Inspire Play Therapy

03/05/2026

Grounding through play💜💚

Sometimes regulation doesn’t come from words ,it comes through the body, rhythm, and sensory experience. These simple, playful techniques create safe pathways for children to reconnect with themselves.

🫶 Finger taps – building focus and gentle rhythm
🐝 Humming – bringing awareness to internal vibrations
🦋 Butterfly taps – offering soothing bilateral movement
👏 Clap patterns – encouraging connection, timing, and co-regulation
🐉 Dragon breaths – releasing energy in a powerful, imaginative way
🌈 Rainbow breaths – slowing everything down with visualised calm

In the playroom, these aren’t just activities ,they’re invitations. Invitations to feel, to notice, to regulate.💜💚

Follow your child’s lead. Let it be messy, playful, and theirs.💚💜

Because regulation learned through play is regulation that lasts 💚💜

TherapeuticPlay

30/04/2026

26/04/2026

What is play therapy, really?

It is not about making a child talk. And it is not about fixing who they are.

It is about creating enough safety for a child to begin making sense of what feels confusing, overwhelming, or heavy.

Sometimes children show us they are struggling through behaviour. Sometimes through withdrawal. Sometimes through big emotions that seem to come from nowhere.
Play gives them a way to explore those experiences in a way that feels natural and manageable.

Over time, when a child feels understood, confidence grows. And when confidence grows, change follows.

If you have been quietly wondering whether your child might benefit from extra support, you are welcome to get in touch to explore whether play therapy feels like the right fit.


💜💚

22/04/2026

19/04/2026

A lovely moment from group supervision with the Play Therapy, certificate cohort from this weekend at the Crowne Plaza Belfast 💚

In the spirit of play therapy, we began with a simple scribble… one line, freely offered, and then passed on for another supervisee to continue. What emerged was something none of us could have created alone , a shared piece, shaped by curiosity, trust, and connection.

It felt like such a fitting reflection of group supervision itself: each of us bringing our own perspective, gently building on one another’s thoughts, and allowing something meaningful to unfold in a safe, creative space.

Thank you to all my supervisee students for your openness, your presence, and for allowing me to share this moment 💜

If you’re interested in supervision or would like more information, feel free to get in touch:
📧 avrilgallagherplaytherapy@gmail.com

15/04/2026

Sometimes the heart speaks in ways words can’t reach.
Feelings don’t always come out as sentences—they show up in play, in imagination, in the quiet moments where a child builds, breaks, creates, and rebuilds again. In play therapy, the heart finds its language. A story with toys, a drawing, a game—these become the bridges between what is felt and what can be understood.

11/04/2026

💜When your child is dysregulated, try a soft, steady “eee” sound as you breathe out.
💚Keep your tone calm and slow to help co-regulate with them.
💜Don’t force it, let them hear and feel your rhythm first.
💚Many children will naturally join in through play or imitation.
💜With practice, this shared “eee” sound can support their own self-regulation.
regulation

08/04/2026

Co-regulation is the foundation of how children learn to manage big feelings. Before they can self-regulate, they need a calm, connected adult to help them feel safe and understood. Through tone of voice, body language, and presence, we “lend” our regulation to them.

Simple co-regulation strategies include slowing your breathing, getting down to the child’s level, using a warm and steady voice, naming feelings, and offering gentle reassurance. It’s not about fixing the feeling, it’s about being with them in it. Over time, these shared moments build the child’s ability to regulate on their own.💜💚

-regulation

04/04/2026

Easter can bring excitement, sugar highs, family gatherings, and changes in routine.

For children, that’s a lot to process.
Play gives them a safe way to make sense of it all.

You don’t need elaborate plans.
You don’t need perfect crafts.
You just need moments of connection.

Try one of these ideas and notice what comes up.
Often the most meaningful conversations happen when we’re not sitting face to face but playing side by side.

Save this for the holidays 🤍

01/04/2026

When a child says “I don’t know,”
it’s rarely the end of the conversation.

It’s often the beginning.

Instead of repeating the question, try:

• “I wonder if it felt tricky?”
• “Was it a little bit annoying… or a lot?”
• “Show me with your hands how big it felt.”
• “Would you like to draw it instead?”

Children process through play before they process through language.

If talking isn’t working, shift the medium.
Play opens doors that pressure closes.

Save this for later 🤍



💜💚

29/03/2026

Time looks different in the playroom. ⏳✨
In play therapy, a child isn’t rushing to meet deadlines or explain their feelings in words. Instead, they move at the pace of their own inner world—where a minute can hold a whole story, and repetition isn’t “wasting time,” but healing in motion.

29/03/2026

🧱 Using LEGO in Adult Play Therapy Group Supervision

Today in group supervision, we stepped away from words and into play.

Using LEGO, each therapist was invited to build a scene that represented their current work with a client ,not to explain it, but to see it. What emerged was powerful:

💚Unspoken dynamics became visible
💜Emotional connection took shape
💚Inner blocks and parallel processes appeared in metaphor

As a supervisor, I held the space with curiosity rather than interpretation ,trusting the process, much like in non-directive play therapy.

We noticed:
💚How quickly adults access symbolic thinking through play
💜How the hands can express what the mind can’t yet say
💚How group witnessing deepens insight without needing to “fix”

LEGO became the language of reflection ,offering a gentle, creative way to explore complexity, countertransference, and therapeutic relationship patterns.

Play isn’t just for children.
It’s where meaning lives.

📩 For individual supervision enquiries: avrilgallagherplaytherapy@gmail.com

TherapistGrowth