Professional, Tailored, Therapy
Therapy Services South West C.I.C, designed and tailored for you
Play Therapy
Play Therapy helps children understand muddled feelings and upsetting events that they have not had the chance to sort out properly. Rather than having to explain what is troubling them, as adult therapy usually expects, children use play to communicate at their own level and at their own pace, without feeling interrogated or threatened.
Play is vital to every child’s social, emotional, cognitive, physical, creative and language development. It helps make learning concrete for all children and young people including those for whom verbal communication may be difficult.
Play Therapy helps children in a variety of ways. Children receive emotional support and can learn to understand more about their own feelings and thoughts. Sometimes they may re-enact or play out traumatic or difficult life experiences in order to make sense of their past and cope better with their future. Children may also learn to manage relationships and conflicts in more appropriate ways.
The outcomes of Play Therapy may be general e.g. a reduction in anxiety and raised self-esteem, or more specific such as a change in behaviour and improved relations with family and friends.
Benefits of Play Therapy
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It helps the child- through play the child will often process their deepest unconscious emotions, enabling them to make sense of often harrowing experiences. Through this regular intervention a child can often undergo dramatic change as their behaviour alters and low self-esteem is often boosted.
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In many cases the process enables children to “find themselves” as they gain the ability to cope with their life and its challenges. Through play therapy the child can practice thinking differently, acting differently, being different. Achieving this healing so young is vital, helping not only to alleviate their immediate concerns, but delivering an enhanced likelihood of emotional stability into adulthood.
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It helps the child’s family and friends- play therapy’s potential to heal a young person can lead to stronger, more positive relationships with those around them, which further builds and reinforces their emotional wellbeing. The positive change in a perhaps previously behaviourally challenging child is welcomed by their peers and adults alike.
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At home- as the child develops through their therapy, the positivity they can gain from the sessions can lead to different behaviour which potentially strengthens family bonds, making for a calmer, more positive home environment.
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At school- the child’s increased self-esteem can enable them to interact differently with classmates and teachers. This can potentially enhance their social skills and confidence, as well as having a academic impact by improving concentration and focus, which builds more positive relationship with teachers and further increases their self-esteem.
Art Therapy
Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses the creative potential in children and teenagers to help them through challenging times in their lives. Art Therapy uses art making as another way of expression, to ‘get things out’ alongside talking. It aims to reduce distress, and improve social, emotional and mental health by promoting insight, self-compassion and a sense of agency and self worth.
Who Art Therapy Can Help
Art Therapy can be beneficial for people who find it challenging to express themselves verbally or who find it easier to express themselves with a pen and paper. Art Therapy can be a powerful and usually effective way of working with young people who have experienced or continue to experience hardship - whether historically they have experienced trauma, abuse, or neglect, or presently are experiencing a divorce, bereavement, bullying, arrival of a new sibling etc. Whatever it is that may be difficult to put into words, or even unimaginable in spoken language, could be expressed through art making.
Art therapy can help people at all ages and stages of life, including those whose life has been affected by difficult personal or cultural issues, illness, mental health issues and/or disability.
How It Works
You don’t have to be ‘good’ at art to benefit from art therapy. Sometimes people can feel unsure about when asked to engage with art making, but that can change as children get used to the process and understand that it isn’t about making ‘good art’. Children are naturally creative, and it is usually easier for them to draw a picture/make something as opposed to answering questions directly. They may be reluctant or hostile about discussing certain topics. Creating artwork is a non-threatening avenue that allows children to tackle tough issues in creative ways.
Teenagers can be more self-conscious about image-making and may be reluctant to
openly express themselves at first. Tactile materials - from executive toys to stress relieving
gadgets - are provided. These can support them to simply hang out, relax, and eventually
start playing and creating. In the Art Therapy room, image-making can be used differently
depending on the changing needs of the young person. Art has a natural cathartic element,
which by its very making can allow a release from pent-up and/or repressed emotions. The Art Therapy room is a world to escape into, away from the overwhelming stresses that daily living may entail.
Any art that is made in art therapy sessions is never judged, marked or shown to others to display. It becomes part of the clinical notes of therapy and is stored securely for the duration of the therapy sessions. It is up to each individual client which pieces, if any they would like to take with them at the end of therapy.
SandStory Therapy
SandStory Therapy® is a unique therapeutic approach which enables the child to tell their story in the sand.
SandStory Therapy provides a safe, creative and empowering space where clients can explore their stories, build resilience and move towards healing through symbolic expression and gentle narrative integration.
SandStory Therapy
SandStory Therapy® safely combines the therapeutic use of sand, water and symbols to enable the SandStory Therapist to fully support their client through their therapeutic journey.
SandStory Therapy® is unique in holding a safe and gentle space for the conscious to be curious and to communicate with your unconscious so that intuitive insights and significant shifts may take place.
It has been developed by the amazing Lara Kasza by combining the therapeutic use of SandTray Therapy and SandPlay Therapy with the expressive elements of storytelling.
SandStory Trays may be created through the client’s own ideas or the Therapist may offer suggestions in the form of therapeutic themes based on their knowledge of the client.
The length of the client’s therapeutic journey depends on the client and will be discussed with the client and their parent/carer if required.
Counselling
Counselling for children and young people provides a safe, supportive space where they can explore their feelings, experiences and challenges with a trained professional. Sessions are adapted to developmental stage, communication style and individual needs, helping young people express themselves in ways that feel natural — through talking, play, art, movement, story work or creative media.
Counselling
Therapeutic support helps children and adolescents make sense of emotions such as anxiety, sadness, anger or confusion, and offers practical strategies for coping with difficult situations at home, school or in relationships. Counselling also strengthens emotional literacy, resilience and self‑esteem, enabling young people to understand themselves better and feel more confident navigating the world around them.
For those experiencing trauma, loss, bullying, family change or mental health difficulties, counselling provides a consistent, non‑judgemental relationship where they can feel heard and understood. The process supports regulation, grounding and the development of healthy coping skills, while reducing shame and isolation.
Importantly, counselling recognises the wider systems influencing young people’s wellbeing. Therapists work collaboratively with families, schools and community networks to create environments that feel safer, more predictable and more supportive. This holistic approach helps young people build secure foundations for emotional growth, healthier relationships and improved long‑term wellbeing.
