Northern Play Therapy

12/29/2025

🌿 Now Offering EMDR Intensives with Christine! 🌿

Christine is a Certified EMDR Therapist who works with adults and now offers EMDR intensives—powerful sessions that help your brain process trauma, stress, and overwhelming experiences at a neurological level.

EMDR intensives are appropriate for adults experiencing trauma, chronic stress, anxiety, or feeling “stuck” in talk therapy. They’re also helpful for parents managing ongoing stress related to their child’s behaviors, health challenges, or other family demands.

Intensives can be scheduled as half-day or full-day sessions, over one day or multiple days, tailored to your needs and goals for faster, deeper transformation.

📩 Message us to see if an EMDR intensive is right for you!

11/19/2025

🌿 We’re thrilled to welcome Sarah Wise, OT, to Northern Play Therapy! 🌿

We’re excited to share that Sarah Wise, Occupational Therapist, has joined our team!

Sarah was born and raised right here in Sudbury, and she’s passionate about supporting children, families, and young adults in our community. She helps clients find fun, practical, and meaningful ways to feel more regulated, confident, and connected.

Sarah’s approach looks beyond behaviours to understand what’s happening in the nervous system—including sensory processing, retained primitive reflexes, co-regulation, attachment needs, and the incredible power of play.

She brings advanced training to our team, including:
✨ Certification in the Safe and Sound Protocol
✨ Training and supervision in Internal Family Systems (IFS)
✨ Training in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP)
✨ Ongoing training in nature-based therapy and dolphin vagus nerve neurostimulation

We’re so excited for the families we support to benefit from Sarah’s knowledge, warmth, and holistic perspective.

💛 To learn more or make a referral, visit our website or send us a message anytime!

11/11/2025

🌿 Now Offering Occupational Therapy! 🌿

We’re so excited to share that we’re now offering Occupational Therapy (OT) for children!

OT helps kids understand and regulate their bodies, emotions, and sensory experiences — building the foundation for focus, confidence, and emotional balance. It can be especially supportive for children who experience big feelings, sensory sensitivities, attention challenges, anxiety, trauma, or attachment disruptions.

Our OT uses an integrated, play-based approach, blending occupational therapy strategies with psychotherapy. This helps children feel safe in their bodies, strengthen emotional regulation, and develop the skills they need to thrive in everyday life.

💛 Supporting children from the inside out — body, mind, and heart.

📞 Contact us today to learn more or schedule an appointment! 705-408-2709 or info@northernplaytherapy.ca

09/13/2025

💬 Mistakes are Learning 💬

Spilled milk. Shoes on the wrong feet. A buttoned-up shirt that’s a little crooked.
It can feel quicker to step in — but mistakes are some of the best teachers. Every “oops” is a chance for your child to practice resilience, problem-solving, and self-confidence.

💡 And here’s the bonus: mistakes also help build impulse control. When children slow down, try again, or resist the urge to give up, they’re strengthening their ability to pause and persist — the very skills they’ll use to manage big emotions and choices later in life.
👉 Instead of fixing it for them, try saying:
“You worked so hard on that. Want to try again or leave it as is?”
✨ Messy attempts aren’t setbacks — they’re building blocks for both independence and self-control.

09/09/2025

🌟 Choices Build Self-Control 🌟

When children are given choices, they’re not just practicing independence — they’re building the skills that support impulse control.
💡 Why choices matter:
• Choices invite kids to pause and think before acting.
• They practice considering options and making decisions.
• Even small choices strengthen the brain’s “self-control muscle.”
👉 Try offering simple, structured choices:
• “Do you want the red cup or the blue cup?”
• “Would you like to do homework before or after dinner?”
• “Do you want to walk or skip to the car?”

These moments of decision-making may feel small, but over time they teach children to pause, reflect, and choose — the very foundation of impulse control.

Each choice builds confidence and a sense of control. Over time, those small choices grow into independence and problem-solving.

✨ Pro tip: Two options is enough — it gives freedom without overload.

09/02/2025

🌟 Connection Before Correction 🌟

When kids act out, it’s tempting to go straight to correction. But here’s the truth: children learn self-control best when they first feel connected.

💛 When your child feels safe, seen, and understood, their brain is calmer and more open to learning.
🧠 Connection activates the parts of the brain that build impulse control – the “pause and think” muscle.
👩‍👧 Correcting without connection often leads to resistance or shutdown, while connection creates cooperation and growth.

✨ Next time your child is struggling, try:

Getting down on their level and making eye contact

A gentle touch on the shoulder

Saying, “I see you’re upset” before giving instructions

These small moments of connection don’t just calm the storm — they teach your child the very skills they need to handle big feelings in the future.

08/27/2025

🌱 How Kids Grow Self-Control and Emotional Regulation

Children don’t just wake up one day knowing how to manage big feelings. They build these skills step by step, like climbing a staircase.

1️⃣ Safety & Trust Come First

When kids know their needs will be met and that adults will keep them safe, their brains relax. Trust lays the foundation.
👉 “My grown-ups will take care of me, even when I make mistakes.”

2️⃣ Trying Things on Their Own

With safety in place, kids start to explore and say, “I can do it myself!” They test independence in small, safe ways — choosing their clothes, pouring their juice, deciding what game to play.
👉 This builds confidence and a sense of capability.

3️⃣ Practicing the Pause & Making Choices

As children grow, they learn to pause before acting — sometimes with help from caregivers. They practice choosing: “Do I grab the toy, or do I wait my turn?”
👉 Each little choice is like a workout for the “self-control muscle.”

4️⃣ Handling Big Feelings

When kids have trust, independence, and practice making choices, they’re better able to manage frustration, anger, or sadness without exploding.
👉 This is when they begin to regulate emotions — using words, problem-solving, or calming strategies instead of acting out.

08/15/2025

🌱 New Series: Helping Kids with Big Behaviours

If your child struggles with big feelings, meltdowns, or impulse control—you’re not alone.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll share simple, practical strategies to help kids:
✅ Feel more secure and supported
✅ Build confidence through independence
✅ Strengthen their “stop and think” skills
✅ Handle frustration and other big emotions in healthier ways

We’ll break it down step-by-step—because managing big behaviours isn’t about “fixing” a child. It’s about helping their brain and body grow the skills they need, one layer at a time.

08/07/2025

📣 Is your child struggling with impulse control?

Big feelings can be overwhelming — for kids and their grown-ups.

At Northern Play Therapy, we help children and families build skills to manage emotions, reduce challenging behaviours, and feel more in control. Through play-based, evidence-informed therapy, we support kids with ADHD, anxiety, trauma, and more.

📍Located in Sudbury 📞 705-408-2709
📧 info@northernplaytherapy.ca | 🌐 www.northernplaytherapy.ca

➡️ Reach out today to learn how we can help.

Empowering Children Through Play

08/01/2025

Does your child struggle with impulse control?

Northern Play Therapy offers support for children and families through evidence-based, play-based approaches that help build self-regulation skills and confidence.

For more information or to register:
📞 705-408-2709
📧 info@northernplaytherapy.ca

07/28/2025

🧘‍♀️ Emotion Regulation Monday: Starfish Relaxation 🌟

Help your child find calm with this simple grounding activity:

🌊 Spread your fingers wide like a starfish.
🌬 Slowly trace each finger with your other hand, breathing in and out as you go.

This technique blends gentle touch with mindful breathing—helping kids slow down, feel safe, and settle their nervous systems.