Juniper Play Therapy

05/11/2025

In Play Therapy, the therapeutic relationship is the foundation for all meaningful change. Before strategies, goals or outcomes can be effective, a child must first feel safe, seen and accepted within a trusting relationship.

It’s through this consistent, attuned connection that children begin to explore, express and make sense of their inner world. The relationship becomes the secure base from which healing and growth can occur — at the child’s own pace, in their own way.

💚 At the heart of every Play Therapy session is the belief that connection comes before correction.

05/11/2025

Through play, children make sense of their world. They explore, re-enact, and reimagine their lived experiences — transforming confusing or overwhelming moments into something they can manage, understand, and even master.

In the playroom, a BAPT Registered Play Therapist®️ provides a safe and accepting space where this process can unfold naturally. Here, children are free to express, experiment, and problem-solve — finding new ways to cope, heal, and grow through the language they know best: play.

05/11/2025

Whether through music, movement, art, or storytelling — play is the language of childhood. It’s how children communicate, explore, and make sense of their inner and outer worlds.

In Play Therapy, this natural way of expressing is used therapeutically. Within a safe and consistent relationship, a child is given space to explore feelings and experiences symbolically through play — using toys, sand, puppets, art, or role play.

A BAPT Registered Play Therapist ®️ is specially trained to understand the meaning behind a child’s play and to respond in ways that help them process difficult emotions, build self-esteem, develop coping skills, and strengthen their ability to relate to others.

At its heart, Play Therapy embraces the child’s innate drive to experiment, take risks, and delight in the process itself — transforming creativity into healing.

05/11/2025

Play Therapy recognises exactly this.
Children’s play can often appear messy, chaotic or even confusing — but beneath it lies a profound process of communication and healing.

Through play, children express what they cannot yet put into words. A BAPT Registered Play Therapist ®️ provides the safe space, patience, and skilled attunement needed to help a child make sense of their experiences, regain control, and begin to heal.

True therapeutic play isn’t about directing a child — it’s about trusting them to lead their own process, at their own pace. That’s where growth happens. 💛

28/10/2025

From the very beginning of life, play is a child’s way of making sense of their experiences. Through play, children communicate feelings, explore relationships, and begin to process even the most complex emotions and events.

In the hands of a BAPT Registered Play Therapist®, play becomes much more than fun — it becomes a powerful medium for growth, recovery, and connection. Within the safety of the therapeutic relationship, children can express what words cannot yet capture. They can revisit difficult moments, experiment with new ways of being, and rediscover their capacity for joy, mastery and self-understanding.

💚 Play therapy honours the child’s natural language — meeting them exactly where they are, without expectation or judgment. Through self-directed play, children are gently supported to heal, strengthen their sense of self, and expand their ability to relate to others and to the world around them.

28/10/2025

In Play Therapy, children communicate their inner world not through words, but through play — the most natural and safe language they know.

Much of this processing happens unconsciously. Through metaphor, imagination, and symbolic play, children can explore experiences that might be too overwhelming to face directly. This creates a vital psychological distance, allowing them to process difficult feelings and experiences safely and at their own pace.

BAPT Registered Play Therapists® provide a secure, accepting space where children can express, make sense of, and begin to heal from what may once have felt unspeakable.

🧸 Play becomes the child’s language.
💬 The toys become their words.
🌱 And healing happens — one story, one moment of play at a time.

28/10/2025

Just as apples come in many varieties, every child is wonderfully unique — each with their own story, strengths, and needs.

In Play Therapy, we nurture that individuality. Through play, children can explore their inner world safely, develop emotional resilience, and find ways to grow and flourish — much like an apple tree thriving with care and patience.

On this National Apple Day, we celebrate the power of nurture — whether that’s tending to a tree or supporting a child’s emotional wellbeing through play. 🌳💚

23/10/2025

For many children, the world can feel unpredictable — adults make decisions, routines change, and experiences happen that can feel overwhelming or confusing.

In Play Therapy, children are offered a safe and consistent space where they are in charge. Within clear therapeutic boundaries, they can make choices, take the lead, and explore their inner world through play — their natural language of communication.

Through symbolic play, children begin to make sense of experiences that once felt beyond their control. They find new ways to express emotions, problem-solve, and rebuild a sense of safety and balance.

🎈 In the playroom, play is not “just play” — it’s healing, empowering, and deeply meaningful.

23/10/2025

06/10/2025

When students are outside their Window of Tolerance, they’re not choosing to misbehave, they’re stuck in a nervous system state of survival.

🌩 Fight/Flight = hyperarousal (big behaviors, explosive reactions).
☁️ Freeze = hypoarousal (shut down, disengaged).
🌈 The Window of Tolerance = where students feel safe, connected, and ready to learn.

Want to learn more? We will dive deeper in our next webinar on October 21. Sign up here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/_vLDevDkQgKWVB9J_hxgbQ

05/10/2025

Yes! TOTALLY AGREE SmallTalk Speech & Language Therapy 👏

Why connection matters more than compliance for Neurodivergent children in school

For many neurodivergent children, school can bring both opportunities and challenges. Too often, classrooms focus on compliance—sitting still, following instructions, fitting into a narrow mould—rather than connection. Yet, connection is what truly helps children feel safe, learn, and thrive.

Compliance: the traditional focus

Rules and routines help schools run smoothly. But when the emphasis is on compliance alone, neurodivergent children can be pressured to:

Sit quietly, even if movement helps them regulate.

Make eye contact, even if it feels uncomfortable.

Produce work on demand, even if anxiety blocks their words.

This can lead to masking, burnout, and a deep sense of being “wrong” for who they are.

Connection: The human foundation

Connection means seeing and valuing a child as they are. It creates trust, safety, and respect—the conditions every child needs before they can learn.

When children feel connected, they are calmer, more open to challenge, and more able to see school as a supportive place.

Why connection works better

Safety before learning – The brain learns best when it feels safe.

Trust builds resilience – Knowing an adult is on their side helps a child bounce back.

Respect fuels motivation – Being valued encourages children to engage authentically.

Authenticity lasts longer – Connection fosters lasting growth, not short-term compliance.

Small Shifts That Make a Big Difference

Listen before directing.

Adapt environments to meet sensory and communication needs.

Invest in relationships, not just routines.

Celebrate differences as strengths.

Compliance may bring short-term order, but connection builds lifelong confidence and learning. When schools put connection first, neurodivergent children don’t just cope—they truly thrive.

Because education should be about nurturing human beings, not just producing compliant students like the Victorians wanted to get us ready for the work-force! Let's move on