Woven Roots Therapeutic Practice

28/03/2026

A beautiful quote to pause with…
to let percolate, simmer, and quietly stay with you.🌱✨

28/03/2026

Pride is not always an easy emotion for children to access or tolerate—especially for care experienced children.

For many of the children I work with, pride doesn’t land as something warm or safe. Instead, it can feel exposing, uncomfortable, or even quickly followed by shame. You might notice it being dismissed (“that doesn’t count”), rejected, or experienced as patronising—even when it’s offered gently and authentically.

This often links to deeper internal scripts shaped by early relational experiences:
• “I’m not good enough”
• “I’ll get it wrong”
• “Something bad will follow if I feel good about myself”

So when a child begins to:
• tolerate positive reflection
• stay with a sense of “I did that well”
• feel pride without immediately pushing it away

this is significant emotional work.

In the playroom, this might look like:
• a child cautiously accepting a reflection instead of rejecting it
• showing pride after repair (“I said sorry”)
• allowing themselves to feel good, even briefly

These moments can be small, but they are meaningful indicators of change.

As therapists, part of our role is to:
• offer consistent, grounded reflections
• not overinflate or withdraw
• stay with the child even when pride feels uncomfortable or is rejected

Over time, this helps expand the child’s window of tolerance—not just for difficult emotions, but for positive ones too.

And often, with care experienced children, we see this more pronouncedly. Their early experiences may not have provided safe or consistent mirroring of pride, making it something that has to be learned—slowly, relationally, and through experience.

Pride, in this context, isn’t just about confidence.

It’s about safety in being seen.

22/03/2026

There’s been a lot of conversation recently about how hard it is to focus— and it makes sense in the world we’re living in.

But I came across some interesting research from The Queen’s Reading Room that offers a helpful reminder of what reading can actually do for us.

Just five minutes of reading was linked to a reduction in stress of nearly 20%. Focus improved too — by around 11%. What stood out most to me though was the relational aspect… reading, particularly fiction, was associated with a decrease in feelings of loneliness and an increased sense of connection.

That’s something we don’t often talk about.

In a time where so much of our attention is pulled in fragmented directions, reading asks something different of us. It invites us into a slower, more immersive experience — one where the nervous system can begin to settle, where imagination comes online, and where we can step into another perspective without pressure.

From a therapeutic lens, that makes a lot of sense.

Stories allow us to process emotion at a safe distance. They offer symbolic language for things that can feel hard to articulate directly. They create a bridge between inner experience and the outside world.

It’s also worth noting — this research is early-stage and was commissioned by a charity, so it’s not definitive science. But it aligns with what many of us see in practice and experience personally.

So maybe the question isn’t “why can’t we focus on books anymore?”
Maybe it’s “what conditions help us return to them?”

Not pressure. Not shoulds.
Just the right book, at the right time.📚

Read more here:

Her Majesty Queen Camilla

17/03/2026

✨ ADHD, Camouflaging, and the Girls We Meet in the Playroom

There is a growing understanding that many neurodivergent girls don’t always look like we expect.

Instead of being visibly impulsive or disruptive, they are often:
🌿 adapting
🌿 attuning
🌿 working hard to stay connected and accepted

This is often described as camouflaging — using strategies to mask or compensate for differences in order to meet social expectations 

🧠 A neurodiversity-affirming reframe

Camouflaging is not a deficit.
It is a highly intelligent, relational adaptation.

A child’s nervous system is asking:
👉 “What do I need to do to belong here?”

And the child responds accordingly.

As Brené Brown reminds us:
“Fitting in is about assessing a situation and becoming who you need to be to be accepted.
Belonging, on the other hand, doesn’t require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are.”

🌊 When we view this through a trauma-informed lens

We might understand camouflaging as:
• A response to felt or anticipated relational threat
• A way of maintaining connection over authenticity
• A nervous system strategy rooted in safety, not performance

For some children, especially those who have experienced rupture, inconsistency, or misunderstanding,
being fully seen has not always felt safe.

🎭 How this can show up in the playroom

Not always as “ADHD” in the traditional sense, but as:
• Perfectionism or over-efforting
• Careful rule-following or compliance
• Social monitoring before engaging
• A split between inside feelings and outside presentation
• Emotional release once the holding becomes too much

💔 The hidden cost

Research suggests that long-term camouflaging can be linked to:
• Increased emotional distress
• Lower wellbeing
• A sense of disconnection from self 

Not because the child is “failing”…
but because they have been working so hard for so long.

🌱 The role of play therapy

Within a child-centred, relational space, we offer something different:

✨ A place where nothing needs to be hidden
✨ Where behaviour is understood as communication
✨ Where the child’s way of being is not corrected, but welcomed

We might gently communicate:

“You don’t have to work so hard to be accepted here.”
“All parts of you are allowed.”

Sometimes the child who appears “fine”
is the one doing the most invisible labour.

And sometimes, play becomes the first place
where that labour can be laid down.

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14/03/2026

As therapists, we are constantly attuned to proximity, body language, posture, and spatial positioning. These subtle relational signals can significantly influence how safe a child feels in the therapeutic space.

In Sarah Lathan’s book, she reflects on Dr Bruce Perry’s observations about proximity and distance, particularly his concept of the “intimacy barrier” for trauma-affected children.

She highlights research suggesting that typically developing children often experience intimate space within roughly 45 cm, but for children who have experienced trauma this space can expand to nearly a metre. When this boundary is crossed too quickly, it can lead to heightened arousal or even a kind of cognitive shut-down.

From a clinical perspective in the playroom, I often notice that small adjustments can make a meaningful difference:

• Sitting alongside a child in a parallel position rather than directly face-to-face can feel far less threatening.
• Getting down to the child’s physical level rather than standing over them.
• Ensuring we are not positioned as a barrier to the doorway, so the child still experiences freedom of movement.
• Being mindful that some children have become highly skilled at reading non-verbal cues as a survival strategy.
• Asking children where they would feel comfortable with me sitting or standing in the room.
• Offering gentle reflections about what we notice in their body language or energy.

These adjustments may seem small, but they communicate something essential:

You are safe. You have agency here. Your body’s signals matter.

Often, the therapeutic relationship is built through these non-verbal signals of safety long before deeper verbal processing begins.

The body notices first.

14/03/2026

🧠🧠 Could the colour of light support mental wellbeing?

Researchers in Norway are exploring how something as simple as the colour of indoor lighting may support people experiencing mental health difficulties.

Key insights from the research:

• Light plays an important role in regulating our circadian rhythm – the body’s internal 24-hour clock that influences sleep, energy, mood, and overall wellbeing. When these rhythms are disrupted, people may experience increased vulnerability to difficulties such as depression or emotional distress.

• In a psychiatric ward in Trondheim, evening lighting was designed to reduce blue wavelengths, shifting rooms to a softer amber tone. This type of light more closely mirrors the natural changes that occur at sunset and can help the body prepare for sleep.

• In a study involving 476 people receiving mental health care, those in the blue-reduced lighting environment showed greater improvements in wellbeing and fewer incidents of distress compared with those in standard lighting conditions.

• Because the change is built into the environment, people do not need to actively do anything for it to have an effect. The surroundings themselves begin to support the body’s natural rhythms.

• Researchers believe light may influence much more than sleep, including mood, alertness, and emotional regulation.

This research highlights something many therapists already observe: our environments matter. The sensory world around us—light, sound, rhythm, and safety cues—can quietly shape how our nervous systems settle, rest, and recover.

🔗 Read the full article:

A psychiatric unit in Norway has been testing its built-in lighting on conditions such as psychosis and depression

10/03/2026

One of the most reassuring insights from the science of attachment is that children do not need perfect parents.

In every relationship there will be moments of frustration, misunderstanding, distance, or disconnection. These experiences are a normal part of being human.

What matters most for children is something different: consistent care and the experience of repair.

When adults are able to come back after difficult moments — to reconnect, acknowledge feelings, and restore the relationship — children learn something incredibly important. They learn that relationships can stretch and wobble, but they can also be repaired.

Over time, these repeated experiences help children develop a deeper sense of safety and trust in relationships. This becomes the foundation for emotional regulation, resilience, and wellbeing across the lifespan.

In play therapy, we often support children and families within this relational space — helping children process experiences, strengthening connection, and creating opportunities for repair where it may have been difficult before.

If you’re interested in learning more about the science behind attachment, this article offers a thoughtful overview:

Science of attachment – Suzanne Zeedyk asks: Why does our culture still have such a poor appreciation of the impact of childhood experiences?

09/03/2026

“I think as a society, as a country, we have a big responsibility for supporting parents, for making sure that they do have the resources to support themselves and their children. And so that was a large part of why there was the emphasis on characteristics, in particular, on poverty for us, was to almost hold government accountable, that actually that is still an issue and that still needs to be supported.”

From Taking Action: Taking Action with the real David Cameron and Louise Marryat, Researcher, 5 Dec 2025
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/taking-action/id1829495392?i=1000739831261&r=626
This material may be protected by copyright.

Podcast Episode · Taking Action · 5 December 2025 · 33m

09/03/2026

As play therapists, we already know that our work is not just with the child in the room. We are working alongside parents, caregivers, and the wider family system.

What research like this offers is not a reminder of that reality, but a deepening of our understanding of the complexity parents are navigating every day.

A recent journal article exploring caregiver experiences in families of young autistic children highlights the significant role that sensory processing differences play in family life. 

The study found that 77% of young autistic children experienced sensory processing differences in at least one sensory area — including sound, touch, movement, visual stimulation, and multisensory environments. 
For many families, these sensory experiences shape everyday routines in ways that may not always be visible from the outside. Difficulties with sleep, food, movement, transitions, and emotional regulation can accumulate across the day and across environments.

The research also found that sensory processing differences, behavioural challenges, developmental differences associated with autism, and parental mental health together explained 63% of the caregiving load reported by parents. 

For practitioners, this kind of research adds important depth. It helps us see more clearly how the child’s sensory world and the parent’s emotional world are intertwined within the rhythms of daily life.

Parents are not simply managing behaviours.
They are often navigating:

• unpredictable sensory environments
• disrupted routines
• social misunderstanding from others
• emotional labour and advocacy
• ongoing adjustments to meet their child’s needs

Research like this helps to illuminate the relational and sensory ecology that families are holding.

In the playroom, we often witness the child’s inner experience expressed through play. At the same time, this work invites us to continue holding curiosity about the experiences unfolding beyond the playroom walls — in kitchens, bedrooms, school corridors, and car journeys.

Reference

Alkas Karaca, G. E., Karaca, M. A., Tekden, M., Akarsu, R., & Karacetin, G. (2026). Understanding caregiver burden in mothers of young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder: Role of the sensory profile. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 131, 202818. 

07/03/2026

🌿 Scotland’s ACEs Journey — a movement shaped across many sectors

This short presentation captures part of Scotland’s journey in developing trauma-informed awareness and practice.

What stands out is that this has not been the work of one profession alone. Over time, individuals across many different sectors have made a conscious effort to integrate trauma awareness into the way they work — from schools and health services to justice systems, dentistry, housing, and community organisations.

When you step back and look at the cumulative picture, it is quite inspiring.

Over the past two decades, Scotland has gradually built a national conversation about the long-term impact of children’s experiences and the importance of relationships in shaping health and wellbeing.

What the presentation shows so clearly is that change often happens through many small shifts occurring in parallel:

• schools rethinking behaviour as distress (Jenn Knussen) (Sarah Lathan)
• justice systems (Iain Smith)recognising the role of trauma in young people’s lives
• health services (embedding trauma training) Gwenne and Jennie
• community organisations building relational approaches
• even sectors like dentistry exploring how trauma affects patient care

When these shifts occur across multiple systems at once, the impact begins to become visible at a societal level.

It is encouraging to see how relational thinking and trauma awareness have gradually taken root across Scotland, reminding us that prevention, healing, and resilience are collective efforts.

There is still a long way to go in fully embedding these insights into systems, but it is inspiring and encouraging to see this overview of the journey so far.

As play therapists working in trauma-informed ways, we sit within this wider ecosystem of change. The playroom is often where children’s experiences are processed and understood, but the impact of that work grows when it connects with the systems around the child.

Continuing to build relationships across services, advocate for trauma-informed understanding, and support joined-up thinking between families, schools, health and community networks is part of how this wider momentum continues to grow.

This year – 2025 – is a significant one for Scotland. It marks 20 years since our country set out on an unexpected journey to engage with the science of Adve...

05/03/2026

🌿 ACEs and Attachment: Why Relationships Matter

A powerful insight emerging from research on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and attachment theory is that they are deeply connected. Both fields highlight a simple but profound truth:

Children develop best through warm, responsive relationships with adults.

The article by Suzanne Zeedyk and Simon Partridge traces how these two areas of science overlap and how Scotland has been engaging with this knowledge.

Some key points:

✨ ACEs research shows how early adversity affects lifelong health and wellbeing
Experiences such as abuse, neglect, domestic violence, or parental mental health difficulties can influence physical health, emotional regulation, and relationships across the lifespan.

✨ Attachment science explains why relationships are protective
Beginning with the work of John Bowlby, attachment theory shows that children need consistent, emotionally attuned caregivers in order to develop secure emotional foundations.

✨ ACEs and attachment share common language and ideas
Although they emerged decades apart (attachment theory in the 1930s and ACEs research in the 1990s), both emphasise the importance of safety, connection, and responsive caregiving.

✨ Scotland’s ACEs movement grew rapidly after 2017
There has been a national effort to bring trauma-informed understanding into education, health, social care, and community services.

✨ The core message is relational
The most powerful buffer against adversity is not programmes or policies alone — it is relationships with caring adults.

For those working with children, this research reinforces something many practitioners see daily:

Children grow, regulate, and heal within relationships that feel safe, predictable, and emotionally attuned.

📚 Zeedyk, S., & Partridge, S. (2023). The sciences of ACEs and attachment: Insights into their shared history in Scotland and beyond.

https://connectedbaby.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ACEs-Journey-Article-.pdf

05/03/2026

🌿 Scotland’s ACEs Journey: Why Early Experiences Matter

Over the past two decades, Scotland has seen a growing movement to understand the long-term impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) — difficult or traumatic experiences that occur in childhood such as abuse, neglect, domestic violence, parental addiction, or household instability.

The research behind ACEs shows something important:

Early experiences shape health, wellbeing, learning, and relationships across the lifespan.

But the message is not one of inevitability or damage. Instead, the work in Scotland has increasingly focused on prevention, healing, and relational support.

Key themes emerging from Scotland’s ACEs journey include:

✨ Relationships matter most
Emotionally attuned relationships with caregivers and trusted adults are one of the strongest protective factors for children.

✨ Trauma is not just psychological — it is biological and social
Early stress can shape brain development, stress regulation, and health outcomes across the life course.

✨ Communities and systems play a role
Schools, health services, social care, and community organisations all influence how children are supported.

✨ Understanding trauma changes how we respond to behaviour
Rather than asking “What is wrong with this child?” the trauma-informed shift invites us to ask
“What has this child experienced?”

✨ Prevention and early support matter
Supporting parents, strengthening families, and creating safe relational environments can reduce the impact of adversity.

For those of us working with children, this perspective reinforces something we often see every day:

Children heal through safe relationships, play, connection, and understanding.

The ACEs conversation in Scotland has helped move policy and practice toward a more trauma-informed, compassionate approach to supporting children and families.

And importantly, it reminds us that positive experiences can be just as powerful as adverse ones.