Trauma can arise from a single event or repeated experiences and  resulting symptoms present in diverse ways. I work alongside clients in whatever way trauma is impacting by supporting them through creative means and/or talking, which can become transformative. 

Anxiety is the most common area that children and young people come to therapy with. Sometimes anxiety masks lots of other issues eg. school issues, anger, low sense of self, sleep, eating issues. I help clients to explore their anxiety outside the family. Children can feel fearful of sharing what's making them anxious. I support sharing what is worrying them and help them explore the impact of anxiety on their thoughts and bodies. This means they look at where their thoughts have spiralled to and explore strategies to help them regulate themselves. I also provide support to parents/guardians for their child or young person. 

The loss of family, friends or pets can be very difficult for anyone to cope with. It is important to take into consideration other factors in terms of how a child or young person perceives and understands death. Such factors include the client's age, stage of development and a family's belief system.

Family issues can include a new sibling, parental separation, dynamics between family members, blending of families. All of these can be difficult issues to manage within the family for a child or young person. I provide space beyond the family to share thoughts, explore feelings without judgement and make sense of what is happening within the family for them. 

My therapy approach is Humanistic, meaning I work in a non-directive way through Play Therapy. Humanistic principles are based on the theory of Carl Rogers which talks about three core conditions - non judgemental, authentic and empathetic. Although originally applied to adult work they are just as important in work with children and young people. 

In Play Therapy all materials such as sand and a range of miniatures, puppets, musical instruments, lego, sensory materials, games, dolls and a range of art materials are set out in the room beforehand. The client can explore any material they want for as long as they want. The idea is that when the client freely chooses they are making a free choice about what they want to explore and how they choose to use it. They may try just one thing in each session or maybe give everything a go.