Butterfly Dreams Play Therapy

14/09/2025

🦋 Some useful courses for anyone wanting to improve their understanding of neurodiversity 🦋

💡 Learn. Support. Empower. Neurodiversity Sessions Now Open!

Curious about neurodiversity? Want to better support neurodivergent colleagues, friends, or family?
Join our free* online workshops designed to deepen your understanding of neurodivergence and how to create inclusive environments.
Gain insights from people with lived experience.

🦋 Topics include:
Understanding Neurodivergence
ADHD & Tourette’s Syndrome
Autism Spectrum Condition
Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia & Dysgraphia

🕒 Choose a time that suits you:
Morning sessions: 10am – 12.30pm
Evening sessions: 6pm – 8.30pm
📲 Sign up now via our Adult Education portal: https://orlo.uk/UnderstandingNeurodiversityCourses_IiEKI
🔍 Tip: Once you're on the site, search keywords like neurodiversity, ADHD, or autism to find the right course. You can sign up for one or more sessions - whatever works for you.

Need to know more before you sign up?
☎️ 01452 583800
💻 megan.thoresson@gloucestershire.gov.uk

* Subject to eligibility. Get in touch for more info.

08/09/2025

🦋 Exciting Update 🦋

I’m delighted to share that I am now a qualified Paediatric First Aider 🌟

The safety and wellbeing of the children I work with is always my top priority. Completing this training means I am fully equipped to provide immediate care in the unlikely event of an emergency during sessions.

If you would like any further information on my services, please email me at carly@butterflydreamstherapy.co.uk 🦋

21/07/2025

Some lovely testimonials from some of the parents of my recent clients 🥰 🦋

08/07/2025

🦋Could your child benefit from Play Therapy? 🦋

I often have parents asking me if I think their child needs Play Therapy due to worrying behaviours they are noticing. If you have wondered whether this could be something that would help your child, but you're still not sure, here are some behaviours you may observe which could indicate that your child could benefit from some therapeutic support:

🦋 frequent emotional outbursts or meltdowns
🦋 trouble sleeping or nightmares
🦋 withdrawing from friends or family
🦋 refusal to go to school
🦋 difficulty with big changes, such as divorce, moving house, changing schools
🦋 anxiety or worries that don't go away
🦋 negative self-talk and low self-esteem

Just remember, you know your child better than anyone ❤️ if something feels 'off' or not quite right, and you find yourself feeling worried about their mental health, trust your gut and explore this 🩵💙💚

If you think your child may benefit from Play Therapy and you would like any further information about the services I provide, you can contact me on carly@butterflydreamstherapy.co.uk .

Photo by Jordan Whitt on Unsplash

15/05/2025

How can you support your child's mental health at home? Read on for some simple every day ways this can be done...

🦋 Help children to name and understand their emotions by using books about feelings and emotion charts. Encourage them to talk openly about these feelings with you.

🦋 Acknowledging what they feel will validate their feelings, but make sure you don't try to fix it for them! Instead of saying, "You don't need to be so angry," you can say, "I can see why that has made you feel so angry."

🦋 Instead of simply telling your child to calm down when they are feeling dysregulated, model emotional regulation to them and practice different calming techniques together such as deep breathing, stretching or using mindfulness apps like Headspace for Kids.

🦋 Talking about your own feelings and how you cope with those feelings is a good way to model self-care and mental health skills to your child. For example, explain to your child that you are going to take some deep breaths to calm yourself down when you feel angry.

🦋 Encourage your child to find different outlets to express themselves through, or to engage in their interests to support their mental health, for example drawing, listening to music, going for walks or riding their bike.

🦋 Ensure your child's routines are consistent and predictable to reduce anxiety levels.

🦋 Being emotionally available for your child is one of the most powerful ways you can support their mental health. Try and find some time each day where you can be present and give them your full attention without any distractions.

12/05/2025

Today marks the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 and the theme this year is 'Community'.

It is so important for our children's mental health and wellbeing to feel part of a safe and supportive community. Being part of a community in which your child feels they do not belong, or they do not feel safe in, can impact negatively on their emotions and mental health.

If your child is struggling with their mental health, play therapy is a powerful and developmentally appropriate approach to supporting them. They can naturally express themselves through play, without needing to understand what they are feeling or find the words to describe it.

Later this week, I will be sharing some tips on how you can support your child's mental health at home too. 🦋

28/04/2025

As school starts up again for the final term of the year, there will be be many children who are feeling anxious about the return. For some, this anxiety and fear may have become so bad that they are unable to attend school at all. This is a very insightful and thought provoking image which reminds us to think about what is going on beneath the surface and what could be causing this, rather than solely focusing on the behaviours being presented. All behaviour is a form of communication. What is your child trying to communicate? 🦋

What you see when a child struggles to attend school, is just the tip of the iceberg…

When a child struggles to attend school, the world often sees “bad parenting”, “school refusal”, or “attention seeking”.

But what lies beneath is so much deeper.
✨ Trauma.
✨ Overwhelm.
✨ Fear.
✨ A desperate need for connection.
✨ Anxiety that feels impossible to explain.

These children aren’t refusing school—they’re communicating distress in the only way they know how.

It’s time we stopped asking “what’s wrong with the child?" and started asking “what’s happened to the child?”

🎓 Our upcoming in-person School Avoidance workshop is now SOLD OUT. However, don't worry if you didn't secure a place - we have loads of resources all about school struggles on Sunshine Academy, our online learning platform.

It's just £10.99 a month and there's no minimum subscription term.

Sign up now at www.sunshine-academy.co.uk

11/04/2025

🎉The Big Announcement! 🎉

This year marks 5 amazing years of PEAK – five years of empowering and supporting hundreds of incredible children, young people and their families/carers across the county and nation! 💙

To celebrate, we’re throwing the biggest, most exciting event of the summer…
🌟 PEAK DAY 🌟

📅 Save the date SATURDAY 5th JULY and mark your calendars now – you won't want to miss this!

✨ A day packed with fun, food, entertainment, animals, activities, and so much more!

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be announcing all the brilliant stalls, entertainers, food vendors, and partnering organisations taking part in this incredible celebrated event.

📣 Spread the word! Share our post, tell your friends and family, and get ready to celebrate with us – because PEAK DAY is coming, and it's going to be unforgettable!
🎉🪩🐴🫏🍦🍕🍭☕️⚽️🎶

02/04/2025

🦋🦋 World Autism Awareness Day 2025 🦋🦋

The perfect day to kick off training for the 50k Thames Path Ultra Challenge in September 🏃🏻‍♀️ running to raise money for National Autistic Society and wearing the t-shirt with pride ❤️

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Play therapy can be incredibly beneficial for children with autism in a number of ways:

🦋 enhances communication skills

🦋 supports emotional regulation

🦋 improves social interactions

🦋 builds confidence and self-esteem

🦋reduces behavioural challenges

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28/03/2025

🪄 ✨ Magic of Play: One Piece at a Time ✨ 🪄

✨ Clay can be an incredibly powerful piece of the play therapy kit. Read on to find out how! ✨

🦋 Children can externalise feelings such as anger, joy and sadness through the tactile experience of using clay.

🦋 Clay can help with stress relief and reducing anxiety through the act of molding and shaping. It supports emotional regulation as it is a sensory outlet which soothes the nervous system.

🦋 Clay gives children a medium to explore and process complex feelings, scenarios, or memories. It’s particularly helpful for children who have experienced trauma.

🦋 Clay gives children control over what they are creating and the process they go through, offering a sense of empowerment, autonomy and mastery.

🦋 Insight into a child’s inner world can be gained without the need for direct conversation.

🦋 Self-esteem and confidence can be increased through a sense of accomplishment when creating something physical.

🦋 Working with clay helps to develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

27/03/2025

🪄 ✨ Magic of Play: One Piece at a Time ✨ 🪄

✨ How can the magic of music help children with their emotions? ✨

🦋 Music has been proven to have calming effects on the nervous system.
🦋 Drumming or playing soft melodies can lower cortisol levels and promote relaxation.
🦋 Music can boost memory, concentration, and problem-solving skills.
🦋 Children can express feelings that they may struggle to verbalise.
🦋 Children can learn to recognise and name emotions by exploring different musical tones and rhythms.
🦋 Frustration, anxiety and sadness can be released when playing instruments, helping with self-regulation.
🦋 Listening skills and social interaction can be developed when playing music with a therapist or peers.
🦋 Children gain a sense of accomplishment when successfully playing instruments.
🦋 When using instruments in group play therapy, children can develop teamwork and cooperation skills, as well as active listening, turn taking and shared creative experiences.
🦋 Tactile experiences with different textures and vibrations help with sensory integration.