Art or play therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art media and/or creative play as a primary mode of expression and communication. Within this context, art/play is not used as diagnostic tool but rather as a medium to address emotional and behavioural issues which may be confusing and distressing.

Child art/play therapy offers a safe, creative, playful, explorative, expressive and therapeutic space for your child. The aim of our interventions is to help and support children process their feelings in the ways and pace that meets their needs and is most comfortable to them.

When adults process feelings, they tend to do so through speaking. Children learn about themselves and make sense of their world primarily through play and a physically embodied self-expression and exploration. Often children are naturally at a developmental stage when they simply don’t have the words to identify or express what they are experiencing. For example, they may say they have a tummy ache when they are sad. For this reason, we use play/art and imagery metaphors to contain and explore the feelings of the child, and to make emotions and ideas manageable in digestible, less scary ways.

In our therapy sessions, your child will be invited into a creative and trusted dialogue with the therapist. This may include making images with a variety of safe, non-toxic art materials, story making and telling, poetry writing, movement and dance, puppetry, a sand tray and other sensory toys. Children do not need to have any prior experience of these ways of playing; they will be supported in whatever they would like to try out.