HeartSmart Counselling and Play Therapy

30/05/2026

I’m at Madgeston Animal farm tomorrow/Sunday 31st May for ‘Junk to Genius’ scrap sculpture 10-3pm. Bring your children along to have fun with the animals, then head into the Barn for quieter making and creating. Time with an experienced creative arts and play therapist using art and craft to help your child develop their confidence and ‘can do’, focus and problem solving, patience and strategic thinking as well as independent decision making…. £10 a go for 45 minute session, small group.

22/11/2023

This is my definition. In each book I define trauma as an experience or repeated experience of: TERROR, POWERLESSNESS, OVERWHELM!
If you see that definition- it came from me and should be cited from one of my 8 books. This quote is from my 2021 book The Simple Guide to Collective Trauma is a neat definition! Shorter ones use those 3 words and are found in my other books. Other trauma specialists have slightly different definitions and this one is entirely mine. We all know each others!! It’s so important to know what trauma is in order to be able to help know how to rescue be impact of it!

21/11/2023

Such a vital understanding that changes so many conflict situations…

We found a highly recommended book on this topic. Beyond Behaviors: Using Brain Science and Compassion to Understand and Solve Children's Behavioral Challenges 👉https://amzn.to/3LOtUnf

No Bad Kids: Toddler Discipline Without Shame 👉https://amzn.to/3XiMRDW

Thank you! 🙏



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22/10/2023

“Play is a cultural universal that has served human development well for many thousands of years, helping children to make meaning, test hypotheses, think symbolically, build relationships, express ideas, and work through difficult feelings and experiences."

-Nancy Carlson-Paige

11/10/2023

This is why we need to lean into learning about trauma recovery. To be a safe practitioner you need to have wrestled with the neurobiology of all these areas and have been an empathetic witness to many on the road to recovery. All these areas can recover.

12/09/2023

So true, we are too keen to categorise and impatient to ‘fix/cure’…😞

What is the difference between a ‘standard’ child and a ‘complex’ child? Both children have suffered trauma, both children have resulting behavioural issues and psychological problems. Developmental trauma in fact. But the system we live and work in wants to categorise the children into ‘standard’ and ‘complex’. I don’t understand how on earth a child can be categorised by an external perception of the impact of trauma that child has suffered.

How do we know?

Perhaps a child is more compliant, creates ‘less work’? Optimistic claims may be made about the progress the child has made. Well this is likely true, (on that day), but we know that children in their recovery cycle, go backwards and forwards, up and down.

Therapeutic parents have to be ready for these changes. They have to understand the fear based behaviours and meet the child where they are.

Trauma is changeable, it grows and shrinks. There are no ‘standard’ children. There are no ‘complex’ children. There is just trauma, and trauma needs skilled therapeutic parenting.

When we categorise children, not only do we set them up to fail, we do a disservice to those caring for them too.

04/09/2023