work we do together, it may enable the exploration of experiences, thoughts, and feelings on a deeper level while maintaining a safe distance; talking has been known to recreate the traumatic experience, creative activities and play however offer a way to explore such events without the pressure of having to find the right words or to re-live the event.
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By reaching beyond the conscious level of imagination children can replay emotional experiences and begin to build resilience and confidence in life's challenges, they can express themselves without the need for words.
Through creative expression children can learn to manage emotions and communicate in a more positive way. Missed stages of development through illness, trauma, and/or adverse experiences such as neglect, abuse, anxiety, stress, lack of self-esteem or bullying, for example, can be re-revisited and gaps re-built through play and creative expression.
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What do we offer in our sessions?
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Our therapists will provide a selection of items to suit the age range of the child including toys, role-play items, books, clay, puppets, and creative art materials to enable children and young people to express themselves creatively, explore issues and experiences and work through them without the focus on finding words.
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An important factor is having a choice, they get to choose how they are and what they use and do in sessions.
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Items made in sessions can be stored safely and the client gets to keep them when therapy finishes.
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A sand tray may be offered if appropriate, this offers a powerful medium for the exploration of thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
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Therapeutic exercises may be offered to help with exploration and to aid understanding of anything the child may be struggling to express verbally.
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We believe that working collaboratively with parents to support their children is important when in therapy.
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We welcome communication from parents and are happy to help discuss ways for you to support your child.
According to Margot Sutherland
Conversations That Matter: Talking with Children and Teenagers in Ways That Help
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If we help children to talk about their feelings, we offer them a safe context in which to live their lives
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If we help children to talk, they will learn how to reflect on their feelings rather than ‘behave them’
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If we help children to talk, it will develop their brains as well as their minds
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If we help children to talk about their feelings, they will be far more able to manager stress well throughout their lives
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If we help children to talk about their feelings, they will develop a far more sophisticated language for their emotions
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If we help children to talk about their feelings, they will be able to ‘suffer well’
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Helping children to talk about feelings is about ‘opening up their capacity to take in comfort’
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If we help children to talk about their feelings, they develop insight and emotional awareness
