Juniper Tree Therapy

18/09/2025

18/09/2025

We have the privilege of working with some truly incredible families and professionals; people who are not only supporting children with disabilities or Special Educational Needs, but often juggling their own mental health challenges too.

For families and professionals supporting children with complex needs, daily life can feel overwhelming, isolating, and sometimes frightening.

This September, during Su***de Awareness Month, we want to gently remind you: you are not alone. If you're finding things tough, or you're worried about someone else, Samaritans offers free, confidential support 24/7.

It’s okay to ask for help - and it’s just as important to care for your own needs as it is to care for your child’s

***deAwarenessMonth

17/09/2025

📢 Have your say – Parent Carer Survey on SEND in Mainstream Settings

Leeds City Council wants to hear from parent carers about your experiences of support for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in mainstream educational settings.

Your feedback will:
✔️ Show what’s working well
✔️ Highlight where improvements are needed
✔️ Help shape the new Inclusive Mainstream Practice Guidance

This survey will be repeated annually to measure progress and impact.

📝 Takes around 5 minutes
📅 Closes Friday 10th October 2025
👉 Take part here: https://surveys.leeds.gov.uk/s/F0OZJ4/

Please share with other parent carers – every voice matters 💙

16/09/2025

Happy birthday to our amazing OT Rachel! We hope you have a lovely day! 🍰🎂🧁

15/09/2025

15/09/2025

We love connecting through training, workshops, and Coffee Mornings ☕ As Occupational Therapists, we're passionate about sharing our knowledge of and .

When families and professionals come together, we each bring a unique piece of the puzzle 🧩—and that’s when meaningful, lasting change can happen.

Keep an eye out for our upcoming events—we’d love for you to join us!

12/09/2025

We’re at the end of our first full week this week- we hope you and your children have all enjoyed reconnecting back with schools this year. If you haven’t- don’t worry, you’re not alone 🤍

If you have tired/ overwhelmed children, see if any of these might help!
⭐ slowing down routines and recuperating over the weekend. Keep it simple!
⭐️ getting outside and going for a walk is always such a lovely way to recharge as a family. It can help to calm us if we’re feeling agitated, or alert us if we’re feeling overwhelmed- it can help everyone in different ways!
⭐️ think of different things to do to nourish yourselves with extra regulation this weekend (yes you parents too!)- have an extra warm bubble bath 🛀, get some old pots and pans and make some mud pies 🥧, get out for a run round the block 🏃🏾‍♂️
⭐️ if your child enjoys novelty, find small ways to have a little treat to share together- a hot chocolate, a ‘lounge floor’ picnic, a new den under your dining room table

Let us know what else you do on weekends to help your family connect and explore!

10/09/2025

We couldn’t be happier to share our Charity Partnership with the incredible Little Hiccups

We have seen the amazing work they do across Leeds, and had the joy of meeting many of the wonderful families who find support, friendship, and belonging in their community. We hope to celebrate the highs, support through the lows, and be a part of everything in between.

Please go to Little Hiccups blog to read more about what our partnership means 🤍

https://www.littlehiccups.co.uk/a-new-chapter-of-support-little-hiccups-welcomes-juniper-tree-therapy-as-charity-partner/

08/09/2025

We are so pleased to be getting back into the flow of the school term. As your children from your family or class adjust back to the routine, we’re really having a focus on embedding PLAY!

When we are actively interested and motivated in what we’re doing, our brain lights up with activity, forging new neural pathways 🧠⚡️

At home and school, we want to try and help you find ways to embed play within your day, to maximise your child’s developmental opportunities.

⚡️For example, struggling to encourage your child to do spelling tests? Cut out all the letters of the alphabet, hide them around the sofa, and ask them to climb and explore to find the letters they need for a word!
⚡️ Finding it tricky to encourage your child to brush their teeth? Have them find a hiding place and each time you find them brush for 10 seconds before going somewhere else
⚡️ Experiencing frustration putting their school coat on? Get some spares from a charity shop that they can use as fancy dress, with BIG buttons to help with looking and practicing!

Almost always as Paediatric Occupational Therapists, our solutions are going to be about embedding play into daily life.

Share any other tips that you have with us for fun ways to use play in school or home life!

04/09/2025

After months of campaigning by Adoption UK with others in the sector alongside thousands of families, we warmly welcome confirmation by the Children’s Minister that the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) will continue for 2026/27. We await clarity on the details. We have fought hard for public consultation about reforms to the Fund and are pleased to see the Minister commit to this in today’s statement. It is crucial that reforms are in the best interests of adopted children, that the impact of this year’s cuts are carefully considered, that consultation is thorough and reforms not rushed through. https://ow.ly/teJi50WR97N

04/09/2025

OT Amelia's top tip for dealing with routine changes is to focus on bedtimes! 🛏️

Sleep is essential for ALL of us - for our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Some helpful ideas might be;

1🌙. Try and reduce lighting on a night, using lamps and drawing curtains

2🌙. Try and keep nighttime routines the same each night, so everyone can get a sense of predictability

3🌙. Consider trying to involve the whole family in clearing up after the day, so that there's not lots to sort out late into the evening! See who can help with washing up, sweeping - or very simple tasks such as putting cutlery back on the plate after eating!

4🌙. Get everything ready for the following day - together as a family if you can. School uniform ready, book bag by the door, you could even get your breakfast bowls out to save some time the following morning!

Don't forget the famous quote....

“Parenting sleep: It’s like regular sleep, but without the sleep” – Unknown

😜😴

01/09/2025

2025 Academic Year, lets go!

Our annual calendar follows the rhythm of the school year - so for us, this is like our New Years Day! 😆🎉

This is a lovely juncture to take stock, and choose some priorities for the coming school year for your family. It might involve keeping going with things that are working well, trying to introduce more things that could be helpful, or even reducing things which don't align with your priorities.

You can even set some super simple goals in your phone or in a diary for this year, and use the end of each term to review and adapt these.

Reach out to us if you need an to help you to meet your family goals. We're looking forward to collaborating with the fantastic schools we support, re-connecting with our families, and meeting lots of new children this year.

First thing on our list today... providing some refresher training for all the brilliant Teaching Assistants who use our rooms for students in schools! ✅