As You Are Play and Creative Arts Therapy

28/04/2026

This emotion wheel is so good to understand ourselves and others more.

Looking at this with children will help healthy open discussion and greater emotional literacy. This, in turn, leads to permission to be.

Most people are not “overreacting”. They just do not yet understand what they are actually feeling.

What looks like anger can be shame.
What feels like anxiety can be fear of rejection.
What shows up as withdrawal can be loneliness.
What gets labelled as “too sensitive” is often someone feeling overwhelmed or not good enough.

Teenagers and adults are often expected to just “manage” emotions without ever being shown how to understand them. So feelings come out sideways - in conflict, shutdown, avoidance or self-doubt.

When you can name what is really going on underneath, everything starts to shift. Better conversations. Healthier relationships. More control over reactions.

Emotional awareness is not optional. It is a life skill most people were never taught.

Free HOW EMOTIONS SHOW UP WHEN… – FEELINGS WHEEL POSTER

LIKE the photo and comment "EMOTIONS" and we will send you a message with a link to a free PDF of this resource.

19/04/2026

🦫 On a day out yesterday, I made a new friend…a prairie dog! They ran towards us and started chattering away. We interpreted this as friendly and wanting us to stay and chat back, which I did happily! Then we realised that they might be communicating something completely different and it might be scared and want us to stay away.

🪞What we see in others is often our own projection, and perception, and not what the reality is.

🗝️ Similarly, children often communicate in ways we misinterpret. We see ‘misbehaviour’ as ‘not socially appropriate’ or ‘wrong’ and it will be based from a place of need e.g. to move, to be ‘seen’, as a trauma response (fight, flight, freeze), hunger/thirst, tiredness, frustration, trying to communicate a need or emotional disregulation etc.

👀 Let’s not let our social conditioning or fear of what other adults might think in the moment prevent us from taking the time to see what children are really trying to tell us. They will not be able to articulate it like adults, and often, we struggle with this too.

🪶 At As You Are Play and Creative Arts Therapy you can be exactly as you are.

❤️ Nobody is perfect, thank goodness!

12/04/2026

🌳 This was the wonderful ‘Bushcraft Skills for Therapists’ I went to last year with Wild Hearts CIC in Exeter.

🍄 It is great having the option to combine bushcraft with play therapy. Sometimes the best therapeutic processing can happen with a den, hammock, swing, the outdoors or natural materials.

🌿 Children know instinctively, in the right environment, what they need creatively to heal and lead the therapist in their play inside or outside (subject to risk benefit assessments).

🐿️ As You Are Play and Creative Arts Therapy has about 5 acres of outdoor space; meadow and woodland, and a large indoor therapy space offering a very special therapy environment.

🔥 I would recommend Wild Hearts CIC for their great work and wonderful, positive training for therapists.

🌷

30/03/2026

💛 Here is my woodland cabin therapy space…guess which one is AI generated?! 🌳

🤎 It is a beautiful building in a peaceful, private setting. Birdsong fills the air, they love to chatter! 🐦‍⬛

❤️ I love its tranquility and nature all around. Sometimes we have squirrels scurrying around or leaving half eaten cones! 🐿️

💜 With plenty of space inside and out for big movement. This is so important to connect our body and mind, and release our emotions and energy. Children (and adults!) need to move for good mental health. 💓

🩷 I will also be taking you on a tour of the inside and outside spaces soon….watch this space…🧡

23/03/2026

There are two accrediting bodies for fully qualified and certified Play Therapists in the UK.

By finding a Play Therapist using these two searches here, you can be assured that they follow strict standards, ethics and have studied for years at Postgraduate Level 7.

https://playtherapyregister.org.uk/

https://www.bapt.info/play-therapy/register/

It takes just a minute, and ethical professionals who work in therapy and/or counselling will always be transparent about their qualifications and profession.

Children deserve more than good intentions — they deserve safe, accountable care.
PTUK standards place safeguarding, ethics and supervision at the heart of play therapy, creating a space where children can explore big feelings with professionals who are properly trained and supported 🌱

23/02/2026

Intensive Filial Therapy Training - Parent-Child Play Therapy.

This half term I went to beautiful Northumberland for some intensive training that I’ve wanted to do for some time now.

It is really important as it focuses on the family as a unit, it’s evidence based, and enhances the parent-child relationship to help with child or family difficulties. I am able to work with families, implementing play therapy skills, to strengthen bonds for now and into the future.

I had a great time learning and met some wonderful people too.

Also, spotted a lost wig! It made me think about the huge pressure we put on ourselves to not appear lost in any aspect of our lives. Let’s let ourselves be the lost wig sometimes, look how beautiful and peaceful it is! 🌷

11/02/2026

Hi I’m Glenna and I am a child therapist, fully qualified as a Certified Play and Creative Arts Therapist, as well as a Filial Play Therapist (parent-child play therapy).

Play Therapy is a non-directive, child led approach where the child has autonomy and leads the play within the therapy with the therapist following their lead. Play is a child’s natural way of expressing themselves, and processing thoughts and feelings. There are a variety of mediums in the room for the child to select from e.g art, movement, clay, sand tray, puppets, music etc. More information about Play Therapy can be found at www.playtherapy.org.uk

I have my own private practice play therapy room and woodland setting in Holmfirth where parent(s)/carer(s) can bring children for one to one play and creative arts therapy sessions. Referrals can be from parents, schools, social workers or other agencies for play therapy, assessments and reports.

My background is in teaching, both in this country and abroad, as well as working with a variety of groups such as the homeless, alcohol and drug issues, and mental health. I’m a qualified teacher and now work as a play therapist following the integrative holistic play therapy model, PTUK ethics and standards, after successfully completing the postgraduate certificate and diploma in play therapy.

For more information you can contact me info@asyouareplaytherapy.co.uk
I offer a free introductory meeting where we can meet and discuss.

I currently work with 4-13 year olds (and younger for Filial Therapy), depending on needs, and work with mental health issues such as anxiety, separation, loss, trauma, behaviours expressing other issues etc.

I also go into schools for outreach play therapy sessions. Schools are able to purchase half or full days.

As well as indoor play therapy, I offer outdoor play therapy and bushcraft play therapy which are subject to individual needs.

I wish you well and hope to hear from you if I can be of any help.

Glenna

info@asyouareplaytherapy.co.uk

www.asyouareplaytherapy.co.uk (website under construction) coming soon…..