Individual play therapy
Individual play therapy is based in the playroom but older children often prefer a more creative therapy approach. It is a one-to-one therapeutic process where an individual is supported to express themselves through play and/or creativity in a safe, carefully prepared space. The playroom is intentionally set up with therapeutic toys and creative materials that allow the individual, whether child, young person or adult to communicate feelings, experiences, and needs without pressure to use words. With the therapist responsive to and providing consistent support, the individual can process emotions, build confidence, and develop healthier ways of coping.
Online Play or Creative therapy
Working online with individuals and families involves delivering therapeutic support through secure and confidential online video and messaging services like Teams, ensuring that meaningful emotional work can still take place even when sessions are not held in person. The therapist adapts a relational and creative approach to the online space, using play-based, conversational, and interactive methods to help individuals, particularly older children and teenagers express their feelings, explore experiences, and make sense of their world, while also supporting parents to feel more confident and grounded in how they respond to their child. This way of working can significantly reduce barriers to access, such as travel, time constraints, or anxiety around attending appointments, while still maintaining a strong therapeutic connection and consistent support. It also allows families to be supported within their own environment, which can offer valuable insight into real-life dynamics and challenges, and over time, it can help improve emotional regulation, strengthen communication, and build more secure and supportive family relationships.
Structure and Length of Young People’s Therapy
Overview of Therapy
• Sessions are typically held weekly
• Each session lasts approximately 50 minutes
• Therapy is child-led and developmentally appropriate
• Sessions may take place in a therapy room, confidential school room or similar space, online or outdoors.
A consistent time and space are important to support emotional safety, regulation, and progress.
Length of Support
Therapy is not a quick fix. Many children find it helpful to start with a set of sessions, often around 12 to 20, with regular reviews involving parents or carers, and sometimes school staff or other professionals, to see how things are going and decide whether sessions should continue, reduce, or stop. Some children may need fewer sessions, while others may benefit from continuing for longer. This depends on their individual needs, how they are progressing, and sometimes practical factors such as funding.
Structure of Therapy
A typical block of therapy begins with a 30-minute telephone conversation with parents or carers, followed by a face-to-face meeting with the therapist to explore concerns in more depth and agree the focus of support. This is then followed by an initial session with the child to understand their needs and begin building a safe therapeutic relationship.
After this, therapy moves into a steady rhythm of around 5 sessions with the child, followed by a review with parents or carers to reflect on progress and agree next steps. This pattern continues for as long as therapy is needed, usually around 12 to 20 sessions or longer, depending on the child’s needs and progress.
At the end of a block of therapy, a written report is provided, summarising the work, progress made, and any recommendations going forward.
Throughout the process, supporting consistency between home and school is important, and the therapist may liaise with or work alongside school staff to support understanding and continuity across environments.
Parent and Carer Involvement
Parents and carers are a central part of the therapeutic process and are actively included throughout the work.
This support includes:
• An initial consultation to understand the child’s needs, history, and current challenges • A detailed discussion at the start of therapy to agree on focus areas and expectations • Regular review meetings, including at the end to reflect on progress, themes, and changes observed over time
• Ongoing communication where appropriate to support a joined-up understanding around the child
Parents and carers are supported to better understand their child’s emotional experiences and behaviours, helping to strengthen consistency between home, school, and therapy settings.
Regular parental reviews are required when working with children and young people because family engagement is a crucial part of children’s therapy. I typically recommend one meeting before therapy commences, one every 5-6 sessions during therapy and one at therapy's conclusion.
Ending Therapy
Ending therapy is a planned and supported process.
• Endings are discussed in advance
• Children are prepared in a developmentally appropriate way
• A final review meeting is be offered
• A final written therapy report is provided at the end of therapy, summarising the work undertaken, progress made, and any ongoing recommendations where appropriate
This helps ensure a safe and meaningful transition to life without therapy.
Structure and Length of Adult’s Therapy
Through sandtray and creative work, adults can show how they feel without needing to find the right words. Therapy offers adults a safe way through thoughts and feelings using objects and images that stand for, or represent, what is happening inside their body, mind, emotions, and life experiences. This gentle, hands-on approach can help people make sense of difficult experiences, understand themselves more deeply, and begin to feel more settled and in control within themselves.
Length of Support
Therapy is not a quick fix. Many adults find it helpful to begin with a structured block of support, often around 12 or 20 individual 50 minute therapy sessions. This provides enough consistency and depth to begin understanding patterns, experiences, and emotional responses, while also allowing space for change to take place over time. Regular reviews are built into the process, sometimes involving agreed check ins to reflect on progress and decide together whether sessions should continue, reduce in frequency, or come to a planned ending. Some adults may need fewer sessions, while others may benefit from longer term support. This depends on individual needs, goals, and life circumstances.
A typical therapy journey begins with an initial assessment session, where we explore current difficulties, personal history where relevant, and what you would like to focus on in therapy. This is followed by a clear agreement on how we will work together, including pace, boundaries, and areas of focus.
Therapy then moves into a steady rhythm of weekly 50 minute individual sessions. This space is used to explore thoughts, emotions, relational patterns, and lived experiences at a pace that feels safe and manageable. Over time, this can support deeper insight, emotional regulation, and meaningful change.