Nurtured Play Therapy Studio

02/06/2024

10/02/2024

Dr Naomi Rutten is not only one of the biggest legends I know, she is also a genuine expert in her field. She now offers some incredible online and in person content via Ducks in a Row Trainings. 🫶🏼

Parenting well is the toughest gig there is but you don’t have to do it alone 😞

Don’t miss out on this evening of fun and commiseration as you learn about the pitfalls and joys of parenting.

https://www.eventbookings.com/b/event/i-m-losing-my-ducks

28/04/2023

Imagine yourself as a person inside a house and you think about feelings as visitors or guests; are there some that you openly invite in (happiness, joy, love, wonder etc) and others (sadness, grief, anger, jealousy etc) that have the door slammed in their face? It’s hard sometimes to let those sneaky suckers in, because we are afraid they may move in 🏡😬

I’ve been thinking lately, wondering how can we help our kids to perceive ALL of their emotions as welcome, worthwhile and temporary?

Instead of approaching big or ‘uncomfortable’ feelings with resistance, how about we turn it around, and lean into them with curiosity…

TRY THIS 👉🏼

When these feelings show up for yourself, or your children, here are some questions we might ASK:

✨What is this feeling, can I label it?

✨What does this feeling want me/you to know?

✨What does it need right now?

When you 👉🏼

🔥Practise “being with” and alongside your child through big or uncomfortable emotions

Your child 👉🏼

🔥Learns that there is a full spectrum of emotions, that they are all normal, and they will pass

Simply by ‘being with’ your child and staying grounded while they navigate big feelings can support them to learn that it’s ok to welcome, acknowledge and explore that inner world, even when it makes them uncomfortable.

It’s shows them:

🫶🏼 They are safe, supported, understood and accepted, no matter what.

🫶🏼That uncomfortable feelings aren’t ‘bad’ and will dissipate when expressed and acknowledged

‘Being with’ your child when they are experiencing uncomfortable feelings will look different every time depending on their level of escalation.

Stay tuned for more on that soon ☺️

05/04/2023

Play therapy is backed by research as a developmentally appropriate method of supporting young children.

As adults, we can often forget how different a child’s lived experience (and way of communicating) is from ours. This has profound implications for how therapists choose to engage, assess and work with children in the mental health and counselling space.

Research has indicated the effectiveness of Play Therapy for children with a range of presenting issues, including behavioural disorders, psychosocial issues, physical and learning disabilities, and speech and language problems. Additionally, children experiencing anxiety, depression, abuse, domestic violence, grief and loss and stress have all demonstrated benefits from Play Therapy.

(Baggerly, Ray & Britton, 2010; Landreth et al., 2010)

29/03/2023

Musings about my experiences in motherhood and how it led me to Play Therapy ✨

06/03/2023

21/02/2023