Nurture Play Therapy

15/11/2025

🥁 Drumming in Play Therapy 🥁
�In play therapy, children and therapists can “chat” through drums — taking turns making rhythms and responding to each other. 💬🪘

This simple activity helps children learn to:
🌟 Listen and wait for their turn
🌟 Build patience and self-control
🌟 Practice the back-and-forth of real conversations

Drumming also gives children a safe way to release energy, express big feelings, and explore emotions — especially when words are hard to find. 💛

12/11/2025

✨ Have you been thinking about play therapy sessions to support your child?

10/11/2025

🌿 Exciting News! My New Website Is Live! 🌿

I’m so happy to share that the Nurture Play Therapy website is now up and running! 🎉

You can now find out more about how play therapy can support your child’s emotional wellbeing, what happens in sessions, and how I work with children to help them feel safe, understood, and empowered through play. 💛

👉 Take a look here:

https://www.nurtureplaytherapy.co.uk

I currently have limited availability for new clients, so if you feel play therapy could help your child, please get in touch — contact me using the contact button on my website, email, Facebook message or call so we can discuss your child’s needs and how I can support your family.

✨ Nurture Play Therapy — where every child’s story finds healing through play.

I’m Jessica Oliyide, a Certified Play Therapist based in Buntingford, Hertfordshire. I support children who are finding life a little tough — whether they’re feeling anxious, struggling with emotional regulation, lacking confidence or finding it difficult to process a traumatic experience I am...

05/11/2025

✨ Magic in the Forest ✨

On a recent trip to visit friends in Hampshire, we took our children on a beautiful autumn walk through the woods. Every few minutes an excited squeal from the children as they discovered one of the beautiful stones hidden by .

One stone showed this stunning mandala — a Jungian symbol of unity, self, and connection with the universe. 🌍

Mandalas often appear during play therapy sessions - in children’s art or symbolic play; offering a glimpse into their inner world and sense of self.

This special stone has found a home in my studio, where children now use it in the sand tray as part of their creative and healing play. 💛

04/11/2025

Yesterday, I visited the Every Pair Tells a Story silent protest at County Hall in Hertford.

Each pair of shoes in these photos represents the powerful story of a local child with special educational needs. Every one of these children deserves to have their story heard — and their needs met.
Access to education should never be something parents and carers have to fight for. Every child has the right to learn in a safe, inclusive, and nurturing environment where they can truly thrive.

As many of you know, I care for the most amazing little one with special educational needs. After months of emails, meetings, EHCP rewrites, and the support of some truly wonderful professionals, I’m happy to say that he is now thriving in specialist provision.
Too many parents who reach out to me are still battling through the realities of our broken SEND system, and my heart aches for them and their children. I will continue to advocate for all our children — and to walk beside their parents with compassion, understanding, and solidarity

17/10/2025

I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has reached out this week with enquiries about play therapy sessions for their children. 💛

The response has been truly overwhelming, and I feel both grateful and honoured to support such important work with these incredible young people.

Sessions officially begin in my studio on Wednesday, and I’m looking forward to welcoming children into the space and supporting them as they take the first steps on their healing journey.

14/10/2025

I will be open next week and can’t wait to start sessions with clients in my new studio next Wednesday.

If you feel play therapy could support your child please feel free to get in touch as I currently have a few slots available with no waiting list 😊

10/10/2025

For children, play is more than fun – it’s communication, expression, and healing.

This World Mental Health Day, we’re celebrating the power of play to support emotional wellbeing.

🎲 Play therapy helps children:
✨ Understand and express feelings
✨ Build confidence and resilience
✨ Develop emotional balance and self-awareness

When children play, they’re processing their world – one story, one feeling, one figure at a time.
Let’s keep making space for that healing language to be heard. 💙

Learn more about play therapy here: https://zurl.co/P2poo

08/10/2025

Nurture Play Therapy sessions allow children to explore their own creativity and express themselves using media such as: painting, drawing and crafting, clay, sand tray and miniatures, guided imagery and relaxation techniques, role play and puppetry, movement and music and other sensory activities.

07/10/2025

I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came to my studio launch event on Saturday.

Three years of late night assignment writing, weekends away from my family to complete my training, 200 clinical hours, building and decorating my studio and most importantly my own therapeutic journey have led to this point. It has been a rollercoaster but I know I have arrived at the place I am supposed to be and I can’t wait to support children on their own healing journeys.

I was overwhelmed by the turn out and truly felt the love and pride. Seeing some of my clients playing with their parents in my studio for the first time was amazing and friends I haven’t seen for years made a special effort to be there.

My kitchen looks like a beautiful florists and I will treasure the handmade gifts I received. From the bottom of my heart…thank you ❤️

06/10/2025

Welcome to Nurture Play Therapy!

Hi, I’m Jess and I support children to navigate their emotions and experiences. I work closely with parents, schools and other professionals and provide meaningful therapeutic support, tailored to meet the of each individual child.

Play therapy allows children to use toys and creative methods to learn about themselves and others and to express themselves in a way that aligns with their social, emotional, cognitive and developmental stage. Sometimes children find it difficult to communicate using words and play therapy allows them to express themselves in the ways that feel most comfortable and natural to them.

I am a mum and a foster carer and I have twenty years experience working with children. I started my career as a teacher in a large, multicultural primary school in East London and have also worked for a charity supporting vulnerable families. I trained as a foster carer during lockdown and our foster son’s resilience, determination and astonishing progress inspired me to become as a play therapist as he showed me the power of nurture and the difference it can make to a child:

I have worked as a play therapist in a local school for the last three years and I am excited to be opening my private practice in Buntingford. I am keen to offer my skills and experience to the local community and to support children with their mental health and wellbeing.

If you feel that your child could benefit from play therapy or if you would like further information please feel free to get in touch.

24/06/2025

I am very excited to announce that Nurture Play Therpay will be opening soon!!

My studio in Buntingford is almost finished and I will be sharing photos over the next few weeks. Please look out for details of my opening event and if you feel play therapy could support your child please feel free to message me .