Welcome to Pathways Play Therapy

Welcome to Pathways!  I have always dreamt of setting up a business where I can help children to live their best lives.Pathways has grown from the development over time of this core passion. With years of experience of children with additional needs in schools, it became evident that many vulnerable children were not having their basic emotional needs met and I decided to train as a therapist. In the years I have worked in this field since, I have developed a strong, underlying belief in the effectiveness of play therapy as a tool to support and develop positive emotional lives for children. Done well, this therapy facilitates children's exploration of memories, feelings, dreams and worries and promotes personal expression, builds confidence and resilience and enables children to overcome immense challenges. To support vulnerable children within a therapeutic relationship is something I feel privileged to be able to do.  In addition to this, I work within a professional framework underpinned with clinical supervision, ongoing training and validation that enables effective support of children on their pathway to growth and healing. So, read on if you know a child who needs help.

Services

Individual Play Therapy

The most effective interventions involve an agreed number of sessions of therapy in order to allow a build up of trust for the client with the therapist. Sessions take place in a familiar but confidential space where children build towards constructing their own play. The therapeutic relationship fosters emotional expression for the client with a focus on self-expression, coping skills, the development of resilience and greater confidence for personal growth.

School Links

Progress can often be more effective when using a confidential space within the child's school. This familiarity helps to strengthen confidence and security for individual clients and their families. It can also promote wider school relationships and communication between key adults  together to form a clearer picture and to benefit the child.

Parent Consultations

The sharing of important information which impacts on the child is highly beneficial and underpins an effective intervention.  Confidentiality is essential but to understand a child's lived experience in order to help in the most informed way is vital too. Supporting across families/ schools with shared knowledge and tools to support a child's well-being has a far greater impact for good.

Frequently Asked Questions

What age range do you work with?

Children aged 5-12 years are the clients who benefit best from this type of therapy. 

How long are therapy sessions?

Therapy sessions typically last 40+ minutes. The confidential space, often located within the child's school, will be timetabled for 60 minutes to allow the setting up of the resources in the play therapy kit beforehand and for tidying up after. Therapists will record anonymised notes to support next steps for each child and will hold reviews with parents, carers and/or the nominated school staff member without breaching child/therapist confidentiality.

Do you offer virtual sessions?

Virtual consultations and meetings with key adults around the child are routinely organised with Pathways at key times. These might include meetings for information sharing before therapy commences, to review a series of sessions or if key changes need to be discussed.

Virtual therapy sessions are not appropriate for clients/children as adult-client trust is built up much more quickly in a face to face therapeutic relationship. Children need to personally experience and interact with whichever elements of the toolkit that help them to express their feelings best.

 

Parents/ carers comments:

'He was never able to control himself before.. he's just increased in confidence so much.'

    'I have seen her grow and develop and I'm so delighted for her and so pleased we did it.'                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    'We are working back as a family now. Thank you for everything you have done to help.'

 

Contact 

Contact today to schedule a consultation and start your child's journey to healing.

Pathways

Pathways Play Therapy is a Play and Art Therapy service in Chester, United Kingdom, dedicated to helping children and their families overcome emotional challenges through the power of play. As an experienced practitioner, I am committed to providing compassionate and effective support to each client I work with.