Happy children in the sun. Together enjoying life. Finding their playfulness through group play therapy

The Playful Therapist....

Bringing

Playfulness

into your world

Here at The Playful Therapist, we are passionate about supporting children and young people to achieve their full potential.

One way we do this is by working with Schools to promotive positive mental health and wellbeing

Have a look at the services we can offer for your school. If you have any specific questions, feel free to get in touch

1:1 Play Therapy

Play Therapy aims to unlock the potential in children and help them make sense of their life experiences with increased confidence and self-esteem.

It helps children identify how to regulate emotionally, giving them psychological tools to cope with situations they have little or no control over.

It offers a structured, safe, consistent, and supportive environment, where the child will be given the opportunity, freedom and emotional security to express his/her feelings, and find ways to build upon their self-esteem

What does 1:1 Play Therapy look like for my school?

Play Therapy is a non-directive, creative intervention that provides the child with a safe space to explore their feelings. They are not required to 'talk through their experiences' like counselling techniques, but rather they 'play out' what is happening for them in their world.

I can see up to 4 pupils in a school day for a minimum of 12 weeks. Each child will be allocated a package of support which will include parent and teacher meetings (beginning and end), 45-minute play therapy sessions and a final report

INSET DAYS and TRAINING

We offer a variety of Training/INSET days for Schools across the school year and during School Holidays.

Our INSET days are developed and delivered by a qualified Play Therapist and are suitable for teachers and support staff.

SandStory Skills®

Our 2-day SandStory Skills training equips practitioners who are not therapeutically qualified with essential, safe, 'soft skills' to support the emotional wellbeing and personal development of children, young people or adults in their care

Introduction to Play Therapy

Our 2-hour creative training is the perfect introduction to Play Therapy. It explores what is Play Therapy, why Play Therapy is needed, the Play Therapy toolkit and ways the whole school can support this intervention

3 Secrets to Creating Contented Children in your Classroom

Our 2-hour creative training that will help school staff to build attachment in the classroom and become a more therapeutically minded school

Zentangle® for Staff Wellbeing

Our 6-week 'introduction to Zentangle' for school staff is a fantastic way of promoting positive mental health and wellbeing among the adults in your school. Each 1-hour class provides a practical and creative outlet for relieving stress and anxiety. Zentangle is an excellent self-care tool for our increasingly busy lives

LEGO® Therapy

LEGO® Therapy is a creative and unique approach that uses LEGO to promote communication, social and interaction skills among children and young people.

LEGO Therapy is a fun and engaging intervention. Benefits include:

Improves social and interaction skills

Promotes communication

Increases concentration and focus

Improves collaborative problem solving

Promotes turn-taking

Develops fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination

It is FUN!

What does LEGO Therapy look like for my school?

The sessions focus on freestyle and collaborative LEGO building projects, designed to encourage social skills and to develop problem-solving abilities. Each week the group will divide up organised tasks, so that every member is assigned a defined and interactive role. Children work as a team, communicating together to build a shared project each week.

I can do 3 groups (approximatly 12 children per group) in a school day for 6 weeks. Each group will be allocated a package of support which will include teacher meetings (beginning and end), 1-hour group LEGO therapy sessions and a final group report

Group Play Therapy

Group Play Therapy supports small groups of children with similar difficulties to grow together through semi-structured, child-led therapeutic interventions in the presence of a trained Play Therapist

Within a Group Play Therapy intervention, the Therapist provides sensitive and effective support, allowing group dynamics to organically evolve, leading to further healing. Safety and confidentiality are assured, in order for the group to feel free to explore their feelings in a positive, non-judgemental environment

The group will work towards their therapeutic objective using a combination of games, creative activities, therapeutic storytelling, puppets, sand, messy play and role play. All activities are planned with group dynamics and referral criteria in mind.

What does Group Play Therapy look like for my school?

Group Play Therapy is an effective technique for 3-5 children who need a boost to their emotional health and well-being. Group themes could include; anxiety, low self-esteem, loss, difficulties with friendship, anger or separation anxiety.

I can do 3 groups in a school day for 6 - 8 weeks. Each group will be allocated a package of support which will include parent and teacher meetings (beginning and end), 1-hour group play therapy sessions and a final group report

Zentangle® Classes

Zentangle® is a relaxing, fun and easy drawing method where beautiful repetitive shapes, or ‘tangles’, are created by drawing dots, lines, curves, and other shapes, creating a sense of mindfulness, and relieving stress and anxiety.

The Zentangle method is especially beneficial for children as one of the key philosophies of the Zentangle method is 'no mistake.' Children are free to create their 'tangles' how they see fit and the meditative experience of 'tangling' allows for creativity to flow, even when children feel like they are not creative or artistic.

What does Zentangle Classes look like for my school?

Weekly Zentangle classes can be taught to small groups (especially beneficial for gifted and talented pupils), a whole class or as part of an after school or lunchtime club.

Classes are 1 - 1.5 hours in length and are booked as 6-week blocks. The first block of classes will focus on an introduction to Zentangle and will include all art materials.

Subsequent blocks could focus on more complex tangles, adding colour, using watercolours and/or guided meditative drawing.

Trampolining and

Rebound Therapy

Trampolining is a fantastic way of getting fit and having fun.

Rebound Therapy is an intensive technique that uses a trampoline to provide therapeutic exercises, skills and movement opportunities for children, young people and adults with additional needs and disabilities. It is a whole mind and body approach which uses a trampoline to provide an individualised programme to meet the needs of the user. It can:

Facilitate movement

Promote balance and spatial awareness

Improve fitness and/or exercise tolerance

Improve social and communication skills

Provide an outlet for hyperactivity

What does Trampolining and Rebound Therapy look like for my school?

Weekly Trampoline classes can be delivered to PE classes, GCSE tuition or lunchtime/after school clubs. Classes will follow the British Gymnastics Proficiency Award Scheme

Weekly 1:1 Rebound Therapy sessions provide a 30-minute tailored session for individual pupils with disabilities following the Rebound Therapy Winstrada programme

Contact us for a free 1-hour consultation to discuss how Trampolining and/or Rebound Therapy could be beneficial for your school

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