The assessment session provides an important opportunity for us to explore your concerns and begin to understand your child's needs. As parents or carers, you will be warmly welcomed and supported throughout this conversation. Together, we will discuss the challenges your child is facing, any relevant background history, and what you hope to achieve through therapy.

For the child or young person, the session is designed to feel safe and engaging. A variety of either toys, art materials, or creative resources will be available to help them feel at ease. Through this process, we will begin to explore their own hopes, preferences, and goals—ensuring their voice is heard and respected from the very beginning.

Following the assessment, I will provide a professional recommendation on whether play and creative therapy is the most appropriate approach, or if an alternative form of support may be better suited to your child’s needs.

Once informed consent is given by you, and your child provides their assent, we can begin the therapeutic work.

Parents or caregivers are invited to attend the initial assessment or introductory session alongside their child. Following this, individual sessions will take place with the child or young person alone. This approach supports the development of a safe, confidential environment where they can freely explore their thoughts and emotions through the therapeutic process.

While some may choose to invite a parent into the final session, the therapy space typically becomes their own. To maintain a child/person-centred approach, it is important to allow them to decide whether they wish to share any aspects of their sessions. Respecting their autonomy in this way helps foster trust and emotional safety within the therapeutic relationship.

Parents and carers are an essential part of the therapeutic journey. Supporting your child by ensuring they attend sessions consistently and on time helps to establish a sense of routine and reinforces the value of their therapy.

While sessions are held one-to-one with your child to maintain a safe and confidential space, your involvement remains important throughout the process. I work collaboratively with parents and carers by offering regular review meetings, where we can openly discuss progress, challenges, and goals. This “one team” approach ensures that everyone is working together in support of your child’s wellbeing.

Therapy is most commonly delivered within your child’s school, offering a familiar and accessible environment. In some cases, however, sessions may be more appropriately held in the home setting, depending on the child’s individual needs. Alternatively, a private room at a local community centre may be arranged, subject to availability and an additional fee. The most suitable location for therapy will be discussed with you during the assessment meeting, ensuring that the chosen setting is safe, supportive, and best suited to helping your child achieve their therapeutic goals.

Therapy will be held in a confidential space that ensures privacy of the sessions on the same day and time each week. This helps to create consistency and continuity for your child as they know exactly when they will be having their therapy each week.  Each session will last approximately 45 minutes.

Carefully selected toys, role-play, sand, musical instruments and art materials are provided during each session to ensure that there are many ways that your child can explore their experiences and in a way that is significant to them as an individual. As after all ‘toys are the children’s words and play is their language.” (Landreth, 2002).

During play therapy boundaries will be discussed with your child to ensure safety is always maintained in the room.

My role centrally focuses on developing a trusting therapeutic relationship with the child by providing a warm, emphatic, accepting and safe space. Going at the child’s pace and letting them lead in the room is vital. This means that no expectations are imposed on them enabling them to freely express themselves by choosing what toys or materials to play with and how they wish to use them.  During the play therapy sessions, I will be reflecting and responding to my observations of the child’s play in a way that will help them to gain understanding about themselves and their world around them. Accepting and validating their feelings can also aid healing and help the child move forward in therapy.

Short term interventions will require a minimum of 12 sessions, after this a review consultation will occur on an on-going basis to determine the length of the therapy needed and whether a longer-term intervention would be most appropriate to support the child.

Review meetings will take place after the 6th – 8th session to discuss progress within therapy, challenges and strategies that can be implemented at home or at school. This enables a ‘one team’ approach to best support the needs of your child.

The child’s sessions are confidential which means that I would not be able to discuss what they have played with or what they have said in that time. Sharing the information would make the sessions not feel safe for the child and would limit how they might use future session to express themselves. However, at the review meetings themes of your child’s sessions can be discussed to provide some understanding and insight into how the intervention is progressing.

It is important to note that if I was ever concerned about something that your child has played out or verbalised that might compromise their safety, then I would have to speak to the appropriate person/s and/or authorities. In these circumstances I would let your child know and if appropriate discuss with parents/carers in the first instances.

Yes, a written report at the end of play therapy can be provided at an additional cost. This is strongly advised.